New Prepper Questions

Snare Traps - Require you to gut and clean whatever you snare before you eat it. And don't eat bad rabbit meat. You'll die

Defensive Traps - Will never work the way you plan

Edible Plants - will probably make you sick

Edible Insects - see above

Edible Reptiles - yuk

Fire Methods - bic lighters

Barter Items - won't come to that

Water Filtration - will be too heavy/fragile/unfixable to be of use

Stocking up slowly on first aid items that you use on a regular basis is also a good idea.
This means different things for different people. The basics such as disinfectants, bandages and basic pain killers (acetaminophen, ibuprofen and aspirin) are a must, but I also make sure to have extra baby and childrens tylenol and advil in the house in case of an unexpected fever. Suture kits are a great addition to a first aid kit, as well as ace bandages and simple braces for weak spots. For example, I keep a good knee brace as well as a right handed wrist brace for old injuries of mine and my husbands. The braces didn't cost anything more either, we just cleaned up and stored the ones the docs gave us at the time of the injuries, and they have already come in handy.

I agree with a previous poster that you should investigate the plant life in your immediate area. It is amazing how quickly your plant selection changes from region to region. Some will grow just about anywhere though, such as the dandelion and plantain, clover and alfalfa are also very nutritious available greens . Find someone in your area and go mushroom hunting this year, that is invaluable food that you need the experience to identify properly. I have also read that roasted dragonfly is pretty tasty, just remove the head and the wings first.Don't forget about escargot either slugs and snails are everywhere. Vitamin supplements are also a good back up to have to prevent deficiency issues, at least in the short term.

Canning equipment and supplies are also a good idea, depending on your mobility situation. I saw that you have a safe house available, jars and lids and canning salt are priceless when you have a pile of food that you can't eat all at once and want to preserve the rest of it.

One more thing to add to the idea of shelter, blankets, sleeping bags and other methods of non fire warmth can be invaluable. Extra warm clothes can also be found at thrift stores for pennies on the dollar, though your requirements will depend on your location. Good Luck!

Thank you everyone for your input and support. All the ideas are being compiled to a list and I will post it once I complete it. I am also getting ideas from survivalist websites.

Originally posted by ZeroReady
Snare Traps - Require you to gut and clean whatever you snare before you eat it. And don't eat bad rabbit meat. You'll die

Defensive Traps - Will never work the way you plan

Edible Plants - will probably make you sick

Edible Insects - see above

Edible Reptiles - yuk

Fire Methods - bic lighters

Barter Items - won't come to that

Water Filtration - will be too heavy/fragile/unfixable to be of use

You're pretty negative in your efforts to add useful information. You would be surprised at what defensive traps can do in a heavily wooded area. What you said on water filtration isn't true at all. No offense but it appears you aren't a prepper or either you just posted here to troll me. Either way thanks for your time.

Given you're going to a fixed location it should be considered your base so it should have reasonably clean water etc and if you have the space i'd always be growing food on the site since theres no calendar date when the S is going to hit the fan and as such i'd want a well as it'll be easy to starve someone out if their only water supply is a 1/2 mile trek through 'bandit' country

Spend time and work out where the annoying thing are going to be when you cant really go much beyond your house due to it being surrounded for a while remember that poop can kill if not sorted properly so make sure you have a big enough system to handle all the people contained as well

I suppose the best thing for you would be to consider yourself a knight inside a castle in medieval Europe as if you pop your head out it'll get a .50cal/arrow in it and look at what they did to survive

Originally posted by JOakes

Originally posted by Expat888
good axe / hatchet .. good fixed blade knife .. heirloom seeds .. flint and steel for starting fires. keep it simple you can do quite well without all the high tech toys and useless gadgets that people seem to think they need ...

Do you have any name brand hatchet that you know is of good quality?

My all.time favorite hatchet is the Eastwing. You can pick one up at almost any home depot/lowes.

They ae a bit on the heavy side, but are nearly indestructable.

reply to post by Maxatoria

I've got 6.7 acres, just a small piece of property. I'd love to see anyone attempt to dig a ditch around it's perimeter !!

reply to post by conspiracytheoristIAM


If you have machinery it would be quite simple, and if you have friends/family members who are willing to help you. It's length would be a little more than 2043 ft. That's really not that much.. Especially if you have access to a ditch witch.

reply to post by JOakes


It all depends on where you live sir.

Or where you plan on going.

The first thing you should have is a medical kit should you have to save someones life or your own.
The second thing you should have is a weapon, should you have to take one.

