If you ever camped, you probably found yourself in the need of toilet paper and didn’t have it available for your use. Even if you never camped, you never know when you may need it. Toilet paper was only available in the U.S in the mid-19th century, so how did people clean after themselves back then? Well, many different ways. Now, if you think about native-Americans and camping enthusiasts, they likely used leaves as toilet papers.

The biggest problem when you use this method as toilet paper is that you risk running into poisonous leaves. Those won’t kill you, but they will give you a terrible rash in a very sensitive area. So, which leaves makes the best toilet paper? The best leaves are Mullein, large leaf aster, corn lily, wooly lambs’ ear, and thimbleberry. They are absorbent, resistant, and more importantly not poisonous. These leaves will get the job done when there’s no toilet paper around and make sure that you are able to keep basic hygiene in-check.

So, to make sure that you not only know which leaves are okay to use, I did some research so you can understand all the reasons why they are the best option for you. It’s also important to know how to identify those leaves otherwise you may end up making use of poison ivy or oak. If you do that, you will end up with a rash case that may go from light to severe.

You might want to avoid this all together. One option is to carry with you compact toilet paper that is the size of a large pill or Mentos tablet and can easily fit in your pocket. Check out this product here that is available on Amazon.

Mullein

This plant is commonly known as cowboy toilet paper. This title has a very strong reason to be. The leaves of this plant are soft like velvet. This, as you can imagine, makes for the perfect toilet paper while in the wild. Just imagine how difficult it is to not have any water or toilet paper available to make sure you finish what you’ve started. You need basic knowledge to know which leaves to trust.

The Mullein leaves get even better when you find out that they are biennial, which means that they grow all year. They also grow in nearly every region. From coast to coast. So, if ever in need of toilet paper look for the green plants that look like they’re covered in velvet.

The main advantages of using these leaves are:

1. Soft
2. Absorbent
3. Widely available

The easiest way to find them is to look near sideroads and trails. They grow with a yellow flower. Growing near 6 feet tall, they aren’t hard to spot. Once you do spot them, all you have to do is take a few leaves and proceed with your task. They don’t have any poisonous parts, so you don’t have to worry about that.

Large Leaf Aster

If the large Aster wasn’t celebrated by indigenous people as food and medicine, we could say that they were made for cleaning your derriere. These leaves are big, soft-enough, and their heart-shape makes them perfect. They are popularly known as lumberjack toilet paper. They’re widely used for that purpose by lumberjacks of the Northeast and Great Lake.

They’re easy to find in those regions. The great thing is especially their size. Now, in the regions that they grow there is usually poisonous oak, so it’s always good to keep an open eye to not make the mistake of getting the wrong leaves.

To make sure, look for the big leaves that are shaped like a heart. Also, look it up a photo online to make even more sure that you have an idea of what they look like.

Another important tip is, if you can, before using the leaves, test them on the back of your hand. This way you if you’re allergic to this or any other plant you have a greater chance of finding out. Remember, it’s better to have a rash on your hands than your derriere. So, just look for the heart-shaped, big leaves that you will be good to go.

Corn Lily

This is a plant that you’re going to find more in the American west region. They grow, especially in open meadows, and offer you a big leaf with the size of a football. The leaves are sturdy which makes them perfect for the task no matter how big you are. Again, they aren’t poisonous but it’s always good to test before using them. You never know to what you may be allergic to.

Since they aren’t as abundant in numbers you may want to make sure there is enough around you. Still, their leaves are so big that you probably will not have any problem.

Another important tip is to remember to only use the plants that look well and alive. This is because this plant is sometimes referred to as false skunk cabbage. This is due to the plant stinking when it withers from a drought. As long as you don’t get the dry leaves, you are good to go with your business.

Again, you’re going to find this plant in the west region likely in mountains or common places that people go hiking. They’re easy to spot, which makes them a perfect option for the bathroom situation.

Wooly Lambs Ear

Another great option you can use as toilet paper, the wooly lamb’s ear is perfect for the task. They’re quite similar to the Mullein leaves that we mentioned above. They are extremely soft. So soft that people describe them as clouds. They’re also very absorbent and big. This plant gets even better because it grows in every region of the United States. They’re also really easy to find and not easy to mistake for a poisonous plant.

Now, just in case you need it for something else, these leaves are also edible and are medicinal. You can use them as natural band-aids. If you find yourself in a survival situation this information may also be useful, so just don’t forget it.

This plant also has antibacterial and antiseptic properties. It treats even E. coli. It is a consensus among people who have used these leaves that they are better than toilet paper. Some people even let them inside a jar during growing season in the toilet to be used, you know when.

So, here’s what you’re should to do. Take a few leaves. Never harvest the whole plant, it’s just unnecessary and why would you destroy a source of future toilet paper for you and others? So, just take the necessary leaves for you and you’re good to use it.

Thimbleberry

This is another plant with really large leaves. Besides that, they also grow a favorite berry of many children and adults. They grow mainly in the west region of the country but you can also find them in some parts of the northeast.

