It's Summertime!

Summer is finally here! Days are going to be longer and the weather will be getting hotter. 25% of the U.S. Population loves this season. People will be spending their days traveling, camping, and doing any other outdoor activity they’ve been wanting to do all year. With all the extra sunshine people will be seeing, there will be a significant increase in your mental health. With the increase in temperatures, there will probably be an increase in weather-related disasters. Thunderstorms and flooding are expected to peak. Tornadoes. Heatwaves and droughts will become major threats. Here are some ways you can use common summer sales to your prepping advantage.

BBQ

Barbecue, or BBQ, is a 6.4 billion dollar industry. 128 million homes will be cooking outdoors this year. A good duel grill will be handy to cook food in during an extended blackout or EMP. Disposable aluminum trays can catch rainwater or be used as a wash basin. Condiments will provide a little extra flavor to bland or stale food. The squeeze bottles they come in can be cleaned out for first aid uses like wound irrigation and eye washing. Coolers can double as a bug-out bag when traveling through flooded areas. The tools used on it can become weapons in a pinch. Cutting boards are sturdy enough to be made into signs or be used in map making.

Pool Supplies

2.7 billion people worldwide know how to swim. In the U.S., 10.4 million people own a pool. Even though it is highly recommended that you NOT drink the pool water, your pool party can give you some sweet prepping gear. Those inflatable pool rafts you lounge in can become the perfect sleeping pad in a bug-out situation. While those inflatable pool rings can make a great bumper pad for your baby while in a public shelter. Water balloons can be a useful water carriers. Just don’t put the balloon in your mouth as you can choke on them. Diving toys are colorful, so they can be used to mark your trail secretly if being followed so that your team can find you.

Heading To The Beach

Going to the beach is a summer tradition. 400 million people plan to visit one of America’s 900,000 beaches this year. Some things you take with you can save your life in a disaster. Pails and sand molds can become foraging baskets or a vessel to fetch water in. Towels can but cut into strips to be burned as tinder in a fire. Use beach towel clips on them to set up a privacy screen. You can also use those clips in place of clothespins. Hitting a beach ball among friends can be a great stress reliever. A can cover can protect your uneaten canned food from bugs, while allowing you to put them back in your bag without causing spills.

Other Summer Fun

This is the season of fun. Bean bags from your corn hole game can be used to hold down objects like tarps. Bubbles can be blown to alert nearby rescue to your whereabouts. It can also serve as a distraction because who doesn’t like popping bubbles? Plastic Frisbees can return to their original roots as serving trays for large gatherings. Metal detectors can help you locate precious metals currently being used as currency. Wagons are great when evacuating on foot since you can carry more, heavier items. When traveling with kids, these can become helpful when their little legs become too tired to carry on. Bicycles are a great way to stay in shape while offering an alternative bug-out vehicle.

Picking Out A Sunscreen

Getting burned by the sun is a very unpleasant experience that, if serious enough, could lead to hospitalization. 1 in 3 Americans will get sunburned this year. Symptoms include red skin irritation, blisters, swelling, and itchiness, just to name a few. Prolonged exposure to harmful UVA and UVB rays can lead to melanoma, a deadly type of skin cancer. To protect yourself, you’ll need to stock up on good quality sunscreen. Choose one that has a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) between 30 and 50. Avoid brands that contain Benzene, a cancer-causing chemical. You will only need a shot glass worth to cover your entire body. The rub-in formula provides better protection than the spray-on type. Sunscreen should be applied every two hours, water-resistant or not.