PREP FAILURE: THE WALL OF SHAME

[DarkAxel]

Last Spring flash flooding hit my area and dropped a tree on top of my house. Even though the house was undamaged, this tree had been a threat for years (lazy ass me). Fail #1. I go to the storage room to retrieve my chainsaw to cut the tree off of the house. Chainsaw not there (I'd pawned it a month before to pay for auto repairs and hadn't gotten it out yet). Fail #2. I borrow a chainsaw and a handy neighbor to get the tree off of the house, but when I go to get the ladder to get up there, the ladder is gone (I left it out in the yard after home improvements and it washed away in the flood). Fail #3. I'm out

[Silent Kube]

Had a slight one today. It was a nice day so I decided to take a drive with the GF. I was originally planning a short drive to a small town in the hills. I knew I had more than enough gas for this trip so I didn't think about it. I also didn't think about it when I got a wild hair and took a turnoff to an unknown destination. I also didn't think about the fact that I had forgotten my GHB at home which contains my gps. I made it home just fine obviously with the help of the topo map I always keep in my car but I was sweating for a most of the second half of the trip when I realized I had used too much gas to turn around and go back the way I came.

[Vicarious_Lee]

My 2-year-old is the son of a true Ginger (my wife). So, genetically that makes him what they call a "Daywalker". He doesn't explode immediately in direct sunlight, but the sun is his enemy nonetheless. Months ago (last year) I bought a bunch of sunblock. This weekend was beautiful and sunny, and this kid never developed the innate fear of direct sunlight that should keep him alive. He LOVES the outdoors. Needs to be out all the freakin' time. I couldn't drag him in. If he'd been much older, they'd say he was coming to The End and wanting to pass on, but really he's just being an obstinate lil' douche. I was with him the entire time, as my wife had to be in her coffin for most of the afternoon (Daylight Savings is a bitch for those redheads). Anyway, he's out there for way too long, and I'm needing to get sunscreen on him.

I can't find one bottle of it. I tore the house up. Nothing. Not the spray shit, not the cream, nothing. Somehow, he ended up not getting burned, perhaps his father's muddy genetics saved him. Maybe we loaned them all out. Maybe Vampire Slayers broke in and stole it as a plot against us. Hell I don't know.

Today, I find his 50 SPF sunblock when I'm looking for a blanket for him. Dammit!

I'll be buying and stashing more in the future like I do with Bic lighters.

[shrimpwd]

I went for a hike this weekend, which in itself, is a plus. But! It was supposed to be high in the low 60s and about 40% chance of rain instead of what did end up being the weather: high in the low 40s and rain almost the whole time. Sadly, I did not have any non-cotton pants (but did have a thermal layer), and I use a down sleeping bag. I shivered all night, but made it through. Once I got back to civilization, I got a cold. I should have known better than to go out with cotton on if there's any chance of rain. To make things better, I did learn that I need non-cotton pants, a synthetic bag for when it is raining on overnighters, and a belt. I must be losing weight, because I need a belt.

[MVegas]

So I'm on the way home from the gym, and as I'm nearing home I see cops all over the place. Some sitting tight, others appearing to be in a hurry. Within a half mile, I saw a half dozen troopers, and half as many town cops. Town cops are one thing, they like trapping the road I take from the highway to my place, but troopers? Quite out of the ordinary.
So I pull up, and my semi retired neighbor is out with his dog. I ask if he knows anything about it, and he says- "Yeah- heard on my scanner there is an 'armed and dangerous' in the neighborhood......It ain't you is it?" (joke of course but he knows I'm a gun owner)
I laugh and small talk a bit and head inside, but of course the whole time my head is on a swivel. I head upstairs, take the trigger lock off my shotgun, and lean it in the living room, and then I realize the dog would like to go outside.
My defensive handgun has two empty mags, (plenty of 9mm in boxes though! ) and the messenger-style bag that I bought specifically so I'd have a grab-and-go I could step outside with, but not be obviously armed, or necessarily be wearing a belt (I was still in my gym gear) still has no holster in it....y'know.....the one I've been meaning to buy or make on my own since I bought the thing six months ago.

[Pondo_Sinatra]

Last Spring flash flooding hit my area and dropped a tree on top of my house. Even though the house was undamaged, this tree had been a threat for years (lazy ass me). Fail #1. I go to the storage room to retrieve my chainsaw to cut the tree off of the house. Chainsaw not there (I'd pawned it a month before to pay for auto repairs and hadn't gotten it out yet). Fail #2. I borrow a chainsaw and a handy neighbor to get the tree off of the house, but when I go to get the ladder to get up there, the ladder is gone (I left it out in the yard after home improvements and it washed away in the flood). Fail #3. I'm out

I have to thank you for reminding me that I haven't yet sharpened the chainsaw after last year's tree-trimming frenzy.

