gotta bring my armor (clickity clank i think i'm a tank :lol
. but seriously in a SHTF in a big way scenario there will unfortunately be quite a few
people out there who will just try to TAKE what they want/need. so protection is a good thing. chain mail is easy to make if rather boring and time
consuming. if all else fails you can take a lesson from the Japanese, who didn't have great quantities of metal so made a lot of their armor out of
wood. even leather can be used for protection as i is tougher than your skin. dip leather into melted wax and let it soak and then form it produces a
VERY hard durable material, also useful for liquid containers (just not hot liquid).
bullets run out so low tech weapons like bows,swords,axes and maces ect will be handy to have. even a good solid walking stick ie a bo staff makes
for a decent protective weapon, not as good as my pole mace but a bo staff is both good for offense and defense. many posters seem to have picked up
that low tech weapons would be a good thing to have.
of course having weapons is good but if you don't know how to use them properly you could find yourself in great difficulty. just take for example
swords. a typical European type sword is made for hitting the target with force, using that
force to cut. now if you just swing your arm, not
only will you not have as much force (unless of course you are built like a brick house full of muscle), but your arm will tire quickly. you need to
use your body to wield it effectively twisting at your hips. this uses your body to create the force needed to hack at your opponent.
now take the typical "samurai" sword, this sword is typically razor sharp if you have a good one and not a cheap knockoff. but it uses completely
different moves. to use it to hack at an opponent like a European sword chances are you will damage or break it (high tempered steel is a bit on the
fragile side). to use one of these you use a
drawing motion, that is you pull it back as you come in for the cut. effectively you are slicing
your opponent rather then hacking at them. now if your opponent is wearing metal or chain mail you can't effectively use a samurai sword against
areas that are protected. you have to go for unprotected spots only, or try to cut any straps holding the armor onto the person. and just so you know
most swords found on the general market are USELESS crap. if you insist on using one you need a quality blade.
in general unless you know how to use a sword you are likely to be a danger to yourself and others on your side. for those who don't know how to
fight weapons like maces (pretty much a club), or other simple weapons like a bo staff are far more likely to help you. anyone can swing a club just
keep in mind to use your whole body to swing it as arms tire quickly. most club like weapons require you to be right up at your opponent where
something like a staff is used farther out away from your opponent. knives and daggers are also decent weapons, but again knowing how to use them is
key, in order to use a knife one has to be right up in the face of an attacker. now if one is up against say a sword in their face is the best place
to be since swords like staffs are more distance weapons. by being up close and personal they are unable to attack you effectively. again this type of
thing is where KNOWING HOW to use your weapons comes into play. different weapons are used in different ways. not really knowing can be a hazard all
on it's own
the best form of protection is actually numbers. forming a group to travel and "camp" with is probably the best deference at all. most attackers
will not want to risk attacking a larger group unless they think they have a major advantage. after all they likely don't want to risk getting
killed.most of these scavengers will primarily attack small groups or "weak" groups.
not only is a group better for protection it can mean that you have many skills available. this can be a key point for survival. especially in the
beginning of a crises, having many hands means that as some people deal with setting up shelters others can prepare meals, while yet others can be out
foraging and hunting. if you suspect a prolonged time of crises any storable food should be left alone if at all possible for emergencies, living off
the land should start immediately. you should also try to preserve as much as possible. especially in colder climates vegetable type food will be hard
to come by, even some animal life will tend to disappear, making something like daily foraging an unrewarding task. also in a group planting, taking
care of plants as well as harvesting works better with more people involved. so being in a decent sized group would be a good plan.
