Commonality for Survival.

I have eyeballed the survival threads and while many are very informative, there is a not a common thread between them all that hasn’t been discussed that I have found. This SHTF thread is mainly, but not limited to those who will be moving to another location in this scenario. I am trying to provide food for thought. Like I said, this is mainly for those on the go.

You must think along the lines of ONE thing when it comes to bugging out.

Commonality.

I will say that I am not the know all and be all with regards to survival in SHTF situations. Situations dictate your actions. I will try to keep it short and sweet though. It is up to you to do the research to see how it fits into your plans. All I offer is advice.

AMMUNITION: While Soviet bloc type weapons are prolific throughout the US, that type of ammo will run out pretty quick. No Law enforcement or Governmental agency of any type that I know of carries this ammo. Common ammo is 5.56 NATO, 7.62 NATO (.308 WIN), 12 GA., 9mm & 45 ACP, are the most common ammo types found amongst Mil/LEO type shooters. I would also keep an eye on future government contracts. SOCOM uses 6.8 more and more and where SOCOM goes, so does the conventional military eventually. Weapons that fire NATO or SOCOM rounds are more expensive. So there is that to take into consideration.

FOOD: Many people advise dehydrated foods are best for traveling. Maybe, depending upon the length of your trip, and whether you are driving or humping the bush. But they can be bulky in the long run. But you need to keep yourself educated as to other forms of nutrition. If you are humping the boonies, I guarantee that most people will leave pet food behind, they just don’t think of it as food until it’s too late. Stock on the dried food as it will last longer. Milk Bones dog treats can be good snack to help you on your way. They fill the belly and give you energy. Eat no more than two at a time. Needless to say, knowing the local fauna and wildlife will augment your diet. Save the pet food for emergencies. Bugs are always an option as well. Food is everywhere; you just have to able to stomach it.

VEHICLES: My recommendation would be a Chevy Diesel pickup followed by any of other big three Diesel pickups. They are all over the US. Many just sit rusting in fields and industrial areas waiting to be stripped for parts. If a EMP detonated over the US, you’ll not only find parts, but more than likely fuel. The American economy may run on Diesel, but the American individual runs on gas. It’ll take a while for people to catch on. If you have to run on gasoline for transpo, the Ford Ranger is your best bet as they are a dime a dozen, can carry a small load and are fairly stable and are reliable. (You’ll have to find parts for the these vehicles in the event of a EMP to make them run again)

SHELTER: Shelter comes in many forms, but it HAS to be sturdy and defensible. You never know how long you have to live there. Any free time should be spent making it better. It just may be your new home.

COMMUNICATION: Walkie talkies are good, Short wave even better, though bulky. Learning Morse code, or coming up within your group a signal system will pay dividends. It will help prevent friendly fire incidents and be a way for communicating to others the need for assistance or help.

MEDICINE: Man-made medicines have a shelf life. And in a SHTF scenario, they are not being produced again anytime soon. Aspirin lasts the longest. Once again, flora and fauna come into play. Ancient man has used various plants for remedies and cures. Get to know them. Almost anything can be used as a bandage. In today’s age, a curtain, a strip from your pants, anything made from cloth can bind a wound.

ENERGY: Wally world, Home Depot, Lowes, etc all sell solar powered lawn lamps. Not the best light to be sure, but portable. LED lights also have a long life. You can but “AA” rechargeable batteries that can be charged using solar cells. If you decide to hunker down, you can provide energy to your tech gadgets using a homemade generator. The plans are on line. I suggest you print them and put them in B-O bag.

DAY TO DAY: You should always carry a knife, or multi-tool no matter where you go. Concealable pistol as well, if you have one. (If you don’t have one, get one). If you are moving from one point to another a Tactical vest comes in handy. It should be a mini version of what you carry on your back in case you have to dump your load for speed. 1st aid, ammo, fire kit, snacks, etc.

