Self Reliance Expo-Part 1

Christmas came early for me this year!  I was able to spend 5 hours surrounded by food storage, portable potties, generators, water storage containers & purification containers.  Today I attended the Self Reliance Expo at the South Towne Expo Center and it has to be the best expo I have ever attended. I was so lucky to win tickets from one of my favorite blogs, blog.totallyready.com. Every booth was filled with products for and about emergency preparedness.  Of course I took my camera and documented my day.  You may want to get comfy because this could be a long post, but there was so much information that I wanted to collect to pass on to all of you.  I tried to get a website for each of the vendors that I am spotlighting so please visit their sites for more information.  

The fun started outside the venue where they had trailers set up with all the comforts of home inside.  They are from the Timberline Range Camp company and you can see more at their website trccamps.com.

The Humless Roadrunner Generator & The Ultimate Bag 72-Hour Kit

 The first booth to catch my eye was the Hummless Roadrunner company.  The small black box on the ground is a generator and is a silent, clean, safe, ultra portable unit.  You can charge it from a regular outlet, use solar panels, or hand crank/ bicycle crank.  It is safe to use indoors or in a tent and it has a 110AC outlet, 12VDC outlet, and USB ports.  There were different sizes and I believe they ran from $200-$1500.  Check out amazon.com for the portable lithium generator. 


The other item that really intrigued me was the 72-hour kit duffle bag that zipped open and can be hung up. It is called the Ultimate Bag and you can see it in the picture above.  What a clever idea to have all your kit supplies in a designated compartment and in such a small bag.  I thought this was such a great idea.  Check out www.theultimatebag.com for more information.

Kitchen Kneads

 Kitchen Kneads is a great local company that sells all things food storage related.  In the picture is the Sun Oven (they can answer any question you have about a Sun Oven), the Wonder Mill grinder and many food storage canned goods.  They are located at 7579 S. Redwood Rd.  and their number is 801-561-9616.   They have some great sales around LDS Conference times, but you should check them out before April :)

Augason Farms

 One of my favorite stores is the Augason Farms store (formerly the Blue Chip Group).  They sell the Maggie Moo's brand of milk and have many food items.  I buy applesauce powder, canned cheese, canned meat, oats, etc., AND they have a really fun outlet room with great prices.  They are located at 3431 S. 500 W, just west of I-15 off the 33rd south exit.  Check out their website augasonfarms.com .  We got to test the broccoli soup and the potato cheddar soup and it was delicious!  The small cans in the picture are only $2.50.

       Of course Emergency Essentials was at the expo.  They are a wonderful company that sell canned food, dehydrated food, MRE's, sleeping bags, candles, porta potties (with lids that seal),  water drums, wheat, oats, rice, you name it they sell it!  They have a really amazing food storage analyzer that will help you keep track of what food you have stored and the vitamins and nutrients that you may be lacking in your storage (check their website for more info).  My sister and I answered a trivia question and I received a reusable hand warmer.  It is like the one- use Hotties except you can boil it and it returns to it's original state. You can get 10 of them for $20.  Guess what my family is getting in their stockings this year.  You can find all of their info at beprepared.com or visit their store at 110 W. 33rd S.

Some of the best books on food storage are written by Peggy Layton.  Cookin' With Home Storage is one of my favorites and I refer to it many times when I am cooking.  She has also authored the Cookin' With series that includes Cookin' With Potatoes, Cookin' With Powdered Milk, Cookin' With Dried Eggs, and Cookin' With Beans and Rice.  I highly suggest owning these cookbooks and to get to know them.  Peggy really knows what she is doing when it comes to using your food storage and also maintaining your food storage program.  Her book Food Storage 101 "Where do I Begin?" is a great book to get you motivated on starting your food storage.  For more information check out peggylayton.com.

Easy Water Storage company

There were several companies with really great water storage ideas.  The Sure Water company sells the 260 and 525 gallon water tanks. They cost $395 & $525 and they ship free to Utah and SL counties.  For more information visit their website at easywaterstorage.com or call 1-800-797-2207.


I had such a great time at the Expo and I have much more to share.  There were many more vendors at the Expo so stay tuned for Part 2 of the Self Reliance Expo next Saturday, November 13th!!

November Goals:

1. Cooking essentials-yeast, baking powder, baking soda, spices, oils, flour, sugar,salt, etc. 
2.  Personal Hygiene supplies.  Watch for sales and buy enough to last for 3 months.  This includes all feminine hygiene items, diapers/wipes, soaps, shampoo's, deodorants, toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, hand sanitizer,etc.  And if you don't have a portable potty, this is the month to finally get one put together.  Click HERE to view a previous post on luggable loo's.  

Enjoy the journey!

Enjoy the blessings!

Feel the peace!!