I was recently listening to the audiobook of the Rawles book Surviving the End Of The World As We Know It and something he said just struck me right between the eyes.
It said that he vowed to never let his family run out of batteries. He relayed that without batteries you will essentially be back in the 19th century. Just take a moment and ponder that thought, no batteries for your red dot (except those that have Trijicon), flashlights, radios, etc. Yep, you have the candle/lantern for the retreat house, but what are you going to shine when you are out on patrol. Are you going to carry a lantern with you while out at the LP/OP or walking the fence line? Your flashlight, red dot, handitalkie, etc can be force multipliers.
He recommeds that you have some way of charging rechargeable batteries, preferably LSD (low self discharge) batteries. He started with a small set-up of solar panels from Northern Tools. He also recommeds the Accumanager-20 battery charger which is a 12v and AC charger. This way a small PV panel could be set up to go from 12v to 12v without the need for conversion to AC. When you think about it we spend a lot on batteries and throw them away. An Accumanager-20 runs about $60 and LSD rechargeable batteries vary depending on size. A 45 watt solar panel kit from Harbor Freight and Northern Tools can be found for abot $180 on sale. I would venture to guess that in the long run you would spend less going rechargeable vs. disposable. Some of the LSD batteries I've seen can be recharged 3000 times. So even if you used the batteries every night and recharged during the day, your batteries would last over 8 years. That is a lot of nights with light and having a red dot when you absolutley need it.
I have taken on the same thought he has and vowed to get set-up for recharging and obtaining batteries. The solar set-up has been obtained and now the Accumanager-20. I have some batteries from other things, so I'm starting. After a SHTF crisis I can see that after a couple weeks most sheeple will be without any batteries and will be having to burn candles and make torches.
Think about your battery situation now. I have several batteries now that I have in storage, but once these are gone, they will be of no use. Rechargeable is the way to go. Don't let your family be in the 19th century when you have the ability to prevent it. Look into you options.
It said that he vowed to never let his family run out of batteries. He relayed that without batteries you will essentially be back in the 19th century. Just take a moment and ponder that thought, no batteries for your red dot (except those that have Trijicon), flashlights, radios, etc. Yep, you have the candle/lantern for the retreat house, but what are you going to shine when you are out on patrol. Are you going to carry a lantern with you while out at the LP/OP or walking the fence line? Your flashlight, red dot, handitalkie, etc can be force multipliers.
He recommeds that you have some way of charging rechargeable batteries, preferably LSD (low self discharge) batteries. He started with a small set-up of solar panels from Northern Tools. He also recommeds the Accumanager-20 battery charger which is a 12v and AC charger. This way a small PV panel could be set up to go from 12v to 12v without the need for conversion to AC. When you think about it we spend a lot on batteries and throw them away. An Accumanager-20 runs about $60 and LSD rechargeable batteries vary depending on size. A 45 watt solar panel kit from Harbor Freight and Northern Tools can be found for abot $180 on sale. I would venture to guess that in the long run you would spend less going rechargeable vs. disposable. Some of the LSD batteries I've seen can be recharged 3000 times. So even if you used the batteries every night and recharged during the day, your batteries would last over 8 years. That is a lot of nights with light and having a red dot when you absolutley need it.
I have taken on the same thought he has and vowed to get set-up for recharging and obtaining batteries. The solar set-up has been obtained and now the Accumanager-20. I have some batteries from other things, so I'm starting. After a SHTF crisis I can see that after a couple weeks most sheeple will be without any batteries and will be having to burn candles and make torches.
Think about your battery situation now. I have several batteries now that I have in storage, but once these are gone, they will be of no use. Rechargeable is the way to go. Don't let your family be in the 19th century when you have the ability to prevent it. Look into you options.
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