Anyway, these leaves are a good substitute for toilet paper because they are big and sturdy. You can even fold them and they continue to have a good size to be used as toilet paper. Again, all you have to do is take a few leaves and you have enough to go on with your business.

To find this plant, you are going to have to go looking in the mountains, in places that are shady, cool, and moist. The leaves are fuzzy and big. They’re usually larger than an adult’s hand. They have the perfect size for the job.

When looking for this plant just be aware that small wildlife also loves the berries of this plant so you may encounter a wild animal. Nothing that will cause a problem but it’s always good to be alert.

So, make sure you take only the leaves you are going to need and to make sure that you get some berries to store as food for later. It is always good to be prepared.

Final Thoughts

These are the best leaves you can use as toilet paper. Some of them work even better than toilet paper. All you have to do is know what you’re looking for since they aren’t that difficult to find. Just remember to avoid the poisonous leaves. Make sure you know how they look like.

Also, only take what you need. Look for other uses for these leaves as well since most of them are either edible or medicinal. Sometimes both.

To make it an easy choice, you can get a toilet paper product sold on Amazon that is so compact, you can keep it in your pocket. Click here to get the latest product pricing on Amazon. If you chose this, they sellers also provide an easy carry container.

Related Questions

What are the best alternatives for toilet paper other than leaves?

There are other alternatives to toilet paper if you don’t have that or leaves around. The first one is the obvious one, water. If you have any water source, you can use it for that. Another great option is to use baby wipes. Also, you can use corncobs, small stones, oyster, cleaning tissues, and clamshell. These are the best options that you’re going to find besides toilet paper and leaves.

What to avoid as toilet paper in a survival situation?

It is safe to say that you should totally avoid poisonous plants. At the very best they cause a minor rash and the worst-case scenario you may have a serious reaction. Also, avoid anything that obviously will have a bacterial infestation. If you do that, you avoid 99% of the worst possibilities.

We’ve all heard how important it is to be prepared for everything. You never know when a nuclear attack or simply a natural disaster can happen. Then, when it happens a lot of chaos takes place. This happens because people do not prepare for events like this and so they’re left with no minimum resources to survive. Like food and water. That is why you need to stockpile food to ensure your survival.

Now, once you do realize the importance of this and decide that you’re going to do it, you will come across the issue that some people say that stockpiling food is against the law. Then, obviously, you worry about going through all this trouble only to have the government take everything away. So, the question is it against the law to stockpile food?

The answer is no. Now, according to the order number 10998 in a declaration of martial law, the federal government is allowed to seize hoarded food supplies from both public and private sources. So, in such events, the government may take away your stockpiled food but it is not against the law to have it.

So, to make everything easier to understand, we need to make a clear difference between hoarding and stockpiling. Also, it is important to learn how to do it properly and the strategies you should be using. That it’s what we will be exploring in this article.

Hoarding vs. Stockpiling

Okay, there is a big difference between hoarding and stockpiling. Let’s make it clear this way. Imagine that your neighbor is constantly storing food, garbage, and never throws anything away. They’re paranoid and always think something or someone will take things away. They clearly show aggressive signs when someone else questions what they do. This is hoarding. It is a health problem and something that should be further investigated.

Now, imagine that your neighbor stock food but never does it in an irresponsible way. For example, he doesn’t empty the grocery store’s supply and does it incrementally, so this way no one is left with nothing. The food is carefully stored to make sure it does not present a risk for anyone. This is stockpiling.

The problem is that the law does not clearly make the differentiation between the two. So, it is possible for your stockpiled food to be taken away in case you’re considered a hoarder. But there are no laws against stockpiling food, it’s important to make that clear.

Just because there is no law against stockpiling food does not mean that you shouldn’t worry about the government taking your resources away. As I said, there isn’t a clear way to distinguish between a hoarder and someone who’s just prepping. If a government official declares that what you’re doing is hoarding, you may have problems.

Still, it’s also important to highlight that the government is also the one that encourages everyone to stockpile their food for at least 2 weeks of supply. It sounds even contradictory, but there are 2 possible explanations.

The government wants to either steal from you when SHTF happens or it is better for the government to have the least amount of people possible dependent on them to be fed.

Be your own food bank. You might want to consider long-term freeze-dried food.  There is one you might want to check out here from Amazon.

Keep Quiet

So, since you’re smart, the best that you can do about this is to stockpile your food but be quiet about it. Again, it isn’t against the law to do it but in case of a terrible disaster the government may take away your resources, so it’s better to not tell anyone. Also, you never know. If you go around telling people the government may not be the one taking away your food. You don’t want to go through all this trouble and have someone else take it from you.

Now, besides not telling anyone and also not having any of your family telling anyone about it, you should also take other precautions to not attract attention to yourself.

So, the first thing is to buy the right quantity every time you go out shopping. For instance, if you buy 50 cans of beans and the grocery store only has that or maybe 60, you’re going to get attention for yourself. Again, what you’re doing it’s not against the law, but still, you don’t want anyone taking it away.

