Fast Track Tip #6: Test Your Survival Skills With A Grid-Down Weekend

When it comes to family preparedness, it is easy to take stock of your food, water, gear and skills and be smug in the knowledge that you are ready for whatever Mother Nature throws your way.  But, as a well-prepared Backdoor Survival reader shared in 5 Days with No Power – When the Ice Hits the Fan, thinking you are ready and being ready are two different matters.

In many respects, those of us that have been campers or boaters have had a head start in preparedness.  We are accustomed to getting by without power and only limited water and marginal cooking and sanitation facilities.  Of course we do this all in fun, knowing that we can pack up and go back to civilization at any time.  But when the big one hits – and all of our comforts are gone – what then?  Suddenly things are not so fun.

This begs the question:  have you ever gone for 2 or 3 days while being solely reliant on your preps?  If not, then it is time to step up.  And that applies to me as well!

[amazon asin=B0071BTJPI&template=*lrc ad (left)]Today, Backdoor Survival Contributing Author Rob Hanus is back with a prepper challenge.  Let’s schedule a weekend and practice our grid down skills!

Prepper Challenge! Practice with a Grid Down Weekend

In this prepper challenge, you’re going to be testing how well you can get along without any utilities. This means no electricity, no municipal water, no utility heating or air conditioning, nothing that you can’t provide for yourself. As if you suddenly lost all utilities. This is also sometimes called a Grid Down Scenario.

REMEMBER: It is far better to realize what works, what doesn’t work, and where you can improve when you’re not in a real survival situation. Also, if it’s only an exercise, you can stop at any time, if needed. When[amazon asin=B00BJELHS0&template=*lrc ad (right)] the power goes out for real is not the time to learn that your preps are inadequate.

Here’s some suggestions for your test:

1. Choose a weekend and schedule your grid down test. Let your family know when it’s going to be, like from Friday night to Sunday evening. Run this test for as long as you can, but if you find out part way through the challenge that you’re having extreme hardships, then end it.

2. Go to the store and buy some painter’s tape. Tape all of your light switches in the off position. We are so accustomed to flipping on the switch when we enter a dark room, that you’ll accidentally turn on lights, which ruins the illusion that you have no grid power. If you can safely do so, throw the circuit breakers for everything except your refrigerator and freezer. You can use any alternative power that you have.

3. Some houses have a shut-off valve that turns off the water to the entire house. Turn this off so that when the toilets don’t refill after use and no water is running in the house.

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