Preparing: Buying Guns? - Building a Survival Kit!

Hello all, I've been growing concerned of our future and I think it is time for me to get prepared. I have two topics I want to discuss. The first, is whether or not I should buy a gun (i'll explain my situation further below). And the second topic I'd like to talk about is, what should be in a survival kit! I have a couple ideas I'd like to share as well.

(TOPIC 1 - GUNS or NO?)
Okay, so here it goes! I am 19, and I have approximately 3k saved up. In all honestly, I would love to put together a dream-survival-kit, but that's expensive. I have concerns about the economy tanking soon (and all hell breaking loose), so I might as well liquidate my savings and buy useful things. -- The only problem is, I don't want to spend it all and end up with no money, and the "end" never comes. That would seriously # my situation up, as I am paying for a car with that money. If the "end" is approaching, then obviously paying monthly payments for a car that will have little use (no gas, eventually) would be a waste. So that's my problem, I am stuck on what to do.

So basically, I need you guys' opinion on what I should do. Building a survival kit really won't spend that much of my money, but buying guns absolutely will use up a chunk of that money. -- Should I buy guns, or do you not think it is necessary yet?

I used to have a .38 Revolver, but threw it away for personal reasons. Biggest mistake ever, and I've regretted it since. But at the moment, I got my hands on a brand new single-shot .22 Short. Obviously it's a small gun, and wouldn't really do much damage really (would do some damage, but the reload would be a major fault), but it is definitely better than nothing! So that's my current gun situation. I went to Bass Pro and they had a HUGE selection of guns, and that has inspired me to get a bigger and better handgun. Though underage, I'm sure I could get one. # the law, the "end" is near (most likely), and I want to stay safe from all the desperate people trying to # everyone over.

The lowest priced gun they had was 230$ (small 9mm I think), which is not bad, but I would prefer a revolver. Basically it'd never jam, very durable. But the revolvers were in the 500$ range. But anyway, the question is, should I get a gun, and if so, what gun would you personally recommend?


(TOPIC 2 - SURVIVAL KITS/PACKS!)
So on to the next topic of my thread. I will definitely be making a survival backpack; whether I get a gun or not. I just want to have a well equipped pack, and I thought I'd ask you guys for more ideas!

I've been sitting here for a bit, and I've came up with a few things, but I would greatly appreciate any input on what I should add! NOTE: This backpack really can't be too heavy, for obvious reasons. No point in caring something you can't run with, otherwise you're just a walking target with supplies. Oh, and you can even tell me if I should take items out of my future survival backpack.

*Outdoors Backpack (lots of pockets, with double strap to keep it tightly on my body)*
- 10 or more lighters..
- High grade machete (with saw on the other side of blade - saw it at bass pro)..
- Stable steel knife, 6 - 7 inches in length..
- Light switch blade..
- Pocket knife..
- Anywhere from 5 - 10 rounds of duct tape..
- Mirror..
- Crank powered flashlight..
- Compass..
- Map (at least of my state, though I'd want a national map.. if they make one)..
- Bind of synthetic string (more durable)..
- Couple of Carabiners..
- One or two thermal blankets (very light weight)..
- Flint..
- Knife sharpener..
- Medicine; small bottle of peroxide, bottle of Acetametaphin (fever reducer), and maybe some speed and or Xanax to treat either slow CNS or over-stimulated CNS.. (?)
- Seeds, though I wouldn't need them unless I made a permanent camp (marijuana seeds, vegtables seeds, fruits seeds, etc) (?)
- Hammer (?)
- Ammo (this one is actually a problem, as many of you know, ammo boxes are actually pretty heavy, unfortunately)
- Water cantine, maybe with an in-built filter?
- Band-aids, not so much to heal the wound or anything, but to keep dirt out, and to remind me I have a wound there in the first place, so I don't make it worse..
- Tooth brush, will help in the long run, as there won't be some dentist if # hits the fan..
- Axe..

That's all I can think of at the moment, and like I said, the items I've listed might be too heavy to carry on the back, so I might very well need to limit the amount of things I can take with me. -- If I wasn't so attached to my girlfriend, and friends, I'd leave right now and just start a life in the middle of nowhere (Texas, where I live). I don't think I could do that, unless "mandatory". If I did leave right now with like a truck, than then obviously I could take whatever the # I want with me, even a tent haha. That'd be nice to just stay in one place, but in all honesty I'll probably be here (small town outside of Dallas) till # hits the fan, and I will most likely become a nomad till I can find a proper place that suits my needs.

