I see dead people...with bug out bags

Originally posted by FlyersFan
Shelter in place is always the first choice. IF that isn't an option ... bug out.
We have our bug out bags ready. Always have had them.
It's better to have all options available then to be caught short.

Right, and that's just it, plan for as many outcomes as you can think of. Adaptability is the name of the game.

However, I have shot a gun (and I'm a good shot thankyouvery much), and I do so on a regular basis. I know how to hunt, and make shelter, survive on bugs, edible plants, find collect water etc... All that 'survival stuff' reasonably well. I've been taught these skill sets my whole life, (which isn't to say that there aren't alot of people who do it better than me.)

I have lived that life where people shoot at you, I know that getting stabbed hurts ALOT, and I know what it feels like to get the sh*t kicked outta you, and what it means when you need to kick the sh*t out of someone else just to survive. So in a situation with no civil order I will do my d**mndest to be completely invisible. Sometimes that doesn't work though, and if I even think you might be a threat (and that means if I'm scared... and I will be, if I even SEE you, I may very well shoot first and be sorry about your kids later. But I still p'rolly wouldn't make it. The odds are the odds. Someone else will be just as scared and trigger happy, or worse.

It's the very unpredictability that makes is so tough and so scary; and most people don't really understand what it means to actually live that way. They are having their little video game fantasies now, but when push comes to shove most of 'em will be too caught up in the mantra that WILL be going through their head 'This can't be happening this can't be happening this can't be...' If you hesitate once, when your brain starts playing that you're probably dead.

What gets me is that it's the people that are already living on the fringe and firmly indoctrinated in the criminal menality, and are thoroughly desensitized to actually living violently, that have the best edge. They really do.

True, a bug out bag is no guarantee of survival, but that with some knowledge of plants to eat and some hunting skills, at least you will have an edge over somebody without one. Defending a home might not be as easy as it sounds. If people know you have food in there, they can just take random shots from afar through windows or even the walls of a wood frame house with a rifle until you give it up. Flood lights can be shot out or you might have to deal with some late night arson.

If you do happen to shoot one of your attackers, chances are your not going to be able to safely give up and leave after killing someones friend. I keep some food around for the short term, but if it takes longer than that for things to clear up there's a good chance somebody is going to come knocking. If you say you don't have any food then obviously their going to wonder why your not out looking for it and they'll end up coming back. Trying to bug out at this point will probably mean getting robbed of your gear.

If it's something long term and people start looting and shooting then a bag is a good option to have to go away for awhile until things hopefully stabilize. Would I make it through my first winter out in the woods? Hard to say, but every time I learn something new my odds go up. And if I should fall and break a leg and die out there, Oh well, at least I gave it a shot, Hope I packed something handy you can use when you find my bones.

reply to post by mindpurge


Not necessarily...I could hold off 30+ attackers at my house right now...Im also extensively trained and well armed...But its not out of the realm of possibility for the average family man to protect his home if he pre plans.

As far as the wrapping the house with warning labels, thats only in the case of complete government shutdown...Marauders wont waste time and resources messing with your house if they think everything inside is contaminated...Of course this would work in a "Book of Eli" kind of darkages...

If you know how to set ambushes and tactical withdrawals you could engage a large group by yourself several times over...at least until enough of them are dead that they scatter

reply to post by kadyr80


I don't know how I missed this thread.
I've been screaming what you're preaching forever.

I don't think anybody expects a BOB to save them... SKILLS will win out over SUPPLIES. But, the BOB can certainly make many skills easier (and give a higher chance of success).

Depending on the SHTF scenario (if one ever happens), survival will first be a matter of LUCK (i.e. where you are). After that, it's skills and supplies that will determine who remains standing.

Originally posted by BingeBob
reply to post by mindpurge

 

Not necessarily...I could hold off 30+ attackers at my house right now...Im also extensively trained and well armed...But its not out of the realm of possibility for the average family man to protect his home if he pre plans.

As far as the wrapping the house with warning labels, thats only in the case of complete government shutdown...Marauders wont waste time and resources messing with your house if they think everything inside is contaminated...Of course this would work in a "Book of Eli" kind of darkages...

If you know how to set ambushes and tactical withdrawals you could engage a large group by yourself several times over...at least until enough of them are dead that they scatter

edit on 12-11-2010 by BingeBob because: oops spelling

30+ attackers being kids and emo girls right?

Sorry I don't mean you to take this as a personal insult, but you're not Wolverine, and you're not Rambo, this is Real Life and not a movie. There's no way anyone can hold off 30+ armed and trained attackers (trained as in have killed, such as Hells Angels or a group of criminals) unless their lawn is riddled with landmines. The 1 second you show your face through a peek hole, will earn you a bullet straight into your skull.