One last thing. Learn to read a compass. Buy one, they’re fairly cheap. And always move at night.

I look forward to your ideas and thoughts.

Justa addition... not long term depending on what scenario youre speaking of, but before you go all eating milk bones and dog food... these are one of the best things we found for packing and etc.. our family camping trips are more like preparation for armageddon trips IN any case.. these also are THE best tasting and nutritious. You know that graham cracker type pie crust stuff? THESE are like eating that and not a milk bone :

beprepared.com...

reply to post by Advantage


Yep, I've tasted those and they are good, but milk bones are a heck of a lot cheaper and easier to find.

I'm talking about a Point A to Point B situation as many won't stay put. I just hope my Point B is still there when I get there. But I do keep my options open, ya know?

Yeah, I got a case of the DATREX® 3600 Calorie Food Bar. They are decently tasty, and really don't make you all that thirsty, but each does weigh a bit, so you may only be able to pack a few in the BOB.

Might also consider Magnesium Fire Starter, and making your own wax cotton balls. Wax cotton balls are compact, and you can use just a very little bit to get a fire going. The wax makes it burn longer and gives it a quazi-waterproof coating.

Here is one more thing that is worth getting: P38 Can Opener. It is light-weight and a lot of people don't think about a can opener.

Rope or Cord is a must for shelter, food trapping, tree climbing and a myriad of other uses. If you get the cord, it will be lighter weight, but it may not hold that much weight. Small tarps, or large trash bags would be good as well.

I'll see if I can find my list for a Bug Out Bag for the survivalist on the go and post it for scrutiny.

reply to post by Skada


My P38 is always around my neck as I may lose my Gerber. I have 550 cors stached all over. As Tony the Toger sez, It's GREEEaaaat!

I don't have time to link every item, so I just linked the ones that might be confusing. I think all together this should weigh less then 50 lbs if done right, and of course you can add or subtract items as needed.

Survival Basics Inventory – quantity could be substituted as 1-2 per person as necessary)
Fold-up Water Bottles
2 tarps
2 Mess Kit
2 travel pack First Aid
Metal items\3 metal cups
2 insect nets
Insect repellant
Weapons (darts, knives, Stars, Spear, Poison, Blow-dart gun, etc)
Copper wire - trap making
Fire starters (lighters, cotton wax, flint)
Fabric scraps
1 Spice Kit
Bandana
Sunscreen
2 rain ponchos
Garbage bags
Gardening stuff (Spade, gloves, seed kit)
Batteries
Fuses - Fire works type not electronics
Hooks - for fishing
Sewing Kit
Snake Bite Kit
Compass
Playing cards
Wind-up flashlight\ 3 mini flashlights
Rope
Water purification items-purification tablets, filters

[Makeshift purification-barrel with layers of sand and charcoal (about 2-4 layers of each) some sort of screen at the bottom with holes and a catch basin at the bottom for water reclamation for potable use.]

Medicinal
Bandages, First Aid kits, Ointments, antibiotics, pain relievers, snake bite kit, tourniquets, medical tape, cotton swabs, alcohol, Scissors, sewing kit, thread,

Food Prep items
Throwing knives, spears, mess kit, fishing hooks, fishing line, Blowdart gun, seed kit, copper goblet, fold-up water bottles, Lighters, cotton wax, matches, work gloves, spice kit, water purification items,

Weapons\tools
Throwing knives, Spears, metal items, Throwing stars, poisons, blowdart gun, rope, hammer, vise grips, nails, spade, hooks,

Miscellaneous
Tarps, blankets, flashlights, candles, playing cards, fuses, potting soil, sleeping bags, books, copper wire, satchels, backpacks, rain gear,

Hygiene kit
Soaps, Brushes\combs, nail file, wet wipes, travel tooth brush, nail clippers, tweezers, towels\rags,


