SitX , where do you start?

With all this talk about SituationX ( SitX) , either it be economic collapse, bioterror attack, Nuclear attack , UFO invasion, Zombies ( s'n-word'). I have noticed that people are going on about survival techniques , their guns, their SUV's , fortressing their properties and spotting where supplies are kept ( supermarkets, builders yards etc).
When it comes to personal survival should you have to BUGOUT ( i.e leave in a very big hurry) people are either going to stay put and wait it out in the comfort of their own homes and hope for the best, or head out into the wilderness and live off it bounties.

My question is pretty simple and straightforward.

Where would I start and what should I be investing in first apart from knowledge?
I plan to ( make that Hope to) stay at home but am also starting my BOB ( BUGOUT BAG) , incase of having to leave the house.

from the following supplier ( I forgot to mention I'm in the UK so Guns are out and SUV's would be pointless should there be a mad rush to escape the cities - I'm hoping my motorcycle can cope )

www.surplusandoutdoors.com...

I bought a used 40litre backpack ( Genuine Army kit) for £10.
An Army Hexi stove ( with fuel)
One of those scrapy firelighter things.
and 2 'foil' blankets that apparently retain 90% body heat.

Before you all start flaming about my poor choice , it is only the start of my collection, but for the average Joe where should we start?
What should be the first things to 'aquire', what is the best order to get items?. I know knewledge is the most valuable tool , so I bought the SAS handbook from Amazon , should be a very entertaining read at least.

I'm hoping to get a tent and sleeping gear next month, and seeing as theres only 2 of us ( the wife and I ) I won't need to get a van to carry it all in.

If you are going to reply either please be aware about the UK situation I'm in, no guns ( legally anyway) (unless their airguns or bows)+( difficult to get posted to work ).

Cheers and Good luck .
Besides even if SitX doesn't happen its worth it to be prepared , ain't it?
DibDibDib.

Sir the normal sort of approach is double barreled, first you start of collecting kit for your EDC, Then BOB, Then Stockpile / Cache. While you are ensuring you never leave home with a basic EDC, GOOD or Inch kit you need to assess the most likely threat to you and your family where you currently live.
Neighbours good or scum?
Crime rates
Quality of housing
Sustainability
Security
Self sufficiency etc

Then the town, county, state and nation

Then weather, storm risk etc
Terror risk etc

Sir I think you are spending money unwisely at the moment, why buy a flint and steel when you can just as easily buy a pile of disposable lighters or a good refillable lighter, why a toxic Hexy cokker when you can source camping gaz stoves and refills just as easy. please stop buying for now and do a bit more reading, Why a tent(no harm in a tent of course as a back up) but you would probably be more comfy in a van with a camper conversion done by yourself ( www.sbmcc.co.uk)
Please U2U me with an E mail address and i will send you freely a copy of my small booklet on survivalism and preparedness, its got most ( definately not all) of the answers you are seeking and will save you time and money.
Also please spend a bit of time going through the threads on this forum as much has recently been posted for the benefit of the new folks.
Respects
NR

I think in any situation the most important item you could have is information, so here's my gift to you:

US Army Survival Manual

Shelter, food from the land, weapons, evading capture....very comprehensive.

Thank you intelinside451 for originally posting in this thread.

Good luck.

The best advice has already been given. Feed your head. Learn all you can. I do not mean read and retain. I mean learn. Practice what you have read. After that plan. Obviously the only people prepared for every / anything are those who are already inside the underground bunkers with supplys to restart the world. If you are going to start buying supplys, think what will you need first. #1 Safety. #2 Water. #3 Food. #4 shelter. None of the things after #1 are of any use if you cant keep it safe. After that think about what is important to you. #'s 2 -4 are things you can't live without. What else can't you live without? What can you go the longest without? Make your list with all that in mind.

Spiritowl

hi,
the advice I am posting to all looking for such on the sitx is to find already now a safe place in small comunity. there is really a lot of space you can hide even in UK. I have already a house in mountains which I found some time ago. but the important is to find such a safe place now and go there few times. you should know the people in the neighbourhood when the time will come.

as a staranger coming from chaos you can not be welcome any more. people will get scared. find some small village, go there few times for weekend, get to know with locals, drink some beer with them, choose the local hotel and get friendly with its owners (of course it would be the best to buy a small house in the area) and than make regular visits.

city is not going to be safe for sure.

Hi....and congrats on deciding to even make a start!

I'd go along with everything the others have said here. The SAS survival book won't just be an entertaining read, it will definately be of use.

Also, the kit you have already got will not be a waste. NR is right, you can use lighters just as easily, but i have found out the hard way that lighters break, lighters get wet, and lighters can blow out so your flint and steel will be a great back up tool for when everything else has run out or has broken.

Same with the hexi stove, i have other cooking methods but i still love using the hexi, and when the blocks run out, you can just stick wood under there. If i'm out in the woods with the kids, one thing i always have with me is a hexi stove, mess tins and a couple of food cans.

Your army bergan will serve you well, i still use mine and i bought it 19 years ago when i was 17. You can get your whole life in there and they rarely let you down.

I know how you feel though as far as where to start is concerned. It can be a bit daunting, especialy when you see others here with what seems like enough gear to last a hundred years!

However like i said though, you've made a start which is all that counts.

I think i started off with the whole "Sit X meant darting off to survive in the woods" type mentality, but i like to think i'm calming down with that one.

Here in the UK, chances are that we are going to end up stuck in our homes with a Sit X going on before we have to bug out to the wilderness. So i'm starting by storing enough food, water, fire lighting materials, medicines and neccessities to last at least a month in the house.

Why bug out from my house, the best shelter around here, if i don't need to?

That said, i do have enough gear to be able to live away from the house if the need ever arose. Thats where things like shelter building, fire starting and water procurement and treatment comes into the equation. If you and your girlfriend are going to live, you will have to know these things, no if's and buts.

Good luck with the learning curve though, this part of the forum is a great source of knowledge and with people like Northern Raider offering excellent advice, people can't go wrong really.

Or at least it's a damn site better than doing nothing and expecting everything to fall in your lap WTSHTF!

CX.

I haven't ridden so wouldn't know what a rucksack in the face of you good lady would be like. I would think of getting something to stick on the bike to carry your kit. If all else fails it'll be useful for everday use (unless this accessory is considered sacrilegious of course ).

I'm pretty much in the same learning boat so can't offer much more but it's obvious you're already well on the way.

In my experience flint and steel doesn't work with hexi blocks. Just my experience I may be wrong. Also I normally only use the hexi blocks to start the fire. You can run the stove off small bits of wood and twigs. If you are in the woods unless you have the stove going for more than 2 hours you are unlikely to need to go more than a metre away from it to get the wood.

Also as I live in the UK I will add this note. When the SHTF I do not think many people will be caring about gun laws. So if you want a gun get hold of one. Just don't say so on here as you never know who's watching (or reading in this case)

-Cauch1

Originally posted by Cauch1
In my experience flint and steel doesn't work with hexi blocks. Just my experience I may be wrong. Also I normally only use the hexi blocks to start the fire.

Yeah sorry about that, should have mentioned that one.

Try lighting hexi blocks with a flint and steel and you'll be there all night!



CX.