Leave, period... Hide, be a ghost... come back after the dust has settled. Then if your cache was hidden well enough, you can start with that. But don't preach about bunkering up being the only fool-proof way, because it isn't, this has been proven in war ridden countries around the world.

The best thing to carry with you is knowledge. A short term situation can be dealt with by most people. Take a stock of what food you have on hand and figure how long it will last. Everyone should keep at least a short term supply of water at least a couple of weeks. A long term situation the food and water will be gone. You will have to know how to grow your own food. This means you have stored non hybrid seeds. If you have not prepared by saving seeds, your choices will be limited to hunting, gathering or stealing. Scout around where you live to see what resourse are available.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Originally posted by mindpurge

Originally posted by BingeBob
reply to post by mindpurge

 

Not necessarily...I could hold off 30+ attackers at my house right now...Im also extensively trained and well armed...But its not out of the realm of possibility for the average family man to protect his home if he pre plans.

As far as the wrapping the house with warning labels, thats only in the case of complete government shutdown...Marauders wont waste time and resources messing with your house if they think everything inside is contaminated...Of course this would work in a "Book of Eli" kind of darkages...

If you know how to set ambushes and tactical withdrawals you could engage a large group by yourself several times over...at least until enough of them are dead that they scatter

edit on 12-11-2010 by BingeBob because: oops spelling

30+ attackers being kids and emo girls right?

Sorry I don't mean you to take this as a personal insult, but you're not Wolverine, and you're not Rambo, this is Real Life and not a movie. There's no way anyone can hold off 30+ armed and trained attackers (trained as in have killed, such as Hells Angels or a group of criminals) unless their lawn is riddled with landmines. The 1 second you show your face through a peek hole, will earn you a bullet straight into your skull.

Leave, period... Hide, be a ghost... come back after the dust has settled. Then if your cache was hidden well enough, you can start with that. But don't preach about bunkering up being the only fool-proof way, because it isn't, this has been proven in war ridden countries around the world.

Two things:

Surviving means being adaptable - hunker down or get outta dodge or join up with friends and neighbors as is appropriate. My personal plan is to try to link up with all my shooting buddies. There is no one-size fits all response; it depends on what sh*t hitting the fan is and where.

Also thugs and scum like the Hells Angels aren't necessarily trained. I doubt they have sniper training either. If thirty showed up on my lawn, thirteen would be dead in about seven seconds, and then twelve more when I changed clips.

I am trained, and I keep in practice.

They are cowards who count on numbers to intimidate. When they start dropping like flies, they will run. They like soft targets and will not stand against a hardened and armed opponent.

Good thread and i see your point.

However i see more dead people without them.

A few bits in a bag and the knowledge to use them will not hurt anyone. Having nothing will.

CX.

Having non-hybrid seeds in your BOB is all good and fine (and I do) but you need to KNOW what grows in your bugout area. Some plants grow at higher elevations and WON'T grow in lower (and vise versa), some require acid soils, some require poor drainage, rocky environments, sand, etc. Might want to research your bug out location and find out what sort of seeds will grow there rather than waiting until your life depends on being fed from whats in your BOB.

Also helps to have a BOB pre-cached along the way to your bug out location.

reply to post by whitewave


A bugout bag is for getting you to your bugout location. You should already have things prestaged there..not taking them with you...seeds take a long time to grow... they should be there already.

Unless you have a bugout trailer and can load it up with lightning speed and defend it while traveling to your location....you shouldn't rely on anything that isn't already there for your survival.

This has been discussed in many posts and treads here...

You should get out before it happens if you can or sneek out at night.

oh there is no doubt that 99% of the bug outers here on this board woulds die if they were ever faced with no TV or internet and refrigeration....hahahaha

the main thing you have to be prepared for is just to not freak out in any catastrophic event. just a few practiced survival skills will get you to the next level if you dont freak out and give up.

and by the way. its much better to bug out and disappear, than to be trapped and be faced with a concentration camp or a firing squad if they get their hands on you.

always remember boys and girls? ITS BEST TO FIGHT AND RUN AWAY, TO LIVE TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY

reply to post by saltdog




Actually I've used my BOB a few times and it wasn't just for getting to a survival location. I've had house fires and tornados and was able to grab my BOB on the way out the door. Yes, I did eventually wind up in a safer location but what was in my BOB kept me going until I could get back into my house.

Also, thanks for your concern but I DO have things pre-cached in my BOL (all 3 of them).