SitX .....Many here can Talk a tough fight....but what about reality?

reply to post by star in a jar


We bring these things up so some will start thinking about taking care of themselves and families. I am 50 years old, in a post SHTF world 60 is going to be a very old man. However if you are 20 or 25 and make it through the real bad times you have a lot of years ahead of you. I have 25 to 30 years of skill building on some one 20 or 25 however they have the time now to learn skills, practice them, get together some gear and think about how they will act and react to what comes. A good mind set and being cool will get a person far. Knowing how to bake bread in a dutch oven is skill that is developed. Being able to hit a target with your bow, sling shot, gun or star-wars blaster is good, being able to "hunt" and kill a game animal is another skill that is learned.

I think that having a good skill set is better than having a lot of gear. I think that having a good mind set and a long bow is better than being a flake with a AK47.

Originally posted by Shystargazer
What do you think the next SitX will be?

combined action by the truck transport unions that shut down the fuel supply, as in 2001, and the supermarket/high street just-in-time-delivery logistic chain

I find myself agreeing with the OP most of the time. there is that little nagging part of me how ever that knows there are people out there who will start blasting away in piece time. now consider those same people and more who feel that because there is a real or imagined break down in the order of things that they can live a pathetic fantasy. I am afraid that these people are the real threat in a sit X.

Yes there are a lot who huff and puff then run out of wind but there really are some who wont think twice about shooting you just for walking down there street. We hear it on the news and read it in the papers every day. Just a little food for thought I now pass the soap box on.

If I may add to your rant...

What bugs me in this forum and others like it is that people spend too much time fantasizing about their kit, and coming up with all sorts of ridiculous items that they just can't live without.

Example: The discussion is about firearms for survival, and inevitably someone starts talking about the .50 BMG, or the M-16, neither one of which is a survival firearm in all likelyhood. In my opinion, those two items are more of a hindrance than a help, and god help you if you took someone's advice and decided to go into the wilderness with an M-16 as your only form of self-defense and game getting. God help you..because nobody else can.

Then there are the discussions about which jacket is better, the 300 dollar one from this outfitter, or the 375 dollar one from that outfitter. Let's be clear, clothing and accessories made for recreation are NOT survival gear, and the dollar amount paid for gear is not indicative of its performance level in a survival situation.

Then there are the people who have never been out in the pines, talking about their awesome kit that weighs about 200 pounds all together. It drives me nuts. Every piece of gear needs to weigh as little as possible, and there are a ton of things that would be nice to have in a couple of situations, but simply cannot be included because of the weight/utility ratio - but that doesn't stop the fantasy...

The most trusted and respected authorities on hiking, backpacking, and long-distance walking are all in agreement - weight matters. The less you carry, the faster you move, and the less energy you burn per mile, and per hour. This is absolutely critical. If you carry too much, you will drain your batteries, and that Santa Sack full of high-end gear you're carrying will do you no good - it's just going to go to the guy who finds your remains.

I think there are a lot of well-meaning people, who have a real interest in preparing for the unexpected, to give themselves and their families a measure of insulation against all the things that could go horribly wrong, and those people deserve accurate, helpful information, not a bunch of crap that could end up costing them dearly.

I feel really sorry for all the people who will inevitably be hamstringed by all the bad info floating around. When they get out there, and realize that they never thought to bring snare wire, or worse, they lugged it out there and don't know how to use it, that sucks! I can't count how many people pack fishing tackle, but don't understand the fundamentals of finding and catching fish. Why bother?

There are people who carry three knives and don't know how to properly use any of them; how to avoid injury and get things done efficiently. There are folks who carry a blast match, a pack of lighters, a box of matches, and a flint/steel, but never bothered to learn how to construct a fire that will light and stay lit. Firecraft is taken for granted by a LOT of folks.

Kit has much, much less to do with your chances of survival than knowledge, preparation, practice, and the ability to improvise. Example: If you don't have a solid understanding of animal behavior, you can bring a howitzer into the woods and still go hungry - it's so important to make the distinction between theory and practice, and I feel like it's not being done in a lot of these discussions.

Tons of people pack the gear they need (and a lot they don't), but they often don't seem to know how to apply it. What's the use of lugging fifty pounds of traps if you don't even know what a game trail looks like?

Then, on the other extreme, are the folks who fancy themselves true-grit, monkey-man woodsmen, who know in their heart of hearts that they can survive with nothing but their trusty knife, a loin cloth, and some paracord. I'm not saying it can't be done, but some carefully selected equipment increases your odds of survival - there's no argument, it's fact. Why make a bad situation worse by trying to go all Grizzly Adams during TEOTWAWKI?

It's not a game. It's serious. People who don't take it seriously probably shouldn't be engaged in the discussion at all, because they're not learning much, and they could actually be hindering someone else's chances of getting the necessary information.

reply to post by Shystargazer



All these sitx guys are blowing smoke, add a fire and a 6 pack and you have a camping trip. Best advice... find a cottage area away from the cities, and squat in a empty cottage. Most cottages are owned by families or older folks who will never leave the city. Remember, its a Sit X so at that point , its survival at any cost. These guys thinking they gonna sleep out doors are dreaming, shelter is 95% of your worries.

reply to post by branty


Big problem with that is every body else is thinking the same thing. Sure the elderly owners may not be there but Odds are its not going to be empty. Just my opinion. That is ware you should have a back up plan for the back up plan.

reply to post by realboogyman
You did what you had to do and your family is safe for that. Do not let it bother you. You did an honorable thing protecting them.

reply to post by WyrdeOne
Amen brother. Preach on

That adds to what i was telling someone in another thread. They posted a list of the gear that they will be taking with them and only needed about a quarter of it. One example is people talk about taking cell phones. Do they honestly think they will work or if they are trying to keep a low profile that cell service won't be monitored?

And crap like chain saws. Too much weight and you'll run out of fuel sooner than later.

Originally posted by Shystargazer

Cooler heads DO prevail!! Thank you everyone!

Another question I have is this....

What do you think the next SitX will be?

I am going to vote on the Bird Flu pandemic.

How do you prepare for that? How long do you think it will last once it starts?
Do you take the Flu shot after all of the bad press that has been posted about it?

I honestly think it will be economic collapse first. Then the virus' will be "acidentally" released.

reply to post by Northern Raider



Oh well at least your not another Scouser who thinks he is a northerner, so you cant be all bad. Its really not so bad up here in Co Durham we have the Geordies, Mackems and Smoggies trapped in the coastal areas that leaves most of the north east for survivalists and the army to play.
Liverpool for the Double ? Whats that ? Two players getting their houses burgled at the same time ?
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No, I'm not a scouser who thinks he is a northerner. 99% of the people who live in tis great city know that if the potato famine hadn't happened we'd still all be over in Ireland. I for one am proud of my Irish heritage as, I expect you are proud of yours, whereever you hail from.
Your very lucky having all that empty land to hide in if the SHTF. Here in Merseyside we have plenty of farmland heading north into Lancashire but nothing on the scale which you are talking about. I guess all we can do is hope it doesn't happen?
Liverpool for the double. . ? Well we hammered the in-form team in Europe 4-0 (Real Madrid) and have just spanked the in-form team in this country 4-1 (Man Utd). I think that entitles me to my dream, don't you?
Best regards to you and yours.