Grounded and Ready for Whatever
Grounded and Ready for Whatever is your no-fluff guide to survival, preparedness, and resilience in a world that’s anything but predictable. Each week, we cut through the noise with real conversations about disaster readiness, global uncertainty, and the systems shaping our daily lives.
From prepping essentials and tactical skills to self-reliance strategies and honest discussions about current events (and the occasional conspiracy worth unpacking), this podcast gives you the tools and mindset to stay informed, alert, and unshaken—no matter what comes next.
Hosted by a voice that’s as grounded as it is fearless, Grounded and Ready for Whatever is for anyone who refuses to be caught off guard.
Whether you’re new to prepping or a seasoned survivor, this show delivers practical insight, unfiltered truth, and the motivation to take control of your future—one episode at a time.
Grounded and Ready for Whatever
Building First Aid Kit Supplies -With Special Guest Dro the Sound God
What if your first aid kit actually worked when life threw a curveball? With Special Guest Dro the Sound God—podcaster, live streamer, and construction safety engineer we help you build a no‑nonsense checklist you can assemble on any budget. We walk through a clear, budget‑friendly first aid checklist with real‑world use in mind, from wound care to hydration to major bleeding control. Along the way, we stress waterproofing, dual‑purpose gear, and simple systems anyone can maintain. Together we break down the essentials, explain why dual‑purpose gear saves weight and money, and show you how waterproofing keeps your supplies usable when weather, leaks, or chaos strike.
Show the Guest Co-Host Dro the SoundGod some love and Check out his Projects and Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/dro_thasoundgod?igsh=eGJpNWRkMjB4aHhv&utm_source=qr
To all my good people out there, welcome to another episode of Grounded and Ready for Whatever. I'm your host Shay, and this episode is a special episode because we have a special guest with us today. Today we have Dro the Sound God, and I'm gonna let him introduce himself to you people, but I just want you all to know that he is a dope individual who does lots of good and dope shit, and he'll drop all this information when he needs to. Take it away, Drew.
SPEAKER_01:Peace, peace, Shay. Thank you, thank you, thank you again for the invite. I greatly appreciate it. Yeah, like you said, I'm Dro the Sound God. Uh, you know, I am a uh podcaster, live streamer by day or by night, by day. I am a construction safety engineer. Uh, so definitely glad to be on this show, uh, grounded and ready for whatever. When you sent me the invite, it was nice, and I'm like, yes, I'm all for it. So looking forward to what we're fixing to get into.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, no doubt. And I appreciate you accepting the invite. So, this episode, Dro and myself are gonna give you all an overview of basic first aid supplies. Now, everybody doesn't have to get all the things all the time. We're not saying that at all, especially in this economy right now. Paying attention is costly. But what we want to make sure to do is to slowly build up every part of our preparatory supplies, whether that be your food, your water, basic first aid supplies. So we're going to, you know, give it to you in you know, pieces and chunks, so you can take your notes, get what you can when you see the things, and maybe if you see them in the stores, it can give you a a reminder or a hint that said, hey, Shay said something about an instant cold pack, or Dro mentioned something about a Saline solution, or I remember hearing the things, and that could give you just pause to be like, you know what, I can add that to my my prep kit if I have the the money or the energy or the time at this moment. So firstly, some basic first aid supplies, adhesive bandages, various sizes. That's explaining. I'd say that to say everybody usually, when you think of band-aids, one size fits all. Definitely don't think that in an emergency situation because you're definitely gonna get a cut in a spot that that band-aid is never gonna fit. So if you're gonna get some adhesive band-aids, get the ones that actually are in different sizes for your knuckles, for your fingers, for your feet, for your hands, all different sizes for all different scenarios. Sterile gauze or sterile cotton balls and swabs. We all know what cotton balls and swabs can be used for, but they can also serve as dual purpose. Also, when you're taking notes today, dual purpose is gonna be a key thing to remember. We wanna keep preps that can be used for one thing and another. If we're using something for safety, maybe it can be used for fire starting. Cotton balls are one of those things. And if you're in a pinch, cotton balls can can start a blaze for you if necessary for a fire in the woods, as long as they remain dry. That's gonna be another key point. Dual purposes and waterproofing.
