Root Cellar Basics: What You Need to Know

When it comes to food preservation we all have it pretty easy today. Refrigerators and freezers often take center stage in kitchens owing to these devices’ singular importance. Placing food inside either is an effortless way to extend its edible life by days, weeks or even months.

Now you’re fresh food will last longer and your leftovers will not go to waste. And all that is required is a little bit of electricity.

Unfortunately, we won’t always have access to electricity, and some places to this very day either have no access to an electrical grid or only partial access.

But no matter where you live and whether or not you have access to the power grid you will always have a need to extend the life of your food.

Spoilage hurts you twice: the first time by wasting your investment of time or money and the second time by depriving you of vital resources. As preppers, we must always be looking for ways to maximize our return on our investment in all things.

This is why you need a root cellar. Root cellars have been employed for centuries to preserve food, typically vegetables, and do it all without the benefit of electricity or modern technology in any way.

At first glance, root cellars might appear to be little more than primitive half-basements excavated beneath a home, but there is a lot to know regarding proper installation, maintenance and implementation.

In this article we will tell you everything you need to know about getting started with root cellars for food preservation.

What is a Root Cellar?

A root cellar is a structure or installation that is typically, though not always underground or at least partially subterranean in design.

Root cellars are sometimes known by different names, including potato barn and the traditionally English term earth cellar, but the name that we know them by is a tip-off to their intended purpose: the long-term, safe storage and preservation of root crops along with other vegetables.

Root cellars have been around for ages and though they are rarely used for their original purpose and are commonly refitted or refurbished for different kinds of storage, they can still do what they are intended to do even in this era of refrigeration and technological food preservation.

Homesteaders, farmers, preppers and even just enthusiasts all make use of root cellars to this very day.

In short, think of a root cellar as a go-to method of off the grid food preservation or as a hedge against the loss of capability made possible by modern technology.

What Sorts of Foods are Kept in Root Cellars?

All sorts of foods can be kept in a root cellar to enjoy a usefully extended shelf life before spoilage begins to take place, though fruits and vegetables are among the most common residents, and especially the “root” veggies like:

• ☑ Potatoes
• ☑ Sweet Potatoes
• ☑ Carrots
• ☑ Turnips
• ☑ Radishes
• ☑ Rutabaga
• ☑ Fennel
• ☑ Onions
• ☑ Garlic
• ☑ Beets

Other good candidates for preservation inside a root cellar include:

• ☑ Parsnip
• ☑ Squash
• ☑ Cabbage
• ☑ Lettuce

Most fruits, too, can typically benefit from storage in a root cellar, but particularly those that already have lengthy shelf lives such as:

• ☑ Apples
• ☑ Pears
• ☑ Plums
• ☑ Grapes

There are other worthwhile inclusions, and you can even usefully improve the shelf lives of citrus fruits like oranges, lemons and limes, though these latter fruits might be considered non-traditional occupants.

And you can keep more in a root cellar than just fruits and veggies!

Dairy products will hang on longer when stored in a root cellar once the power goes out and you can even extend the life of fresh meats by perhaps a day or so. Non-produce foods that will fare well in a root cellar include:

• ☑ Milk
• ☑ Butter
• ☑ Cream
• ☑ Cheese
• ☑ Beef
• ☑ Pork
• ☑ Wine
• ☑ Poultry

For true, long-term storage of meats salting, or otherwise preserving meats will do wonders when kept in a root cellar.

For any of you who are already into food preservation, particularly canning, your root cellar is also the perfect place to store your bounty even compared to your pantry or closet.

Further improving the conditions where your preserved foods are stored will only increase your chances of a long lifespan and fresh options for consumption.

The bottom line is that there is no reason why you shouldn’t make use of a root cellar, particularly if you are a prepper or already practicing self-sufficiency and permaculture.

How Do Root Cellars Work?

However they are designed and constructed root cellars and equivalent installations work the same way: by changing ambient conditions to those more amicable to the preservation of what food is stored within. This is done by controlling four important environmental factors:

• Temperature: The subterranean or partially subterranean nature of a root cellar means that the chamber will enjoy excellent insulation thanks to the surrounding soil and that goes a long way towards keeping the temperature inside closer to the ideal level for the long-term storage of crops and veggies- anywhere from just above freezing to below room temperature depending on the produce in question.
• Humidity: A properly designed root cellar will keep humidity levels in the air quite high, anywhere from 75 to 95%. Most fruits and veggies stay fresh longer in an atmosphere with higher humidity, as they tend to rot once they dry out (if not properly dehydrated first). Remember, most harvested crops and picked fruits or veggies are not dead, only dying, and continue to absorb moisture from the air. This means that proper humidity levels are critical for extending shelf life!
• Light Control: Direct exposure to sunlight or other sources of light can strip nutrients from food and encourage root vegetables to sprout, hastening spoilage. The underground nature of a root cellar means that light control is typically a simple affair and there is no fruit or veggie that will not benefit from storage in darkness. One part of proper root cellar design is allowing for light control so that you can properly store your harvest but also see what you are doing when you need to. Windows and skylights should have covers and electrical lights should be kept off when not in use.
• Ventilation: Though you want your root cellar tightly closed to prevent the intrusion of pests it is imperative that proper ventilation be maintained. Warm air must be allowed to rise up and out while fresh air must be allowed to enter. Proper ventilation ensures that mold and fungus will have a much harder time getting established and ethylene gas, emitted by several fruits and vegetables, will also be allowed to escape before it can hasten ripening and promote spoilage. An exhaust pipe in the ceiling or near the top of the wall is a must and a “sinker” intake that allows cool air in near the floor is equally important.

Any root cellar, no matter its design and no matter whether it is modern or primitive, functions by controlling these four variables.

All of the variables are important, but the internal temperature is arguably the most critical since it is low temperatures that will do the most to inhibit the growth and propagation of bacteria which can demolish your food.

An “ideal” root cellar temperature will be anywhere from 32° F to 40° F, though this will be challenging to maintain anywhere except cold regions or the most ideal locations elsewhere.

If this temperature range is not attainable, one should strive to maintain an internal temperature of 40° F to 55° F. This will not allow long-term storage for most fruits and veggies, but will suffice for shorter durations.

Large or small, so long as your root cellar can do the same you will have a powerful tool in your arsenal for the preservation of your hard won harvest.

However, depending on your specific living arrangements, locale and typical climate controlling these variables through the installation of a root cellar may be more or less challenging and all of the above factors will certainly play a part in your design and construction process. We will dig into those considerations in the next section.

Issues with Root Cellars

Root cellars are great, and especially great in situations where electricity is either unavailable, or the power grid is down, but make no mistake that using one is nowhere near as simple as digging a hole in the ground, throwing your produce inside, and then slapping a door over the entrance.

Using a root cellar, and learning to work with its eccentricities is a skillset unto itself and then there is the matter of necessary, constant and ongoing maintenance you will have to attend to.

As one would expect from such a simple installation, without benefit of modern technology and materials the atmospherics inside a root cellar’s main chamber are highly variable. The temperature and the humidity will not be anywhere near even, or constant.

You’ll need to learn the “moans and groans” of your particular root cellar, learning which spots are moistest or driest, which sides are prone to higher temperatures and lower, and how these peculiarities change throughout the year.

Depending on the specific style and installation, maintenance will be a prime consideration. You might need to moisten the floor and even the walls periodically to achieve the humidity level that your produce requires.

Ventilation systems might require louvers allowing you to open and close them at certain times to modulate air flow, temperature and humidity alike. Without benefit of modern sensors and microcontrollers powered by electricity this will be a manual operation that you’ll need to attend to day in and day out.

Not for nothing, like I mentioned earlier modern refrigeration is a miracle, not just for its consistency and precise control but also for its convenience.

Our food preserver is now basically a large piece of furniture that we keep in our house, and can access at any time day or night without even getting out of our jammies.

If you’re going to fetch some food your root cellar, at least a typical external root cellar, you need to throw on shoes and maybe pull on your coat or rain slicker depending on the weather before you trudge out to the root cellar, enter it, gather what you need before taking care of any attendant tasks and then trudge back inside your home. If it sounds inconvenient that’s because it is!

Only the most conveniently built or attached root cellars will be anywhere near as convenient or easy to use as a modern refrigerator or freezer.

