The Do It Yourself Thread (for SHTF Scenario)

Originally posted by chiponbothshoulders
Get used to being stinky,walking or riding a bicycle,and eating anything you can find no matter how revolting it may be.
Those of us who can do this will survive.
Forget technology,that is what made you helpless to start with.

I will take the good and leave the bad technology.

Stacked bricks or rocks is pretty low tech and reliable and uses less wood.

Its good to use.

The wheel is technology too in the purest sense.

In the age of Rome they had flowing water greater than the united states up until after WW2.

We can do low tech methods for water, and for heating we can use solar ovens,
and solar concentrators that are made to last.

Higher tech items will return after the collapse if we find a sane way to build society.

The current path is not going to work.

Oil will not see us thru our current path, and all the natural gas is going to be in massive
depletion within 50 years.

Coal will be there a bit longer, 500 years at current rates, but much less if we try to make
coal into gasoline like Germany did in WW2.

en.wikipedia.org...

Survival after a Societal Collapse is focused on 5 core needs.

1) Self Defense - dying ppl may not be kind to you
2) Shelter - making shelter and carrying it with you
3) Water - clean drinkable water and how to produce it forever for free
4) Food - how to grow it, how to trap it, and how to forage it
5) Knowledge of the prior 4 in depth...

1) You will need some way to defend yourself in anarchy, and the most common
way at initial outset is likely firearms. Even if you are prior military like myself
go talk to ppl that are deep off into this world, read all you can and then go out
and do proof of concept. Body armor with ballistic plates and trauma pads behind
them may be a good idea if you are near a urban hotbed or just want the edge.

First aid training is damn good idea as well.

The VERY best defense is likely not being seen, learn what a ghillie is
and how to make one and then go do it and have a friend try to spot you.

2) Some call them a Bivvy, you can make them out of 55 gallon drum liners,
it basically gives you water proofing to give you a place to rest and keep you
dry in precipitation, snow, rain, sleet, etc etc.

When you are wet you lose body heat MUCH faster, and onset Hypothermia.

You can learn to make lean-tos, or go long term and build a Cob house/hut,
there are several different shelter types and most are listed in the SAS survival guide.

In a likely extreme cold situation consider LOTS of insulating material
such as leaves, grass, etc etc.

In a fallout event as others have mentioned you need 3 feet of dirt between you
and the xmitting particles. Its based on density so it takes less if it is lead,
steel or something similar.

3) Water - you can go near a body of fresh water and dig a shallow well about
100 feet away and then let it clear out. To assure no bacteria or virus bring
the water to a boil for a few minutes.

Another method is to make solar still and put the water in it that needs purifying
and to add reflectors with aluminum foil to increase the evaporation rate.

Good example here:

www.thefarm.org...

For a mobile use you can use a few drops of pure bleach, the ratio is listed
in survival manuals and websites.

Also for mobile use but slightly dangerous is using USP resublimated iodine
crystals in a 1 oz bottle til it is dark purple then pour the water only into 32 oz
container of water you need to treat. How long you let is stand after that is
based on the temperature, warmer = less time, cooler = more time.

If you allergic to shellfish do not use iodine.

A makeshift mobile method for strain out large scale matter is an active charcoal
filter made from coals of your camp fire, a rag or towel, some sand and
a 2 liter bottle.

www.ehow.com...

Wildernessoutfitters channel on youtube had a video of it, but I can't seem to
find it anymore or they took it down for potential lawsuit issues.

To kill any pathogens in the water you can also use the SODIS method:

en.wikipedia.org...

But I'd try to use glass jars instead of PET plastic as it might release BPA.

en.wikipedia.org...

4) Have 1 or more organic seed packs in cache tubes stored in a cool place such
as underground, have an illustrated wild edible food guide, and a medicinal one as well.
Have a few hundred feet of snare wire as it catches food while you are doing something else.
Watch survival videos that show how to set wire snares and know these are illegal
to use except in a survival situation. Its illegal because it works REAL well.
During the great depression ppl used to use crank telephones to shock fish to
the surface, in the modern day the closest thing to this is a crank megger insulation
tester. You could also use the high voltage section from a TV tube monitor or
coil off a car.