SPEAKER_01:Nah, facts, facts with that. Keeping them dry. I think that's one of the biggest things. And in like you said, Jay, that'll be the theme of these basic first aid supplies, keeping them dry and dual purpose. Uh going into the next one, adhesive tapes, uh, medical tape, right? You know, you're using those gauze pads and gauze rolls that Shay talked about. Uh you have something to, you know, to stick it to the body to be able to, you know, wrap it up so that way it stays there. It stops the bleed. Uh so any kind of adhesive tape, uh, medical grade, if you can, so that way, and also the various sizes. They have different sizes of the adhesive tape, you know, large rolls, small rolls, depending on where the cut is. So make sure that you know you're getting the different sizes as well. Uh, antiseptic wipes, these are very, very good for cleaning wounds, right? You want to, you know, when you go to treat somebody for first aid, gotta make sure the area is nice and clean uh before you apply any kind of bandage. You don't want to put any dirt or anything in there, and these antiseptic wipes will will help with cleaning wounds. Also, uh, antiseptic wipes are good hand wipes if you run out of them. That'll be something that we talk about here in a little bit. Uh, and we're talking about wounds, antibiotic ointment, neosporin, right? Again, you want to try in an emergency situation. Uh, you know, you're saying you're trekking, you know, to safety, and you know, it might take a couple of days. You don't want to any kind of infection, any anything that could uh you know cause more damage. So some antibiotic ointment, you know, neosporin, you know, A and D ointment, any anything like that, those things work work wonders uh when we're treating any kind of weird.
SPEAKER_00:And also remember the names of the things, not the brands of the things. Neosporin is good to remember, but just remember it's an antibiotic ointment. If you see something in the store that says antibiotic ointment, it's just as good as neosporin. That's all I'm saying. Do your research, always do your research on things, but usually the name brand that's in the dollar store is the same thing that's neosporin is sold in Walmart or the targets. And for basic first aid supplies, if you're just getting supplies so you survive the things, it's not gonna matter if it says neosporin if or if it just says antibiotic ointment. Just saying. Alcohol pads, always a keeper. If you can get a box or boxes of alcohol pads, they will work wonders because it's a dual-purpose thing. It cleans wounds, it cleans knives, it cleans surfaces, it disinfects all the surfaces of things, either if it's a small patch or if it's a big thing. Alcohol pads will always be a thing to be used for various on another thing. Last thing with cream, hydrocortisone cream for rashes and allergic reactions, just like neosporin, it doesn't have to say benadryl to make sure it works for you. If it says hydrocortisone cream, it's probably gonna work just as good as the benadryl.
SPEAKER_01:No, big facts, big facts. And you know, kind of going back with that burn gel and burn cream, uh, you know, again, just like the hydrocortisone antibiotic ointment, you know, they make generic brand burn gels, come in little twos just like those. You don't have to go get the expensive icy hot burn gel or anything like that. Yeah, get get the the name, name uh the generic version of them because they they work just as well. Uh elastic bandages, uh, these are very good, especially if we're talking sprains. Uh, you know, you you can say you fall, you sprain your wrist, uh, you know, you maybe sprain your ankle. These ace bandages are good, good for compression. Uh, so you would end up, you know, getting again various sizes, like you know, the adhesive bandages and the gauze rolls and and whatnot. So make sure that you get various ones. Now they have some ace bandages that are self-sticking, that stick to themselves, uh, usually one-time use. So, yes, get those uh because they come in clutch when you you know need to move fast. Uh, but if you have ones that are reusable, they have the little clasp, uh, little butterflies that you know stick to them. That way they can be reused. You can you know sanitize them, rewash them, and and repack them back into your your first aid supply. So just just be mindful of that. Uh talking about more bandages, the triangular badge, these are good for slings and splints. Say you do you know roll your ankle or end up breaking a leg, and now we gotta splint you up to be able to get you to safety. These triangle bandages, again, they pack up very small, but they're they they pack a big punch when you know you have to use them in the right way. So uh say somebody you know hurts their shoulder, hurts their arm, they're you gotta immobilize the limb. That's what the that triangle bandage is for. Kind of like a big old handkerchief that you know you tie around the neck, you tie around the body, keep that appendage uh close by. And then the big thing that I like to always keep inside the the first aid kit, scissors, medical grade scissors, stuff that you see the paramedics uh use, because a lot of times these medical grade scissors end up cutting sometimes through metal. Uh they serve dual purpose when you're talking about trying to cut something, you know, whether it's wire or whatnot, and these medical grade scissors are pretty strong, cutting away, you know, tape, clothing to get to, you know, an injury or uh you know a laceration of some sort. So make sure that you have a pair of medical grade scissors inside your first aid kit. They have some that you know aren't just uh they they're foldable, collapsible, safe space. So look into that as well.
