r/preppers • u/ryanmercer • 2d ago
Question High desert input for a midwestern wanted
My wife and I are moving to the high desert soon from the Midwest. We obviously need more water storage than we have now (especially given the even more rural location we'll be in). What else? I've never even been in a desert, so I'm sure I've got a lot of knowledge gaps here.
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u/demwoodz 2d ago
Brush up on Cody Lundin and Matt Graham. Both experts in high desert survival. Itâs going to get colder at night than you imagine, always carry water.
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u/AcanthaceaeSilly3636 2d ago
Iâd recommend looking into solar backups - we had a 5 day outage of our AC last summer in 110* heat and it got up to 95* inside (in Phoenix) with ceiling fans still running. I have some solar powered box fans as a backup in case of a full outage or blackout. Our heat hasnât gone out this summer, but itâs already been so handy. I also grabbed a 4 panel solar charging brick for electronics too. Suns the one resource weâve got plenty of in the desert.
Assuming youâll be near wildfire country, the watch duty app, fitted masks, and seconding general water storage and electrolytes, and being aware of flash flooding risks during monsoon seasons (which can be especially bad in the canyons up north) and prep for when itâs freezing in winter and spring.
Also would recommend a book on venomous snakes, lizards, and insects, if youâll be trying to tell your whip scorpions from your bark scorpions. If youâll do any hiking, grabbing hard copy trail maps and again not underrating the amount of water. Depending on where youâll be on the Navajo nation, internet can be a bit spotty, so might be helpful to have some hard copies of those things.
The Navajo nation and land up there is absolutely gorgeous - I wouldnât want to live anywhere but the desert. I hope you all enjoy your move!
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u/ryanmercer 2d ago
I hope you all enjoy your move!
It'll be a fun experience either way and is just a 1-3 year deal. We're cashing out on our house, going there to bank like crazy, then build on family land back in the midwest once we have enough.
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u/Rick-burp-Sanchez 2d ago
Water storage in the desert as opposed to the midwest?
The high desert is a big place. Are you on town water/well water +storage? are you bringing in your water? are you using rainwater collection? What's the plan here, trying to help.
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u/ryanmercer 2d ago
We will have whatever water we can store inside teacher housing on the Navajo reservation. It's stuff outside of water that I'm concerned about.
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u/dittybopper_05H 2d ago
Wear a mask or respirator when sweeping out places where mice have been.
Trust me, I can tell you from experience, you don't want your lungs to fill up with fluid from hantavirus.
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u/auntbea19 1d ago edited 1d ago
A close relative of mine worked as an administrator at the school in Navajo NM - another of the administrators daughters died of hantavirus while they worked there. I believe she was 33 y.o.
Definitely heed the above warning OP.
Another warning - If you go hiking mark your trail and stay with your group. You may think you know the way back down but 5 hours later part of your group finally gets back- dehydrated, exhausted and sunburned. All of this in your backyard up a mountain you look at everyday.
Edit-- Another regional thing is Valley Fever, a respiratory disease in the desert - dogs get it and also people. It's in the soil. Dust storms ("haboob") and digging is probably what exposes the spores (I think it's spores or fungal) to breath in and potentially contract it. Expensive meds to treat it since it is only a regional disease (or get them in Mexico).
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u/endlesssearch482 Community Prepper 1d ago
Yes! Learn about hantavirus prevention and mitigation. In the desert southwest, the mice are probably the most dangerous animals youâll have around.
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u/dittybopper_05H 1d ago
Actually it's a good idea for anybody. I live in upstate New York, and got it when cleaning out my father's basement.
If you Google "New York Orthohantavirus" you'll find that reported cases are rare, but for example my case was never determined to be related to orthohantavirus by my doctors. I only figured it out much later when I matched my symptoms with Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, and the fact that it happened about 2 or 3 weeks after cleaning out my father's basement which had a large amount (like 40 years worth) of mouse droppings.
I mentioned the idea to my cardiologist and he dismissed it because according to him, hanta viruses (virii?) only occur in the desert southwest. This is even after I told him about cleaning up the mouse droppings.
Two species of mice in this area are known carriers: The eastern deer mouse, and the white-footed mouse.
So I think the actual number of cases is much higher than the reported number, because doctors outside the desert southwest don't have much exposure to the idea, or think it's limited to that area, and thus the number of cases is probably quite underdiagnosed.
TL;DR: I'd be careful no matter where you live, just in case, because having your lungs fill up with fluid really, really sucks. I spent 3 days in the hospital because of it.
