Prepper Fest & Survival Expo - HELP! (Unabashed Vanity)

Self ^ | 05.13.2015 | dware

[dware]

I am organizing the first annual "Prepper Fest & Survival Expo" in Grand Junction (Western Colorado), July 25th and am in need of some assistance.

Specifically, I am seeking presenters who can present on a variety of Prepping, Homesteading, Sustainable Living, and general Survival topics. The presentations will be done in a classroom setting @ the venue, complete with A/V setup and PC/Projector. We will have the equipment necessary to do remote presentations, so this is not necessarily limited to those available to be @ the show. Each presentation should last approximately 45 minutes, and include an additional 15 minute segment for Q&A.

In return for presentation, I'm happy to provide as much exposure for the presenter's business, organization, cause, etc., including free table space. I would also LOVE to provide free space in the event that we can secure someone in the area to man a table representing Free Republic!

I would love to hear from FReepers across the Country who may have experience organizing or participating in these types of shows, and any advice you might offer. We are already seeing quite a response from our initial efforts, which have mostly been efforts on Facebook. At present, we do have vendors confirmed from Moab to Denver, and are expecting attendees from all over Colorado. It really is shaping up to be a great event, and I hope you can help make it better!

[dware]

Stuff is good if it doesn’t take a loan at the bank to buy.

Agreed! I've actually got a vendor who is a veteran of Iraq (2205-2006) and came home to setup his own preparedness company. His focus has been on lowest possible pricing, in order to help even those with lower incomes to be able to prep. I think it's going to be awesome!

[dware]

Also When there is no doctor , what herbals to use for medicine . First aid !!

Interestingly enough, I've had a few essential oils folks express interest. Now, I'm all about essential oils...my wife and I both use them for some things. But my thinking is, if SHTF, are you really going to be looking up your local doTerra Rep? I've accepted them as vendors, and of course the answer is always "stock up on them ahead of time!", but my biggest interest lies in learning how to extract those oils on your own, DIY style. That would make more sense to me as far as educational opps and the Expo.

[dware]

Do any cities in your area have a CERT program? They might be able to do some presentations.

I've looked into these programs, and had been involved, at one point, in an effort to get the training done here in this area. The problem is, it's a FEMA program. No one wanted to get on board with it. Lol.

[familyop]

"For example, people talk about going to Idaho. What part of cold, snow do they not understand? It is easier to go to Mississippi, East Texas, Alabama, etc, where land is relatively cheap, water is relatively plentiful, growing seasons for long-term relocation are much longer, etc."

Well said! I live in such an area surrounded by federal lands and parks without running water or other facilities. Although the area is very attractive to the Walter Mittys of TEOTWAWKI sewing circles (even the ultimate neighborhood guys), there's no way that campers from the suburbs could camp and survive here during winter. Huge numbers of campers have streamed up here during summers to put their end-of-the-world expertise to the test.

A few blowhards at relatively low elevations, high temperatures and little winter wind have pretended to be experts while giving instructions from Web sites and videos on living through winter "in the mountains" in travel trailers or other RVs. They don't know what they're talking about. They're putting other people's lives at risk to suit their own vanities. They're in areas with much easier winter conditions but also with limited space for campers.

Trying to survive temps in the minus-30s, F, and wind gusts up to 110 mph in an RV (e.g., in some places over 9,000 feet) is a fool's errand for anyone who doesn't have a blue collar man's background in several practical technologies, a real soldier's training for extreme cold weather and much preparation for those conditions in advance.

The dunes of ice pile high, and there's no getting out. It's a much more dangerous undertaking than imagining fighting off "zombies" or actually trying to survive randomly interlocking fire in a suburb after a hysterical rumor. When vacationing at high elevations, watch out for highways with red and white striped gates next to them--the kind that tilt down to close a highway. Those highways frequently close during the winter, when the ice sprays. Beware areas with highways that have the high snow fences to the west side of them.