SPEAKER_00:Do your research and another thing dual purpose a weapon that's in the clutch. Not condoning it, but hey, if you need to, it's the scissors work very well. Uh moving on, tweezers are a great thing for splinters, tick removal. If you're in the field and you have a splinter, if you in your house and you have a splinter, tweezers will save your life, and it's something for such a small thing for it to be. If you've ever had a splinter in the worst possible place for the longest time, it will be a godsend to have one. So tweezers, a thermometer, digital or non-mercury. We've all experienced the things of COVID. Thermometers are a thing, and if you can get digital and a non-mercury one, do both. Because with digital, you know, it just depends on if you can use it when you need to use it. Let's say that. So the air can the air can go in the airways when you're performing CPR. So there's a CPR face shield or a mask that you can position or put it in your kit. So if you need to give someone CPR, you can make sure that that seal remains sound while you're doing the procedure. Instant hot and cold packs. And these, if it's hot, if it's an instant cold pack, it's good for sprains or swelling. Instant, instant cooling effect. If you need it for a sprain and then a heat pack, vice versa. If you need to warm up just in case of hyper hypothermia, these are small enough and compact enough that you can slip a few of them in your uh supply kit that you know, if you get separated or you need to separate your kit, you can say, Here, you take a couple of these, you take a couple of these, and you know, everyone can stay warm if they need to. Just for simple aspirin or ibuprofen, or for medical emergencies. Certain people need to take some aspirin put underneath their tongue for certain things that are going on. I would suggest, well, not suggest, if you have if you go to the dollar store and you see one of the pill containers with the dates on them, you can put different types of pain relievers in each one of those pieces and then put that into your basic first aid. Label it if you can, write on a little sticky or whatever, but at least you know that if you need to keep a whole bunch of different types of pain relievers or small medications together, they can be in one space at one time. Uh, antihistamines for allergic reactions, just like we said before with the Benadryrils and the things, you can get something that just says antihistamine and it will probably take care of you just as well. Uh, anti-diarrhea medications like uh Immodium AD and the Pepto pills, those specific things, all of these are just trying to alleviate issues that come along in everyday life, but will make themselves 10 times worse during a stressful situation. So imagine if you have the bubble guts during the zombie apocalypse or whatever. You know what I mean? It's like just good to have certain things on hand just in case shit.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, in case shit hits the fan, literally, and and and you know, you're you're gonna you're not gonna tell that that that that that person that might be coming after you that you know, again, zombie apocalypse. Hey, hold up, I gotta take a shit. Like uh I did want to go uh back, you know, I know we're in the medical treatment, but the that that that CPA CPR first uh face shield or mask, uh, if you've ever seen somebody give CPR, again, somebody may have eaten, right? Uh, you know, they go down, they get unconscious, you have to start CPR. Where do you think all that stuff that's inside the stomach is gonna come as soon as you know you start compression? It's gonna come right back out, and that'll save you from swallowing somebody's vomit. It's uh you know, it's a one-way to where you can blow in, and as somebody's spitting out, it won't come back at you. So I just wanted to put that in there. Uh, you know, and then going into the medications, uh, aspirin, you know, we talked about the pain relievers, but aspirin or blood thinners, and I can contest to the blood thinners and the aspirin for anybody that has heart issues. I I had a heart attack uh back in 2020. So again, being on the blood thinners, being on the aspirin, on a regimen of low-dose aspirin, making sure you have adequate supply. If you know you're, you know, with somebody that has heart conditions, making sure that those are there. Uh, along with the blood thinners, uh one of the things, uh, nitroglycerin come in little bottles, they're small little tablets you put underneath the tongue. It kind of uh you know opens up the bloodstream, opens up the veins, you know, to the heart. So yeah, just think about getting getting some of that. And like, you know, going into it. Personal prescription medications, gotta make sure any kind of medication that you might be on, you know, you're gonna be, you know, away or you have to, you know, emergency situation, grab your first aid kit, have in there at least the minimum a seven-day supply. Now, if you have, you know, uh, I know medications they give you 30 day supplies. If you can, you know, be able to get you know a three-month supply, put at least one of those months inside your first aid kit just in case, but a minimum of at least seven days. And then, you know, this the saline solutions, the saline solutions for irrigating the eye, irrigating the wound, right? Again, you're out and about. We need definitely need our eyes to see, to you know, plan, to, you know, be visible, keep our head on a swivel. If we get something in the eye, we want to be able to, you know, treat that very, very quickly. And with those saline solutions, they come in various sizes as well. They come with the big bottle, those are usually good for you know irrigation of wounds or to flush the eye out, but then they also have smaller ones that you know are strictly for you know the eye, uh, to be able to get something, you know, debris out from underneath the eyelid, you know, maybe something stuck in there, and you have to, you know, put an eye patch, clean that the eye out. Uh so yeah, just you know, again, do your research when we're talking about these things, making sure, you know, make yourself a little checklist on what you want to put in there. Not everything that we're talking about goes on inside the first aid, just giving you some, you know, some things to think about. And then electrolyte tablets. Uh again, when you're out and about, you're drinking water, right? You gotta stay hydrating. Electrolyte tablets, you're losing uh losing a lot of nutrients, a lot of salt. Uh, you know, your body's you know wearing itself down. Exhaustion, these electrolyte tablets will keep you from dehydrating. Uh, you know, stay away from uh stuff that has a lot of sugar content because that gives you a spike and then a crash. Uh stuff that you know, electrolytes are good. I know in in the construction world we have uh things called squincher packed, uh, you know, things like liquid IVs and and those types of you know packets now that you can you know stock up on and put inside your first aid kit to prevent dehydration.