What you should do then, it’s to buy the necessary stuff in quantities that will not raise eyebrows. Also, you must know what the essential things you need are. Once you have all the items you’re going to need is time to learn how much you need.

How Much is Enough

It is a consensus that you should start with 2 weeks’ worth of food. Once you have that much food you can work your way up all the way to a year. Now, how much you’re going to stockpile also depends on your financial resources and space to store all that food.

Once you determine how much of space you have, you need to calculate how much food you need per day. Then you have to do the math of how many people will be eating the food, and how much time you’re going to stockpile for.

An easy way is to take the number of calories that you normally need. It is important in times of crisis to try and maintain as much body weight as you can since you’re going to need the energy.

Again, it’s a little difficult to tell you exactly how much food you should stockpile since everyone eats differently. Also, again, the best way to determine that is to do the math based on a minimum of 2 weeks and on how many people live with you.

Once you have all those numbers down, you can begin prepping. That’s how much you’re going to need.

How to Do It (and Not Get CAUGHT!)

We’ve talked about that you can stockpile food but that you should keep quiet about it. Also, we’ve talked about how much you do realistically need. Still, there’s one more thing that you have to think about it. How to do it. That it’s good to do it and that you should do it, you already know. But how do you do it?

The answer is simple. You are going to need space and a strategy. First, you need to determine where you’re going to place all the food. Ideally, it is in a big space that has a protection against curious people and natural disasters. For those reasons, usually, the basement is the perfect place.

Anyway, once you determine where you’re going to place your stockpile food, it is time to plan your strategy. Since you already know how much money you have, how much space you have, and how much food you’re going to store, you need to decide on your strategy.

Remember, the idea is to not get attention to what you’re doing. Ultimately, the strategy is also to survive. So, the best thing you can do is to buy the right quantity and also to buy the right kind of food.

Canned food is good because it lasts longer. Also, you need energy so the right kind of fat and protein are good options. Lastly, think about vitamins and foods with medicinal properties. Store medicinal plants and teas are always a good idea. Remember that medicine has an expiration date.

If you take all this time to store the right quantity and type of food, you will not have any problem surviving and staying healthy for as long as necessary. After all, unless society, as we know, ends, in a few weeks you’ll be able to get more food or any help you need no matter how bad the situation gets.

Now that you decided that your ready, there are some Freeze-dried food items here I recommend that you will want to consider in your quest to gather and stockpile food that lasts long term. You might also consider this high-quality superfood that has a 6 year plus shelf-life.

Final Thoughts

So, this is how you stockpile food. Again, it is not against the law, but it doesn’t hurt to be smart about it. So, buy the right amount you’re going to need and also make sure that you, or any family member, don’t go out telling anyone about what you’re doing.

Just remember to also be smart with what food you get since you don’t want to need the food and find out that it’s not ideal for consumption anymore. That way your best options are canned food and the dehydrated ones.

Related Question

How much food can you legally store?

Again, there isn’t a law that determines how much food you can legally store. What is recommended is that you have at least 2 weeks’ worth of food supply. Also, you likely won’t need more than a year of it.

Can FEMA take your food stockpile?

Theoretically yes. Realistically, no. In case of a disaster, FEMA will turn to their own supply, then if that’s not enough, they will turn to factories, wholesalers, warehouses. After all those more viable options end, then maybe they’ll think about you. Now, you should worry way more about your neighbor that knows you’re a prepper than FEMA or any other government official.

I was reading about how much water is important for all the important functions of the body and how much we need it to survive, and that made me realize that most people worry about stockpiling food for survival situations but forget about water storage for prepping completely.

So, I started looking for a satisfactory answer for water storage for prepping. After all, it is important to know how much you’re going to need. It is important to point out first that there are a few variables that must not be ignored and that we’ll expand on later but for now, how much water to store for prepping? The answer is simple. According to science, you need half a gallon per day for drinking. This ensures that your body will function well. Now, include another half for hygiene and then you have the final math. 1 gallon per day per for each person(minimum).

What you have to think about when you’re doing this math is that you may need additional water for other things such as cooking and cleaning. You also may have to think about pets. Anyway, maybe it is best to store even more than 1 gallon per day. Just to make sure that you are prepared for anything.

Expiration Date

It isn’t uncommon to wonder whether or not is okay to store water. After all, what if when you need that water, and it is not good for consumption? When you think about it, you are storing gallons of water, taking up all this space in your house and you may be doing all for nothing. After all, without drinking water, you only last 3 days.

This all means that you have to make sure you’re able to follow the rules of 3. This rule dictates that you without air you only last 3 minutes. Without shelter for 3 hours. Without water for 3 days. Without food for 3 weeks. Assuming that when STHF (sh@t hits the fan) happens you are in your house and you have oxygen, you’re going to have to think about water immediately.

So, the good news is that water does not have an expiration date. You can store water for years and still be good to drink it. Since water is made of oxygen and hydrogen, it will not have deterioration problems.

