From Paula W: In a survival situation how can you cook food without the cooking odors inviting unwanted guests? Is there such a thing as odorless cooking?

Answer: Depending on the situation and where you located, the first thing you want to try to do is cook indoors. This will reduce the chances of someone or something smelling the food. Now, if you are outdoors try to cook in the very early morning and late evening hours. Ideally, you want to cook when most people are sleeping to avoid unwanted attention. Finally, this is one of the reasons I would consider carrying a small gas stove. If your life is in danger the last thing you want to do is build a fire, as this will give away your location. So, when cooking use a gas stove that will reduce odors. And, these days, they make pocket camping stoves that don’t take up much room at all.

From Bill P: Due to the potential stress of survival situations, I would like to purchase a gadget that supplies oxygen. It can help my body come down to a calm state after the stress. The companies I find tell me that they require a prescription. Are you aware of any that do not?

Answer: Unfortunately, a physician’s prescription is mandatory because it’s federally illegal for anyone to buy medical grade oxygen without a prescription. You will see some websites that claim they are selling oxygen but this isn’t pure, medical grade oxygen, so I wouldn’t waste your money on it. I’m not aware of any place that will sell oxygen without a prescription.

From Pat Y: Where can I order water containers? I need both portable ones and large drums.
Thank you for your help.

Answer: One of my favorite ways to store water is with WaterBricks. These are containers that each hold 3.5 gallons of water and are easily stackable. In other words, these are great for saving space and they are small enough that you could grab them in an emergency and take them with you. You can get 8 WaterBricks for about $150 on Amazon and you can also use them to store food.

As for larger 55-gallon water drums, you can find these at Costco or even Amazon and they will cost you about $100. Personally, I prefer the WaterBricks as they can easily be moved or taken with you.