Root cellars are great and you are wise for wanting to learn more about them and include them in your preparedness plan, but give up now any romantic notions about their ease of use or convenience.

Root Cellar Design and Construction

The beauty of a root cellar is that installing one, no matter your situation, is usually well within reach of both the finances and the capabilities of the average prepper, so long as you take some time to account for all the salient factors and plan the job right.

Even better, you don’t necessarily need to start from scratch, as your existing home or property might already have features that will allow you to easily adapt a space to a root cellar or more easily construct one.

Regardless of whether or not you’ll be going the primitive or austere construction route, or building your root cellar according to more modern methodology, the materials that will be required for the majority of designs are broadly the same:

Materials

• Soil: The walls and sometimes the roof of a root cellar are typically encased in earth. This is primarily responsible for the excellent insulation that root cellars enjoy and, as mentioned previously, is vitally important for lowering and maintaining the interior temperature. For most traditional root cellar installations, you will be digging or otherwise removing plenty of soil to get the job done.
• Stones: Root cellars of an above ground or partially above ground nature will oftentimes rely on stone walls for strength and stability, and occasionally will incorporate stones into the flooring to facilitate drainage if required.
• Gravel: Gravel usually lines the surface of a root cellar’s floor, at least in traditional installations, in order to help promote ventilation and appropriate humidity levels. Allowing moisture to rise through the soil and into the air is important, and modern installations that rely on concrete or some other encapsulating flooring often struggle to maintain this appropriate level of humidity without exterior assistance.
• Timbers/Boards: You’ll need timbers or boards to provide support throughout your root cellar, and also to form useful partitions and shelving for storing your produce. A classic installation will use roughly sawn and shaped timbers for the purpose though modern lumber is acceptable. Note, if at all possible untreated lumber should be used in the latter case as pressure treated or other specialty, modern varieties may off gas chemicals that will have deleterious effects on the stored food within. Also consider using wood that fares well in high humidity conditions like cedar, which also happens to have antimicrobial properties.

Excavation Type

Now that you know generally what materials will be required for proper construction of typical root cellars it is time to start considering what kind of installation will best serve you. Root cellars generally fall into one of three broad categories:

• Dug: The most common form of root cellar installation. Many of the best root cellar designs are completely below ground or nearly so and if the arrangement of the domicile and the local soil is favorable the root cellar can be dug out of the ground entirely.
• Excavated: On steep terrain or near a hillside, excavating the root cellar laterally from an existing slope is often easier than digging down on level ground. This gives up very little, if anything, in terms of efficiency. This is an excellent option for those who can make use of it.
• Piled: When the ground is too stony, too difficult to dig in, or the operation is just too laborious, an effective root “cellar” can be constructed entirely above ground, or almost entirely above ground. By crafting a sturdy room and then piling soil on top of it before lining it with sod you can get most of the efficiency and capability of a below ground root cellar above ground, though it technically isn’t a proper root cellar anymore!

Over the centuries, variations on the basic root cellar design have emerged as a direct consequence of local terrain, culture and the typical produce or other foods being stored within.

This has given rise to various notions of what a typical root cellar is depending on where you live in the world or even region by region in a particular country. A few of the most common styles of root cellar are listed below.

Styles

• Traditional: The most traditional of root cellars are completely underground or nearly so, and located outside of the dwelling. Usually accessed via an equally traditional seller door and either a short, steep staircase or even a ladder, these root sellers often provide the very best insulation and light control, and are excellent for colder climates.
• Under-Porch: The under porch style of root cellar is usually installed directly adjacent to a dwelling though it is still not accessible from inside it. In decades past, this type of root cellar was installed directly underneath a front or back porch and entered via a trapdoor installed in the same, hence the name. This gives a little more convenience in use since all you have to do is step out your door to get to it, and they are easily constructed when primary construction of the dwelling is underway or a porch is being added to an existing house.
• Basement: The basement root cellar, as obviously suggested by the name, is either a repurposed basement space or installed in an existing, unfinished basement, though some folks use a room in a basement and simply call it a root cellar. Ultimately one of the most convenient options, these nonetheless struggle compared to more traditional versions because modern materials like poured concrete and cinder block do not fare well for humidity control and similarly make proper ventilation challenging.
• Earthen Berm: An earthen berm-style root cellar is installed partially above ground, typically located in an existing depression or by excavating out the center of a comparatively small mound, or berm, of soil which is then layered back over the roof of the newly-built structure. Efficient and comparatively easy to install, these root cellars must be protected with fencing or other obstacles to keep people and animals from unknowingly walking over the roofs!
• Soil Roof: A soil roof root cellar is an above ground structure that is typically constructed similarly to an A-frame shed or quonset hut. With the roof completed soil and sod are laid over top to insulate the interior from the sun. Being almost entirely above ground, these are again not technically a cellar at all, and are usually referred to by the moniker “potato barn”. Depending upon the pitch of the roof barriers might need to be installed to protect the roof from being walked upon, similar to the earthen berm-style root cellar above.
• Minimalist: Those who don’t have the time, resources, or requirement to install a legitimate root cellar can still take advantage of all the same capabilities by burying a barrel, bucket or similar container that is capable of achieving control over the atmospheric conditions critical to the long-term storage of produce as described elsewhere in this article.

Most root cellars, no matter their type or design, will benefit from a few common design features:

Useful Features

• Hatch: For any underground or mostly underground root cellars a flat or low pitched door, be it a traditional cellar door or proper hatch, is a requirement for access and will facilitate entering and exiting the root cellar using the minimum possible space. Take note that doors of this type must be carefully sealed against intrusion from pests and water, be it from rain or other above ground sources.
• Ladder or Stairway: A steep stairway or even a short ladder may be required to descend into the root cellar proper or its antechamber. Whichever is required or best for your purposes make sure it is sturdy and safe so that it can stand up to regular traffic.
• Double Door: A double door or “airlock” setup utilizing a small antechamber outside the Root cellar proper is a smart feature to install in environments that could easily compromise the conditions inside the main root cellar chamber. Entering through one door into a smaller chamber allows you time to close the exterior door, and then open the interior door into the storage room while keeping out air that is too hot or too cold. This will help keep the conditions inside the root cellar stable and your produce in good shape.

Here you watch two videos on DIY root cellar construction so you can get a jumpstart on your own installation. The first makes use of modern materials, tools and heavy equipment combined with a traditional and indeed attractive exterior design:

The second is more austere, but is dug and installed the old fashioned way- by hard, laborious hand digging!

Easy, Alternative Root Cellars

If you don’t have the time, inclination or gumption to go through all of the many steps required to properly site, design and install a traditional root cellar you still have options for making use of all the advantages one can provide for you so long as you are willing to repurpose existing items and use just a little bit of elbow grease.

Both of these options are great for those who are short on time, lack serious manpower or just need root cellar capability in a great hurry:

Old Refrigerator or Freezer Cellar

There is definitely a little bit of ironic comedy in this method, whereby you repurpose an old, busted refrigerator or broken freezer to serve as the root cellars that they almost entirely replaced in our modern era.

To employ this method, you obtain said busted appliance, got it of all of its mechanical and electrical components while taking special care to ensure that the refrigerant inside is properly disposed of and then you bury the chassis several feet in the ground atop a layer of rocks or large diameter gravel.

You need to drill a few holes in the chassis to allow the circulation of air and moisture and also properly grade and support the surface installation to prevent soil from falling in every time you open the door. With just a little bit of ingenuity, you can have an effective, if small, root cellar in less than a day.

Garbage Can Cellar

The garbage can at root cellar works on a similar principle to the refrigerator method above, but owing to the cylindrical shape of a typical garbage can, plastic or steel works fine, you’ll need to employ stacking or nesting racks or other holders to segregate the produce you store inside.

Installing one of these root cellars is an even simpler affair then the refrigerator or freezer method above since it is so easy to drill into and otherwise modify a trash can.

However, you’ll need to pay particular attention to drainage since these containers are fairly notorious for accumulating water no matter how hard you work to prevent such occurrences.

Important Considerations for Using a Root Cellar

Aside from the basics of design and construction we have covered here there are other important considerations for any root cellar user who wants to be assured they will get the most out of it.

