Preppers in 2012, to build a bunker or "Bug Out", that is the question.

Here's another take: We've been scared out of our wits by TEOTWAWKI propaganda. We blame TPTB but perhaps this has been their *cough* believe it or not, benevolent plan all along, We need to grow up and take responsibility for ourselves. Be preppers for gawds sake, it's not a dirty word. Be responsible for yourself and don't lay the responsibility for your life in someone else's lap. Emancipate yourselves from the concept of an ethereal entity to meet your mind, body and spiritual needs. Cuz just maybe, we are the ones we have been waiting for?

reply to post by hurdygurdy


Why is it, that every generation, the acronyms get longer? It used to be TSHF and TPTB, now it's TEOTWAWKI

Next generation it with be TEOTWAWKIDIFSDIPFIWAPFHWSPIV

Originally posted by TKDRL

Then again I am a country boy, and I was a boy scout and royal ranger. If I overprepare, no harm done.

Until you find yourself squatting in the vacant lot next to the parking lot where you left your truck at the beginning of your trip, trying to start a fire with dryer lint and steel wool so you can cook that last damn sausage and potato tinfoil packet because "I packed this thing for five days, and I'm not going home till I EAT it!"

You know the people watching you from the restaurant windows think you're nuts.

reply to post by Montana


HAHAHAHA! Oh man, that was great

I'm staying put. I don't have a bunker and I have enough food for a few months tops. I can easily live off the land till the wildlife runs out. Then I will think of moving away. The exception to this is either fire or ice, if the trees all get burnt or a glacier moves next door I am outa here.

reply to post by Montana


Dude, me and my kids just spent a weekend making dryer lint fire starters for our wood stove. Yes, we have a modern gas furnace as well as an off-peak electric heater. We live in frigid northern MN, btw. We are doing the best we can for as frugal as we can. We are preppers We have an abundance of firewood that we cut and split in our spare time but it's free energy once we supply the manpower. We don't own a TV so we consider woodcutting our entertainment. Other forms of fuel we pay for with money that we earn by working for other people which we pay 30% state and federal taxes on before it becomes our own money in which to pay the utility companies. Someday I hope to understand Tesla physics.

Originally posted by hurdygurdy


We don't own a TV so we consider woodcutting our entertainment.

I have the number of a good head shrinker.... call me.

Soon!

reply to post by hurdygurdy


Don't get too mad! A personal tip I can pass out, though I assume you probably already know. Petrolium jelly + dryer lint. Makes badass firestarter. I keep a BJ/Cosco sized asprin bottle filled with that mixture. Saved my ass a few times getting wet stuff to light up for a camp fire in the winter here in Canada. I am a nutjob, I like to camp out in the dead of winter, good winter training for worst case scenarios.

reply to post by Montana


I shot my TV's years ago, literally! What fun that was. Maybe by mainstream terms, I need a shrink.

reply to post by TKDRL

Thank you for the tip! We've been using candle wax poured over dryer lint tucked inside of egg carton partitions. Also, used coconut husk seedling trays combined with lint and and wax burn like no tomorrow. Problem is, I've used all my leftover candle butts from the previous year and I had to break into the good paraffin reserved for candles my kids use to study by *wink* Paraffin is spendy. I will give the petroleum jelly hint a try and see if it's more cost effective. Not real sure what kind of buildup is taking place in the flue but hopefully my house will not burn down,

reply to post by boymonkey74

Oh sod it bring on Mad max times

If TS really did HTF, then I guess yea it would be like the Mad Max movie, which would be fun, but not a good thing.

I always wanted a Mohawk

By the looks of your avatar....it looks like you need it.

reply to post by Montana


Do your head shrinkers enjoy watching american idol and dancing with the stars?

reply to post by Springer


As you said it really depends on your current circumstances. Ideally it would be best to get out of highly populated areas. However bugging out without a pre- planned location would be foolish unless you were forced to by circumstances beyond your control.

Either way you should have plans for both. You might get stuck where you are so will need supplies weapons etc. If your planning to bug in you still might get forced out for some reason so should have a backup plan on where to go.

Also bugging out by yourself to the boonies is not a long term solution unless you have a retreat where you have food water and shelter where you can grow food and water is replenished and shelter is permanent. Also would be best to have a few other families at least to help each other out, you have to sleep sometime....

One idea that I like is having a hidden bunker or three at your retreat with food supplies weapons and night vision. That way if the main house gets over run by marauders you can fall back to one or more of these and then take your house back by harrasing them at night and either running them off or taking them out a few at a time.

PS to the UK folks and those who otherwise live in areas where guns are banned or heavily restricted. You might want to get some stuff on the black market and cache it for when the time comes. Because you can bet the thugs will have them and you won't last long without them.,..

right...i m building a bug bunker...so some bugs survive and repopulate the earth with mutant spiderants that will start a new race and then we all will have wings and stuff...and youtube...