SPEAKER_00:So moving on, we're gonna go to sterile dressings, and this is for large wounds, large wounds, surgical gloves, uh preferably the ones that you use that they use in the hospital for surgical reasons, for sanitation purposes, you know how that goes. Splints, again, specific purpose if you're trained to use them. I think Dro knows better than me, but if you know if anything about splints, if you don't put them on right, it's gonna fuck up everything even worse. Is that the true thing?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, no, no, it's definitely definitely the truth. And I think, you know, with uh with the splints, uh, again, anything, you know, when you're out in about an emergency situation, anything can be uh uh you know used as a splint if it's used properly, right? You know, the the splint is to immobilize a limb, you know, your arm, your leg, uh, you know, using that type of splint so that way there's no movement, say you have a broken bone to keep that from breaking and hurting yourself further. That's what the splints are for. Knowing how to place a splint, that way it's not too tight, you're not cutting off circulation, and you know, yeah, too high, too low, and then talking about the tourniquet and severe bleeding. The tourniquet is not to be used around the neck unless you're an emergency situation and you gotta choke somebody out. Hey. Right. But it you know, it's usually used again to stop the bleed on the limbs, should not be used on the joints, uh, you know, anywhere like your elbow, your knees, anywhere along, you know, the thigh area below the knee uh to stop the bleed perfectly fine. Uh should not be used anywhere on the the torso area, because again, that tourniquet, you're torquing to again cut off actual circulation, cut off blood flow to stop somebody from bleeding out. Uh, that hemostatic gauze, I think, is is key. Uh, and hemostatic that it comes in a fit, uh, a tin foil, and when you open it up, it's kind of wet, and it's wet for it has a gel-like substance that helps uh promote clotting in a wound. Uh, if you can't find a hemostatic gauze, uh, they have stuff called packing gauze, which is the same thing. Now, when we're talking, we're talking big wound here. So uh somebody, you know, has a big laceration on their leg, you need to stop the bleeding, you know, you can almost see the bone, lots of muscle, uh tissue. You're gonna have to get your hands a little dirty, which is why them gloves come into play and put that gauze in that wound to stop the bleed, and that's what that's for. You know, there's the the packing gauze comes in like rolls, it comes in little, you know, little little squares, hemostatic gloves, same thing, comes in little packets that you know you you'd be able to use, and you just you know stuff in there, and then you know, you apply the tourniquet and the ace bandage and all the all the things that we previously talked about.
SPEAKER_00:And one more thing on the tourniquet, though, only trained people are supposed to remove that as well. Don't let anybody just oh, okay, you did the tourniquet, I'm just gonna take this off out. If they're not trained, because that has to be removed a specific way. So, yeah, just remember that. If if you're just in a random group and somebody has a tourniquet on and they somebody random guy just says, Hey, I'm gonna take this off, if he's not trained, it's it's not gonna end up well.
SPEAKER_01:So correct. And for for that, just to go a little step further, if you can, if you apply tourniquet, put the time at which you know what time and date that you you applied the tourniquet. Because again, when the you know, the say you get to paramedics or you get to you know medical aid, uh somebody that understands that they know how long that limb has been without blood flow, to them further understand if they're gonna be able to save the limb or have to amputate to prevent you know infectious.