First and foremost is to understand what you can expect from a given root cellar in your particular environment…

Root cellars work best in environments that are chilly or can expect seriously cold seasons. Very hot, arid or tropical climates pose a serious challenge for any root cellar as their efficiency will be seriously impeded. There is only so much you can do to counter such environmental extremes without the benefit of modern refrigeration!

It also pays dividends to learn as much as you can about the produce or other foods you plan on storing in your root cellar.

The baselines in this guide are exactly that, baselines, and specifics regarding temperature, humidity and other variables can be significantly different from one kind of fruit or veggie to the next. The more you know about your produce the better able you’ll be to tailor your root cellar to support your storage plan.

Lastly, you don’t need me to tell you that pains must be taken to secure any root cellar and the items it contains against pests and water intrusion from any source, something that is easier said than done when utilizing primitive methods.

If you have the benefit of modern tools, construction materials, and other assets, the task becomes notably easier but depending on your locale and the attendant wildlife, keeping your bounty safe from thieving critters or pests who could ruin it might be a full-time job.

Similarly, it might be challenging to locate your root cellar in such a way that it will have ideal conditions internally while also being safe from the typical path or accumulation of surface precipitation.

Conclusion

Root cellars are venerable, time-tested and relatively simple installations that people all around the world have made use of, and continue to make use of for safely storing and preserving produce and other foods of all kinds.

Root sellers are among the simplest technology for modulating atmospheric conditions to make them more favorable to fruits, vegetables, dairy products and even meats.

Learning how to design, site, construct and utilize a root cellar is an invaluable tool in a prepper’s toolbox, especially for homesteading purposes.

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Lucid Dreaming | should i try techniques for a month?

before moving onto another one if not successful

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Top 7 Best States for Off-Grid Living

For preppers who just want to get away from it all and live a simpler, agrarian lifestyle, or those who want to be well and truly away from civilization when the inevitable collapse occurs, living off the grid is usually a long-term objective.

But living off-grid, while simple in concept and the standard of life in years past, is anything but easy in our modern era.

Aside from the challenges inherent to such a lifestyle many states take a dim view of the idea, and accordingly roadblock citizens attempting to do so at every opportunity: Codes, costs, taxes, restrictions, rules, and regulations can make life miserable for an off-gridder, and stretch an already beleaguered budget with inflating finds and other forms of civil extortion.

However, there are plenty of states where the notion is definitely achievable for most folks and a handful where off-grid living will be easier than most other places. If you have dreams of an off-grid escape consider heading to one of the seven states we will share with you below.

The Off-Grid Index

Just what makes a state more favorable for an off-grid lifestyle, particularly that of a working homestead? Is it all just a matter of wide open spaces, plenty of sunshine and fertile soil? Not exactly, unfortunately.

There are many factors that must be considered if you want any amount of assurance that your off-grid lifestyle will not only be sustainable, but affordable and durable, for lack of a better word.

When you are responsible for everything that you need, from the food and water that you source to the electricity you create, if any, sustainment must be foremost in your mind.

Naturally, you’ll need plenty of land in order to accomplish these objectives, and so the price of that land in an area suitable for your venture must be reasonable.

Lastly, you must do all of this in a state that will not unduly burden you with mountains of codes, nebulously worded statutes, and other legalistic BS that is nothing more than a barely disguised hierarchy of fines to bilk money out of you or, worse yet, a hungry pair of handcuffs entirely too eager to throw you into the slave labor camp that is the prison system in America.

Accordingly, I have tallied the list of favorable states based on things like cost of land, taxes, weather, suitability for off-grid energy generation, hunting and water rights, overall freedom index and amenability to the off-grid lifestyle, the latter tabulated as either existing in truly off the grid communities or a high incidence of individual or small family unit off-grid homesteaders.

Every state is a little different, and they all have their advantages and disadvantages but any of them is certainly worth investigating if you are serious about taking the next major step in your self-reliance journey. With that out of the way, let us get to the list.

Top 7 Best States for Off-Grid Living

#1. Alabama

One of the quintessential states in the Deep South, Alabama has a lot to offer those who would pursue an off-grid lifestyle. With varied weather consisting of relatively mild winter, spring and fall seasons, you’ll still have to watch out for oppressively hot and humid summers.

This is an easy trade-off to make for most people considering the extremely low cost of land, equally low taxes and decidedly pro-citizen property and water rights. Alabama also has greatly varying terrain on offer and much of it is suitable for farming.

Perhaps the only drawbacks one should be aware of is the overall lack of modern off-grid settlements or practitioners, with what true enclaves there are existing more as backward and highly insular remote communities that have remained frozen in time due to crushing poverty more than anything else.

But in the end, Alabama is an inexpensive, largely free state for citizens enjoy the right to provide their own resources, live and protect themselves as they see fit.

#2. Georgia

Georgia is very much like its neighbor Alabama in many ways, with both of them being quintessential and iconic Deep South states. Like Alabama, Georgia enjoys varied weather with crushingly hot, humid summers, and a great variety of terrain.

Compared to Alabama, however, Georgia features spectacular farmlands suitable for growing all kinds of crops but particularly fruits.

Land in rural and remote communities far away from major settlements is generally quite inexpensive and residents enjoy low property taxes.

However, building codes are considerably more common throughout the state than they are in Alabama, meaning you might still be constrained by the state or county government’s idea of what constitutes an acceptable habitation.

This can have significant consequences when the time comes to install or wire your own power generation equipment or off-grid plumbing. Getting slapped with fines or even having your home condemned over it will bring your off-grid dream to an end decisively.

All in all, Georgia gets high marks for property, water, knife, and gun rights along with a very low cost of living away from major cities, and it is hampered only by more common and restrictive county building codes throughout the state.

#3. Tennessee

Another traditionally “Southern” state on our list though one not quite as far down south as the first two on our list.

Tennessee still has much to commend it in terms of off-grid living, particularly low taxes, varied terrain and biomes to suit any preference and a strong culture of independence, a holdover from days gone by in our country’s history.

But aside from a rugged and independent aesthetic, Tennessee backs this up with excellent water, knife, and gun rights, and the low taxes are sure to make anyone happy. Tennessee has plenty of land suitable for farming, though it is not as renowned for its suitability for agriculture as some other states on our list.

Perhaps the most cause for concern for truly independent homesteaders is the state’s low score when it comes to suitability for generation of off-grid power, both sun and wind.

Make no mistake, you’ll have plenty of sunshine in the summer, and small-scale windmills are reasonably viable, but neither is a standout option throughout much of the state. So long as that is not a deal breaker, the amiable laws and pro-freedom ideology the state is famous for can be found in every facet of life in the Volunteer State.

#4. Missouri

The fourth entry on our list will probably come as a surprise to readers. Compared to the “last frontier” of Alaska or the free-as-free-gets popular conception of Texas, Missouri might seem like a peculiar inclusion. Well, surprised or not Missouri has a lot going for it when it comes to off-grid lifestyles.

In practical terms, Missouri shows excellent potential when it comes to the generation of off-grid energy, both solar and wind farms. This can open up locations or approaches to establishing your homestead that will be difficult or impossible elsewhere.

Even better, Missouri has a surprisingly large selection of off-grid communities and a significant number of small families and individuals scattered throughout the state, meaning you won’t be the first person with this idea.

For those who do not truly want to leave society behind, living in or near one of these communities could be ideal.

Knife laws are decent, though you should get a CC permit just to be safe.

Unfortunately, you might need to prepare for a rough ride making a go of it in Missouri, as the state is famous, or rather infamous, for its rough weather throughout the year and also for its higher than average cost of land and taxes.

#5. Louisiana

Louisiana is an intriguing but viable choice for off-grid living, or at least for the right kind of person. Probably the best asset Louisiana has going for it is the variety of food that can be taken through ample hunting and fishing opportunities throughout the state.

You’ll find fare that walks, flies and swims throughout, and the state is rightly famous for its cuisine, thanks in part to the many edible critters that reside there.

Even better, many parts of the state are sparsely populated, and that means you won’t have to look too hard or too far to find a place with a minimum of neighbors if that is what you desire.

For those who are misanthropic types or people who just fear what will happen to densely populated urban and suburban zones during an SHTF event, this could be ideal. Should that concern you, though, know that its knife laws are very permissive.

But unfortunately there seem to be just as many trade-offs: Louisiana residents are unfortunately burdened with more property and water rights laws than other comparable states, the soil is only decent and suitable for growing certain kinds of crops or other plants, and some of the best hunting and fishing areas happen to be dangerous, treacherous swamps.