Just had a heavy snow within the past few days, although it melted off unseasonably fast. I don't want to see or smell bodies after a spring runoff. We don't need a predator population explosion either.

But do come and enjoy camping during the summer. It's a nice, cool break from the city. Or spend more time on more practice ways to survive in a temperate, southern climate, save money and save other supplies for a real disaster.

[dware]

I like the bee keeping idea and, quite frankly, that could be a great segue into brewing one’s own honey mead @ home, a project I have actually done!

[RKBA Democrat]

I’m a bee fiend, but looking at it objectively, honey is a very good sweetener easily ontained from bees. Also an exceptional trade good as honey doesn’t rot. Ever. Unless its too wet then it becomes mead.

[dware]

My wife and I, given the space (we currently live in town), would jump at the chance to become beekeepers. We’ve talked at length about it, done a bunch of research, and it just makes sense. As you point out, it never goes bad, ever, and has anti-bacterial properties, and is great as an allergy prevention method, and is wonderful for making homemade brews!!! We have wished on many occasions that we were in a position to keep bees!

[dware]

Western CO event, that is drawing statewide attention! Any advice?

[Marcella]

“I told her I’d rather have a year of TP stocked!”

A year of toilet paper takes up a huge amount of space. One needs to think out of the box for toilet paper. See below, buy Equate Wipes instead of toilet paper - they clean better, are cheaper, are definitely flushable if you still have sewer working, and I have enough for four people for a year stored in a stack of boxes (think it’s three not large boxes) taking up a space of less than three by two feet space. Here is the info:

EQUATE WIPES
“Equate wipes are designed for personal hygiene purposes and may be used by men or women to reduce irritation, maintain cleanliness and promote freshness. These Fresh Scent Flushable Wipes are offered in an economical 144 ct pack that is divided into three 48-ct portable, reusable packs for your convenience. These flushable moist wipes break apart after flushing like toilet paper, reducing the chance for blockage at home and in waste management systems. Equate wipes are more than 95 percent biodegradable and constructed of 95 percent renewable resources. These Fresh Scent Flushable Wipes are hypoallergenic, alcohol free and are sewer and septic safe and are suitable for traveling. These Equate Flushable Moist Wipes are cool and soothing for delicate areas.”

$3.97 for 144 wet wipes.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Equate-Fresh-Scent-Flushable-Wipes-48-sheets-3-count/15610928

GREAT VALUE FACIAL TISSUE
The facial tissue you want is Great Value at Walmart. The price isn’t given as you have to get them in the store, not on line. This is three boxes of 200 each, so it’s a total of 600 tissues. Look at the other Great Value tissue boxes, but I think this one is the cheapest for the most number of tissues and I remember they are cheap. Buying two packages of 600 each gives you 1,200 tissues for blotting after urination. If you need another set of the 600, it isn’t going to cost you much, and that would be 1,800 tissues for blotting.

$3.94 for 600 tissues.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Facial-Tissues-3-Pk/14520411

[familyop]

Around my place on one of the least populated areas on the Rockies, burglary, theft and vandalism have been very common over the past ten years or so. Local crooks come from nearby towns and other so-called developments to do it.

The ground is dry, hard packed and sterile. Required permits and property taxes (most of the very few residents being from New York or New Jersey and desiring regulations, fees, etc.), favoring fake open range cattle operations (only seasonal—too cold for cattle), inhibit greenhouses.

Hard freezes come during mornings at any time during summer. Water rights laws only allow water for any outdoor usage (like gardening) on lots more than 35 acres. The bugs are numerous and very hungry for gardens (larvae from potato beetles, larvae other beetles, locusts,...) along with the jack rabbits and cattle (from seasonal development-wide cattle leases required for property tax reasons) and the hordes of prairie dogs for miles and miles.

Gardening can be done, but it’s very complicated and expensive. Planning and preparations for gardening must be done years in advance. A garden here must be like a climate-controlled fortress.