That was supposed to be one of my rainy day projects.

[ozwyn]

Turn the bad storms and power loss this winter - had a empty coffee I had been meaning to make a candle stove of the old BSA type with the use of a can opener. Not the normal type of can opener, the triangular tipped one like they used to use for some beer bottles.

I have 5 can openers, not one fits the description.

When power came back and travel was possible, i managed to fix it, but my "emergency candle stove" idea ended up pretty damn retarded at the time.

[SinCal559]

Last Spring flash flooding hit my area and dropped a tree on top of my house. Even though the house was undamaged, this tree had been a threat for years (lazy ass me). Fail #1. I go to the storage room to retrieve my chainsaw to cut the tree off of the house. Chainsaw not there (I'd pawned it a month before to pay for auto repairs and hadn't gotten it out yet). Fail #2. I borrow a chainsaw and a handy neighbor to get the tree off of the house, but when I go to get the ladder to get up there, the ladder is gone (I left it out in the yard after home improvements and it washed away in the flood). Fail #3. I'm out

Not to make light of your situation last year, but i think that this saying kills two bird with one stone: When It Rains It Pours!

[Snapcat]

It happens just about every couple weeks, I look at my fuel gauge and it's on E and I think "Oh, well I'll get it on the way tomorrow.." Then I forget and when I really need to be someplace the red light comes on.

Damn it, I just noticed this again!

[shrapnel]

So, I'm backstage at a corporate gig. It's dark, and a security guard just tripped and gashed his head open pretty good (yes, I know that head wounds bleed a lot and look scarier then they really are. It was still a three or so inch long laceration across his forehead.) I got a little bit excited, because we have a first aid kit that I haven't gotten to use. It's nothing like what some of you guys have, but it has gauze and wraps and gloves, which were exactly what I wanted.

The kit is cunningly stored in the car, nowhere near where I am, leaving me with the single, crumpled band-aid I keep in my belt pouch. >.<


We of course applied pressure to the wound with what we had handy (to wit, cocktail napkins), but the kit would have been nice, and I wouldn't have gotten blood all over my hands (I put lemon juice from the hospitality table on my hands, and didn't feel any stinging, so I think I'm ok on any nasties. Plus I scrubbed the shit out of them.)

So, overall, while we did a reasonable job with what we had, it is an epic fail to have a kit, but not to have a kit.

[skarface]

I died. True story.

[Tperkins]

So, I'm backstage at a corporate gig. It's dark, and a security guard just tripped and gashed his head open pretty good (yes, I know that head wounds bleed a lot and look scarier then they really are. It was still a three or so inch long laceration across his forehead.) I got a little bit excited, because we have a first aid kit that I haven't gotten to use. It's nothing like what some of you guys have, but it has gauze and wraps and gloves, which were exactly what I wanted.

The kit is cunningly stored in the car, nowhere near where I am, leaving me with the single, crumpled band-aid I keep in my belt pouch. >.<


We of course applied pressure to the wound with what we had handy (to wit, cocktail napkins), but the kit would have been nice, and I wouldn't have gotten blood all over my hands (I put lemon juice from the hospitality table on my hands, and didn't feel any stinging, so I think I'm ok on any nasties. Plus I scrubbed the shit out of them.)

So, overall, while we did a reasonable job with what we had, it is an epic fail to have a kit, but not to have a kit.

Also, to make sure you have even a cheap CPR mask and gloves in said kit. Just what you need to help someone and then aquire a disease like HIV or AIDS or something.

My fail: Spending my REI rebate on a Brunton solar charger/ battery pack instead of the MSR filter I originally planned on buying. However, I'm contemplating its exchange depending on the charger's performance.

[KYZHunters]

This afternoon I was cleaning up the pen I leave my pigs in during the summer months. They winter in the barn nice and toasty. I'd left a 100 gallon tank out over the winter and it was full of nasty water I didn't want the pigs drinking, so I got it rocking (there was probably 800 pounds of water in the tank) and when it was sloshing good, I went to flip the tank on its side. My feet slipped out from under me and I went face first into the tank submerging myself to the chest, including cell phone, cigarettes, lighter etc.
If I don't post for a while, it's because the giardia or some other funk has set in.
Oh, the fail? This happened to me once before.