A few thoughts. First don't obsess or freak out! When you buy gear try and get stuff that will serve more than one purpose, instead of a hatchet get a multi tool hammer/hatchet/crowbar. But since you're going to be bugging in on a bigger piece of land you may want to go full sized axe. As for food, don't forget salt...lots of it.

And for the poster who is planning on holing up in the local Walmart- things won't go bad in 1 second or 1day and those shelves will be long bare before you have a chance of making the food section your new home.

What food should I stock up on?

Rice, Beans, Dry Pasta (these have the longest storage time
Canned Foods (that you'll actually eat)
Dehydrated Foods (specially made for survival situation)
Home Canned Foods (keep for a long, long time)

What should I store the food in?

For the dried rice, beans, pasta, put in food storage grade buckets (I prefer the screw on lids), in a mylar bag, with a drying packet.

The others can stay in their original containers. Try not to get canned foods in bulk-sized cans, but instead, in use-size containers, because after opened, won't last as long.

If you have a good closet in your home you can convert to a pantry, that's good. Remember to rotate and USE the stuff you're storing, then replace, to keep it all fairly fresh.

What items should I put in a bug out bag?

First, you need to decide the PURPOSE of your BOB, then you'll go from there.
Is it to get you to your safe place, or to go and live in the woods? My suggested basics are:
1) Water
2) Water Purification Tabs
3) Water Purification Straw (like the Katydn Hiker Pro)
4) A really good Knife
5) A really good Gerber-like Multi-Tool
6) MREs or some Canned Food
7) Something to make Fire (Water/Windproof Matches, Lighter, redundant methods are good)
8) Metal Canteen with Metal Cup (can cook and purify water in the cup by boiling)
9) Map of local area (with multiple routes to safe place)
10) Flashlight (or redundant lighting methods, glow-sticks, hand-crank or shake, etc.)
11) Radio (hand-crank)
12) Rain Poncho
13) Camp Utensil Tool
14) Firearm and Ammo (if you can)
15) A good Machete (for cutting through wilderness brush)
16) Basic First Aid Kit
17) Any needed Medications

Anything else is just gravy, really

Snare Traps
Defensive Traps

Printed copy of the US Army Survival Guide is helpful here (store any books/maps in a ziploc bag)

Edible Plants
Edible Insects

Nearly all insects are edible...but stay away from the brighter colored ones (taste worse, and a very few could make you ill). A printed copy of a book of edible plants for your part of the country is a must have, be sure it has COLOR pics.

Edible Reptiles

Again, nearly all are edible, poisonous snakes have poison in the heads, so avoid that and you're ok.

Fire Methods

Well, matches or a lighter are of course best. Without these, a magnifying glass (including eyeglasses) or the friction method works best. Flint and steel is another bet, that you shouldn't be without.

Barter Items

My favorite is cigarettes. I don't use 'em, they are small, easy to carry a lot of, can be easily divisible, and will be in high demand in a SHTF scenario. .22 ammo is another good one, small, easy to carry a lot of, and will be highly desirable. Forget precious metals, WAY too expensive and you likely won't have ANY buying power with these until after things stabilize. Way better things to spend your money on.

Water Filtration

See above in the BOB section. Also, boiling is always good, rain is best, and fresh water sources (such as streams, ponds). In an urban environment, toilet tanks (assuming the water isn't bad from the SHTF event) and swimming pools. Since you have a safe place, no excuse for not storing some bottled water, and/or having some large drinking water barrels for backup.

Depends who YOUR back up is...choose a good team of ex seals and or well trained militia and i'm sure "Fortress Wallmart" should work out pretty well for you and your small but effective unit....you could hold out for as long as it takes for order to be restored..

Some serious problems for "Fortress WalMart"...

1) Multiple entry and exit points.
2) Large glass windows in front.
3) One of the first looting targets, so lots of folks to contend with.
4) Much of the floorspace is devoted to merchandise that won't help you much (clothing, household items, toys, electronics, etc.) You'd be better off holding a grocery store or at least a WalMart SuperCenter that has a big grocery section.
5) Without electricity, it'd be almost pitch black in there.
6) No perimeter fencing.

But, some benefits....

1) You could use store shelving to barricade the windows and glass doors
2) Generally open surroundings (parking lot), so snipers on the roof could patrol
3) Backup Generator, for a little bit
4) A few firearms and weapons available.
5) Hardware, Sporting Goods departments would have useful stuff.
6) Garden Center will have seeds, soil, etc. Could make this your greenhouse.