[familyop]

"The US is one of the best-endowed nations in the world, from a natural resource perspective. It is also one of the least densely-populated. It has superior farmland, oil and every kind of mineral needed for industry."

The regulations, laws, ordinances, fees and taxes against producing or building anything on rural private property are monstrous. Those were brought by big corporations, local officials and their retired NIMBY friends against any potential, new competition from technically inclined, working class families.

The big shots long ago decided that some manufacturing would be done way over there, in another country. Certain agriculture would be done in another country yet, and so on. The plutocrats have done their "master planning" around the world and against the many peoples that they believe that they own.

"And yet it is a font of apocalyptic strategizing closely mirroring scenarios imagined by dystopian science fiction authors starting with HG Wells, over a century ago, in his novel The Time Machine (Elois vs Morlocks). Talk about irony."

And now, you know why.

"Still, it was Australia, the Lucky Country, that came up with Mad Max, Mel Gibson’s star-making role."

Notice the queer characters. That was obviously a queer movie.

[RKBA Democrat]

Bees are kept on rooftops and balconies in Manhattan. Chances are You have enough space. Just figure out a way to conceal. Even where legal out of sight and out of mind is best. Think OPSEC

[RKBA Democrat]

Bees are kept on rooftops and balconies in Manhattan. Chances are You have enough space. Just figure out a way to conceal. Even where legal out of sight and out of mind is best. Think OPSEC

[JRandomFreeper]

LOL! You are right in so many ways.

This was only 7000 feet elevation in relatively warm New Mexico. I only did -18F in it. It darn near killed me. I won't ever do that again. A man has to know his limits. And freezing to death is one of mine.

/johnny

[george76]

Colorado Ping ( Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the list.)

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I told her I'd rather have a year of TP stocked!

• TP for a year or more; Check
• Multiple toilet seats to fit 5 gal buckets; Check
• 5 Gal buckets; Check
• Heavy duty liners for buckets; Check
• Sawdust and filler; Check
• Lime; Not so much

I can't stock 50 lb. bags of it...it will turn to rock over a short time.

Anyone know of a good way to store it against moisture or another product with a much longer shelf life?

[bgill]

Basic weather forecasting.

While weather forecasting sounds mamsy pamsy, it's important. We had severe weather west of us and the weathermen were telling everyone down river to beware of flooding. The local tv stations had timetables of when the floods would be hitting each town. Sheeple were still clueless. We secured our outside stuff and were finishing up securing the neighbors' when the waters hit and they drove up - gee, we heard about flooding but uh, hmm. Nearby areas were evacuating and we could hear their loud speakers one the next street over but because they didn't notify our street the sheeple stayed put. We called the sheriff's dept. several times to beg them to specifically notify our street. I knew how high the water could get and we could get out so I kept watch. That night, we and one neighbor packed up and headed together to higher ground. During the night, people were awoken with water in their homes and by then it was too late to get out. The next day, we went back home and everyone was still clueless and wondered how we knew to bug out. Another time, I'd run an errand during a happy little rain only to find the road home was impassable minutes later. It's not just floods, but what are you going to do during other weather situations and when those cause power outages? Does your family have paper maps (and can read them) to know alternative routes when their cell phones aren't working? Are the paper maps detailed enough to show all the back roads since the highways and major roads will be at a stand still?

[bgill]

The importance of having hard copies of How To books or instructions.

Prepping on a tight budget.

Looking at alternative prep uses of items that might be on their way to the trash or forgotten about in the back of the closet.

Organization to you don’t have to worry about where’s what when seconds count.

[bgill]

That’s another topic - the ever shifting criminal element that may be creeping closer to your home. Ask me a couple years ago, I’d have told you we’re in a great bug out location. Today, not so much due to outsiders finding us.

[bgill]

That’s another - the ever shifting criminal element that may be creeping closer to your home. Ask me a couple years ago, I’d have told you we’re in a great location. Today, not so much due to outsiders finding us. Everything is constantly changing and so must your prep plans.