Also, not for nothing, the state is situated on the Gulf of Mexico and will be periodically pounded by hurricanes. Plan accordingly!

#6. Texas

Texas is often thought of the freest state in the Land of the Free, and though the actual tale of the tape shows that to be an arguable notion at best, Texas is still, in actuality, a great place to live, and a fine candidate for an off-grid homestead.

Hallmarks of the state include tons and tons of cheap land, few building codes in many counties and generally good water rights. It’s also a good state for owning knives, with some blade restrictions, but nothing too concerning.

On the other hand, high taxes and variably hostile weather are detractions one must be prepared for, but this is offset by its excellent candidacy or off-grid power generation, alternately solar or wind power depending on where you are in the state.

One major curveball that all preppers must be aware of, especially those who want to live an isolated, agrarian existence is that the southern border shared with Mexico is constantly beset by conflict and . Certain areas have become particularly dangerous, and with the United States becoming increasingly soft on border security this situation shows no sign of abating.

#7. Iowa

For those with an eye toward agriculture for long-term sustainment, Iowa might be the ideal state to make a go of it off-grid.

Land throughout the state is suitable for growing all kinds of crops and no matter where you end up there will be at least a handful of staples that will thrive so long as you do your part.

Another feather in Iowa’s cap is the sparse population outside of major metropolitan areas, meaning that wherever you go outside of the big cities you’ll have plenty of elbow room to set up shop.

Iowa’s knife laws are so and so, and a little hard to digest.

However Iowa, like many Midwest states, suffers from unpredictable (but predictably violent) bad weather throughout the year. Tornadoes are a major concern in the spring and summer and winters can sometimes be punishing.

Of more concern to some are the nearly uniform and restrictive building codes in force throughout the state, meaning that establishing an alternate style of residential dwelling could be difficult, impossible or just very costly.

This means that Iowa, while possessing excellent off-grid potential, might only be a top three choice for those who are dead set on growing a variety of crops and other agricultural or farming related pursuits.

Conclusion

A self-contained, self-sustaining off-grid lifestyle does not have to remain a dream if you know where to go and where to look.

Though living off-grid is hypothetically achievable in every state, some states are better than others and only a few are truly welcoming for those who would take up the challenge of radical self-reliance.

Take the time to carefully review all of the states on this list against your requirements and preferences; you’ll be glad you did.

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Carabiners vs. Snap Hooks: What’s the Difference?

If you engage in climbing as a pastime, professional pursuit or in any other capacity you likely have cause to use carabiners day in and day out.

But even if you aren’t working in high places you have probably seen these D- or oval-shaped spring loaded clips attached to backpacks, key rings, wrenches and anything else that needs to be handily attached to something else or hung nearby.

greenish carabiner rated at 150 lbs. of load

But many of these devices, though they look similar or identical are not true carabiners, instead being generic snap hooks. What’s the difference?

The difference between a carabiner and snap hook is one of semantics and classification. All carabiners are snap hooks, but not all snap hooks are carabiners. Both feature a one-way, spring loaded gate that opens inward to allow quick one-handed attachment. Carabiners are rated to support higher loads, but snap hooks can be made of plastic.

Depending on the activity you are engaging in, mistaking one for the other could have fatal consequences.

Even if you are never leaving Terra Firma, learning the difference between carabiners and garden variety snap hooks will save you money and let you use the right tool for the job. Keep reading to learn more.

Snap Hook Defined

A snap hook is defined as a small metal or plastic ring or loop that is designed to attach a load to standing rope or some other firm point by means of a one-way gated opening that opens when pressed inward.

In practice, this allows the snap hook to be pressed into and snapped over a rope, with the gate closing under its own built-in spring tension once the rope is enclosed by the snap hook.

Snap hooks have been around for a very long time, and used in all kinds of applications, from industrial settings to completely mundane utilitarian chores. Chances are you have seen snap hooks used for equipment straps, dog leashes, key rings and more throughout your travels.

The ability to quickly attach something to something else with assurance that it will not easily come undone no matter how it is handled while still being easy to remove with a minimum of fuss is valuable for a wide variety of chores.

What is a Carabiner Anyway?

A carabiner is very much like a typical snap hook in many ways, and a carabiner definitely meets the definition of snap hook.

Compared to snap hooks, carabiners are available in a smaller but more distinct number of sizes and configurations, and all carabiners are designed for safely bearing substantial loads when attached to a rope or other rigging.

The word carabiner is a funny one, and in English is derived from the German word for “carbine hook”, with a carbine being a compact rifle and hook being the attachment point used to connect a sling to the rifle. A little bit of mashing up, and presto, we have the English word “carabiner.”

In mundane usage, we see carabiners used for all the same things that snap hooks are used for, most commonly on key rings, attached to backpacks, carrying water bottles and so forth. Quick and easy operation with reliable attachment is the same more or less.

True Carabiners Bear Loads, Snap Hooks May Not

The biggest difference between a proper carabiner and a snap hook is it a carabiner is intended to bear a load, typically quite a large one, and is purpose designed for use in climbing, rappelling and other pursuits that require ropes, webbing and harnesses to conduct safely. Garden variety snap hooks are not.

How can you tell the difference, if all carabiners are indeed snap hooks of a sort and much of the time the two could look more or less identical?

Simple: all carabiners made by reputable manufacturers will be marked accordingly and will prominently feature a ‘kN rating’, meaning kilo-Newtons, to advise the user of what kind of load they can bear.

Actually, it describes a specific gravity as you weigh much more as far as the carabiner is concerned after coming to a sudden stop from an unexpected fall than you do at a dead hang.

Additionally, many carabiners feature an additional locking system or sleeve that slides over the movable gate and closes over the tip or nose of the body of the carabiner.

This locking system provides additional assurance that it will not inadvertently open when the user can least afford it.

Locking systems vary depending on manufacturer, purpose of the carabiner and shape of the carabiner, and might release utilizing a twisting, pulling or some other motion.

Try to use some cheap, chintzy snap hook for the purpose and you are probably going to go plummeting to your end, or that vital equipment to your trying to spend will go crashing to the ground with a heartbreaking and wallet emptying crunch.

Never, Ever Use a basic Snap Hook for High-Risk Loads!

Snap hooks might be fine in service as a caller attachment on a dog leash, for hanging a water bottle or other gear from your backpack or for keeping your keys safely in your pocket or on your belt loop but as a rule they are not rated for serious, life or death usage.

Purchasing carabiners for a live climb event is a bit trickier than it has ever been unless you are purchasing from a known quantity upstanding retailer with a brick and mortar store or a vetted online presence.

Many legitimate, high end brands of carabiner that are rightly respected for their strength and performance in extreme conditions are knocked off by Chinese factories with frightening rapidity and proliferation.

Trying to purchase what seems to be a quality model of carabiner at a discount can often lead to folly as you are buying what is in reality a fake, however convincing the markings, color and other details might be.

If you are unfortunate enough to fall prey to one of these knock off carabiners you may yet discover the price of false economy you foolishly pursued.

For screwing around or everyday use, a snap hook is probably adequate for mundane tasks and chores, but never trust them to a real climbing operation and always ensure that you purchase proper carabiners from a reliable, trusted source.

Conclusion

Snap hooks and carabiners are different, even though certain models may appear identical for all intents and purposes.

All carabiners are a type of snap hook, but a legitimate carabiner is intended to support a substantial load during a climbing operation whereas a snap hook is not.

Both operate via way of a spring loaded, one-way gate designed to allow easy attachment to a rope or other firm point but there their performance similarities end.

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Snowstorm Survival: The Ultimate Guide

With all the many destructive and spectacular disasters that can occur you might find it difficult to believe that cold weather and accompanying snow storms are capable of inflicting widespread and long listing damage, and are statistically one of these single most dangerous weather events that you can be expected to face in your lifetime.

Very low or even subzero temperatures, extreme snowfall and sustained winds all play a part in contributing to an environment that is absolutely inimical to human life.

But the fun doesn’t have to end there. Aside from the ever-present risk of exposure, snowstorms also create secondary hazards by making travel extraordinarily hazardous, or even completely impossible, restricting your own movement and ability to respond to emergencies, as well as severely stalling or even completely halting commerce and first responders in an affected area.

