You Tell me... what kind of survival topics "You" want to read about

I'd like to see some discussion of the problems specific to social unrest in a survival scenario.

For instance:

-how to cook food, or use a fire for warmth, when the smell may bring predators of the two-legged variety.

-What to do about the sound of a motor or generator, once the silence becomes deafening. With planes grounded and no supply network for gasoline, the roar of most suburban areas will subside. Without the a/c, most people will be sleeping with their windows open.

-Most survival plans I see discussed involve hunting for meat. But once there is no active game warden or police patrols, how will the deer population be affected? Will deer be cleared out in a feeding frenzy, once the grocery stores have all been looted? How far will the sound of a gunshot carry in the silence of a post-industrial world? Wouldn't it be a viable strategy for social parasites to track hunters, and rob them once they've made a kill?

Most posts remark on the danger of social anarchy, but no specific plans are made, other than to have the biggest guns. I wonder whether specific strategies might address the problems of hunting, cooking, or actually using all the gear you've save up.

Storys about what people have gotten up to when they go out into the wilderness, like creepy, strange stuff that get's people exited and fired up about the outdoors again

I think water is the most critical resource to cover. This is where even the folks who prep heavy may fail. The reason being the systems they choose do not have the lifespan to withstand a long term event such as 5-7 years.

I pride myself in having three systems. In reality two will reach their max lifespans in 1-2 years. The third in six years.

I obviously believe I have 30 more years on this rock at best so why haven't I covered all of that time? I can't say. Chasing too many other things in the complex structure needed to sustain. Might be able to go 9-10 years of nomadic life if all systems performed to specs but they seldom do. As a nomad I can't really pack around a 4 stage stainless steel distiller.... then again none of the field expedient methods are 100% safe, and a fire to boil every day is not part of my staying in the shadows and never being noticed philosophy.

That basically leaves ceramic cleanable filters. And of course the better those work the shorter the lifespan.

Originally posted by kro32
With all the people heading out into the wilderness with their survival stuff when the big emergency comes what is your honest opinion on the survival rate of these folks. Reading books and frequenting survival forums is good but would you be willing to tell us how many of these people actually have a chance on making it.

Honestly... it depends on what time of year they have to move.... here in North American this time of year summer they have a pretty good chance of establishing themselves somewhere else...just a guess but maybe a 60% first year survival rate.... but id this SHTF event occurs over the winter... we could see survival rates as low as 10 in per thousand... most of those loses from exposure...

reply to post by dr_strangecraft


Obviously you'll want your fires cooking or heat to be as smokeless as possible... hardwoods are a good choice.... very dry pine as long as it doesn't have too much resin...Ideally you want to burn on a moonless night or on a windy day where any smoke will be quickly dispersed.... do your cooking in bulk then you can reheat left over in a makeshift solar oven...

as for hunting... you know a lot of modern Americans simply don't know how to hunt.... or sure they might dismantle the domestic cattle populations but real wildlife knows where hunters are in the woods... especially loud noisy bushwhacking don't know what their doing want-a-be hunters... So coming from a very experienced Elk hunter... A lot of people will be eating their pets long before they get close enough to a deer to get a shot off...

there's a good reason we call hunting an art...a skill... it takes training and experience to master.... A good hunter isnt going to kill off all his pray, only take what he needs.... as for the other's... they can eat their poodles winner dogs

Originally posted by dr_strangecraft

I'd like to see some discussion of the problems specific to social unrest in a survival scenario.

For instance:

-how to cook food, or use a fire for warmth, when the smell may bring predators of the two-legged variety.

-What to do about the sound of a motor or generator, once the silence becomes deafening. With planes grounded and no supply network for gasoline, the roar of most suburban areas will subside. Without the a/c, most people will be sleeping with their windows open.

-Most survival plans I see discussed involve hunting for meat. But once there is no active game warden or police patrols, how will the deer population be affected? Will deer be cleared out in a feeding frenzy, once the grocery stores have all been looted? How far will the sound of a gunshot carry in the silence of a post-industrial world? Wouldn't it be a viable strategy for social parasites to track hunters, and rob them once they've made a kill?

Most posts remark on the danger of social anarchy, but no specific plans are made, other than to have the biggest guns. I wonder whether specific strategies might address the problems of hunting, cooking, or actually using all the gear you've save up.

Those are all critical topics that should be covered in depth.

I will add one more. How to locate your camp so it is bypassed and missed by people trained to hunt down and find humans. My old buddy who passed was LRRP on the cambodian-viet border. He taught me the secrets they used to find hidden encampments in the mountains. That would be a great topic to cover as it relates back to a couple in your list above.