Feel free to add or take away items, any advice will be greatly appreciated! Oh and if you recommend any specific weapon or item, a picture or link would be great, for a detailed reference. -- Sorry if my thread is scatted, I've known about a lot of current and future events, but I am really just now thinking about getting together a survival kit / plan. -- I look forwards to seeing your replies!

Oh, and if you have the time, feel free to post your personal survival kit and or plans. I'd love to see it! Also, maybe tell me who you might possibly be traveling with when # goes wrong. (friends? family? ...?) -- Personally I see myself alone, as much as it would suck. Not much people I know are aware about current global events and or future # to come. And if they are, they aren't prepared, so naturally they'd be useless (not to be harsh, it's true though)

I'd buy something that you could use in both situations.... like a cheap high dry chunk of land.

If the shtf then you could perhaps have a place to go for refuge, but if the S does not HTF, then you could do a little work on it when you feel like it, hang out there and eventually build on it... which would save you buttloads on rent and construction.

that's what i would do. i know other people who will be hording supplies and guns but very few people in my family have good land.

Originally posted by BlackSatinDancer
I'd buy something that you could use in both situations.... like a cheap high dry chunk of land.

If the shtf then you could perhaps have a place to go for refuge, but if the S does not HTF, then you could do a little work on it when you feel like it, hang out there and eventually build on it... which would save you buttloads on rent and construction.

that's what i would do. i know other people who will be hording supplies and guns but very few people in my family have good land.

Well the thing about hording is, even in a small town, your/my house will probably be looted... several times over. So that's why I want to travel light, and just move on. But yes, I am about a 5 - 15 minute drive to where there is open land. Like I said, I am in a town that is kinda big, but I live on the outskirts of that town. Hell, when SHTF, I could probably even squat off someones land near me hahaha. But I want to get really far away, no need to be paranoid 24/7.

But yeah, about buying land, I've always wanted to have my own land. No matter if # goes wrong or not. Not that you're an expert on land prices, but how much do you think a nice chunk of land is?

Most of your answers are found here:
www.abovetopsecret.com...
www.abovetopsecret.com...
www.abovetopsecret.com...
www.abovetopsecret.com...
www.abovetopsecret.com...

You can't go wrong using asset allocation for your savings ...

1) 1/3 to safe, low yield long term savings for like, retirement
2) 1/3 to safe low yield savings to use for large purchases, like say property
3) 1/3 to risky investments with potentially high returns

Don't mix the three except to put any high risk winnings back into all three evenly.

I'm of the mind you should approach survival (whose future can also not be predicted) in the same way.

You have alot of weight and have not even included pottable water or food.

This is the problem with most peoples "ideas" of bug out. You have no place to really go. If you had a place to go you could have most of this already in place and bug out fast and get there fast.

If I was going to recommend anything in your situation it would be a way to carry this much stuff easier. A cart ofsome sort. The more yo carry the slower you are. if yo have no food/drink you wont get far at all.

Stick to legal firearms young man, it would suck real bad to be in jail if catastrophe happens. It would also suck real bad if nothing happens and you have a felony on your record. See if you can find yourself a Kel Tec Sub 2000. Your best bet is a 9mm model that accepts glock magazines. The reason I recommend this is because of the low price of 9mm ammo, the low weight of the rifle for hoofing it, and the low cost of the rifle. Most importantly you can get a matching handgun when you do turn 21, a glock 17 or 19, that will be compatible with those magazines and ammunition. Current model semi auto are as reliable as anything with just a little know how on maintaining them. A good cheap bug out bag would be a surplus Alice pack if you are sure you will be rural. If you have to make you way into the city it will stick out though, so just a plain jane jansport would be a better choice to blend in. As far as the contents of your bag, the focus should be on a knife big enough to process/baton wood(ax is too heavy), a tarp/rope for shelter, some kind of water storage/filtration, fire making, and some light food. Make sure not get a cheap knife, get quality like something from Ontario. There are many books on the subject, read as much as you can. There are many websites that go over this sort of information, read as much as you can. The most important thing you can carry is your mind. If you have any friends or family with military experience pick there head for information. Good luck.