Hunting tends to draw attention to you, gunfire can be heard for miles.

Snaring usually gets smaller animals and they are choking and make a lot less noise
than a gun.

Fish traps and hoop nets also work well, as does jug fishing.

It works while you do something else.

5) knowledge ...

I cannot really list all the survival knowledge here, and good odds I'd forget something.

I'd say watch all the videos you can by Ray Mears and Hoods Woods, I do not say
Bear Grylls because he often takes risks I consider more adventurism than survival.

An insect from a bat cave is not safe to eat raw, its best to clean it and cook it.

The youtube channel Wildernessoutfitters has a lot of good information as well.

Get a copy of the SAS survival guide and put it in a double ziplock bag
in your bugout bag, there are other books and some ppl like the other ones
better and to each his own I say.

Bugout bags are also tuned to the person, and to each his own on some items.

I offer mine here, some of my items are at my rally point, aka RZ, some are cached
there and along the way.

*** Did I over do it ??? probably, but I'd rather be over prepared than under prepared.

Caching is a technique used by special forces and it works REALLY well.

01) water purification USP sublimated iodine 1 oz bottles (2) *** done ***
also for ppl allergic to shellfish 4 oz of bleach in small carry tube, and eyedropper *** done***
10 drops of bleach per gallon per online site for water purification.
SODIS water purification plans *** done***
en.wikipedia.org...
plans for a small solar still using the solar oven method *** done ***

02) multi-tool pocket knife , stainless steel so it wont rust *** done ***

03) camo mosquito/ insect netting suit *** done ***

04) Backpack with lots of pouches and 2 water bottles.

05) 8' x 12' tarp with brass eyelets *** done ***

06) Weapons: 30-06 with Mil Dot scope *** done ***
(bought a laser boresight for 30-06 and boresighted )
.22 LR 10/22 Ruger, .45 ACP ( .45 will be in holster .22 LR in hands )
.30-06 will be near RZ site along with most of the ammo.

07) crank insulation tester, aka megger *** done ***

08) lensatic compass & water proof directions *** done ***

09) fishing line, hooks, and bobbers *** done ***

10) backpack *** done ***

11) crank LED flashlight/AM/FM radio/cell charger *** done ***

12) water proof insulated boots, durable wool socks *** done ***

13) gerber folding hand saw *** done ***

14) 12volt dc power inverter - 400 watt - bought from friend *** done ***
may upgrade this to higher wattage

15) waterproof container - full of matches & 3 fire steel striker rods
*** done *** bread bag compressed with 8 oz. dryer lint.
indian wood bow method works well too ...
NOTE - making a fire in the rain is tough, pack some Vaseline for assist.*** done ***

16) strong binoculars 16x or better *** done ***
bought bushnells

17) food - cheap , long shelf life - *** done ***
Will store long term shelf life rice, cached near RZ.

18) Desiccant for ammo cans - *** done *** will be at RZ site

19) pocket microscope - *** done *** will be at RZ site

20) 500 ft. - 28 ga. galv. steel snare wire - *** done ***

21) Texsport® Folding Pick/Shovel/saw - bass pro *** done ***

22) snake/poison kit - bass pro *** done ***

23) knife sharpeners *** done ***

24) israeli gas mask with airtight drinking ability *** done ***
$20 at maine military supply ( not the best mask there is )

25) victorinox swiss stainless steel bayonet(no rust knife) *** done ***

26) US army M7 bayonet (ferrous can use as striker) *** done ***

27) full CDV -777 geiger counter set *** done *** will be at RZ site

28) several 1 gallon ziplock bags - storage & mini evap. water collection devices - *** done ***

29) wiki books, survival info, wikipedia backup on DVD-r - *** done *** will be at RZ site and SD card copies carried.