Now, there’s a catch. It is possible for microorganisms to grow in the stored water. If that happens, all you have to do is use a few techniques to clean the water.

A good tip would be to change the stored water every month or so. This ensures that you always have water ready for consumption. It will be more work for you, but it’s worth the time.

How to Store

At first, storing water doesn’t seem like a hard job or anything that needs a lot of thought put into it. Now, when you begin to know more about the subject or when you start storing it in your home, you soon realize that it’s not actually true.

The first thing you’re going to realize is that water is heavier than food. This is already a big problem in itself. You’re going to need a space that supports the heavy load and you may have a problem if you need to move all that water from place to place.

To make things even more difficult, depending on the container that you use, the water will take a lot of space. For example, if you store the water in those big plastic containers you’re going to need less space than if you store it in 1-gallon plastic bottles.

The advantage of the 1-gallon bottle is that they’re easier for you to move them around. Again, the problem is that they usually take up double space when compared to those big blue plastic containers.

A final thing you’re going to consider, besides how much space the water container is taking, is that there are sterile containers that ensure that the water does not get contaminated. They prevent against the microorganisms that might grow in the water.

They are obviously more expensive but worth the money. You never know what the situation in which you’re going to need the water, so it’s important that you store in the best containers that you can. You may not have the resources to clean the water.

There are a few choices that I recommend. You may want to get 5 gallon water containers that are easily stack-able. Click here to find get the latest one available through Amazon. In the instance that space is limited you might want to consider collapsible containers . Here is one that I highly recommend that is also available on Amazon.

Pets (Should You Eat Them?)

So, all that math about 1 gallon for drinking and for hygiene is great, but what about pets? Should you get rid of them? Honestly, if we’re really talking about pets, the truth is you’re never getting rid of them. They’re part of the family. In this case, here’s what you’re going to do.

First thing is to establish what type of pet you have. Every animal is different, so they’re going to need different amounts of water daily. Determining that it’s essential to make sure they survive as well.

Dogs tend to need half to 1 ounce of water per pound each day, so the total obviously depends on the breed. Cats usually need 2-4 ounces of water. This math takes into consideration the amount the pet needs for drinking. Obviously, hygiene is another story and more difficult to determine since they don’t take a bath every day.

Now, obviously, the ideal situation is that you have the least number of pets you possibly can. They may be difficult to move around, in case you have, and they will require a lot of care in case of catastrophic events. Still, this is not a moment to be only rational. So, the best you can do is to prepare for them as well.

Moving During The Apocalypse?

Everyone talks about how to store water and everything else like how much you need it, the best containers, and anything you can possibly think on the subject. Still, there’s this one thing that is largely overlooked. How to move all this water around if you have to flee your home.

If you want to prepare for everything, you have to prepare for this as well. In certain events, the best thing you can do is to stay home for a long period of time. For example, in an atomic catastrophe, the radioactive dust will remain in the air, in a critically dangerous state, for a few weeks. This means that the best you can do is to stay inside your house.

Now, when we’re talking about other events, you may be forced to leave your house. In this case, you have to have a plan to move a portion of that stored water in your vehicle.

Considering that you prep for 90 days for a family of 4, you’re going to have 360 gallons of water (1X4= 4X90= 360). This is just impractical to be moved around. You can’t carry that much water around. So, what to do then?

You have to have 2 things. An amount of water to last you until you can get more. For example, until you get to a place you know will have water. And you need to have a cart. It sounds a little silly but water is really heavy. Remember when water and food are not abundantly available you need to keep as much energy as you can.

How to Clean And Get More Water

Now, let’s assume for a moment that you forgot to change the water for a few months and something happens and now you have to use that water that is not perfect for consumption. So, what do you do?

The answer is simple, yet not easy. You have to purify that water. You can do that by boiling the water or filtering the water through a chemical process. Either way, you have to make sure that you kill the microorganisms before drinking it.

Now, another thing that might eventually come up is where to get more water. This may be a difficult task since there may not be any available or if there’s a lake or river nearby, they may be contaminated. The best thing you can do in these situations is to look for natural sources.

Because there is a need to be flexible in regards to potential emergency threats, it may make sense to have a portable and compact water filter to have around just in case that you can use at home or on the road. One solution is a  filter called a Lifestraw. It can provide over 1000 gallons of water filtration. It is also easy to use (you use it like a straw).  Click here to get the latest pricing on Amazon,

Final thoughts

So, this is how you prepare for any possible event. Just to recap, you’re going to need a minimum of 1 gallon of water per day for each person. Now, you multiply that for the number of people in the family and the number of days you want to prepare for.

Also, remember to try to not store the water for too long, making sure you replace it from time to time and also make sure you store it in the right containers. If you take all these measures, you’ll be on your way to make sure you’re prepared for everything.

Related Questions

Best water storage containers?

The best storage container you can use are sterile containers that are food safe to make sure you don’t have contaminated water when you need it. Give preference to stainless steel and plastic containers.

Best long-term water storage method?