Originally posted by Motumz

Originally posted by BlackSatinDancer
I'd buy something that you could use in both situations.... like a cheap high dry chunk of land.

If the shtf then you could perhaps have a place to go for refuge, but if the S does not HTF, then you could do a little work on it when you feel like it, hang out there and eventually build on it... which would save you buttloads on rent and construction.

that's what i would do. i know other people who will be hording supplies and guns but very few people in my family have good land.

Well the thing about hording is, even in a small town, your/my house will probably be looted... several times over. So that's why I want to travel light, and just move on. But yes, I am about a 5 - 15 minute drive to where there is open land. Like I said, I am in a town that is kinda big, but I live on the outskirts of that town. Hell, when SHTF, I could probably even squat off someones land near me hahaha. But I want to get really far away, no need to be paranoid 24/7.

But yeah, about buying land, I've always wanted to have my own land. No matter if # goes wrong or not. Not that you're an expert on land prices, but how much do you think a nice chunk of land is?

that can vary from a couple grand to millions. many things play a factor. I could find a small plot of land very close to me for a few thousand and one day it would be a nice big yard for a good house but currently there is no power poles, no cable and in some cases, no roads. all these things are workable though... it depends on what you are looking for and what you are willing to put into work wise. some people dread the thought of moving ANYWHERE where things are not already completely done, whereas some people are just itching to start digging their own well... there's a lot of questions you should ask yourself when looking for land. the first thing being what area of the world do you want to be in. start there and then you will have to wade through some stuff but getting land is not hard... it's not. f you have money to invest in land, it would be a much better investment to buy it outright than to have it financed but in many cases, you can get land with no credit. not so easy to do with a house. with bad credit situations in the world today, you might want to consider never depending on credit... just my 2 cents. buying land outright is seriously a good foundation to start with... for many reasons.

Originally posted by wiandiii
Stick to legal firearms young man, it would suck real bad to be in jail if catastrophe happens. It would also suck real bad if nothing happens and you have a felony on your record. See if you can find yourself a Kel Tec Sub 2000. Your best bet is a 9mm model that accepts glock magazines. The reason I recommend this is because of the low price of 9mm ammo, the low weight of the rifle for hoofing it, and the low cost of the rifle. Most importantly you can get a matching handgun when you do turn 21, a glock 17 or 19, that will be compatible with those magazines and ammunition. Current model semi auto are as reliable as anything with just a little know how on maintaining them. A good cheap bug out bag would be a surplus Alice pack if you are sure you will be rural. If you have to make you way into the city it will stick out though, so just a plain jane jansport would be a better choice to blend in. As far as the contents of your bag, the focus should be on a knife big enough to process/baton wood(ax is too heavy), a tarp/rope for shelter, some kind of water storage/filtration, fire making, and some light food. Make sure not get a cheap knife, get quality like something from Ontario. There are many books on the subject, read as much as you can. There are many websites that go over this sort of information, read as much as you can. The most important thing you can carry is your mind. If you have any friends or family with military experience pick there head for information. Good luck.

edit on 27-8-2011 by wiandiii because: for added content

Thank you for your insight, I've never looked at it that way. Being stuck in jail would SUCKKK, especially if SHTF while I was there.

I basically fell in love with the gun you suggested, and it's only 410$! Completely worth it, and it folds, easily concealed in a backpack. Thank you so much for your information. I will spend all day tomorrow gathering supplies, and of course, I will soon order that gun. I will most likely buy a bunch of #, and continue to grow my "to-go" bag (based on what more people suggest), and basically spend my free time testing out different alternatives to what I should put in my bag. Thanks a ton!

Originally posted by Eavel
You have alot of weight and have not even included pottable water or food.

This is the problem with most peoples "ideas" of bug out. You have no place to really go. If you had a place to go you could have most of this already in place and bug out fast and get there fast.

If I was going to recommend anything in your situation it would be a way to carry this much stuff easier. A cart ofsome sort. The more yo carry the slower you are. if yo have no food/drink you wont get far at all.

The problem is that water is the heaviest item I could carry, so basically all I would carry is a cantine full. Unless I had a camp set-up in which case I would store and ration a bunch of water.

