As a Peak Doomer I see the threats to our culture are gathering. We have Peak Oil, Climate Change, and a Collapsing Economy to deal with, any one of which can immediately and permanently change our civilization. And even if you don't believe in Climate Change, or Peak Oil, it's hard to ignore our economy....

It is urgent that we each have a plan and stash prepared in the event of an emergency. Here in Reno, we have a very large water storage area upstream a few miles. This reservoir, if drained suddenly by an earthquake, could make life very uncomfortable here in the valley. They calculate 60 foot water hitting the east hills of Sparks.

The likelihood is once in a 100 years, however we should be prepared for emergencies.

Do you know how to turn off the power/gas/water to your place in a disaster? Very important to learn, to prevent fires and flooding.

Do you have a place to meet planned with your loved ones?

How about a 2nd rendevous spot further out if your primary one is inaccessible?

Do you have a bug out bag handy near the door if you have to suddenly depart?

A couple of gallons of clean water?

Not a bad idea. We may have occasion to abandon our residences (hopefully temporarily) if a natural or other disaster hits.

My B.O.B. is a simple Camel back pack with a water bladder, filled with temporary survival tools.

Here's a quick list of the contents:

Space blanket

Cloth mesh game bag (personal protection from mosquitos and critters) which can be used for filtering, etc.

Uni-tool pliers/knife/saw/can opener

Wind up flashlight/radio/beacon

Metal can of tobacco for bartering and self (ab)use

Aluminum blowgun with darts (self defense and food gathering)

Nylon paracord

Small book of edible plants

N90 rated paper dustmask

A few granola bars

and some Food Tubes.

The food tubes are made from Carnation Condensed milk cans, which when opened with a side-cutting can opener nest together neatly into tubes of whatever length you wish. In the Bag, I have 4 tubes filled with edibles, etc.

Tube 1- 5 cans filled with dried soybeans and rice.

Tube 2- 1 can dried fruits and 4 cans wheatberries. Include one packet dried yeast.

Tube 3- one more can each of wheat, beans, one can of coffee in a baggie surrounded in sugar, and 2 cans of survival preps.

These 2 prep cans include a bit of TP, matches, plastic spoon, salt packets (free), catsup, mustard, pepper and mayo packets (free), matches (free), jam packets (free) and more matches. Also I included a chunk of cheap wax-log (to start cook fires), a couple of nails (many uses), and an obscure packet of dried seaweed.

These tubes are pretty much waterproof when sealed with duct tape, and if you don't have nesting cans, you can use regular tin cans, and just tape them together well with tape.

I also have a few tubes with more foodstuffs handy if ever needed to throw in the trunk. I suspect that one can of dried beans/grains will provide a day's food after soaking and cooking. Probably more if in extreme survival mode (wouldn't hurt many of us to use up that extra fat we're carrying around....)

The nice thing about storing grains/beans/seeds is that they can be sprouted for additional nutrient value.

The cans themselves are very useful in survival mode, and they benefit in that they lessen your solid waste disposal and are good recyclling.

The tubes are designed to be more than just containers for your stash.

You can cook in them.

You can eat from them.

You can soak stuff in them (beans,dried fruits)

You can boil/sterilize water.

You can build a wood-gas stove.

You might be able to distill water with them in a sealed baggie.

You can punch in holes and sprout seeds in them.

You can punch holes, fill with sand, and filter/clarify water.

Can be opened and used as reflectors for fireside baking.

Can be used as vent tube for below ground pit fires for better burning. (cover with sand, sleep on carefully.)

You can solar cook in them if you cover with a glass jar (with or without an alum foil reflector.)

You can hopefully come up with a few other uses and post them here...

Do a search for wood-gas stoves and you will see how to build them from cans.

My model is built for wood pellets, twigs, and is a little bit different from others. I do not punch out holes in the bottom center of the can, but only around the bottom side/edge. This seems to allow a greater distribution of ash, and better air intake and fuel use. The unburnt fuel in the (non hole) center feeds the rest of the fire on the perimeter.

Mine is 2 can lengths high, (top can is a tube, bottom cut out), and the gas-holes are at the top of the top can. I've gotten some very impressive flames, and found that 4 oz of pellets will burn fiercely for 20 minutes, and stay hot for about as long. Punch a semi-large hole just under 1/2 way up the lower can to allow you to put a match into. This hole I've found will create a very nice jet which helps to ignite the lower unburnt gasses and gives greater spread to the top gas holes. I've yet to see if this amount of fuel (4 oz) will bring my pressure cooker up to steam, but if it will, then that is enough to cook large bulks of beans. I put the heated press-cooker into a homemade blanket of carboard and temps so far are: held steam for 20 minutes after removal from flame. Temp. was 150 after 1 hour - enough to cook several cups of presoaked soybeans.

Other tubes I've built for my BOB hold small sampler bottles of booze, tobacco, coffee, sugar, Coconut oil, dried fruits, wheatberrries with a packet of dry yeast, more wheatberries, spices, veggie seeds, etc.

After sealing the cans with duct tape, and covering the contents label with tape, I spray paint them black.

Black cans are less reflective, and also can be used to heat water in good sunlight. (esp. when covered with baggie)

And, they look better and more mysterious.

The finished tube is 42 and 1/4 " high, and makes a not too unwieldly walking stick.

I've thought about burying these tubes just off the highway en route to our far-away lifeboat. If we ever have to walk there, the caches will be waiting. Will use hway mileage markers as guides, and bury a few paces off the road, marked with a line of stones.

But, I'd really rather try to tough it out here in the unreal world, and hope they are never needed.

I guess that's the nature of Bug Out Bags, you hope you never need them.

BOT's can also be made from other cans, but they will not seal nearly as well, or be as sturdy. Just use normal cans and tightly tape them at the seams with duct tape.

Hope you can come up with some more ideas, these nesting cans are pretty amazing. Drop an email....

I think them excellent for long term sealed storage.

It is important for us all to have plans for emergencies. This way we can perhaps be part of the solution rather than of the problem.

If you'd like to see more on using cans, drop an email and I'll post some more.

Good luck, and God luck.