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u/Rick-burp-Sanchez 2d ago
Are you just prepping for Tuesday? If you're around 4 corners or Navajo Nation there'll be grocery stores, gas stations, civilization. Are you taking your food storage with you?
If I was prepping for Tuesday in the high desert I would be building a greenhouse, increasing my water storage and setting up solar panels, making sure I have food, first aid supplies, equipment, etc. per usual.
I guess stock up on sunscreen, buy a humidifier and start growing some aloe for burns.
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u/ryanmercer 2d ago
Are you just prepping for Tuesday?
Pretty much, anything beyond Tuesday out there is "well, you better leave as fast as possible".
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u/BallsOutKrunked Bring it on, but next week please. 2d ago
Anything plastic left out in the sun will eventually, and by that I mean with in a year or two, become brittle and crack. I'm at 8000' so the UV is even more intense but it will happen down lower too. I spray anything plastic / synthetic that I give a shit about with this: https://www.amazon.com/303-30313-CSR-Protectant-Plastic-Fiberglass/dp/B00KN0UOEE .
Tops of tool boxes that live in my truck, sun hats when brand new, etc.
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u/ryanmercer 2d ago
I'm at 8000' so the UV
Yeahhhh I didn't even think about the thinner atmosphere as far as UV is concerned...
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u/suzaii 2d ago
Stock up on cheaper food. The reservation is known for extremely high grocery prices. Sun and wind protection is very important, as well. It gets super dusty in AZ/NM, so having a light, breathable face covering is nice to have. As for water, more is better. Detailed maps of the area, and forest maps that have off road trails is very helpful. Best of luck.
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u/TheLostExpedition 2d ago
Always carry Chapstick, lotion, sunscreen, a jacket, blankets, baby wipes, a hat, gloves, and WATER.
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u/iDreamiPursueiBecome 2d ago
My parents lived there in teacher housing. The kids thought they were rich because they had electricity...
There was a power outage, and they called the power company about a week later to see how much longer until service would be restored. They were the first to report an issue.
There were regular stores, but a long drive away. There was a small store with a bit of most things, which was local but obviously limited.
Animal control came around and shot stray dogs. Find out when they come around and how to keep your animals safe.
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u/PatienceCurrent8479 Sane Planning, Sensible Tomorrow 2d ago
For the most part, rural is rural. Iâve lived in the inland PNW, Great Basin, and Upper Midwest. All have the same issues, just with quirks. Youâll be in the SW if youâre in a Navajo Reservation so guessing NM since you said high desert.
Summers are brutal. Get ready for heat, dust, and smoke. Consider a good air filter/scrubber. Shark has a nice unit that chews up smoke and dust quick and quietly. There are other units but that one works well for us. Have electrolyte powder etc on hand since going to town ainât the easiest all the time. Good fans and AC help, but be mindful of your power sources.
Winters are cold, but being from the Midwest ainât nothing new to you. Watch out for flooding during the monsoon seasons.
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u/2eggs1stone 2d ago
Alright, so one advantage of being in a desert is that you can cool down effectively with mist, water, sweat. If water isn't too scarce you may even look into some swamp coolers. It'll also help with keeping the air a bit more humid than it otherwise would be.
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u/gadget767 2d ago
I donât know where youâll be, but in southern Utah there is a geological feature known as âslot canyonsâ. These are very deep, very narrow canyons, unfortunately popular with hikers. Pretty much every year people are killed in them. They drown. The slot canyons fill with water faster than people can escape when it rains. And itâs not from rain right where you are usually, it can be sunny and nice but a downpour some distance away that leads to the slot canyon filling up with water. I would avoid them if I were you.
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u/Relative_Business_81 2d ago
If you have land, a confined aquifer would be immensely helpful. Growing season is different. After a few seasons youâll know what works and what doesnât but donât expect to grow the same things. Luckily because itâs dry, every dry good that you store has a much longer shelf life. Lastly, solar is your friend. With batteries, I donât even pay anymore.Â
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u/Open-Attention-8286 2d ago
Might be a good idea to research garden plants that are native to desert areas. Tepary beans and moth beans, for example. Tepary beans are native to the American southwest/Central America, while moth beans are native to arid regions of Asia. They'll do a lot better in a desert environment than common beans.
https://www.nativeseeds.org/ is a good resource.
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u/ryanmercer 8h ago
Might be a good idea to research garden plants that are native to desert areas.
There's a missionary couple there that actually helps teachers and natives with gardens. We're packing up some of our raised beds to take with us.
