What are you preparing for?

[No_Regerts]

 

[3MTA3]

I love this. We sure as hell dont know what half of our forefathers did who settled the west. You will all laugh at me, but I've been fishing 5 times and never caught a fish. I am sorely lacking that skill for sure. Do you have any good knowledge nooks you'd recommend?

I don't want to give the perception that I'm an expert. It's more along the lines of the skinny "before" kid in an old Charles Atlas ad. I'm still getting sand kicked in my face, but I can see where I need to go.

For resources, I'd first point you to survivalmonkey.com. It's the best no nonsense preparedness web site I've been on. Some of the members live the mostly off grid lifestyle and all they would miss during SHTF is Internet access.

The active threads you see on the top layer are mostly old men (and wimmin) telling jokes, talking politics, and in general yelling "get off my lawn!". Sorta like folks sitting around the campfire hangign out. Don't let that discourage you about the site. It has more information and expertise about all aspects of preparedness than most people can digest in years. Those threads aren't as active, because preparedness/survival is a pretty mature subject and advancements are pretty small at this point. I spend about two hours researching for every few minutes I spend posting. Expertise abounds and there even occasional visits by people like Selco and FerFal.

Some books I got for Christmas last year on identifying food. While you can go a month before starvation without it you will get cranky, make mistakes, and maybe even stuff something in your mouth that will kill you. Shelter, water, and food are the first things you need to figure out

Printed Books:

Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

Stalking the Wild Asparagus

Amazon.com

smile.amazon.com

Lost Art of reading Nature's Signs

Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

I'd also look for information on plants like wild lettuce that can be effective pain reducers. Going from a sedentary lifestyle (even modern active lifestyles are sedentary compared to the past) to an active survival lifestyle is going to hurt. Old guys like me realistically there to help others transition before the hardships do us in.

Another resource about something I alluded to earlier - being able to repair and build things you will need - is all the old episodes of "The Woodwright's Shop" which you can find on YouTube. He does a lot more than carpentry. In one arc they dig iron ore out of a river bank, refine it then take it to a blacksmith where it then becomes IIRC a tool he needed.

Here is the entire series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp1hKk5p_5lMjwHEPQleBiFrm_8S_GKnH

Another great series is Townsend's. It's historical documentation of the lives led (and a lot of cooking) during the Revolutionary war. It's a pretty good glimpse of what life would be like is the "great reset" we hear about ever happens. https://www.youtube.com/user/jastownsendandson

 

[Asavage270]

As stated previously a breakdown of the supply chain is the primary concern during most circumstances that aren't instantaneously disastrous.
a couple tips that not many people think about,
-----
Keep a fuel can at your house with fuel for your vehicle, 5-10 gallons min. ad"Stabil" fuel stabilizer and it should keep for 1 year plus.
when bubblegum goes down gas stations will be swamped.

best move you can make it to get in as good of physical shape as you can.

go spend a day and night outside all day without a fire, figure out what clothes work and do not work for every member of the family.

leather work gloves in your hiking bag. Absolutely necessary. The rough on hands

Also, a capable, lifted, preferably locked (differentials), with large mud tires, 4x4 vehicle will allow you to just drive around blocked interstates (think I5 corridor with farmers fields on either side). Carry bolt cutters and a portable cut off wheel for cutting fences blocking your way.

Medical, antibiotics and anything you currently use is a good start.

Solar power, jackery power bank and 1 or 2 100 watts solar panels is a good investment.

Ham radios, cheap and will provide communications for your family and the outside world. Can get a couple baofengs for 50$

Trapping, snaring, and fishing. Heading into the woods without the skills to procure food will just make you another desperate person with a gun.

best of luck, stay vigilant.

 

[bill1225]

My standard answer for this type question remains constant regardless of the cause of the scenario: interruption of systems of support. Grocery stores, power, water, fuel, etc. Causes can range from a heavy winter storm, power outages due to innumerable causes, trucking or shipping strikes, government shutdowns of business (I would have previously NEVER predicted that crazy scenario!) The end result is the same: loss of conventional resources.