I actually have a dirtbike that I could attach a trailer to (small trailer for hauling dirt). Maybe I could use that to haul 3x more stuff. It's the fuel that is the problem, though dirtbikes are extremely fuel efficient.

Originally posted by Violater1

Most of your answers are found here:
www.abovetopsecret.com...
www.abovetopsecret.com...
www.abovetopsecret.com...
www.abovetopsecret.com...
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Very helpful, thanks! Especially the thread about what to watch for signs that # is about to go bad.

Originally posted by BlackSatinDancer
that can vary from a couple grand to millions. many things play a factor. I could find a small plot of land very close to me for a few thousand and one day it would be a nice big yard for a good house but currently there is no power poles, no cable and in some cases, no roads. all these things are workable though... it depends on what you are looking for and what you are willing to put into work wise. some people dread the thought of moving ANYWHERE where things are not already completely done, whereas some people are just itching to start digging their own well... there's a lot of questions you should ask yourself when looking for land. the first thing being what area of the world do you want to be in. start there and then you will have to wade through some stuff but getting land is not hard... it's not. f you have money to invest in land, it would be a much better investment to buy it outright than to have it financed but in many cases, you can get land with no credit. not so easy to do with a house. with bad credit situations in the world today, you might want to consider never depending on credit... just my 2 cents. buying land outright is seriously a good foundation to start with... for many reasons.

In all honesty, buying land would be completely worth it, but how do I know where I buy my land will be safe from looters/scavengers? Research or what? I don't even know how to start researching for safe land that no one would really walk through.

In all honesty, I will probably head South-East and find some nice land to squat on and just make camp there. There is a possibility of the owner coming back, but in my opinion that would be rare. So much land is out here that nobody uses, it's just there.

The problem with land out here is, there isn't much 'forests'. So camp could probably be sighted easily if people were passing through. Especially if I had fire going. #, that's a problem.

reply to post by Motumz


Well ill go through your list and tell you what i have.

Outdoors Backpack (lots of pockets, with double strap to keep it tightly on my body)*
- 10 or more lighters..
* only 3. plus matches and a magnesium fire starter
- High grade machete (with saw on the other side of blade - saw it at bass pro)..
* Gerber, bought from Acadamy for about $20
- Stable steel knife, 6 - 7 inches in length..
* Buck nitehawk $40. walmart now carries SOG knives but the nitehawk feels much better.
- Light switch blade..
* i dont carry one
- Pocket knife..
* a classic buck knife and a small swiss army knive. also a Gerber multi-tool
- Anywhere from 5 - 10 rounds of duct tape..
* i only carry two, both black
- Mirror..
* yes,
- Crank powered flashlight..
* no, but i need one
- Compass..
* two, both colemans
- Map (at least of my state, though I'd want a national map.. if they make one)..
* one of my home country, Texas.
- Bind of synthetic string (more durable)..
* spider line fishing line, its much stronger.
- Couple of Carabiners..
* no, i may but i prefer stealth, all metel buckels are ducttaped.
- One or two thermal blankets (very light weight)..
* i carry four
- Flint..
* no
- Knife sharpener..
* yes, just a simple wet stone
- Medicine; small bottle of peroxide, bottle of Acetametaphin (fever reducer), and maybe some speed and or Xanax to treat either slow CNS or over-stimulated CNS.. (?)
* i carry a small trauma kit, $40 and a field surgical kit $28. ill send you the web links.
- Seeds, though I wouldn't need them unless I made a permanent camp (marijuana seeds, vegtables seeds, fruits seeds, etc) (?)
* no seeds
- Hammer (?)
* no
- Ammo (this one is actually a problem, as many of you know, ammo boxes are actually pretty heavy, unfortunately)
* 200 rounds 9mm 5 mags, 100 12 gauge, 1000+ 5.56 16 30rnd mags 2 20rnd mags the rest is loose. i also carry 60 rounds of 762x39 and 762x51
- Water cantine, maybe with an in-built filter?
* 3 cantines and 2 camel backs, 1 is for backup.
- Band-aids, not so much to heal the wound or anything, but to keep dirt out, and to remind me I have a wound there in the first place, so I don't make it worse..
* see above
- Tooth brush, will help in the long run, as there won't be some dentist if # hits the fan..
* 3
- Axe..
* no
* i also carry a poncho, two pairs of MARPAT bdu pants, 1 MARPAT shirt, 50ft climbing rope, iodine tablets for water, an old mess kit, a shemagh, some gold and silver(mostly silver), a boony hat, tinted goggles. i also have a western poncho that can double as a shelter or sleeping mat. plus my three weapons. A DR200 5.56, Browning Hi-Power 9mm and a mossberg 500.