The are 3 methods that work really well long-term. First, you can use water preserve, which is a liquid that often contains bleach and a few drops kill bacteria and algae. You can also use a portable filters. Lastly, you can get a water Bob, which is a plastic bag that you put in a bathtub to store water safely.

For a long time, an EMP attack was nothing more than a science fiction plot to a somewhat okay movie. As the days pass, technology advances and political instability worsens, it becomes more inevitable that an EMP could happen.

Not only a nuclear EMP becomes more likely but an EMP caused by solar storms are also more imminent. The problem becomes more real when you find out that the current power grids have no preparation for those scenarios.

This means that an EMP attack would happen and we would be without energy for the next 3-5 years. So, the question becomes how can one protect oneself in such a scenario?

Obviously, there are a lot of different options that you can do to take measures to ensure that you’re secure. For example, you need structures to make sure that your electronic gadgets are safe. So, if the EMP happens you’re not left without your phone and other important communication devices. So, do aluminum garbage cans protect against an EMP? The answer is yes. According to an unclassified 1977 report from DOE and DoD, with a high-quality steel like galvanized aluminum, you can block the pulse generated by an EMP. So, with the right aluminum garbage cans, you can protect your devices.

Since it is an effective way to protect sensitive electronics, there is a large 20 gallon aluminum canister that you can use. Click here to get the latest pricing on Amazon.

Solar EMP vs. Nuclear EMP

There are a few things you need to know about solar storms. The last one that happened that could cause an EMP and that would have such ramifications was in 1859. There were no power grids in the world at the time. If such an event happened nowadays, it’d much worse. As you know, in any industrialized country we depend on the electrical energy for nearly everything.

Now, if such solar storm takes place in the next years, it would cause a major loss in the power grid stations. Now, it would not cause any damage to your electronic gadgets. The repercussions would have no effect on your communication devices for instance. Still, it is a problem because the majority of the world would be in the dark for quite some time. What also worsens the situation is that currently, it takes around 5 years to produce another power grid to replace one of the 370 in the United States.

When it comes to nuclear EMP things can get worse. Such an attack would not only take the power grid down as the solar storm but it would also take all devices with it.

Pretty much any computer or cell phone would stop working. It’d be like being sent decades back to the past. All the technological advancements of the past decades would turn to nothing. Just memories.

This is why it is crucial that you know how to prevent and protect yourself from all of this. You should know that you have certain methods available if something like this actually happens.

The best thing is that you don’t need access to fancy equipment and things that would cost you thousands of dollars just to put together. With simple everyday things, you can take the necessary precautions to protect yourself against an EMP attack. The most efficient everyday way for you to protect your small devices is the aluminum garbage can. With the right one, you can be ready for anything.

What Type of Garbage Cans Actually Work

There are a few factors that affect the efficiency of a trash can protecting your equipment from a nuclear EMP. The most important one is the quality of the steel utilized in the construction of the garbage can. The best type is galvanized aluminum. Still, even after you find garbage cans of this type of steel, you have one more thing to worry.

You have to check their efficiency for such events. It isn’t uncommon to find poor quality steel trash cans in the market. A few dollars of price difference will be felt far worse if you are cheap with this decision.

Once you’ve found the perfect steel, it’s time to see how well the garbage cans lock. The locking lid has to be able to close the cans well. The design of the cans cannot leave any whole or aperture in it. This is because the electromagnetic pulse will still affect the devices.  Especially, if the can is not completely sealed.

According to Dr. Arthur T. Bradley, NASA Engineer, one has to be concerned with the seam around the can. The seam may act as an “antenna” and allow electric static to penetrate the can and thus wreak havoc upon your sensitive electronic devices. The best way to solve this problem is to use aluminum or copper foil tape to seal the can and lid, and thus block the EMP.

After finally finding a trash can that not only has a high-quality material built and locks it the right way, you will have to decide on the size that you need. A 10-gallon one is usually enough for one person. Now, you may decide to get one for every family member or maybe just a bigger one in case you want to place all the equipment in only one place.

The advisable thing to do here is to have more than one garbage can just to make sure that you have a spare stash of devices in case things are really terrible.

There is a large20 gallon garbage can available on Amazon that would fit many of your small electronic devices you want protected. Click here to find it on Amazon.

Should You Throw Everything In the Garbage?

In a scenario like this one, you must know what to prioritize. An EMP will have no effect on food or water supplies, but you are going to be affected when it comes to your electronic devices.

To put it simply, there are things that are in your control such as your personal devices and there are things that aren’t like the power grid around the country.  So, worry only about the things you can control such as phones, computers, and any other communication device.

A nuclear EMP can cause other lasting effects like radioactivity, but that’s another completely different story.

Does It Need More Protection

It is a consensus that a high-quality steel garbage can will protect your communication devices properly. Now, it is still possible to take extra measures to make sure that your devices will be functioning properly when you need them. There are two things that you can do for extra protection.

First, you can put a plastic bag inside the trash can. The plastic works as another layer of protection. It sounds like too simple and easy to be true but it actually provides extra protection. All you really have to do is to put the plastic bag, maybe two, inside the can and put your devices in it.