SPEAKER_00:So this next section is mostly niceties, but they do have real purposes to them, like moist towelettes. Yes, you know the ones I'm talking about from like a chicken place or KFC, whatever, but they can be used for cleaning when water is scarce. The purposes serve for cleaning a surface or cleaning your hands if there's no water available, it'll it'll serve the purpose for such. And if you find the right places, you can get a whole bunch of them for free. 99. Face mask, yes, any place that serves chicken. I mean, I'm not trying to say a thing, but if chicken is served, moist toilets probably aren't far behind. Face masks, uh, we've been through COVID, we know what face masks are for and what they aren't for, but for our specific purpose here, it's for airborne contaminants. If you are out and there's debris in the air or smoke or whatever, face mask serves the purpose and they're small enough that they can slip in your preps and they can go in different places, different parts of different pieces of different preps. Because if you have a face mask in one part of your first aid kit, and then another one in your food prep kit, or you'll have another one in whatever kit, as long as you your go bags, if you have a few of them every place, you'll always have one just in case you need it. And uh lip balm. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Lip balm. Facts, facts, lip balm. It is is one of the things being out in the elements. You know, again, you grab your first aid kit. Being in the hot sun, your lips get chapped. Uh, again, you're you're sweating, you're losing a lot of water. That's the first thing that ends up, you know, going in a sense. So, yes, lots of lip balm. You know, yes, you can grab the little, you know, you know, whatever lip balm that you want to use. I I suggest if you're it's going in the first aid kit, something that uh won't melt, uh, you know, like the the like the chapsticks or the blistex uh sticks, uh they will definitely um you know melt if they're in the heat. So anything that's in the side of plastic tube, I also like putting uh the the Carmex, uh little, little small tins. Uh you know, they're metal tins. They and then again the dual purpose, you you know, you say you finish the lip balm. Well now you have something that can, you know, you can light uh or put a cotton ball in to be able to maybe start a fire or you know, put some alcohol to you know be able to get a fire going and whatnot, hand sanitizer to to start, you know, start a fire for cooking or whatever it may be. So yeah, lip balm. Protect them chap lips. You don't want them cracking and then bleeding, and you know, so and going into the next one, hand lotion. Uh, you know, again, dry skin, you're losing, you're sweating a lot, you know, if you're moving about, gotta make sure that you have dry skin. You know, again, it starts to get cracked, it starts bleeding, and then you know, possible infection in an emergency situation, you know, some hand lotion, you know, on the the elbow. You should be using hand lotion daily, you know, lotion daily, but in the emergency, you know, situation it yeah, exactly. Definitely not here to do it, but yeah, hand lotion to prevent it.
SPEAKER_00:What we don't want to do is be, you know, moisturized in the world in you know, a catastrophic event, but then you smell like lavender and roses, and everybody knows you're coming 50 feet away. We don't want to do that, but you do want to make sure that your skin is protected, and you want to make sure that if you do have it, it's unscented because you never know if uh that's gonna draw people to you based on the scent. Uh, tissues and wet wipes, uh, yeah, speaks for itself again. COVID. What did everybody go crazy for? They didn't go crazy for the guns and the bullets, they went crazy for the toilet paper and the tissues. So I wouldn't say stock up on that like that, like everyone did for that, but it's good to have in uh emergency situations because we all gotta go and tissues help with the go. And then wet wipes, uh if wet wipes are good because they they can be compactable. You can fold up a whole bunch of them, put them in a ziploc bag, and keep them, you know, inside a case, inside a case. The key is to keep it dry because yes, wet wipes, you would think they could get wet, but once they get wet, they're gonna lose a lot of their potency for whatever their purpose was, whether it's for you know sanitation or whatever, once they get wet, they're only pretty much wet for what they need to be for. But again, waterproofing all of the things right here in this specific section, because again, they are all needed for you know nicety. So if it's wet and gone, then what's the nice the reason for the nicety of happiness?
SPEAKER_01:So so speaking of waterproofing, what would you suggest? What would you suggest to the to the listeners out there uh to help waterproof?
SPEAKER_00:Uh good question. So it it depends, but if so, the way my brain works, I would get those um sectioned little small ziploc bags, and depending on what I'm trying to really make sure stays wet, I'm putting the thing inside of a thing inside of a thing. So I'm putting a zip a bag, uh let's say matches, I'm putting matches wrapped up in plastic bag that's wrapped up in a ziploc bag that's wrapped in a tin foil. So and a thing and a thing and a thing, that's how I can make sure that that thing is gonna stay waterproof, and then I make sure that that thing is closable and secure. Because if even if it's in a let's say it's in a tin, if the tin isn't all all the way able to be closed, the water can seep in. So what do you think? What would you think would be the best way?