30) aluminum foil for: - solar oven - solatubes - weak EMP shielding if done right *** done ***

31) non Genetic modified seed packs, getseeds.net pk plus
8,000 carrot seeds & amaranth *** done ***

32) battery hydrometer - for 12 volt systems we plan to setup
*** done ***

33) Hard copy pocket survival guide in water proof container *** done ***

34) speedy all, easy all - sewing tools for leather *** done***

35) wind belt - 12 vdc and volt regulator *** done*** will be at RZ site

36) natural remedy - anti fungal *** done***

37) p-38/p-51 or real can opener *** done***

38) battery recharger - triple a's for pocket microscope - D's for geiger and ionization meter *** done*** at RZ site

39) 300 yards of 550 para cord *** done ***

40) 100 ft. of nylon rope *** done ***

41) Gun cleaning kits - will be at RZ *** done ***

42) Sextant - and instructions *** done***

43) Spherical Trigonometry instructions *** done ***
plans for an Armillary Sphere as well

44) Trash bags, heavy duty thick mil, work as water proofing or poncho, seal in heat *** done***

45) stainless steel cooking gear *** done ***

46) common edible/medicinal plant list laminated for this region *** done***

47) 1 set of rugged clothes in backpack, 2 at RZ. *** done ***

48) 2 packs of playing cards *** done ***

49) backup pair of eyeglasses *** done ***

50) Wool blanket(warm when wet), foam sleeping mat *** done ***

51) Sleeping bag, 0 degrees F rated *** done ***

52) fishnet style hammock *** done *** ( double as a ghillie )

53) Body armor - Torso carrier and class III plates and pads ( in vehicle only using if it gets ugly )
*** done ***
(Class IV plates can be had on Ebay for $99 a plate, got my level 3's damn near for free.)



*** As I said above, your bugout bag may be better, to each his own and that is great.

As one poster said, hope we never need all this stuff, but the past has shown
humans can be quite a violent lot and it is not a matter of if but when.

Good Luck to all the good ppl !!!

I dont even know how I forgot to mention this, but for the SHTF scenario regarding possible Martial Law, this site is a great way to get the Intel upfront, you know before they come to your area.

www.radioreference.com...

You type in your zip-code, and you can listen to Real-Time police and Emergency Agencies. This is a great heads up.

Peace, NRE.

reply to post by NoRegretsEver


Nice thread! S+F!
This need to get more attention!

As an survivalist myself ( i´m in since my childhood) there was nothing new to me but quite interesting to refresh it as often as possible.
Ex_Missile (or so. sry) made a very nice post!
I agree with most of it.
But i would like to know what a weight you want to carry?
I startet my worldtravel per backpack with 30 kg but i ended with about ten kilos what was very comfortable.
Surely i had not much foods or special (luxury) things with me but for shtf situation it would be perfect.
I would recommend to buy everthing you need with the easiest weight possilble. My one man tent had for example titanium poles and a special silicon coating so it had only 1.2 kg.
I began with a very small allround cooker that could burn gasoline, spirit, gas, petrol and oil aswell. But i also tried solar cooking methods taht worked nice when sun was hot enough but i ended with the can stoves.
They are cheap (two cans, even from trash possible!) and don´t smell much.
You can also build a rocket stove from two food (or paint) cans if no other fuels than wood (or smaller plantparts are available!

A very nice page for all this canstoves is: www.zenstoves.com

For making fires i would recommend to have at least three different tools. A magnesium firestarter, a Zippo, a refillable gas fire, a magnifying glass and maybe waterproof matches.

For water purifiing i always had a MSR water purifying pump with ceramic filter, some bleaching (can be filtered out by the pump!). (UV lights should be great too, but i wouldn´t trust them too much.)
This pumps can work over a year if handled right. (I even learned how to burn the ceramic to make it live longer!)
But i the shtf and you are not able to buy such tools, the best method is the sand/charcoal filter plus cooking.
I once made one out of a 30cm long bamboo stick. Was great!

Actually i have more than 2GB ebooks about survival (and more). I saved them on SD and DVD. I have extra bought an ebook-reader for this purpose. Make sure you can reload it without a PC! Or get the right adapters.
I only once made the error to take too much paper/books with me. This is now fixed with the reader.
But most of it sits in my mind and i recommend to try all the technics before it´s too late.