The second thing that you can do for extra precaution is to use an aluminum foil. Another simple and easy solution but you can wrap the gadgets with the aluminum foil to increase the level of protection you are using.

Those two methods, like garbage cans, can benefit anyone, and at the end of the day can save your life. So, when you think about it, it isn’t too much trouble to make those arrangements.

Final Thoughts

So, as you can see, if you make use of a high-quality steel garbage can, you will get the necessary protection against an EMP for your devices. It is also advisable that you put a satellite phone if you have access to one, and batteries inside of the garbage can. Since you will probably get a 10-gallon can, you can also get one for each family member or consider a bigger one if necessary.

The plastic bag and the aluminum foil are just extra precautions but you will likely be more protected if you don’t use them. It’s just that it is better to be safer than sorry. So, put the plastic bag first and wrap the aluminum foil around the devices for the extra help.

Even if the solar storm causes an EMP, which it is not likely to cause damage to electronic devices, it is still a good idea to have an aluminum garbage can at your disposal.

But for those who need complete home or vehicular EMP protection, EMP Shield is great protect. It has been tested and passed the US Military test for its effectiveness. To find out more Click Here.

Related Questions

Are there other methods to protect yourself from an EMP?

There are other far more expansive and complicated methods but this is by far the most cost-effective and most accessible to everyone that wants to take measures to protect themselves from such an event. The aluminum of the garbage can is cheap and resistant to the pulse generated by the EMP-like no other cheap material.

How long does the EMP last?

An eventual EMP caused by solar storms would last 1-3 days. Since the likelihood of such event damaging personal electronic devices is quite slim, there isn’t much to worry about. Now, if you want to be completely positive, wait until the storm passes. In the event of a nuclear EMP, the pulse lasts a millisecond, which means that as long as the device wasn’t damaged during the attack, you will be good to use it.

When can I open the aluminum can?

As said above, the danger is during the pulse. In the case of a nuclear EMP, it will last a total of a millisecond, thus allowing you to take the device right after the pulse ended. So, just wait a bit to make sure that it really is over, and then you will be safe to open it.

Most kids have started a fire with a magnifying glass. After I learned how to do it, I just couldn’t stop starting fires with every paper around. Now, to have a magnifying glass at your disposal all the time is unlikely. Chances are that you won’t have one with you when you need it. For example, when you are in a survival situation.

So, I wondered what would be another way to start a fire when you don’t have a match or a lighter available. After all, fire is one of the most important human discoveries for a reason. When out in the open, the ability to start a fire may save your life. The fire cooks the food, keeps you warm, sends dangerous animals away.

Maybe you have already seen, but it’s possible to start a fire, on a sunny day, with your glasses. Once you learn this the question that arises is can you do it with any type of glass? Can you start a fire with nearsighted glasses? The answer is no. Unfortunately, you can’t start a fire with nearsighted glasses. Those glasses have diverging lenses that disperse the sunlight beam once it hits the glasses instead of focusing the heat in a single point.

Burning Read?

It is time to put your reading glasses to use, especially if you are not the bookworm type.

To put it simply, it’s important to know that there are two types of lenses used in glasses. If you are nearsighted, you use a diverging lens. With this lens, the light hits the glass, and it immediately diverges into different beams. Never creating a single focal point. That is why you can’t really start a fire with this type of lens.

Here’s how it actually works. For you to start a fire with the sunlight, you need to find a way to focus the light beam. So, what you need is a type of lens that will focus all the light into one single point. In this case, the paper or any other flammable material you are using.

Now, the converging lens, which is the one in your reading glass, takes all the light beam and turns it into a single focal point. It is like receiving various laser lights and turning them all into one. This way, it helps the fire to get started.

If you have any type of farsighted glass, even the cheap ones that you can find in certain stores, it is possible to make it work. So, perhaps even if you don’t need one for your vision, you might consider getting one.

So, to make it as clear as possible, you have to use a converging lens and not diverging lens. This basically means that you’re going to need reading glasses and not nearsighted glasses. There are a few people who claim that you can use water to make it work but that’s not the truth with nearsighted glasses.

And for those wanting an easier and simpler way to start a fire, click here for a fire-starting item that is highly rated on Amazon.

How to Fire Up the View?

So, let’s start on the principle that you’re not going to be able to start a fire with nearsighted glasses. You can still do it with reading glasses. What you’re going to want to know next is how to actually do it. The idea behind this method is fairly simple and easy to implement. All you’re going to need is:

1. Reading glasses
2. A flammable material like paper
3. A sunny day
4. Perhaps water

What you’re going to do is to point the lens to the paper, directing the sunlight beam to it. A great tip here, in case the paper is a newspaper or any kind of paper that has ink, is to point at the written part. This is because the darker surfaces absorb the heat, which in turn catches fire quickly. So, point it at the headline in the case of a newspaper.