SPEAKER_01:No, I I I definitely and I like the I like again the redundancy that that we you know have been explaining, you know, certain things have dual purpose. So those ziplock bags and things that you you know are able to waterproof uh a lot of your materials that you're putting in your first aid, uh, you know, work well. And then I also, if you have again the niceties to be able to, you know, get it and have it, dry bags work wonders. Uh when, you know, and they come in various sizes. So get you know a few uh dry bags and be able to put those Ziploc bags from keeping dry, and then it's just an extra layer of waterproofing. And then you know, the Ziploc bags can be used for trash, can be used for other things, you know, those those uh you know, make make a soup when you're you know out and about if you don't, you know it's just the the redundancy factor of it. But yeah, dry bags, I was gonna say ziploc bags, uh, you know, in various sizes, and have them in a dry spot wherever you you know put your your first aid supplies at a good tip.
SPEAKER_00:I I I wouldn't even think of that. So yeah, that the dry bags would definitely be a good plus thing. Next, so these next things are additional emergency prep items to have, and they might sound dumb, but when you think about it, when you're prepping your preps or Preparing yourself for whatever disaster, whether it's earthquake, tornado, hurricane, whatever. Some of these things might seem second nature, but then again, if you don't put them on a list, it's easy to forget about them. Such as a flashlight. With and if it's battery operated, have extra batteries. And if it's extra batteries, have extra batteries in different sizes because you have probably different flashlights. So if a rule of thumb is every battery you have have an extra set, or I'm sorry, every flashlight you have have extra set of batteries for said flashlight. So if you have all your flashlights that are C that take C's, then you don't really need to get many other batteries but C's, but you still should have extra batteries because I'm pretty sure you have other things in your house that's going to require batteries. Now I know we talked about earlier the non-name brand of things. Batteries can still be put into that category as long as you remember that you get what you pay for. And if you're expecting dollar store batteries to last 10 years, then I'm sorry, that's not what you're getting paid for. But if you're expecting the dollar store batteries just to survive you through this particular storm, that could work for you. Additionally, with the flashlight, a hand crank flashlight is gonna save you so much money just on the simple fact that it's gonna just use your body power to make sure it works. And it's gonna give you peace of mind to know that that battery or that radio or flashlight is gonna work regardless on whether or not you have the right batteries or not. I got a question for you, Dro. What type of flashlight do you think would be the best flashlight to have?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, flashlights again, you're not gonna carry because again, wait, you're thinking, you know, emergency situation, go bag, you know, I gotta be versatile, gotta move, you know, in case of an emergency, I'm not gonna put a big ass mag light in there. Uh they do make some smaller mag lights, uh, but I like the ones that don't have a bulb. A lot of new flashlights these days are LED uh powered. So again, you have brighter lumens, they last a lot longer. Uh, but yeah, uh, I would say maybe uh a handheld flashlight, something that that's small, that you know, has you know a big you know lumen count. But then I would also say for flashlights, a headlamp, something that you know, you know, again can be on the head. It ends up being waterproof. Uh it may require batteries or charging. So be mindful of that. Again, it's one of those niceties that you know are great. Uh, but if you can get like a headlamp, because a lot of the headlamps, the flashlight on them are detachable. So again, you know, when you know when you're trekking, great, no problem. You have it on the head, you can get there, and then you can set it up to, you know, you know, point in one direction when you're definitely doing moving and whatnot. But yeah, small, small flashlight, compact flashlights, something that you know is um not going to be too heavy, like a mag light. Uh again, if you if you want to carry a mag light, that's great. They serve as weapons when they run out of juice, no problem, but but something that's gonna be versatile for for you know your kit.
SPEAKER_00:A multi-tool. A multi-tool, uh, like a Gerber with pliers, knife, screwdriver, etc. Those are good either way. That's just good to have on a daily because you never know. And again, multi-purpose. Yeah, you might need to pull that multi-tool out to show your multi-tool for a purpose other than never mind, we're gonna get that later. But uh, a waterproof container, like we've been saying overarchingly in this whole thing, waterproof is what you want to make sure to have to make sure all your things stay in the right state that they're supposed to be. So an actual container to keep all the things dry is is a cool thing to have. However, caution though, I wouldn't say put all of your eggs in one basket with that. So, yeah, I have all of my waterproof items in my waterproof container, and then that waterproof container goes missing. Then what? All of the things that were they're not there, they're good now, but they're gone too. So if you can separate the things, but yes, a waterproofproof container for the purpose of keeping specific things dry is a dope.