Snow storms might be common but they should never be taken for granted, as failing to prepare for them might prove to be fatal. Common in your area or not there is much to learn and much to do if you want to be ready for serious cold weather survival.

Below we have provided you with a guide that will tell you everything you need to know about beating winter’s frozen chill.

Can You Withstand the Cold?

Winter weather and in particular heavy snow storms are particularly difficult to deal with because there is no facet of life that is untouched by their passage.

Trying to stay home? It’s going to be difficult, even dangerous. Going to travel on foot? Extremely difficult, perhaps fatal. How about going by car? Impossible or extremely dangerous. Flights will be delayed, shipments will go missing.

Utilities like power and water will be intermittent if they work at all. Even essential communications can go completely offline under the sustained assault of the cold.

It is an easy thing to roll your eyes at, especially if you live in a place that is known for perpetually cold weather or just for ferocious winters but the fact of the matter is that exposure is the single most common killer in nature, and is capable of ending your life in as little as a couple of hours if conditions bad enough and you have nothing in the way of proper shelter.

Just across the North American and European continents alone, thousands of people perish every year due to exposure from cold weather. For example…

• 17% of car accidents happen in winter conditions
• 400 people perish from blizzards every year

To say you must take this seriously is an understatement. Basic survival plans must be adapted and improved if they are going to be worthwhile against sustained freezing temperatures and all of the attendant hazards and problems endemic to snowstorms.

Everything you do, from keeping warm to getting drinkable water will be made exponentially more difficult and the clutching cold will always be looking for a way in.

In the remainder of this guide we’ll be sharing with you skills, procedures, considerations and cautionary measures that you will need to understand if you want to stand a chance of surviving severe winter weather. Ready? Grab your mittens and let’s get started!

Risk Factors Breakdown

Snow storms present a spectrum of hazards, both directly and indirectly. The hazards present or categorized into primary and secondary hazards:

• Primary Hazards: Dangers resulting directly from weather and climate conditions.
• Secondary Hazards: Dangers or risk factors that are incidental to changing conditions or complications arising from weather.

Primary hazards from snow storms and cold weather include an extreme risk of exposure potentially resulting in hypothermia or frostbite, and among the secondary hazards are:

• drastically increased risks of car accidents and slips,
• trips and falls due to slick conditions, carbon monoxide poisoning as a direct result of people desperately trying to warm their shelters,
• and complications arising from medical emergencies or ongoing medical conditions due to an inability to access medicine or medical care.

Other risk factors include dehydration due to loss of ready access to clean drinking water and starvation should have someone become snowbound.

We will break down the risk factors below:

Hypothermia

Hypothermia is the chief killer resulting from exposure to cold temperatures and is especially dangerous for people who are already sick or infirm, children and the elderly.

When the body’s core temperature starts to drop confusion and loss of coordination will begin to set in, along with uncontrollable shivering, memory errors, slurring speech or sleepiness. Should the body’s core temperature drop below 95°F, the victim will be in real trouble.

Response: Move victim to warm place. Dry victim if wet and wrap in warm blankets or clothing, taking care to warm head, neck, chest and groin as soon as possible.

Frostbite

Frostbite is a condition where exposed skin and tissue, particularly the extremities, freezes or is exposed to severe cold for a long period of time.

Often the affected area will be completely numb and take on a white or gray yellow color and waxy texture. Tissue death and loss of the affected area often follow. Frostbite is a particular risk whenever clothing and gear are inadequate for the conditions.

Response: Victim should be moved to a warm area, and the affected part of the body should be soaked in warm water or gently heated through the use of body heat.

Do not apply intense, concentrated sources of heat, heating pads or massage the affected area as additional tissue damage can result.

Automotive Accidents

The attendant snow and ice generated by snowstorms makes travel by vehicle positively treacherous as the vast majority of vehicles are not capable of traversing slippery asphalt safely no matter what they are equipped with.

It never fails that automotive travel during the worst snow storms results in massive pile-ups and countless smaller crashes and collisions.

Response: Assuming it is possible at all travel by automobile should only be undertaken during a severe snowstorm in a time of uttermost need. Especially equipping your vehicle for travel on slick or icy roads is always a good idea.

Slips, Trips, Falls

Travel on foot is oftentimes just as hazardous as travel by car during a snowstorm. Driveways, sidewalks and staircases can become pitfalls or death traps and it is easy to get a concussion, fracture or sprain due to a fall on slippery ice.

Moving through deeper snow is exhausting and also hazardous since you cannot make out the lay of the land beneath the layer of snow.

Response: On-foot movement across snowy or icy terrain should be done with considerable caution and an understanding that it will be strenuous. Cross-country treks through the snow can be made easier using snowshoes or skis.

CO Poisoning

Major snowstorms and long-lasting cold weather always bring with it instances of carbon monoxide poisoning. This results from people attempting to warm their homes or shelters via burning some form of combustible material to generate heat.

Propane grills and improperly vented fireplaces or fire pits that are brought inside are the chief offenders.

Response: Any fireplace, heat source or other combustive material must be adequately vented no matter how dire the situation is or else CO poisoning is a possibility.

Battery powered carbon monoxide detectors should be utilized in a home setting at all times. Never, ever bring in your propane grill or run your gas cooktop for heat during a snowstorm.

Other Complications

Snowstorms often result in various other injuries and deaths due to the many other problems they cause concerning transportation, reliable communications and emergency services.

Patients who depend on regular medical care or drug prescriptions for managing their conditions may be unable to obtain access. A loss of communications means that other everyday ailments and emergencies result in no one showing up to save the day.

Response: If you or a family member suffers from a condition that requires regular treatment or medication contingency planning must be put in place to assure continued access. Make it a point to check on high-risk individuals that you can reach in your area, neighbors, etc.

That is just an overview of the various hazards that you’ll have to endure and surmount when dealing with a severe snowstorm or long-term cold weather. In the remainder of this guide we will dig in two more detailed and esoteric considerations. Zip up your parka, and keep reading!

Protecting Yourself From Frostbite

Protecting yourself from blistering cold is a necessity whenever harsh winter weather strikes. When temperatures are already very low, winds are blowing stiff and constantly wind chill factors might exist, they can result in exposed areas of skin being frostbitten in minutes.

Frostbite is especially treacherous because most people won’t even know they are affected until it is too late. Though there will be pain, at first, the cold is often thought to be merciful because your extremities will be numbed before frostbite properly starts to set in.

It is essential you learn to recognize initial and onset symptoms of frostbite so you can take action to remediate it before you are forced to amputate blackened, frozen flesh:

• Understand that your extremities and any exposed skin are going to be most vulnerable to frostbite. These areas might look red and blotchy, experience a stinging or burning sensation, a prickly skin crawling sensation or they might throb with dull pain. This might be your first and sometimes only tactile warning that frostbite is closing in.
• Inspect any areas of the body that have been exposed or are experiencing the above symptoms. Skin that appears waxy, feels firm or hard or has a white or yellow gray pallor to it is already becoming frostbitten.
• A complete lack of sensation in parts of the body that have been exposed to profound cold is a sure warning of frostbite.
• If you can, keep moving. Keeping the blood pumping with help keep your flesh warmed, in particular your vulnerable extremities. Do take care that you don’t work up a sweat. See below.

Your best bet for avoiding frostbite is simply to not go out and very cold conditions or to sharply limit your time spent outdoors.

But if this isn’t an option or you are hell-bent on going anyway there are procedures you can follow that will greatly extend the time that it takes for frostbite to set in and the critical factors are the way you dress.

Layers are always the answer, but you must smartly choose which fabrics you will rely on and then don them in the proper order. Check out these tips below:

• Proper cold weather dress consists of three layers beginning with a light, thin moisture wicking layer against the body, an intermediate layer that is large, tufted and puffy to trap a considerable volume of warm air against you and a final outer layer that consists of an impermeable shell designed to block wind and precipitation.
• Getting wet is disastrous when outside in temperatures this cold. Wet, slushy snow should be avoided and you want to moderate your activity so you do not sweat.
• The extremities are particularly vulnerable to frostbite, namely your fingers, toes, ears and nose. Appropriate head and facial gear should be worn to ward off cold and wind. 
• Wearing mittens is a better choice than wearing gloves since it allows the fingers to share warmth between them. If necessary a thin, moisture-wicking liner glove may be worn beneath them.
• You should wear two pairs of socks at the minimum, again with the inner sock layer preferably being a thinner, moisture wicking material.
• Don’t forget to wear proper footwear in the form of snow-rated boots which will prevent moisture from getting to your feet and also goggles or a face mask if necessary. Your eyes are particularly vulnerable to extreme cold and a face mask can warm air prior to inhaling it.