Great stuff there^^^ I don't think any of us can guess what is going to hit. Had it been Mt Hood instead of St Helens for instance, Portland's water supply would have been nill, none, zero, zilch. That would have been some real interesting things occuring at that point. Since then they've drilled some wells into the Columbia aquifer, so we'd have that now. But try and imagine over a million people without water for quite some time. I was volentering up at the VA Hospital at the time and had a large pile of surgical masks. The day after the Helens eruption they were gone. Every one of them. No one needed a mask on Mar 17th 1980 but everyone wanted on on Mar 19th and there were none to be had. Had that been water...whew. Imagine if you has a 3 year old. Are you gonna say: "Sorry honey, we have 3 days to live if we don't get any water we're all dead". I have multiple strategies designed to confront such things for my family to survive.

Portland is preparing for these types of things, specifically the Cascadia earthquake, and they are encouraging all of us to step it up and start keeping some stuff on hand. Their are citizens actively training for that SHTF event and they are being Co-ordinated by city officials. Good stuff.

For myself, having food and water is step one. I've gone step 2 and also am prepping for a CME/EMP. For those who are not aware of what a CME, or Coronal Mass Ejection is, it's worth doing some studies. Information now is widely available and it's easy to sort the wheat from the chaff. One expert, after studying the history of CME events, postulated that there was a 12# chance of one hitting in the next 10 years. I've done some copy/paste off the internet below, but there is lots of info. NO water, No sewage, NO cars running, NO power. For a long long time. The congressional testimony predicted that approx 70-90% of US citizens would die in an EMP Electro Magnetic Pulse) which will cause similar things to a CME. Given the 12% chance of a CME - once you add some crazy North Koreans or Chinese to that with a possible EMP, the reality is stunningly high that we'll be drinking out of ditches and happy to have that sometime in the not so distant future. I am preparing for either of those.

Regarding the scientist studying actual Carrington type events (AKA CME or Coronal Mass Ejection - don't google "Charlemagne" style events or you'll be curled up in a ball in the closet) concluded that strictly based on the historical evidence, there is a 12% chance that in the next 10 years we have a CME. LINK TO GET YOU STARTED https://www.exopolitics.org/impendi...rted-by-scientific-studies-insider-testimony/That 12% number excludes a EMP where Kim Jong or Xi goes for a HEMP (High altitude Electro-magnetic Pulse) sneak attack. 12% that the sun/natural process's alone will do us in. That essential means that a child born today will likely (but not 100%) see his/her/its world get all of it's electronics fried in his/her's/it's lifetime.

I'd urge you to google Carrington Event and start there. It's hard to imagine a world where most of the devices we depend on are fried in a fraction of a second and instantly inoperable. OK, in regards to the OP's question: I'm not bugging out. At least, not right away. We have rain barrels off of the roofs for hundreds of gallons of water stored and multiple water filters. We live in a wet environment where any water we take will be replaced in any month except
August which might be dry, there is a river less than 1/2 a mile from me and it's full of fish, our basement has over a years worth of food stored in it and I have 10 down coats here. Should I grab a bag that would fit none of that and only perhaps a single down coat? Nope. I'm staying. My tools are here, my stuff is here.

That said, we have bought another place where the food is abundant and there are friendly neighbors. It is a 5 day walk from our home in the city, less than that if you take a bicycle. It is thick with wildlife and strange foods that we often gather and cook to try new things while there on weekends and literally has deer and elk that sleep in the backyard. I am terraforming with native foods like Camas which is not recognizable by most folks as food. I don't doubt that we will survive either a CME or a EMP, despite what the government notes about 70-90% of Americans dying if a single EMP hits us. I have Faraday cages in both locations. Watching someone solder with a TS80 made me realize that I could use that to scrounge for electronic components if I could find any that survive the 50,000 volts or whatever the Chinese LINK TO GET YOU STARTED (https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...ctric-grid-eyes-high-tech-pearl-harbor-attack)are up to these days.

So likely we will see a massive killer CME before we see the planned Cascadia earthquake.

 

[Bon Sauvage]

A long winters nap.

 

[3MTA3]

A long winters nap.

If you can bear it...