Once it begins to produce smoke, you may blow it to ignite the fire faster. In case you have any difficulty starting the fire, there’s still one trick that you can do to help you out. If with this trick the method still doesn’t work, it’s probably because the sun is not strong enough.

If you use one drop of water on the lens, it sorts of acts as a magnifying glass, which will potentialize the sunlight that is hitting the spectacles. This will ignite the fire faster. It is important to highlight though that you have to have a very sunny day outdoor otherwise the sunray will not be strong enough to heat the material all the way to combustion.

Can You Convert Diverging Into Converging?

There are people who claim that it is possible to turn a diverging lens into a converging one just by applying a few drops of water onto the lens. This is simply not true. Unfortunately, there is no way that you can turn your nearsighted glasses into a converging lens. If you want to start a fire using this method, you’re going to need a magnifying glass or a converging lens.

Now, if you tried this method and is not working too well for you, you can also utilize certain methods to increase the power of your available lens. Here’s the thing, if your lenses are too thin, it may not work well for starting a fire. So, your option, besides the water drop method, is to put one lens on top of the other to maximize the sunlight when it hits it.

As you can see, there are two ways that totally work for you to maximize the power of the lenses. There’s no way, unfortunately, to turn the diverging lens into a converging one. So, if you find yourself in need to start a fire, you’re going to either need a magnifying glass or converging lens.

It is also important to point out that you need a sunlight and it has to be a sunny day. If you use any other form of a light source such as a flashlight, it will not work with this method.

Magnifying Glass

The magnifying glass is the best method to start a fire with a beam of light. The reason is that the magnifying glass has a biconvex lens. This type of lens is curved in both directions. For example, a normal lens used in glasses both the nearsighted and farsighted are curved in only one direction. This makes the light bend both when it enters the lens and when it leaves it.

This curved lens produces a more powerful and focused beam of light, thus making it easier and faster to ignite the paper or whatever other material you are using for this. Just remember to always point to the darker portion of the paper. The closer to white the worse and the closer to black the better.

Now, you may also hear about a method of using the magnifying glass with the farsighted glass. This method would involve putting one on top of the other to create a more powerful beam of light, thus starting a fire easily. This is simply not the truth. It will either not make any difference or actually slow down your results.

Final Thoughts

So, as you can see, the nearsighted glasses will not be of much help when it comes to starting a fire.

Unfortunately, there is no way of turning this around and making it work for you. You are either going to need a magnifying glass or farsighted glass to make this work. With one of those options, you’re going to need a sunny day with enough heat to start the fire, and the flammable material.

A drop of water on your reading glass can amplify the beam of light and make it easier for you. As a final note, it is also important to remember that as you as you see the smoke get started, you can help by blowing it to make the fire start faster. For those who still want a simple solution to wanting to start a fire in an effective but primitive way, I found an item found a fire-starter on Amazon that is compact and fits in your pocket. Click here to get the latest pricing.

Related Questions

What are other easy methods to start a fire?

Besides a lighter and matches, you can start a fire with other methods but they are not as easy. To put it simply, you need a conductor and a fuel to start a fire. Alcohol, for example, is a great fuel while wood is a great conductor. So, to make things easy on you look for wood or paper. If you don’t have a lighter or matches, you’re going to need another source of heat. Be it the sun or friction.

Can I use my glass for another thing in a survival situation?

Besides making it easier for you to see things, your nearsighted glass won’t have much use. Since most lenses are now made of plastic, you can’t really turn it into weapons. So, the best you can do is to keep them to make sure you’re seeing everything perfectly.

When I was recently camping, I started to think about some situations that could lead to having no food readily available while in the woods. Like one of those cable shows where people are left in the woods with nothing, having to figure out for themselves how to survive and make their way back to society. That got me started thinking about whether or not you can eat rats while in one of those situations.

Eating rats, obviously, would be considered disgusting and unsanitary in the western society. Still, does that mean that it actually is such a terrible thing to eat rats in a life or death scenario? Would the rat keep you alive or make you die a painful death? Can you eat rats in a survival situation?  Rats are known vectors and reservoirs for more than 60 diseases that can be transmitted to humans, especially if they’re cooked wrongly. Now, as long as the rats are well cooked, diseases should not be a problem.

So, I did my research to find the real answer. It is not as simple as you may think. If you are the type of person who camps a lot and go on trips that involve being far from the city and close to the woods, I believe this information is quite important. Even if it is not your case, I still think that you never know when the apocalypse will hit, so it’s always good to know what situation is safe and what isn’t to eat rats.

Going Rat Style

Now, before you think that all rats are bad for consumption and think that you should starve in a survival situation, that is not the case. Especially in the case of wild rats’ species, it is safe to eat them.

There are a lot of cultures, mainly in Asia, in which people consume rats as especial delicacies or even their main consumed meat. In those cultures, rats are eaten by choice and not by lack of other options.

For example, the Adi tribe, located in a remote part of north-east India, celebrates the Unying-Aran festival every year. This celebration has rats as the main dish. In fact, rats are so important in this culture that they are given as gifts. They claim that rat meat is the best there is and no celebration is complete without it.