Originally posted by hurdygurdy
reply to post by Montana

 

Do your head shrinkers enjoy watching american idol and dancing with the stars?

Just as a word of advice, be careful about making assumptions of what other people mean. It's best to ask first.

I was saying that anyone who considers splitting firewood entertainment might be welcome in my friend's office. Speaking as someone who has spent the odd week or so swinging a maul.

I dont see anyreason to believe someones bunker to be a focal point..
unless the owner is advertising

Originally posted by Lil Drummerboy

I dont see anyreason to believe someones bunker to be a focal point..
unless the owner is advertising

edit on 10-11-2012 by Lil Drummerboy because: (no reason given)

Any length of time in a bunker with urine, effluent, TP, garbage and just human scent will be an advertisement to any marauder a mile away. The claustrophobic atmosphere of a bunker will drive the inhabitants out eventually and
they will be waiting. They are patient.

I think I'd rather take my chances in the open air than hide in a hole. waiting.....waiting.....

Just a heads up and a bit of history to the people who are planning on 'bugging out' to some rural area and hunting for sustenance. I was talking a few weeks ago to an old timer here in the Southern Oregon valley region. It's hills and green mountains as far as the eye can see and more forest than you can imagine. He said that during the Depression, things were bad enough that the local elk population was hunted to extinction and the elk here now were brought in from the Rocky Mountain area and are a totally different subspecies.

There's a lot more people here now than there were during the Depression, and they all have guns and hunt regularly and most everyone fishes both river and ocean, too. They were here first and won't take well to thousands of strangers rolling in.

I really don't think bugging out is an option except for the most prepared of individuals, and for a relatively short period of time.

Doesn't it all actually depend on what the predicament is? If it's Hurricane Sandy II and your house is going to be blown away along with all utilities, that's one thing. If its a CME or EMP attack, still another; if its a long slow draw down of food and energy supplies, still another. I think maybe the best you can do is a relatively mild climate (predictions are difficult considering climate change), long growing seasons and enough land to possibly grow your own food and also possibly a working still, to retrofit your car to take alcohol based fuel, and off-grid housing.

I would encourage everyone to learn about aquaponics; it's the farming of the future, can be scaled from small family size to a commercial venture, and uses a tiny fraction of the water regular farming does; no need for expensive land, any area will work from desert to parking lot.

Thank you so much for starting this thread, as I am quite torn on this for my and my husband (I am the decision lead on this topic) and I'm glad to have to chance to read other views.

As of right now, I lead to to build a bunker, which means my house. My reasons are:

1. We live in a gated community, not inside a major city, with guards.

2. This community is on a lake (fishing, water).

3. Unfortunately, I have not yet purchased the bug out vehicle I want. If I had it, I would be more prepared for a bug out. As it stands, my BOB is ready for a temporary evacuation (in a Sandy-like situation), but beyond that, I am not ready to bug having no suitable vehicle or secondary place to live.

Nitpick me, if you care. I will argue this out with anyone as I want my eyes to open if there is something I'm missing.

Edit: Forgot to say

4. I don't think my survival skills are up to par to live in the woods for an extended period of time. I would rate my survival chances hunkering down -even with people- much higher than if myself, or myself and husband, bugged out to the land. With no secondary retreat, we'd be in the wild and I'd rate our chances very low.

Combine the fact I have no secondary place to go, no vehicle, I basically have no choice but to hunker down and hope I'm positioned well.

Who knows.

Originally posted by TKDRL
reply to post by r2d246

 

Of course, being more prepared than the sheep is bad! Until something bad happens. My bug out bag, well it's my hike/camp backpack. Yep, I like to be prepared when venturing out of civilization, in case some crazy stuff happens. Who knows, fall down, step in a hole and snap an ankle. Better a nutbar than dead is my motto. Then again I am a country boy, and I was a boy scout and royal ranger. If I overprepare, no harm done. If I underprepare, well then I am dead.

That's what I'm trying to say though. The trauma that causes this can also include well, brainwashing, or propaganda. If your constantly being told "with all the problems in the world the system could colapse at any time".... so if you hear that over and over it too will set off your survival mode. And then you're preping needlessly. I think it's like this.... If you live in a city you don't need to prep. If the SHTF the cities are getting nuked and nothing you can do will save you from that, as it will happen instantly and without warning. So I live in in a city so I don't care about that. If it's not a nuke but still a SHTF scenario then I drive to my relatives or my best friends place who live in smaller towns. But all this prepping is silly. It's like this. If you don't prep you live 6 months, if you do you live 2 years, but if you have some training, street smarts, and wits then you might just make it as your not relying on the preps. It's actually the preps that will infact kill you. What happens is if you leave food out for a bird over and over they'll eventually rely on that food. Then if it's taken away the bird dies as it's forgotten the skills of scavaging and making it on there own. Same with a a prepper, they run out of preps and they're dead as they don't have any skills.