Keeping a handle on frostbite is difficult when you are by yourself because it can sneak up on you. If you are out in the cold as part of a group at least one person should be assigned to remind others to perform intermittent self- and buddy-checks for frostbite.

Responding to Cold Weather “on the Trail”

Dealing with cold weather on the trail is especially challenging because you will not have reliable access to sturdy shelters, and can only rely on what you have carried with you and what you can craft from found materials.

When hypothermia starts to set in, you can really find yourself backed into a corner because improving your situation will grow geometrically more difficult as your condition worsens.

Traveling as part of a group is beneficial because team members can look out for one another, but if you are traveling solo you will have to remain keenly attuned to what your body is telling you, and take action before things get too bad, else you might find the situation unrecoverable.

Consider the following advice for dealing with cold weather hazards while hiking or camping:

• Your priorities for warming up when out on the trail should be blocking wind, removing wet clothing and then warming up the affected person. Your efforts should not cease until their condition is improved and stabilized.
• Considering windbreaks, they could be something as simple as a dense wall of vegetation, a cliff face, steep depression or something man-made like a tarp, tent or even piled backpacks in an emergency.
• People suffering from hypothermia will often feel an urge to stop moving and just sit down. You want to make them comfortable but you must keep them off the ground at all costs since it acts as a giant heat sink. They can sit on a camp stool, on a dry log, a backpack or even on mounds of dry debris like leaves and pine needles.
• If a fire can be reliably created it should be done so at best possible speed. Utilize an emergency blanket to create a reflector and improve the amount of heat being moved towards the affected person.
• Wet clothing should be removed prior to getting the person into dryer clothes a sleeping bag, blankets, or anything else that can generate warmth.
• All attempts should be made to boost the amount of heat they can be transferred to the affected person. An unaffected warm member of the party might unzip their jacket and hug the affected person to transfer heat, warm water bottles can be placed under the arms, sleeping bags can be preheated by another person and rocks can be carefully and gently warmed and strategically placed.

No matter what happens you must not give up, even if a person suffering from hypothermia becomes unresponsive. Keep trying to warm them, and keep improving the situation and you are likely to save their life. No matter how dire the situation looks there is always something you can do!

Understanding Local and Seasonal “Normals”

Though the threat posed by harsh snowstorms and bone-chilling cold weather is the same no matter where it occurs, what is considered a true emergency varies depending on where you live and the season.

In the US some states, brace for seasonal weather that the rest of us would consider positively apocalyptic year in and year out about the same times of the year. In other parts of the country the notion that a severe snowstorm or even a proper blizzard could strike is so laughable that should one occur even in a modest capacity it might result in calamity.

For confirmation of this one need not look any farther than the cities of Chicago and New York to the north and Houston in the southwest.

The two northern cities regularly endure snow storms and full-on blizzards that would make the rest of us quake in our boots. Weather of this nature is very much normal for their climate in winter.

The cities are prepared accordingly with entire fleets of salt and plow trucks, buildings that are suitably insulated and hardened against prolonged, deep cold and a population that knows what to expect and how to deal with it, even if they resent it.

Contrast this weather with Houston, Texas. Houston might have to endure cooler, rainy weather in the winter and even very occasional bouts of snow flurries but snowstorms of the type that regularly plague Chicago and New York are rare, bordering on unheard of for most long-time residents.

We just saw in February of 2021 a twice-a-century snow event that resulted from arctic air plunging deeply into the American south and southwest, inundating areas that never would have expected such things with deep snow, biting cold and all the attendant problems that go with it.

Houston was left in a massive state of emergency, and quite literally in shambles. Single and multifamily residential buildings were not built or insulated to withstand such cold. Pipes froze then burst all over the city and elsewhere in the state, causing untold damage and preventing easy access to water.

The spike in demand for electricity and damage due to the weather led to rolling and “rotating” blackouts occurring or being implemented by power companies, further stressing and endangering already beleaguered citizens.

Many of the homes in Texas did not have alternative methods of producing heat such as fireplaces.

Travel was virtually impossible and as such accessing goods and services in such a sprawling, large place became literally a matter of life and death as citizens brave the cold on foot in a desperate attempt to find what they need.

Houston obviously lacks the fleets of salt trucks and plow-equipped vehicles necessary for restoring roads to service.

How Local Norms Affect Your Plans

Elsewhere in the nation and the world other places exist in a state of more or less permanent cold and might properly endure a winter season that lasts half a year and produces far, far more snow and drastically worse conditions than even what has been described in this section.

In these places, automobiles are virtually worthless and specialized snow-going vehicles like snow mobiles and heavier, tracked “snow cats” are absolutely vital.

The point of all this is to impress upon you two things:

• First, unless you live very near the equator or right on top of it, snowstorm conditions and prolonged cold are never completely out of the question.
• Second, if you live in any area where intense cold weather and blizzard conditions are possible or even routine, you must prepare for those conditions with fervor.

But also keep in mind that living in a place that regularly experiences intense snowstorms and prolonged, deep cold means that very likely local governments and communities will be better prepared for such events, and you can generally depend on a reliable effort to clear roads, keep power online and other infrastructure functioning.

That being said, do not rest on your haunches as nature’s fury has a way of completely confounding the best efforts of men.

The same snow event that completely crippled many parts of Texas and the Deep South was scarcely worth a mention much farther north; it was just another day in the life for the denizens of Chicago, New York and elsewhere. You should know what to expect but be prepared for the unexpected and the unusual.

Basic Snowstorm Preparation

Preparing for a snow storm is mostly a matter of ensuring you have adequate shelter, a reliable way to stay warm and plenty of supplies to sustain you and family members since you will not be able to travel anywhere without considerable risk.

Most of the time truly dangerous snow storms will only last several days at most, so having even a week’s worth of supplies is usually enough to get you out of trouble.

As always, more is better, but if you are just getting started on your preparations, aim for a week as your first benchmark.

Generally, you can break down your preparations into a few distinct sectors:

Supplies

You’ll need plenty of basic survival necessities to last out the snowstorm and the accompanying loss of resupply and commerce. Food, water, fuel, and any and all necessary medicines at the minimum will be required.

You should also have on hand tools and various other things that can help you deal with damage and manage snow.

Shelter

Adequate shelter is absolutely required for surviving a serious snowstorm. If you are forced to try and survive out of doors your chances are going to plummet as you likely will not be able to stay warm enough no matter what you do.

If you have a residence, or some other modern structure, you will be in pretty good shape but most modern dwellings only stay warm due to constant running of central heat.

You should take steps to further insulate your home against draft, and also create spaces that are easier to warm and will stay warm longer. Cold weather specific clothing including footwear, gloves, head gear and so forth is absolutely mandatory.

Heat Source

Effectively warming anything but the smallest space is going to require a proper heat source, whatever this is. You must plan on your usual source of heating in your home going down for one reason or another.

Snow storms typically result in a loss of power, so plan on going without any electrical source of heat. Gas powered furnaces fare better, but a grid independent source of heat is a good idea.

Reasonable options include fireplaces, wood burning stoves, portable liquid fuel heaters and similar gadgets. Small aerobic-reaction or liquid-fueled pocket warmers are also a good idea if you have to go outside.

***Note that any combustion heat source must be properly vented to prevent the buildup of lethal carbon monoxide gas, a perennial killer during snowstorms and other prolonged cold weather events!***

More on that in a little while.

Logistics

Snowstorms are going to make every form of travel less reliable and far more difficult. You have to plan ahead of time to account for this.

If you or family members require regular medical treatment or even just prescription drugs for ongoing conditions you will not be able to count on getting where you need to go in order to obtain them, and even if you can there’s a better than average chance the facility or services might be shut down due to the weather.

If it is not possible to “plus up” on the goods or services required, what will you do and how will you provide for them?

Transportation

Sometimes you’ll have no choice but to travel during a snowstorm. Other times you might be overtaken by the weather while traveling.