while that is alot to carry, i am a large sob. multi use items are something to think about. my carry system is all MOLLE. the machete is mounted on the left side of my pack while the shotgun is on the right in a scabbard. i carry 4 30 rnd mags on each leg. plus 3 more on my vest. my 9 and its 5 mags are all on the vest.

as for clothing. you can get bdus in solid colors. they have more pockets to carry stuff. if you go that route you want the poly cotton blend ripstop. its the most durable.

Still killing me. The dirtbike idea is a good one, fast, agile, move more items with an attachment.

Carrying everything even if your a big person means = your SLOW

most people will not have all this crap on them. They will have guns and maybe ammunition (for your sake ?i hope not) you look more like a fat treasure troll than a surviving aftermath. They will kill you if they are hungry, tired, stressed, thirsty, element exhausted.

Do yourself a favor and figure out how to carry a lot, even if it is a cart and your pushing it. Make sure it has 16" or larger bicycle wheels so you can tackle terrain easier. That is slow moving but you are faster than trying ti walk around with 100 pounds of crap on. you wont move very far, mine as well squat at that point and wait out the starvation, extremely dangerous as looters will be rampant.

reply to post by Eavel


I can do 10 miles in just under 2 hours with that gear on. but i can do it faster if i toss it in my Land Cruiser. it took me a bit to work up to that. my pack has four straps with quick release clasps, which i can drop with one hand. my system has been thought out and tested. plus i am always refining it.

Don't waste your time with any pistol caliber carbine if your goal is survival. An SKS or a Mosin-Nagant cost about $300 or $100 respectively, surplus ammunition is available for even less than 9mm for com-bloc rifle ammo, and both are as powerful and reliable as any other weapons in their class.

Pistol cartridges are not powerful enough to provide reliable kills past 100 yards, especially in terms of hunting. And that is considering a carbine like the kel-tec. Guns like the kel-tec are good for certain applications, but there are far more versatile options when you choose a rifle.

A low end shotgun is also an option if you are limiting yourself to one firearm. I started with a $300 Remington 870 because it offers extraordinary hunting/self defense versatility. It wasn't easy to practice with though, because of range/property limitations available to me. I can take my SKS to practice even at an indoor range, and have become very proficient with it shooting freehand.

Did I mention, ammo is CHEAP!

reply to post by NightShift

An SKS or a Mosin Nagant fall more into the class of Main Battle Rifles than survival guns. A Ruger 10/22 or an AR-7 would be a much better choice. They're lighter, the ammo weighs much less (so you can carry more), and in skilled hands can bring down game birds and small to medium-sized animals. Chris McCandless of "Into the Wild" fame brought down a young moose with nothing more than a Remington Nylon 66.

In a pinch a .22 can even be used for self defense. It might nor produce instant kills, but no one likes to get shot at no matter what caliber of gun you're using.

reply to post by Motumz


You get a star and flag from me cuz you're just nineteen... I remember being nineteen and didn't have a clue or care about tomorrow. Good for you.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ What QueenofSheba said! Good for you you're actually thinking.

I had one point to add. On the line item "MAPS" :

Depending on where you live, and of course your survival strategy, getting USGS 7.5 minute Topographical Maps of your route(s) and potential long term camp areas would be immensely helpful in several ways:

-Travel: Alternate routes, terrain cover, water sources, population centers (to some extent, some maps are very old), shelter (mines and other odd-ball things are often listed on the topos). Resources (rural roads, farms, etc where you might forage and/or trade).
-Planning Camp Location (civilian concerns): Arable land, water sources, natural threats (slides, flooding, etc).
-Defense Planning: Predicting incoming Threats/Foot Traffic, Choke Points, Ambush points, Retreat/Escape routes.