SCHOOL OF SELF-RELIANCE
"OTIS' GENERAL STORE"
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LET US KNOW IF YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC NEED!
You can call our office at (626) 791-3217, or mobile at (323) 605-7283
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FIRE-MAKING
MAGNESIUM FIRE STARTER. If Carlos likes it, you know it's good!
This is THE fire-starting tool that everyone should carry, all the time. It is a block of magnesium from which you scrape shavings. Then, using the built-in sparker, you ignite the powdered magnesium. This tool provides thousands of lights. No moving parts, nothing to re-fill or wear .
$8
or 2 for $15
BOW AND DRILL.
We assemble a primitive kit so you can practice fire-making the Old Way. You receive bow, drill, hearth, socket, and instructions. Everyone should learn how to go into the woods and make a fire using this method. In the meantime, you can practice with our kit until you achieve mastery.
$30
THE HAND DRILL
This is the simplest, but hardest, method of primitive fire-starting which was more widely used than any other method. We send you a mulefat hand drill, a baseplate of willow or ash, and instructions. It's best if you practice this with a partner. Once you master this method, everything else is downhill.
$17
STEEL STRIKER -- Gary demonstrates the striker with flint and charcloth.
This is a heavy-duty steel striker for making fire by the “flint-and-steel” method. They’re made by a blacksmith and designed to wrap around your knuckles and hopefully prevent nicks and cuts. Strike flint, quartz, or other sparkable rocks, and let the sparks shower into char cloth or steel wool. Detailed directions for use can be found in Christopher’s How to Survive Anywhere book. If you need assistance, let us know and we’ll include an instruction sheet with the striker.
$15.
FLINT & STEEL KIT
Our standard kit includes a “U”-shaped steel, a piece of flint, cotton tinder, and instructions all packed into a tin.
$15
Sun Oven -- Ed Begley out in the yard using his trusty Sun Oven. SUN OVEN
We've used our Sun Oven for nearly 20 years and it's still going strong. This is a great way to cook with the sun, and this is the best commercial solar oven we've seen. If there's an emergency and you don't have gas, you can cook during the day with this oven. If you can't make a fire, you can cook with this oven. And it's portable, with a handle. We've taken it on car-camping trips. Though some lower-quality solar ovens take a long time to work, this one has gotten up to 350 degrees f. on a summer day! This means that it takes no longer to cook in this oven as it does to cook with a conventional gas stove. This is a "must-have" addition to your home preparedness gear, and it's something you can use every day to demonstrate the power of the sun. Remember: A solution to our problems rises every morning.
Suggested retail is $349, we sell it for $269. Shipping to your home is $32.85 if you live in the contiguous United States.
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$269 + $32.85 Shipping.
SUN SHOWER -- $24 This is an essential product that should be in every backpack and in every home. We've used these in the backyard when the water heater wasn't working. You just fill the heavy-duty plastic bag with as much water as needed - it can hold 2 1/2 gallons - and lay it in the sun. Depending on the temperature outside, you'll soon be bathing in hot solar-heated water! Fantastic for backpacking and power outages.
The bag weighs just under 13 ounces, with welded seams for durability, and a reinforced plastic pipe handle so it will hold up to the weight of the water. Just hang it on a hook, or from a tree, and take your shower. If you conserve water when you shower, you can take two hot showers from one filling. 
$24.00 + 6.00 Shipping.
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WATER-PURIFICATION
TIMBERLINE WATER FILTER. This is a low-cost water filter that is easy to use, and easy to carry. It will purify water from giardia, and othe biological contaminants. The filter element can be replaced so you don't need to purchase an entirely new unit.
$28
IODINE CRYSTALS FOR WATER PURIFICATION. You receive 1/4 tsp. iodine crystals in a glass bottle, with instructions for purifying water. This is the best chemical method of water purification. (Obviously, boiling is best when you can make a fire).
$17