Who is NOT making Survival Preparations...and WHY?

Originally posted by Ophiuchus 13
Any time I read these types of threads I wonder, do any of you consider your extended families and how well they are prepared? Just Sayen.. Or is this just an immediate family thing?

My primary concern is myself and my kids. I have told my parents and siblings my plans and what I have been working on and if they want my assistance in helping them put stuff together if they want my help. They have never said it, but I feel as if they think I am a little crazy and paranoid. It is hard to have a really serious conversation about this with them. They do not receive any entitlements, but they are dependent upon the system we have. That is their decision, they are all grown adults and fully able to make their own decisions, just as I am. Understand, I would take a bullet for any of them. That said, if things got bad and it was best to leave the area and if they become indecisive or wanting to wait on the government to come help, I would have no choice but to leave them behind for the sake of my kids. I know it sucks and I do not like it either, but I have to do what I have to do. It is all situational, it would have to be a decision made at that time.

Originally posted by Skewed

Originally posted by Ophiuchus 13
Any time I read these types of threads I wonder, do any of you consider your extended families and how well they are prepared? Just Sayen.. Or is this just an immediate family thing?

My primary concern is myself and my kids. I have told my parents and siblings my plans and what I have been working on and if they want my assistance in helping them put stuff together if they want my help. They have never said it, but I feel as if they think I am a little crazy and paranoid.

Well said,

You are right to be concerned about those that can't help themselves (kids) and only with those adults that are willing to help as well.

You can't be responsible for everyone as this will spell disaster for them and you.

Sad but true.

The only thing I have prepared, save for powder, caps and balls, is my Immortal Spirit and my Merkaba. In my opinion, that is all one needs.

Lt. Colonel Hal Moore: I think you oughta get yourself an M-16.
Sergeant Major Basil Plumley: Sir, if the time comes I need one, there'll be plenty lying on the ground.

IMHO there is no sure fire way to prepare. Murphy's law will work against us all. If you prepare to bunker down, you will most likely need to bug out, if you prepare to bug out you will most likely need to bunker down.

There is no way of knowing what will happen or what scenario or multiple scenarios that could play out.

I know how to hunt and fish, I know how to clean/dress fish and game, and I know how to garden plus I know how to cook and bake. I feel the best defense is going to be know how. I have been studying aquaculture, and curing and dehydrating food stuff for over a year... plus primitive building techniques such as earthen ovens and birch bark lodge construction. If you step up in a community there will be those that will follow, and if you start having some success more will come and help.

Even if you stock pile food and water these supplies will run out. I think the best thing to do is to is to learn as much as you can about preserving and working food in its raw form, this knowledge can and will be in demand in a shtf situation. Learn about water filtering and ways of moving water to where it's needed such as windmills and any ancient or primitive technology...if you can describe what you need to accomplish there will always be someone with a mechanical mind that can make it happen.

Most of you that are stock piling are most likely thinking that you and your family are going to be able to sustain yourselves for the long haul, but this way of thinking is incorrect. Your best bet at survival is going to bring your community together and get organized as soon as possible, if your sitting on a hoard of supplies and not sharing with your neighbors and not participating with rebuilding your community your not gonna last long after your supplies run out or are taken from you by a mob.

We are social animals and our greed is a sickness, think more of the community surviving, learn what you can about food production and how to preserve the fruits of your labors. If a shtf situation occurs be ready to voice what you know and what we should do to survive, at first focus on food water and shelter. If the shtf people are going to be scared and might need a since of direction, be prepared to stand up and say We need to do this or that.

I feel the most important thing is to react accordingly to what ever the situations are.

If your gonna stock pile anything, stock pile seeds

So basically only part of the family... Thanks for the input. And I will have faith to guide me and all who shall be if the case. Be well

reply to post by LDragonFire


Good post and agreed with a lot of it.

I started a thread a few days ago on the seed storage scenario here:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Also started one for basic breads, banock etc here:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Thanks for your input!

reply to post by jude11


Luckilly, my kids are now old enough to carry their own weight and each have their own bag sitting next to mine. I just look at the possible reality of the situation. They are still young and could have a very important role to play in rebuilding a population; hey, who knows.

I am also of the opinion that I will try to help anyone I come across and will even offer them to join me IF I feel they are capable of providing a service to the group. There will not be any propping people up any more if SHTF, people will then become responsible for their own actions, or in-actions.