You must be prepared for either eventuality, and that means ensuring your chosen mode of transportation is adequate to the task and challenges, or at least made as ready as it can be. In certain climates and areas a dedicated snow capable vehicle is a good idea.

All vehicles should include a substantial survival kit containing provisions, spare parts, signaling equipment and more. Snow chains or cleats for tires are essential for all road-going vehicles

Your general mindset should be that any supplies, equipment or other items you do not have by the time the snow storm arrives and begins to set in properly will not be obtainable at all for the duration.

Also, keep in mind that people in your immediate vicinity might need help, neighbors, relatives and so forth. If at all possible you would be wise to gather more than you think you will need so that you have a surplus you can share without stressing out.

Readying Your Home, Vehicle or Shelter for a Snowstorm

Even if your home is warm, toasty, and cozy during cold weather that is only the case because you can rely on central heating. Modern homes, especially those built in America, are absolutely terrible when it comes to defeating the outside weather.

When it is hot they are difficult to cool and when it is cold they are difficult to heat. Even with the best modern insulation, they typically leak heat like a sieve and without meticulous care are usually very drafty.

If you are not staying inside a proper structure but are instead forced to shelter inside a tent, outdoors, or inside a vehicle because you’ve been overtaken by the weather you’ll still have a little bit to do.

You need to prepare your shelter for the onslaught of a heavy snow storm both by busting drafts and by having a plan ready for removing heavy snow from your roof and other structural vulnerabilities. Consider the following guidelines based on what you are taking shelter in:

House

• Add Insulation: If you live in a region that experiences particularly cold winters and is prone to snow storms there is no excuse for not beefing up the existing insulation in the house. This will help keep warm air in for a longer period of time, providing a better return on your investment for any fuel expended on heating and helping to keep you alive and comfortable. Install whatever insulation is recommended according to the configuration of your house and the typical conditions.
• Caulk, Strip and Seal: Reducing or eliminating drafts is just as important if not more important than adding insulation. Even a barely leaking window or drafty door can dramatically drop the temperature in your house, especially when the wind is blowing hard outside. You can make use of caulk, sealing material, and weather strips to cut down on these drafts. Make sure you check all the usual suspects, including around window closures and casings, all doors, connections for air conditioners, pet doors and so forth. No draft is too small to be worth eliminating, and you’ll notice an immediate difference if you have done a good job.
• Insulate Pipes: Unfortunately, one of the most common and most devastating effects of prolonged cold weather on houses is the freezing and subsequent bursting of plumbing. Not only can this deprive you of easy access to water but it can also ruin or even destroy your house and possessions. While it is true that allowing faucets and other outlets to slowly drip or run can help when they are on the verge of freezing, prolonged deep cold will overcome this trick. There is no replacement for heavy-duty pipe insulation, and those living in the coldest environments are well-advised to consider electric pipe heating mesh or blankets with a dedicated battery backup.
• Prune Trees: You are not just pruning your trees to be a good neighbor or keep up with a fussy HOA. Large, long branches can easily break and fall under the accumulated weight of ice and snow causing damage to anything beneath them. If these branches happen to be over your house when they fall, they might damage your roof, break a window or cause other problems that you can ill afford under the circumstances. Get ahead of the game by keeping these branches pruned back well before cold weather is even on your mind.
• Make Preparations to Clear Roof: Every single year, thousands of homes and other buildings are damaged by the accumulation of snow on roofs. Snow only feels impossibly delicate and undetectably light when a single flake or two lands on the tip of your nose or your arm. In reality, snow is frozen, water and water is always extremely heavy. If you have an average or shallow pitched roof or, even worse, a flat one the combined weight of the snow building up on it can result in structural damage or even total collapse. You’ll need to be prepared to get the snow off by any means necessary. It is possible to use a ladder and a long tool, but you might also try gasoline-powered blowers, and other techniques. If you must climb onto your roof be extremely careful and don’t fall!
• Beware Rodents: Rodents and other small, pesky mammals will start looking for warm places to stay when the weather outside grows nasty, especially places that have an abundance of food inside! If you have done a good job sealing up your home you shouldn’t have much to worry about, but at any rate it pays to be prepared for unexpected visitors. A cat can happily eliminate mice and small rats on the regular, but lacking one of these feline companions you should invest in a variety of traps, including glue traps, conventional snap traps and no kill container traps which stay armed even after a capture and are able to hold many mice comfortably, my personal favorites. Be sure to avoid utilizing any poisons, as these take time to affect a kill and you don’t want the little critter getting behind a wall or under the floor before it croaks.
• Analyze Living Space: When the weather starts to get chilly, but before winter sets in properly take the time to analyze your living space. Rooms on the exterior wall are always going to be colder than interior rooms. It is entirely worthwhile to abandon and close off any chilly rooms from human habitation to prevent the ingress of colder air. You should plan on staying near the primary heat source in the home, be it a fireplace or anything else, and it might just be the room that catches the most sun. This is the room or you should invest all of your efforts into keeping it warm and thereby keeping yourselves warm.
• Compartment for Efficiency: It does not take a physics genius to understand that it is far easier to heat a smaller volume of air than a larger one. If you are dealing with bitter cold, a puny heat source, or just an extremely drafty house consider creating a microclimate, or smaller compartment inside the warmest room. You can hang up blankets, plastic sheeting, or even pitch a tent right in the living room so you only have to heat a tiny volume of air around your body. Sure, it is bound to get a little claustrophobic but it beats shivering from cold or dying.
• Install Generator: If you can afford it, nothing beats having a generator close at hand for on-demand power supply. Depending upon the type and rating of your generator it could be enough to power a couple of appliances, a few rooms or even your entire house. At least, it can provide power as long as the fuel supply lasts. Utilizing anything larger than a portable generator will require significant preparation, and a little bit of know-how to install it so don’t wait until the last minute if you can afford one of these invaluable preps.
• Service Chimneys and Flues: If you are fortunate enough to have a wood burning stove or fireplace in your home that is properly vented, you’ll be in good shape when it comes to keeping warm no matter the conditions so long as you have plenty of firewood. Unfortunately using either of these appliances drastically increases your risk of a house fire, and that goes double if the chimney or flue has not been serviced, as the build-up of resinous creosote in either compose a substantial fire hazard. Make sure you have your system professionally serviced before winter closes in.

Vehicle

• Service: It is imperative that any vehicle you might have to rely upon for service and harsh winter conditions be meticulously serviced and maintained. The last thing you can afford when the snow is piling up and the temperature is plummeting is to be stranded somewhere for any reason.
• Acquire Emergency Kit: When snow storms abound you must have emergency survival supplies on or about your person at all times and this includes inside your vehicle. You should have a supply of food, blankets, additional clothing, signaling devices such as flares, a first-aid kit, maps and a power cell or other charging device that can work independently of the car on board. You should also have a couple of candles and a small, metal vessel that can allow you to melt snow. You can keep water in your vehicle for emergency drinking purposes, but you have to take care of that it will not freeze and burst.
• Acquire Tool Kit: If you have emergency supplies for your own care and feeding, you should get some that can take care of your vehicle in an emergency also. A full roadside emergency kit is a necessity, including high visibility marking triangles or other devices, jack, lug-nut wrenches, full-size spare tire and any other spare parts and tools that you know how to use. Also include a bag of sand or kitty litter and several large lengths of scrap carpet to provide grip when you get stuck.
• Consider Chains or Cleats: Not all vehicles can use them and they further are not legal for use in all places but assuming you are okay on both fronts you should definitely acquire a properly fitting set of chains or snow cleats that will work with your automobile. Though they make for a rough ride and increase tire wear these provide drastically more grip and control on slick roads than bare tires alone. They are typically only good for slow speeds over comparatively short distances, but that might be all you need. You must know how to install, fit and adjust these devices yourself.
• Keep Doors and Exhaust Clear of Snow: It is obvious to most people that should they become stuck in a snowstorm inside their vehicle they can simply run the engine to power the heater and stay nice and toasty inside the car while they wait for the storm to blow over or for help to arrive. That is reasonable, but you must diligently keep snow from building up around the doors of the vehicle and especially clear of the tailpipe. Anything that prevents exhaust gases from leaving the engine according to plan can result in a dangerous buildup of carbon monoxide inside the passenger cabin which will be especially lethal because all windows are likely to be tightly closed.