Now, it’s not only this isolated village in a corner of the world that consumes rat meat for real. There are people in Cameroon, New Zealand, Indonesia, Philippines, and many other places that have rat meat in their diet. They are mainly prepared with spicy sauces.

So, as you can see there are many cultures that do make use of rats in their diet. The most fascinating thing is that they do it because they want it and not because they’re starving.

The only downside of this diet is that rat meat is reported to have a gamey taste. Also, most of the cultures cook the rat with hair, which produces a terrible smell during the process.

Rodent Meal Recipe

If it does come down to eating rats to survive, there are a few ways to prepare rat meat for consumption. Let’s go the fancy way first. You should only do this in situations in which you’re positive that the animal is healthy.

1. First, you skin the rat.
2. Then, you smoke the rat with hickory until they acquire a smoky flavor.
3. Then put the meat on the open fire until it is crispy.

It’s important to point out that you should only skin the rat if it is healthy. This is due to the fact that the hair of the animal will transmit diseases if the rat is sick.

Now, for a recipe for a more survival situation, in which you don’t know the animal and how healthy it is or isn’t, the best you can do is the following.

Do not touch the animal directly with your hands.

1. Put them on a spit on the open fire, letting it burn with the hair. This will kill the bacteria.
2. After that, you remove the brain and the digestive system. This is because more bacteria and diseases will be there.
3. Then, you can eat it

Now, the bad news is that the burning hair will produce a horrendous smell. This is not proof that the animal is sick or anything. So, if after that you can still be in the mood for a rodent snack, you can consume the meat. Also, always overcook it and not the other way around. If you undercook, it may not kill the bacteria.

Another important reminder, the taste of the meat will be influenced by the rat’s diet and its age. Wild species are more likely to have had a healthy diet full of berries and other animals. The city rats probably ate garbage and other animals in decomposition mode. This affects the taste of the meat. Going from yummy to gamey. The age is also another factor because hormones are an important part of the whole that makes up for the meat taste.

Can You Survive Going Rat-tarian

First of all, if you do take the rat straight to the spit to burn the hair and get rid of the outside bacteria, then cook well done and remove the digestive system, you can survive with a diet of rat meat. You also have to be able to get past the gamey taste, but if you’re in a survival situation that’s not likely to be an option, therefore, a problem.

Some people also suggest that you feed the rat for a few days with berries or any clean food that you have to remove the bad things out of its system, but that’s not likely enough time to improve the taste. It’s like eating wild possums, you may get one that tastes really good and one that tastes really bad.

Now that you do know that if prepared right you can eat the rat’s meat, you need to know how to survive with a diet like that. This is because rats are small creatures, and therefore, you’re not going to get your daily calorie intake from one single rat.

An adult rat has on average 300 grams. This is an adult male rat. On average a man needs 2500 calories to maintain a healthy diet. The 300 grams rat meat has 648 calories, 63 grams of protein, and 33 grams of fat. This means that you need more than one rat to have your minimum daily calorie intake.

Still, in regards to rats, a good tip is to try and find the nest instead of capturing just one.

It is also important to point out though, that when in a survival situation, the first things you should worry about before what to eat is shelter, clean water source, and a weapon to protect yourself from wild beasts.

I’d also advise you, if you know where you’re going before going, to research a little about the region and to know something about medicinal plants. There is also a great resource that provides effective remedies found in nature used by our ancestors. Click here to get more information.

Will Eating a Rat Kill You

If you’re still not convinced about eating rats, that is perfectly understandable. The wild rats are safe to eat because of their diet. They eat berries and grains. For example, the rats eaten in most of the Asian countries are the ones plaguing plantation fields of rice. This makes their meat safer to eat. Unlike the city rats that feed off corpses and garbage.

Now, as taught above there are ways in which you can reduce the chances of contamination by rats. Still, the best way to prevent it is to know how the diseases are transmitted.

• Exposure to the rat’s urine or feces
• Bites and scratches
• Exposure to the rat’s hair (that’s why you should let the fire burn it)
• Contact with its parasites like lice
• Direct contact with its saliva

A good rule of thumb would be to stay away from any excrement of the rat. Again, the chances of the rat being sick are higher if it’s a city rat. Still, as prevention do not touch the rat before it is cooked and the hair burned. Then remove the digestive system.

Now, it’s still more advisable that you eat other meats if you have it available. This is due to the fact that certain animals are easier to spot whether or not they’re sick, therefore, making them safer to eat.

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Final Thoughts

So, as you can see you can eat rats in a survival situation. Still, you have to be careful with the handling of the animal. Now, if you think about it, it is pretty much like any other mammal. You should not eat if it is sick.

Remember to prepare the meat the right way, and you’re likely to not have any trouble. Make sure you skin it and butcher it the right way, and you’ll be good to go.

Now, if you ever find yourself in an Asian country, remember that those rats are probably from crop fields, so it is safer to eat them. Also, the meat will taste way better.