For each backpack:
Mess kit
Flashlight
Matchbook
Rope
First Aid kit
Notebook and pencils
3-4MREs
Weapon\tool kit
Water bottle
Playing cards
Bar of soap
Blanket\sleeping bag
Fishing line
Survival Kit-in-a-can
Leather working gloves

Medical kit should contain:
Couple dozen different sizes of bandages + Ace, Medical tape, Scissors, Ointment and creams,
Alcohol (Everclear) and cotton swabs, Q-tips, Tweezers, Nail clippers, Pain relievers (Tylenol, Aleve),
Pick (Scalpel, needle), snake bite kit, feminine pads (Hope), Tourniquet, Insect repellant, Sunscreen , bar of soap

Weapon\tool kit should contain:
Vise grip, hammer, 2-3 spear-heads, 2-3 different knives, spade, some rope, multi-purpose tool, flares, glow sticks, sharpening tool, sewing needle and thread, slingshot and ammo\blow-dart gun and ammo, sturdy working gloves, poisons, netting, matches, cotton wax, fuses

Other backpack space should hold:
Mess kit, blanket (flannel or wool), notebooks and pencils (sharpener and erasers), MREs, water bottle, playing cards, flashlight, Survival Kit-in-a-can, Assorted Hard Candy

reply to post by Skada


Velly niiiice

Another round that should be discussed is the lowly .22. Most people think the .22 is a puny round, but because of how light it is you can carry much .22 ammo than 9mm or .45acp and it is very easy to find, because people will focus on the heavier rounds listed above while they are scavenging for rounds. The .22 is much quieter, especially if you can find subsonic rounds or you have a surpresser. As I understand it, if you have a suppresser, wheather your using subsonic or regular rounds doesn't matter.

Also bikes should be considered as a mode of travel. They are quieter and can have a trailer hooked up, or have bags attached. They aren't as fast or as capable of carrying things as the truck listed above, but they can go around a road full of cars. They also don't require gas, which is important. And they can significantly increse the distance a person can travel in a day when compaired to walking.

Finally you need to have several plans for varying situations. If it makes more sense to hunker down in place then do so. If you need to leave be ready to leave, fast and with a clear destination in mind. Indeed, you want to have at least two different plans for each of those senarios, as well as a plan should you need to leave the safety of the place you have chosen to stay.

reply to post by Skada


Not a bad list, this is what my current business is (Survival products and research), I will check with the mods to see how much leeway I have since I'm not here to promote that but it's clearly evident that many members would/could benefit from it.

But to your list, the Coghlan's snakebite kit is not bad, I would suggest changing over to the Sawyer Extractor Pump, it's by far more superior, more functionality than just snake bites, and ALOT quicker to use, all without having to break out a scalpel, which lowers the chance for infection.

Thanks guys (or gals). All very informative replies. I do like the bicycle idea and have thought of it before but it did pass unnoticed through the ‘ol noggin. My idea was to get people to think about keep things common. The lowly .22 cal is a great one. In this case for commonality purposes, I would recommend the Ruger 10/22 and the Ruger Charger. Though you can always modify (Illegal in many states) a 10/22 to Charger specs and beyond and it would probablt be chaepers as well. Parts, ammo and mags are the same.

I was just trying to get people to think past the Tacti-cool stuff. And think of the day to day items, just so they can get through….well, the day alive.

I purposely left out firearms as in a SHTF situation, these items (ammo and gun parts, not to mention what is needed to clean them) would be harder to come across. I would suggest slingshots, blowdart guns, and spears. These are not only silent, but do not jam when not cleaned, just get dull. Blowdarts can be retrieved, and rocks/ammo can be found for a slingshot or even made by melting metal and dropping in to a large container of water to make them as round as possible.

Any other suggestions for my list there?

I got my rounds and food, wanna get more shotgun rounds, they are the most usefull. Have about over 1000 .22 rounds and got the food, just need more of the conviencies. Also I like the idea of a bugout bag to take with you to work or wherever should a disaster happen while you are out.