Shelter

• Stay Away from Trees and Ledges: If by accident or desire you are camping outdoors in the middle of a snowstorm you’ll want to make it a point to keep your tent out from under trees and ledges where snow can accumulate overhead. Just like the branches mentioned above regarding your house, a sudden breakage or falling drift of snow can flatten your tent and everything in it.
• Locate Shelter Out of the Wind if Possible: Sometimes difficult to achieve in tandem with the tip above you should make it a point to locate your shelter in a lee or out of the wind if at all possible. Cold temperatures and any amount of wind will quickly strip away heat from your body and out of your shelter unless it is completely sealed.
• Beware Accumulating Snow: If your tent or shelter is not designed to repel snow, it is likely that snow can accumulate on the roof or upper surfaces. The stuff seems so light and airy when it is falling it is easy to forget it is still water, and water is very heavy. It will not take much accumulation to damage or collapse your shelter, so pains must be taken to keep it clear of snow.

Heat Source Procedure and Safety

Every year countless homes burn down and countless more people are injured or even killed by carbon monoxide poisoning as a direct result of desperately trying to keep warm during snowstorms and prolonged periods of cold weather.

For this reason it is imperative that you know how to safely heat your home when the power is out and to react to emergencies that might result from your efforts.

The first thing you need to understand is that anything combustible, any material that is burned in order to generate heat, releases waste gases and other byproducts of combustion, including carbon monoxide, or CO, gas.

Carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless and tasteless and claims many lives while the victims are asleep and unable to react in time. Symptoms often feel flu-like in nature prior to loss of coordination and consciousness.

Typical instances of carbon monoxide poisoning that result due to the onset of winter weather occur when desperate people drag inside propane grills, improperly burn wood inside their home, or run gas cooktop stoves in an effort to heat up the house.

Follow these simple procedures to lower your risk of CO poisoning when heating your home:

• Never Bring Your Grill Inside!: By far the worst thing you can do when it comes to desperate measures for heating your home is bringing your outdoor grill inside. Charcoal or propane does not matter- a grill emits far too many combustion byproducts and is impossible to vent properly from inside your home. Do not give in to this urge no matter how desperate things seem!
• Install and Test CO/Smoke Alarms: Considering the likelihood that you’ll need to rely on alternative heat sources for the duration of a snowstorm event, especially wood burning stoves, fireplaces and the like, it is imperative that you install and test CO and smoke alarms that function on a battery backup independently of an established power grid. These early warning systems are your single best defense against accidental fires and the insidious buildup of carbon monoxide gas.
• Brush Up on Fire Response: Anything that generates high heat to say nothing of open flame means the possibility exists that your house could catch fire. Your best and in this case likely only defense against such an occurrence will be a fire extinguisher. Make sure you have several that are properly rated, of adequate size and conveniently placed to respond immediately to any fire no matter how small it gets. You can take no chances considering the weather outside is just as lethal, if slower. You must also drill fire response and evacuation plans with your family or anyone staying in your home.

Vehicular Travel Considerations

If you are forced to travel for any reason during a snowstorm, or are overtaken by a snowstorm while traveling, your priorities will have to change.

Over 6,500 people are killed every, single year on American roadways due to weather related collisions and crashes, and many hundreds of thousands more are injured. To ignore the stakes is to court calamity.

Your single, best option when it comes to going by auto during a snowstorm is “don’t” but if that is not acceptable or you are overtaken by a snowstorm consider the following.

First, if it is possible to reach your destination or a waypoint, and then get off the road you should do so before the storm gets too bad.

However, if this is not possible, you must consider stopping in the best place you can reach before the roads become too treacherous. It is usually the onset of bad weather that results in the most accidents.

If you are able to reach anybody at your destination or along your route, let them know what the conditions are, what your estimated time of arrival is, and agree on a time that they will consider you overdue.

Plans must be put in place for this eventuality since it is also likely the communications will begin to break down or even fail entirely as the storm drags on.

You should also consider the capabilities of your vehicle and the likelihood that you will become stuck, and need to rely on your vehicle for heat and shelter.

How much fuel do you have? How long will it last? These are the questions you will need to answer before you can embark on any travel in a snowstorm with even a modicum of safety.

Here is more advice for traveling by car in a snowstorm:

• Even before the arrival of a snow storm one must be on the lookout for black ice. Black ice is an insidious hazard on all paved surfaces is extremely difficult to detect even at low speeds and is effectively invisible when traveling at highway speed. You won’t know you have hit black ice until you begin to skid, often resulting in a crash. As temperatures approach freezing, you must use extra caution on blacktop and particularly when traveling across bridges, ramps, and overpasses which are typically the first surfaces that ice forms on.
• You must have a plan in place for effectively and safely waiting out a storm should you become stranded, or just decide to pull over out of an abundance of caution. Consider conserving fuel by only running the engine intermittently, enough to warm up the cabin and keep you reasonably comfortable. 20 minutes or 10 minutes out of every hour is usually sufficient.
• Making yourself and your vehicle visible when stop near any roadway is of prime importance, as snow storms often drastically limit visibility. Even on less traveled roads, a passing snow plow or salt truck could strike your stopped vehicle with lethal force. Consider tying a brightly colored piece of cloth or even a reflective vest to your vehicle’s antenna or draping it out of the window. Using road flares is also a great way to maximize visibility in the worst conditions especially near heavily traveled roads.
• As mentioned above carbon monoxide is an insidious killer, especially in the close confines of a vehicle. You will not necessarily smell any exhaust gases that are making their way inside the vehicle, and carbon monoxide itself is odorless colorless and tasteless. You must take pains to keep the exhaust pipes of your vehicle clear of snow buildup which can cause a backup of dangerous gases. Consider barely cracking a couple of windows when running the engine in order to let fresh air in, or even opening a door to vent the cabin prior to running the engine intermittently.

Emergency Response Planning

Sometimes, to be an effective and responsible prepper you have to make plans within plans, alternate and contingency plans that nest within your primary plan like those strange little Russian dolls.

This is especially necessary when dealing with an event that is liable to see you entirely reliant on staying cooped up in your home, such as a snowstorm for instance.

Ask yourself what you would do if you were forced to deal with another emergency, and had to do so in spite of all the complications brought about by the weather and climate. How would the total loss or drastic slowdown of emergency services affect your plans? How might your plans change under the circumstances?

Consider the following entirely likely scenarios:

• You or a family member is facing a significant medical emergency. You don’t know that there is any way to transport them to the emergency room by vehicle and ETA is unknown for paramedics. What can you do and how good are your medical skills?
• Late at night you hear a loud crash near your kitchen and then the distinctive clumping of heavy boots. Your spouse starts screaming, and you hear your child crying. Are you dealing with a home invader or something else? How do you respond, and if you must respond with force how do you handle the aftermath?
• Despite all of your caution and best preparations your house has caught fire. It looks like a total loss and you cannot even hear sirens responding. The freezing temperatures outside did nothing to abate the flames, but will certainly kill you and your now-homeless family. You cannot keep warm off the wreckage; where will you go and how will you get there?
• You have made it a point to keep in touch with neighbors, family and other important people in your life as best you can despite the circumstances. You are particularly worried about your elderly parents who live about a half hour away by car. It has been a couple of days and you are unable to raise them, but you know communications have been suffering lately. How long do you give it before you take action and when you take action how will you reach them?
• There is nothing for it, you’re out of propane, firewood, everything. The temperature is nothing less than blisteringly cold and your house is rapidly assuming outside air temperature. How can you keep your body temperature and those of your family members above 98.6° with what you have on hand and do it safely?

While it is true that there are some circumstances you simply will not be able to properly prepare for ahead of time, even mentally rehearsing a viable response to contingencies like these will save valuable time, and reduce stress should they occur in the middle of a snowstorm.

Conclusion

Severe winter weather is one of the most common and also the most dangerous disasters that anyone can face, unless you live in a very specific region on the globe.

A surprise snowstorm or blizzard can see you trapped in your house with all utilities and public services down for the count for the duration. You will only be able to rely on your wits and what supplies and preparations you have put in place prior to.

Snowstorms make travel extremely dangerous, and the risk of exposure will never be far away. Use what you have learned in this guide to insulate yourself and your family against the dangers of extreme cold.

via Modern Survival Online https://ift.tt/2W9ZfM1