Insufficient funds.

Probably because I buy tooo many hi-tech electronics like this phone I’m writing this from. However, I think I will start on the food part soon as soon as I can because this thread is encouraging me to get on it and execute my plan. I could do the food and water quick cause they’re the easiest to get a hold of: seeds, instant oatmeal, ramen noodles, rice, and canned food for 6 months to a year.

The thing I really want the most and am excited about getting is guns/ammo, but they are really expensive and I have no immediate use for them. I have a bunch of bb and airsoft guns to take down birds and squirrels, yum, but I definitely need a reliable Glock first, and then 'want' another more powerful pistol, black Desert Eagle, but that one’s not essential. I also know I really need a good hunting rifle to take down large game, like if I had to kill a deer or cow to survive. Add an AK for protection and a silencer for my pistol for stealth and id be set and in debt lol. I can probably only afford the Glock and ammo atm.

The bunker/storage shelter would be the hardest part because it sounds hard and time consuming to build, plus the resources would be expensive, so I’d have to pay a company to build it. I have the space for one but if I’m going to save up for something that big I would much rather have a swimming pool in my backyard...haha, and I seriously doubt my town will be nuked, harped, or gassed anyway.

add to the list: new knives, crossbow, gasmasks, medical supplies, lighters, rope.. anything else extremely essential?

I brought the idea up with my family because they have the money... they just called me a 'nutter' more or less. I was actually really disappointed in them, it mentally made me feel like I got punched in the stomach.
Why?

My mom "thinks" she stocks up by buying 1 case of bottled water and chips on for half price. If the grocery chain ended tomorrow, I would literally kiss my ass goodbye because her version of "stocking up" is if there was one or two anorexic chicks living in a house. We have plasma screen TV's, new cellphones, high speed internet, but damned be thy name if there's enough food to feed me. How can I prepare for a potential disaster with food/water shortages when I struggle to do so myself in a normal routine with a solid cashflow?
I'm further scolded because I decided that having backup supplies is "weird" and I should be focusing on buying a new cellphone because it's more important She constantly calls my dad stupid and says he can't do anything, when I call her that she freaks out and makes my life miserable. She calls others sheep yet is the biggest one. She's a huge bible thumper, too bad she never read the part about "remove the log out of your own eye before removing the speck out of another ones eye"
Moral of the story: There are probably TONS of people in my situation that are dependent upon parents that drop stupidity's bar to a new level. Maybe I just wasn't meant to survive if TSHTF.


My dad who should be the logical one and actually has stuff prepared for car breakdowns...etc, thinks its a waste of money and it'll never happen. He calls me paranoid about various things, and I'm not even discussing anything like WW3 either, I'm talking about simple disasters like extended power outages or flooding.




Actually, I DID try stocking up believe it or not, I hid it in my closet, but guess which of my parents search my closets
That didn't end too well



I'm not religious by any means at all, but Eternal Universe of light and love have mercy on my soul.

“It’s not the strongest who survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most adaptable to
change.” Charles Darwin

reply to post by LDragonFire


People are always talking about being involved in a "community" of like minded souls. See, there's my big problem, I'm not interested in the whole group mentality. I trust myself and my man, and that's about it. I live a very rural life and am so independent, perhaps it will be my downfall...guess I will find out. I don't have a problem with people, it's just I don't want to be around a lot of them. I don't think that bodes well for a "preparedness/survivalist" person, huh? But for me, it's what I prefer.

reply to post by NuclearMitochondria


Sounds like your're a kid living at home and as such, unfortunately, you're at your parent's mercy. Not all of us think our kids are crazy. My sixteen year old thinks much like you and I take that as an opportunity to have real conversations with him, it's an opening to me, to know what's important to him. It's fine by me to stock up on extras; I mean why not? We'll eventually use it and right now it just makes sense to purchase things when they are affordable because before long, they won't be.

Good luck to you and stay true to yourself.

Yes and no....