[AWSMJCBY]

I just had to run and help a friend with a flat tire, because he didn't know where his car jack was.

[Pondo_Sinatra]

I just had to run and help a friend with a flat tire, because he didn't know where his car jack was.

Last summer I was working on the brakes on my wife's car. Just for S&G's I thought I would use the jack in her trunk just to try it out.

No jack. Bought the car used and just assumed that it was in the spare tire well.

[DannusMaximus]

We of course applied pressure to the wound with what we had handy (to wit, cocktail napkins), but the kit would have been nice, and I wouldn't have gotten blood all over my hands (I put lemon juice from the hospitality table on my hands, and didn't feel any stinging, so I think I'm ok on any nasties. Plus I scrubbed the shit out of them.)

With this hand I'm patting you on the back for helping out your fellowman...

but with this hand I'm smacking you for GETTING SOMEBODY ELSE'S BLOOD ON YOU WHEN YOU AREN'T WEARING GLOVES!!!!!!!

I will spare you the exhaustive list of lethal and life ruining shit that you can catch from another person's bodily fluids. Next time, give the injured person a handful of napkins and let THEM apply pressure to the wound. That is all. Carry on...

[shrapnel]

I know! That's one reason that I was so disappointed in myself! I got excited and forgot everything I know (which isn't necessarily much, but I thought I knew enough to not touch blood).

[AZMedic]

Lights broke in the back of the ambo and my tiny kit I carry in my thigh pocket fell out in my bunk. I had to treat my pt with a pen light as opposed to the godly sun of surefire.....still got the IV though...threw feel more than light.

[DannusMaximus]

I know! That's one reason that I was so disappointed in myself! I got excited and forgot everything I know (which isn't necessarily much, but I thought I knew enough to not touch blood).

It becomes complete second nature the more you deal with it. I've got a buddy on my truck that went home one day to find an ambulance in his driveway. He runs inside and sees his wife sitting on the floor with a huge gash on her forehead where she had tripped, face planted into a door, and knocked herself out. The kids had called the ambulance. He comes inside, says who he is, and asks if the EMT's need any help (his bride is up and around at this point, groggy but obviously not badly hurt). One of the medics asks him to help them get his wife up onto the cot so they can check her out a bit more easily, and he immediately asks if they have some gloves he can put on...

His wife was NOT amused...

[AZMedic]

I know! That's one reason that I was so disappointed in myself! I got excited and forgot everything I know (which isn't necessarily much, but I thought I knew enough to not touch blood).

It becomes complete second nature the more you deal with it. I've got a buddy on my truck that went home one day to find an ambulance in his driveway. He runs inside and sees his wife sitting on the floor with a huge gash on her forehead where she had tripped, face planted into a door, and knocked herself out. The kids had called the ambulance. He comes inside, says who he is, and asks if the EMT's need any help (his bride is up and around at this point, groggy but obviously not badly hurt). One of the medics asks him to help them get his wife up onto the cot so they can check her out a bit more easily, and he immediately asks if they have some gloves he can put on...

His wife was NOT amused...

Well I don't wanna get your wound dirty honey.....

[Blkhrt13]

Ok so here we go. I have been tight on cash lately, they cut out my overtime. But about 6 weeks ago on the way home my back tire separated on my truck. I was lucky because I found a guy at a late night tire shop to help me out by dropping my spare. I dont have the tool to drop my tire. I bought my truck used and it was gone. I rode the spare till last Friday, its a full size on a regular rim it was just old. Guess what I didnt do yet? fix my regular tire. On my way to mobile to get my kids Just before we hit the Alabama line the spare peels. I forgot my toolkit. So not only no spare no tools to change it. I did have the floor jack though. Go figure I had a med-kit,a rifle, water,picnic basket and all sorts of good stuff but if it wasnt for my mom helpin me out meeting me with a four way. Shit creek no paddle.

[Valarius]

I dont own a hand-cranked emergency weather radio...

Mine broke. I have yet to bother to save the money to fix it.

[XtraBright]

I died. True story.

... and was wandering back between life and death for 2 days.

I can not remember anything but since that time i am clinging to my life (and my guns if somebody ever tries to take my life away ), turned workaholic and quit booze because time under influence is wasted time.

[SixStringRazor]

I don't know if this is really prep failure, but I kept putting off emptying the pipes that in my workshop before winter. Well, I turned the water on the other day to the outside, and needless to say my workshop floor was soaked. More than one broken pipe in there. Luckily it is just cheap PVC.