Do it yourself Faraday Cage

CopperKnight and I were talking a while ago about making a whole room into a Faraday Cage. Something to protect the electrical gadgets we all dearly love in the event of an EMP strike. I saw a great tutorial a while ago that turned an ammo can into a Faraday Box. Very easy to do--just line the whole thing with thick closed-cell foam, and then wrap your electronics in bubble wrap and place them inside.

WWYD? If you were to build one this weekend, what would you place inside?

I'm thinking of a solar-powered/crank-powered AM/FM/Shortwave radio. I have a mini Grundig I bought a few years ago that would be the perfect size to put in there. An 8GB thumbdrive with copies of important information and stuff that could be useful once the power is (hopefully) restored.

Maybe an older digital camera that I don't use anymore. Take the batteries out and keep them separate from the camera. Document things that happen after the EMP strike.

A good LED flashlight with batteries. (removed, just like the camera)

A Brunton solar-powered charging kit for hiking/backpacking. That way I could power up the rechargeable AA and AAA batteries for my devices.

Heck...I'd put my iPad in there but I use it almost every hour of every day.

Let me know what you'd put inside that you'd like to keep safe.

EMP Strike. What Would You Do?

Electromagnetic Pulse


Hi folks. Here's the scenario:

An EMP has rendered all non-shielded electronics useless. Cars. Radios. Cellphones. You name it...it's toast.

You live 30 miles from where you work.

What Would You Do?

• How do you get home?
• Do you stay at work?
• What do you eat?
• What do you drink?
• What do you wear?
• What if it is below freezing?
• What if it is over 100-degrees Fahrenheit?
• How do you protect yourself?
• How do you navigate?
• What if major roads are closed? Do you know alternate routes to get home?
• What about family?
• How do you meet up with them? Do you have a plan?
• What about friends?
• Do you have like-minded friends who you can join up with? There is safety in numbers.

That issue has been bothering me lately. I read the .pdf e-book 'Lights Out' by HalfFast and it got me thinking. What do I do if we have an EMP strike here? I live 30 miles from where I work. I work in the city and live in the country. That's a long walk. Granted, I could do. It would take me two days most likely. Sadly it's mostly uphill. I would have blisters and a sore back--but I can do it.

I would choose not to stay at work. I like my coworkers--but I don't want to stay and take care of them in a SHTF situation. I'm not being mean...I'm being realistic. My main focus is to take care of my family and my close friends who I consider family. I also think looting would begin pretty rapidly after a major power outage. The sooner I'm out of the area the better.

I have a Bug Out Bag under my desk at work. Nothing fancy. A change of clothes, a few granola bars, extra socks, tennis shoes and a hat. I obviously need to beef it up with more stuff. Here's what I'm thinking of adding:

• A poncho
• Paracord (With the poncho I could make a simple shelter to get out of the elements if I needed to stop and rest.)
• Water purification of some sort (Most likely Micropur tabs. I'm lucky enough to live near lots of rivers and streams.)
• ASP tactical baton
• A tritium compass
• Coast Guard rations
• Fixed blade knife
• First aid supplies (bandaids, tylenol, VetWrap, sunscreen, etc.)

My buddies and I have been talking about keeping an old bicycle at work to help us get home faster. I could keep one in the basement of the building I work in locked up in the corner. I would need an air pump and some patches just in case. The thing I was worried about is what happens when people try to take my bike on my way home? Do I fight? Do I surrender the bike and proceed on foot? Depends on how many of them there are I guess.

Hopefully I've got you thinking what you would do if you were presented with this situation. I'd love to hear what you think.

Thanks for reading,

NinjaClerk