Having mobile solar panels and small generators, magnets and wires is also advisable.
You can make up a small bag with all your electrical stuff, but make sure the magnets are seperated!

Also you can save alot of weight with a good package of tools. For me this is essential as i know that i can build everything i need with them when i need it.
What should be in there?

- Pocket knife (swiss knife are the best)
- Multi tool knife ( including pliers)
- saw set (different sawblades!)
- (knife) sharpener (three different grades)
- a mini plane (for planing woods)
- handdrill with a bit set (0,5mm to 6 mm)
- small shaving tools
- sliding caliper
- folding ruler or measuring tape
- a small axe
- key files and graters

As i am a ex steelworker and into blacksmithing, too, i also include a mini anvil (or 1 kg hammerhead), hammer and bellows. So i am even able to make my own steel, melt different metals and make my own goods to fit my needs.
To fell medium trees i have a chain from a chainsaw with two keyrings and leatherbands on the ends.

For hunting i use a sports crossbow or hunting bow. There are nice ones on the market, but with a little talent and practise you can build your own, too.
For fishing i have some nets (also you can use your net hammock for it!) and a small bag with different fishing tools.
Also you should have (or make yourself) a little basket for collecting plants, mushs, berrys and nuts.
And i have a huge seed storage case. My one is like a little ark of plants. I collect all i can get and refill them everytime possible. I have over thousand different plant- and treeseeds of food -, useful plants and even flowers, herbs and medical plants.

What also should be useful is knowlege about making alcohol and whine.
Not for drinking, but for use as fuel and energy.
Out of whine you can make vingear and this you can use for curing foods and building low voltage batteries.
If you cannot relinquish on electricity make sure you get knowlege about making batteries and making your own energy.
Also different methods of making foods durable you should learn about, including:
- pickling with salt (and how to make your own!) and vingear
- jarring ( making convenient food)
- dehydrating
- cooling

There is a nice technic to cool foods that was mentioned above.
But this technic can even made easier and portable (who wants to carry heavy ceramics?)
You need some wood (or metal, preferrable aluminium) , cotton (or hemp) textils and a bit of clay.
Build up a frame where you want to put in your foods.
Now hang the textils around. Form some halftube like containers that you put ant the bottom of the frame around.
Now fill the half tubes with water and let the textils soak it up. Now you can put your foods into it and if its hot enough (if not put it near your cooking place) and a little windy it will cool it.
If there is no wind you can build i a little fan (running on solar), too.

Yeah, just my two cents on it.
Keep up the good work and
read, train, read, train...
And hope it wont happen...

Peace, love and light,
let u guide by higher i

Jim

Oh and i forgot:

It is always recommended to have a (or more) useful profession handy.
I for myself can help out with all the above mentioned.
Actually i am writing on a book called "Free life and energy solutions (for developing countrys and communities)" and make a lot of travels to help others with it, so i know what i am talking about.

Also it is quite good to have some musical or arts skills. As it will be boring sometimes and if sometimes there will start to form a new society you will be one of the positive thought thinkers and bring some harmony into the community.
I am building instruments and nature jewelery and arts, too. That is something that brings positive vibes and maybe get me a little money (or naturals) for my works...
In fact you should learn to build any stuff (you like) to make out of natural resources.

Anyone has any ideas on how to create oxygen? besides water and electricity?

I don't mean it to last long or anything.. It is more like you are doing your weekly shopping and are in a shop or supermarket when you are caught in the middle of a chemical or gas attack and try to survive for a couple of hours?

reply to post by NoRegretsEver


That's a really well put together thread. Lots of good info. Thanks for posting it. S&F.

More useful infomation:

www.my...Survival Prepper Resources

Thought I would give this a bump, due to all the doom and gloom lately. There is LOTS of info in this thread that I think many may find helpful.

Peace, NRE.

reply to post by NoRegretsEver


Great information in this thread!