I grew up in Oklahoma. I have slept through a few 'naders in my life (let me tell you how annoying it is when I'm trying to sleep and I have 9 spaztic family members calling to tell me the whistle is going off!) and I was never prepared for if something actually happened. There was one night I had to call my former boss and say "well, I'm in the bath tub bc the whistle is going off...I might be a minute, in case a tornado blows through". I lived through the tornado on May 3, 1999 in Moore,OK (look it up....it was an F5!) and in that instance, we ran to a shelter across the street, along with God knows how many other neighbors (poor lady probably regretted letting everyone know about it.) In 2007(I believe) in Choctaw, OK we lost power for over a week, right after my mother bought over $200 of frozen foods and meats, which all went bad within a few days. They have a pool, so guess how we used the toilet? Yep, take the pool water, pour it in the tank, hope nobody sees your business...or, just pop a squat outside. (nobody else had electricity on our block either). Fortunately, not EVERYONE's power was out, so we took showers at friends houses many cities over. I slept in the basement because it held the best heat, and fortunately my parents have a fireplace, and were apparently the only ones who had saved firewood (folks were selling small bundles for almost $300 and selling out...I'm talking 9 logs...) Generators were sold out, etc etc etc. THAT sucked. Hence, why I have recently changed my mind on being prepared, at least at a minimum.

It may seem like I have not prepared in the slightest. HOWEVER! I am a military spouse and anyone who has ever been military or married to it will know there is always a PLETHORA of crap in the closets that is work-related. I have ponchos, sleeping bags, ground covers, flashlights, MREs...then of course the "non-issued but required" ( ) things such as tents, more MREs, blankets, special reflective blankets, gerber knives,etc. I have finally convinced my husband that we need to have some kind of bag, in case of a natural disaster, at the very least, now that we have a child. We have agreed that we should limit our stockpile to only things that we would eat now if we needed to...ie, no beany-weenies, no potted meat, nothing that won't be enjoyable/edible regardless of SHTF or not. We are a family of hunters/fishers, even my 2 year old has a Buzz Lightyear fishing bowl and "tackle box"

But are we buying dehydrated foods and special doohickies and other tools? No. Are we stocking up on bottled water? No, however we do have a TON of water bottles that we fill with filtered water. We have lots of friends willing to donate these to us, and we have plenty, it's just not neatly packaged. We keep those in a closet. We DO have a food dehydrator, but it's so far only been used for jerky. We do have a gun, and we do have ammo. My husband has his own hunting bow, and lots of arrows. In short...I may be prepared only for the minimum, but if it turns out I meet my Lord before my supplies are gone, I pray the person who finds them will use them well.

reply to post by Ophiuchus 13



My preps include me. my wife, my brother and his kid, my mother and 5 grown kids and one son in law.

11 people in all.

Originally posted by mwood
reply to post by Ophiuchus 13

 

My preps include me. my wife, my brother and his kid, my mother and 5 grown kids and one son in law.

11 people in all.

Good gravy, sir! You'd better have a lot of room, not only for 'stuff', but the people as well! Kudos to you for taking on such a load though. It's admirable!

reply to post by jude11


I have not prepared a Bug Out Bag. My goal is to manage without it.
If i can manage without anything.
I know i can manage with a bug out bag. That is my philosophy.

I have just finished a approximately 25km (distance in air) walk without anything but what i was wearing. In Norway it is winter at the moment. I just got home yesterday morning after a 13 day's walk. I lost about 4 kg because of the cold weather we have. I had to walk some stages of 24 hour intervals so that i wouldn't freeze to death. My initial goal was to walk for 17 hours and rest for 4 hours.

I am not doing this to prepare for a event, i am doing this because it is my passion.

I have also done a 420 km (distance in air) walk from Stranger to Gardemoen. Where i drew a straight line from where i live to the airport Gardemoen. My goal was to fallow the line no matter what, and take a plain ride home. I did the trip in 19 days. I walked 17 hours intervals and rested for 4 hours. I walked about 1 map in 24 hours.

This is what i brought with me:

1. 70Ltr back pack.
2. Food for 10 days. I bought Real Turmat as base for my food source and mixed them into 10 new bags which are suited to me personally. I added spices and other things to make them more tasty and suitable for my trip. And so that i could eat while i was walking. I only eate one big meal a day.
3. A large knife.
4. 6 piece fly fishing rod. I wanted to teach my self to use a fly fishing rod
5. I bought a 1 man rubber dingy at the gas station.
6. 13 maps 1:50 000 scale. I didn't bring a compass. I used the details on the map and the terrain as source of information.
7. XGK fuel burner. 1 ltr of fuel. 1 box of matches.
8. Climbing rope "static rope" 20m long. I made everything else that i needed to clime and rappel. I started to make the things i needed before i reached to mountains as i was walking towards them. So that i wouldn't waste any time.
9. 5 ltr camel-back to keep water in.