SPEAKER_01:No, big facts, big facts, and again, we're when we talk waterproof containers and emergency situation, is it a is a small waterproof container that's you know mobile that you can use? It does it is a waterproof container that requires two people to carry. Like, you know, you got you gotta think about up about those things as well. Emergency situation, you get to it fast, you can move it. Uh, you know, but again, just you know, don't put like Shay said, don't put all your eggs in one basket. Don't put everything inside your waterproof container that could potentially go missing. So uh, you know, again, the redundancy factor have a couple different spots, maybe a couple of different smaller waterproof containers to be, you know, we talked about dry bags, a couple of different dry bags that you are able to put multiple of what we've already talked about in, and that way you have, you know, just in case one gets lost, you still have everything else that you know is in there. So and then duct tape, you know, additional good old duct tape. You can fix and do all kinds of stuff with duct tape. Yes, uh, I I know I've I've stopped leaks, I've uh uh done some some wound repair on the job site until we got them to to where they needed to get you know good good medical attention. So uh duct tape comes uh again, various sizes, various strengths, uh, and it's versatile, it's good for you know um tying up something, someone, but we're not gonna get into that. It's uh it's but it's it's yes, definitely dual purpose. And the cool thing about duct tape is yes, it comes in a big roll, but you can unroll that that big roll and make it very compact, manageable in your kit. So just be mindful. Yes, they put a cardboard ring in there again to give you the maximum of what you can, but once you unroll it, start wrapping around certain things, you have uh again the redundancy factor of having multiple things that might have duct tape on it in case you need it. Um signaling a whistle of some sort, you know, you say you're out and about off the grid, you know, zombie apocalypse is here, and you know, you need a whistle to maybe signal for help. Uh, yes, the run-of-the-mill little, you know, basketball coach whistles work wonders. Some some of them are metal, some of them are plastic. But uh I would also highly suggest investigating, do your research. What we use on the job side is what it's what is called a storm whistle. Vibrant orange, you know, high-vis orange, but it generates a louder sound, you know, and we blow that in case there's a tornado, storm, imminent danger coming. But be mindful if you're in an emergency situation, you're trying to, you know, stay uh off the grid, away from people, get to you know, a safe point that might be signaling other people your location, and that might not be the best best scenario. So just be mindful of that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and and again, it's good for when it's good and it's bad for when it's bad. So it's good to have it if you need it, but if you need to use it, you one of those things is that you better pull it out and be really meaning to use it. Because if you're not trying to give away where you at is gone now, if the second you use that whistle, so but it is definitely good to have if you need something to be found. If you're in the middle of the woods and it's part of your your prep kit for travel and you're completely lost, that whistle, if it's loud enough, it will definitely get you found. And for lastly, for the emergency prep items, notepad and pen. In this digital world that we live in currently, nobody really thinks twice about having a notepad and a pen. But even a small notepad and a pen can be important in an emergency situation, especially if phones are not a thing anymore. They could leave a note, they could leave it, could be used to document important information, it could be used to mem to remember directions or descriptions or what have you. And so a notepad and pen, when it comes to the pen, they have the fancy pens where you know it will never run out of ink, or it can be used upside down, or it can be invisible ink and readable, readable only with the special light, and all that good stuff. You can get all that cool fancy stuff if you want to, but for the purpose of writing down notes or documenting information, a regular little old notepad and pen should suffice for the situation. No, big facts.
SPEAKER_01:Big facts on that. And uh, you know, again, the niceties that you can have if you want to go, you know, the waterproof, uh, you know, I know that they make some notepads that are waterproof. You're in the rain, you're in a storm, but you need to, you know, write down a landmark or a description or you know whatnot, they do make them. But again, get up underneath the tree, uh, have somebody hold a blanket over you while you write. Like there's ways to get around having the to, you know, get get the the you know, the more non-common items.