But if a real shtf scenario actually plays out; a working knowledge of the Chinese language might be a good idea because those are the folks we will eventually be dealing with.

www.guardian.co.uk...

How to build a targetting laser.

Best built prior to TSHTF as it requires a relaxed and peaceful workshop





Feel free to ask me questions as I made the videos to go along with my build

It may seem strange as to why you'd want one, but this laser can (if you dial up the pot. resist.) alight matches, signal at extreme ranges (more covertly too) and (believe it or not) frighten and scare wildlife away, as well as distract them

I wanted to give this a bump as this coincides with my Women and Survival thread www.abovetopsecret.com...

I hope that everyone can get something useful out of the info, and thanks again to those that took the time to contribute and make this a great and helpful thread.

Peace, NRE.

I advise that those that those that have SHTF scenario threads to revive them to help out as many people as possible. This is what many of us were trying to prepare for. Now is the time to come together as many are currently in a SHTF scenario, or trying to prepare for its inevitable coming.

Peace, NRE.

Originally posted by NoRegretsEver
I advise that those that those that have SHTF scenario threads to revive them to help out as many people as possible. This is what many of us were trying to prepare for. Now is the time to come together as many are currently in a SHTF scenario, or trying to prepare for its inevitable coming.

Per request:

www.abovetopsecret.com...
www.abovetopsecret.com...
www.abovetopsecret.com...
www.abovetopsecret.com...
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Came by to send this to a friend, and decided to give it a bump, especially with all the crazy weather these days.

Peace, NRE.

Originally posted by rajaten
Great thread. I must say though I would prefer to just light a campfire and put my billy or trangia saucepan
on it than bother with solar contraptions and homemade stoves. A lighter and a trangia goes a long way
in a survival situation. They are both easily held in a backpack also.

Keep up the interesting info OP

My take on solar cooking vs fire cooking is, With solar cooing things can be pre-made,stored, and carried with ease, fire cooking your going to attract attention whether bad or good. and not to mention smoke,and I would like to see someone carry a fire pit around unnoticed lol But its all about personal preferences.

Do it your self suvival thread
www.wikihow.com...
this post is actually about how to make thread
thread and cordage

Animal sinew can be used to produce exceptionally strong rope or twine. In fact, a strand of it no thicker than carpet thread can hold the weight of an average man. Because of its strength, sinew is especially good for making bowstrings, fishing lines, snares, wrappings, and threads. Another useful property of sinew is that, when wetted with saliva before wrapping, it shrinks and dries as hard as glue. As a result, knotting the ends of a sinew wrapping is sometimes unnecessary. (Rawhide is very strong, too, and also shrinks as it dries.)

The longest sinew is found in the white cords that run along either side of an animal's backbone, but you can get, usable lengths from the tendons and ligaments attached to muscles and bones, as well. Simply cut out the sinew … remove its protective sheath … and clean and dry it. (When dry, it'll be very hard and brittle.) To separate the individual fibers, pound each strand with a rock, as you would for plant stalks … then put it in hot water.

SOURCES OF CORDAGE MATERIALS

As noted, the inner bark of most trees and parts of many different plants and animals can be used in emergency situations to make thread, twine, or rope. The following, however, are some of the top choices:

TREES
STALKS
basswood
stinging nettle
elm
velvet leaf
walnut
dogbane
cherry
milkweed
cedar
fireweed
aspen
hemp
maple
evening primrose
cottonwood
hickory

LEAVES
oak
yucca
ash
cattail
bulrush

ROOTLETS
cedar
Pine
Juniper
sage
yucca
spruce

MISCELLANEOUS
sweet grass
greenbrier
cordgrass
genus Spartina
hair (moose, horse, etc.)
sinew
rawhide
WRAPPING FOR STRENGTH

www.wildwoodsurvival.com...

a reply to: NoRegretsEver

Shamelessly bumping this timeless thread.
Its one of my longtime favorites and has so much good info.that everyone should know about.
This thread turned me onto rocket stoves, which changed the whole design of my place lol