 

[Mistman]

Best bet is to be where you need to be before it happens. People who live secluded lifestyles and prosper don't want see folks w/backpacks running around their compounds. If you're serious the 1st step is secure a location that will provide you with the necessities to survive w/out assistance or the need to become a raider. You're already behind the game if you can't provide for yourself or your obligations on a subsistence basis or at least have the necessary skills. But I re-iterate the need for compound, you can't survive long running around living out of a backpack, eventually you'll be at the mercy of someone who's more prepared than you. I wouldn't even want to entertain the idea of doing it with small children.

I sure wouldn't want to be near a city or even decent size town if things got haywire, people are going to turn ugly quick if it's do or die time.

 

[Howard1955]

Buy a farm, and learn how to grow & preserve food. If you can, keep some horses and a couple of milk cows.

Learn to hunt, trap, fish, and how to process the game you take.

All of this stuff was known and lived by our great-grandparents. We've lost more than we know by becoming so "civilized". A farm near an Amish community would be great, since they know a lot more about living simply than most Americans do nowadays.

Wherever you wind up, try to develop a community of like-minded folks. If things get truly bad, we're all going to need each other's help.

If you haven't read Forstchen's book "One Second After", I recommend it.

Remember to pray and ask the Lord for help and guidance. We're often in the dark - but he isn't.

 

[GWS]

I'm keeping those airbag things that they pack boxes with. If floods come I can float to safety on them

 

[Member 5605]

I won't be going anywhere.
wife is needed at her position and it will continue to operate regardless of what happens.

Worst case scenario, I'm the armed transport to and from work for her.

 

[NeSeR13]

What are you prepping for? What do you got?!

 

[mrblond]

Former Israeli space chief says aliens exist, and Trump knows about it

A "galactic federation" has been waiting for humans to "reach a stage where we will understand... what space and spaceships are," Haim Eshed said.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[quneur]

Create more panic among the populace so I can sell my stockpile of TP from the last panic.

 

[E4mafia]

Just doing body resistance activities, HIIT and taking in more proteins vs carbs/sugars. Lost a good amount of weight and feel better active again. Just going for a healthier life style is all.

 

[Stomper]

I won't be going anywhere.
wife is needed at her position and it will continue to operate regardless of what happens.

Worst case scenario, I'm the armed transport to and from work for her.

Plus, you can run that Prius in SILENT MODE!!

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Keeping notes on who has what I may need....
( Just kidding here )

In all seriousness it is important to plan your prepping ( Ugh hate that word ,' bout as much as I hate the word tactical ).
Also be sure to plan for what is likely to happen to you and your situation.
What this looks like is as varied as the folks who hang out here in the forum.

It may be helpful to "toughen up" your physical and mental well being...

Learn to do without some things or items that may be thought of "necessities".
Items , tools and the like are good to have....learn to make do without 'em...as well as how to maintain them.

Its okay to mix and match items...even if one is "high tech" and the other old fashioned.
As In...keeping matches , lighters as well as a flint and steel kit on hand to start a fire.


Most important of all :
Understand that no matter what S hits the Fan...
SHTF will not play by your rules or care how well you planned or prepped.
Cultivate a mindset that is adaptable and don't get "locked" into thinking that your plan is the only way to do things.
Andy

 

[3MTA3]

Plus, you can run that Prius in SILENT MODE!!

I heard that a factory up armored model was going to be released mid 2021.

 

[WillametteWill]

In all seriousness it is important to plan your prepping ( Ugh hate that word ,' bout as much as I hate the word tactical ).

So your saying, tactical prepping is definitely a no for you then?

 

[JustSomeGuy]

One of the most educational things I did (decades ago) was to ask myself as I worked through my daily chores, "how would I do this without electricity or fuel?" Then, I made whatever preparations or bought whatever supplies I needed for those tasks. Then I chose a week in each of the 4 seasons to close my consulting business and turn off the power. You'll learn real quick what you may have overlooked and can also get a good feel for how long your stockpile of consumables will last. In my case, one of the big shockers was how badly I'd underestimated our food consumption. Doing everything manually required a huge increase in the number of calories both my wife and I burned through daily.
It was a long process, but I'm confident that if the grid went down and never came back up that we'd be good to go.

 

[nammac]

I heard that a factory up armored model was going to be released mid 2021.

Specially for low speed getaways....




Sorry, just couldn't resist....