On this trip i actually gained weight. I went from 81kg to 82kg after 19 days.

Maybe I am too hard on people sometimes and I apologize if that's true.

For people that's wanting to learn - good for you.

The ones that get in my crawl fall are the......

1. Why prepare, everybody's gonna die anyways......
2. I will just steal / loot what I need.......
3. I can't afford to prepare because I just spent my money on the new I-pad thingy ma gig....

If you want to learn and can't seem to find it here just Google "Bug out bag", "storing long term food".

A great site for prepping is "Frugal Squirrel" you can find ANYTHING you need there. ANYTHING.
How to trap, hunt, bake bread, fish, store food, maintain a vehicle, anything about firearms, canning food,
recipes, and on & on & on............

It's not like your buying insurance. What should I buy? Asteroid insurance? 2012 ins., flood ins., fire ins., alien ins., economic collapse ins., ect...ect...

What your buying is BASIC NEEDS. FOOD - WATER - SHELTER - PROTECTION

If you have those 4 things it doesn't matter what happens you will be a step ahead of most.

As far as weapons go. Yeah they are expensive but there are SUPER deals if you know where to look.

A great Russian surplus rifle: Mosin Nagant: caliber 7.62x54 >>>>>>> $79.95 seriously !
Ammo for rifle comes in 440 round boxes for >>>>>>>>>>>>> $ 79.99
You can have a rifle and 440 rounds of ammo for about $160 -- at "J&G sales"

With a little gizmo called a "Hammond game getter" you can shoot smaller balls from the rifle using .22 blanks and use the rifle for small game also. you can hunt everything from Rabbits to Elk.

A $400 water filter is nice too but you can make one at home from 2 5 gallon buckets and a couple of $9.99 filters, some silicon, and a drill.

Money is nice but not so important. What's important is KNOWLEDGE !!

Obviously you all have internet capability so there is NO REASON not to gain knowledge except laziness or not caring.

Good luck to those working on it.

If you ever want advice and not be on a public forum, PM me

reply to post by Char-Lee

Can't afford it and if I could might do it sort of in secret..less I get "the stare" or a lecture.
I'm not saying everyone would make fun but some could. It's very uncomfortable.
It's not that it would not help to do so, prepare. It's true that many of us cannot afford to do so.
It's like a bandaid for the mind..this preparation thing..unless something happens that is survivable
such as a tornado. Many that can afford to do so may not be doing so.

Well, to put it as simple as possible, the situation is unsurvivable.

For the longest time I would plan on how to survive this situation or that one. Everything from materials, to skills were considered. When it comes to planning, it isn't prepared or unprepared. It is better to think of it as a survival probability up to 100%. Knowledge gives you better than 0%. Some situations, you cannot achieve 100% survivability.

After considering the situations and my circumstances, I knew for most short term scenarios, I could not acquire the materials necessary to reach or surpass 50%. With the long term, I realized that survivability was 0%.

You can plan to take on and attempt to make it through natural disaster, economic collapse, etc, but for the state humanity is in, the timeline is short and there is no chance of survival.

So, I don't do anything other than read about survival related things. If I had the means, I would do more just for the sheer fun of it all, and because I like planning. Realistically, nothing anyone of us can do will matter.

Nope, if I'm going, I'm going.

But...

I have set up my life so that day-to-day I am using technology that frees me from the usual corporate/urban necessities.

I live in a rural area, of a free democratic country.

I am independent of petrol, the power grid & town water supply.

I have several connections to the internet by different methods. I have satellite radio & TV (but they are not really essentials).

I have cash stored as well as gold & barter goods.

My house is reasonably strongly built, in an elevated position and proofed against cyclone winds and earthquake.

Everything in my house is doubly insulated.

The sewage system is bio-composting and can survive for months without power (I have recently had proof of this when my son inadvertently left it switched off for two months).

Water is stored in two underground tanks (total capacity 11,000 gallons).

Cooking is via gas (stored in two LPG tanks that will last me at least another two years).

I have a supply of meds, food, batteries and water for at least a year, possibly two.

I have a bug out bag & escape plans from my place of work (in the city) which don't use the motorways (i'll use the rail tracks which are straight, level and won't have traffic issues when the SHTF).

And I have set up a network of similarly equipped and prepared friends.

It just makes sense to be self supporting.