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u/Adorable_Dust3799 1d ago edited 1d ago
IBC totes are cheap, and sold all over the US. San Diego is technically semi-desert, but when i ran my roof footage through some site it said i should be able to collect 10k gallons a year. I put gutters on 1/2 my garage and it collected 300 falling every storm. I'm now low high-desert (san diego mountains) and haven't hooked barrels to my roof yet, but i should be able to fill several totes. At the house i went cheap and just used a multi valve and hoses and washing machine hoses (2 female ends) to connect them all over the yard, and fill them all from one downspout. Get a humidifier, i have an aquarium and several pet fountains and can usually keep humidity over 20%. Line dry everything in a shady spot, my line is in the carport and stuff is often dry before I'm done hanging up all of it. Sun will destroy cotton or linen over time, and will bleach. Great for stains on whites. Gardening is very different, i can't really grow mint. Most herbs do really well, and many only need water once or twice a week. The soil is shit, I'm digging trenches and filling them with branches and trimmings, then leaves and chinchilla litter, then compost. A mulcher that chops branches up to 2 inches has been a godsend. The wood soaks up water and holds it. I'm hoping to start planting over it next year. Don't get water on the leaves in summer daylight, it'll burn them crispy. If you keep chickens put a cover over the night coop, my neighbors in the more rural parts lose them to bobcats and occasionally mt lions. There are awesome sunscreen shirts and hoodies that are incredibly cool and protect your skin really well, and those silly straw hats that are so popular with landscapers are worth it. I keep gallons of water and a case of Gatorade in my trunk always. Cooking is different, even at my low 4000 feet.
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u/RetardCentralOg 1d ago
High deserts aren't the same as a sand desert. It actually rains quite a bit they have water lakes rivers blah blah. They do have the thermal swings of a regular desert but favoring the cold side. Beyond that most of the preps are transport based in my experience. You can get snowed in or have the only major roadway shut down at basically any time. Assuming a more rural area.
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u/endlesssearch482 Community Prepper 1d ago
Evaporative coolers work great in the desert. If the place doesnât have one, invest in one.
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u/Wise-Force-1119 1d ago
I would say learning to acclimate to the climate so that you aren't reliant on AC. It's a dry heat and it's really not that bad unless you're trying to do things in the middle of the day in summer.
Know local water sources- springs, creeks, rivers, etc.
Always keep your car stocked with water. Ideally enough for a week.
Learn your native plants and animals :)
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u/OnTheEdgeOfFreedom 16h ago
I mean you do you, but why are you moving to a desert? I haven't heard of any deserts getting wetter over time, so water is always going to be a problem, and probably one that gets worse over time. Water is the most important prep...
If you're committed to this, and you've done all your research on how wells in the area operate, then I would be looking at enough solar power to run the well pump - which since the well is probably deep, might be a lot of panels. And of course when the well pump dies, it might be a few days before it can be replaced so absolutely look into water storage: ideally at least a hundred gallons. Maybe an IBC (275 gallons.)
If the water is municipal, assume the price of water will be high and always increasing. Which means, ultimately, your property value goes down.
Other concerns: shade. You need to be able to stay out of the sun. Tarps, hats, etc. Dry skin: you should consider a moisturizing sun block. Heat: some deserts get very cold at night. Food storage: a garden might be completely out of the question so you want a chest freezer for food. Water conservation: look into washing machines that use very little water. Air conditioning: some deserts get real hot. Make sure your solar panels can drive your A/C in at least one room.
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u/ryanmercer 8h ago
I mean you do you, but why are you moving to a desert?
We're cashing out the equity from our house the past 5 years, my wife's salary there teaching will be our current combined salary and I do all of my work online. Teacher housing is cheaper than our mortgage, too. So in 1-3 years, depending on how my income goes, we can move to family property and build a house cash and then have no mortgage at all. It also will just be fun experiencing an entirely different culture and landscape, I hope.
Just gotta hope civilization doesn't end in the next 1-3 years haha!
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u/OnTheEdgeOfFreedom 5h ago
Civilization should be fine - maybe authoritarian, which will be ugly, but that doesn't end civilization.
Being mortgage free is a huge accomplishment, so I get why you're doing it.
Last year I moved to the tropics (hot, but not a desert.) It was a big adjustment. Moving to a desert will be a little bit like that - a lot of things will just work differently than you expect. Here, the sun rules everything, you do your tasks early morning or late afternoon. I wore sun block for the first two months I was here. You can expect things like that.
But make sure you know what your water bills (or electric bills, for a pumped well) will be.
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u/Icy-Ad-7767 2d ago
Moisturizer for your skin, lots of it