SPEAKER_00:Some of the items, lastly, that are for specific needs, but you know, if you have if you need them, it's good to have. Like baby supplies. I myself don't have any babies anymore in my home, but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't keep any just in case that I might have family members who may be here that might be hunkered down with me or here in an emergency situation that might need the diapers to include wipes and formula, etc. If you have people or if you have children that are babies now, as you're prepping, you prep for what you have now. So if you're prepping to say, oh, but they're not going to be babies in the future, and then an emergency happens tomorrow, and then you're like, Well, shucks, that didn't help. So prep for today and also prep for tomorrow. An epi pen for if someone in your house, you know, has an allergic reaction of some sort, uh, that is good to have. Uh, Dro, I think you said somebody uh you know has an epi pen or used it before.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, one of my one of my daughters had uh, you know, she she did that the test to to figure out what you're allergic, you know, they stick your your back with like you know, 18 different, you know, different needles that allergic tests, and she was allergic to like five or six things. She's now has outgrown those allergies. But yeah, she was it, you know, she was prescribed a uh epi pen. Uh they they they gave her three epipins, one to keep at school, one to keep on her person, and one for the house. So um, yeah, definitely good for anybody that might have any kind of severe allergic reactions, um, you know, whether that whether it be you know bug stings, uh certain wildflowers, uh, you know, any food, you know, that might get consumed that has, you know, the the the nut allergy. Uh so yeah, it's it's definitely good to have. Yeah, I think they they have a I think they have a yeah, I think they have a shelf life of two years. Uh some I think uh maybe I think it's like a 2.5 year mark shelf life, but they do expire. Uh they suggest you not use it. Uh it does lose potency uh after uh the after the expiration date. But in, you know, and again, if there's one emergency situation, somebody's having one, it might be expired, you punch it in them, and then they come to well, hey, it it served a purpose. So don't get rid of them. Mm-hmm. I would say don't get rid of them, just keep them just in case. But yeah, if it if it has an expiration date, be keep that expiration date in mind.
SPEAKER_00:Because if it's in your mind like, well, these are year old, they might not work. Well, we gotta do something, then that's what you gotta do. Glue glucose tabs or insulin for those with diabetes, you gotta keep those in your your kit at all time, just in case. Because and keep those at the intervals they need to be kept, whether you need to give it every day or however, you want to make sure that in your kit you have that in a specific place for that specific purpose. Because uh, of course, with the syringe and all that good stuff, if you need to take it with those, uh you want to keep those in a place that can't be lost because they need to be together, of course. But all of that should be together within a specific spot with your preps anyway. Emergency contact information. Yeah, we all know that we only rec remember certain phone numbers uh as we need to remember them, but it's good to have it written down in your preps just in case you need to have that information. And it's just not a phone number, it's names, it's addresses, it's relationships to who how that person's related to you. You never know. Someone might need to contact you, and if it's in your prep, they know that that's where you've you've been, but just for emergency purposes, and lastly, specialized medications, just like the EpiPen and the uh glucose and things like that. Asthma, inhaler, uh epinephrine, it's these things, specialized medications. Of course, do your research, know the expiration level and how it's supposed to be kept, if it's supposed to be kept in a cool, dry place or refrigerated, what have you. Just be mindful of these specific needed things in your prepping. And if you know you need them, have a place for them. So when it's time to actually prep for it, you know exactly where it's gonna go.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, defin definitely the inhaler. I know for for specialized medications, those also have expiration dates. They they, you know, since they are in in compressed tens, they you know lose their potency, then no longer uh pump after a while, because again, that it's kind of like a soda. When you leave it open, it goes flat. That's kind of what the inhaler does. So be mindful of rotating that stock, uh making sure you keep up to it. And with that emergency contact information, the again, anything that you write down, print out, make sure that you're keeping it waterproof. Put them inside the the sleeves, the plastic sleeves, like we used to have in uh in school, you know, the dividers, they have plastic sleeves for for that uh that you can you know seal up. Uh you can laminate certain things to keep it waterproof. Uh, and uh one thing for you know specific needs, any kind of maps that you might have, if you can get those maps laminated uh or you know, waterproof so that way, you know, when you are saying, you know, trekking, leaving the home, go into you know the your meetup or your rally point, you know how to get there and you have a map to be able to guide you a little bit.
SPEAKER_00:Agreed. And if you're gonna do the map route, keep keep the maps in your area, in the the current state you're in, and in the state above you, and the state of below you, and if you're in the middle, the state to your left and your state to your right, because you never know which direction you're gonna have to go if you have to go in any direction, but at least you have a map just in case in wherever you need to go.
SPEAKER_01:Facts.
SPEAKER_00:We covered a whole lot of stuff today, Drew.
SPEAKER_01:We did. Um taking notes.
SPEAKER_00:I I hope so too, because we gave a whole lot of good information, and I hope that everyone got something from it, whether it's you know, make sure everything's waterproof or uh dual purpose things, you know. This was our way of making sure that you all have at least a somewhat concise list for basic first aid information for your prepping. So we, I, both of us, appreciate each and every one of you all for listening today to this episode. Uh, Dro, special shout out to you for coming out and hanging out with me and giving the people the information that they needed. Appreciate you, bro.
SPEAKER_01:Nah, I appreciate the invite. It's definitely been a pleasure and hope to do it again soon.
SPEAKER_00:Of course, you are always welcome. And I will catch each and every one of you on the next episode of Grounded and Ready for Whatever. Peace.