Still, would be a massive challenge, and I'm not sure the food stores of one would last the group needed to hold it, very long...but there are worse choices.

reply to post by JOakes


There is a lot to consider. Another really good recent thread on the topic of prepping and BOB's is THIS ONE by Slayer69. There is a lot of good discussion and many pics in that thread, too.

Spring is coming and seeds will be on sale. Seeds last longer than a year if kept cool and dry. Buying seeds that you can use and whose seeds can be reused is the best. Heritage seed is what I store, I got about twenty five bucks worth in rotation.

Garlic powder and onion powder are a good investment, buy on sale. A years worth in rotation is good.

Poultry seasoning is another good investment, the thyme and sage can help to kill microbes in birds.

Salt and pepper and of course some red pepper or tabasco sauce is important, Some bay leaves also.

Some corn starch and flour and yeast is a good idea, a person can make goodies with that. Don't forget some oil and some butter in the freezer or canned butter.

Coffee of course, good for use and for trade.

Powdered eggs are a good thing also. Just a case so you can make snacks if time goes rough. I bought the crystal eggs, we have a package open for testing and have used them on occasion when we were out of eggs to make french toast and pancakes.

We got some canned meat form grabillmeats.com... My daughter is working down there and bought us a case. I like the ingredients...beef, salt and pepper....chicken, salt, and pepper. It tastes good too, no use eating a bunch of crap. At about seven bucks for a twenty eight oz can it is good tasting. The chicken makes good soup and the beef juice makes good gravy. No used suffering with all that survival crap. This can be rotated because it tastes good and can be used.

Some vinegar for pickling and some pickling jars and canning salt is a good investment. Learn to bottle before the SHTF.

Throw some hopps seed somewhere on the property, hopps is perenial and is nutritious. It can also make beer if you want

Some bags of sugar is recommended as is some rice and possibly some potato flakes. We got some dehydrated sweet potatoes in a box, they taste good also. Rotatable food is the best, things that you would normally eat.

Rice is cheap but remember to have some kikkomens soy sauce also, especially for chicken soup. Rice by itself is bland.

Remember only to buy what you will eat. Canned goods are good past their expiration or BB date but only to a certain extent. Six months for acid foods and a year for basic foods. There are sites that discuss this, I found this on a government site. Can goods that don't have a date are vacuum packed and are good till the vacuum is gone. It is a different process than a majority of the cangoods are today, it is the old way. Keeping rotatable veggies and fruits in cans is good, don't stock more than you will rotate.

Buy only what you will eat, if you can't rotate the stuff it is a waste and waste is not good. It is hard on nature and our pocket book. Hope my input helps.

reply to post by rickymouse


That's why home canning is best, if you can do or get it...the "old way" can keep stuff fresh for years...

We got some canned meat form grabillmeats.com... My daughter is working down there and bought us a case. I like the ingredients...beef, salt and pepper....chicken, salt, and pepper. It tastes good too, no use eating a bunch of crap. At about seven bucks for a twenty eight oz can it is good tasting. The chicken makes good soup and the beef juice makes good gravy. No used suffering with all that survival crap. This can be rotated because it tastes good and can be used.

What's the shelf life on these?

reply to post by Gazrok


I'm guessing since they don't have a date that they are probably about four years. I talked to the guy at the factory one day but never asked him. They have a number on the site I listed.

I go for the taste, and they taste pretty darn good I am a person who eats organic grass fed local beef and prefers local pork, turkey, chicken, and eggs from small people who farm. The meat in the stores kinda sucks most times.

I tried a can of chicken and my daughter and I ate most of the meat out of the can. We made a pot of soup out of the juice and leftovers. There was nearly the meat of a whole chicken in that can and the juice tasted like it was pure broth. After adding the veggies and noodles, it almost tasted as good as homemade using the whole chicken.

I called the company, a case of twelve 28 oz cans was around 75 bucks if you pick them up. My daughter picked up an assortment from a market in Fort Wayne for about 7 bucks a can. They have smaller cans at about 3.65 also, She has been eating a lot of them because through her job she stays in a hotel while she works there. All there is is a microwave and the small ones work great for her. She gets tired of eating in restaurants. She is going to be going to California next I guess, she has worked all over the place.

reply to post by ZeroReady


How to know if the Rabbit is edible? - Check the liver for spots.

reply to post by rickymouse


Thanks, I'd have to have them shipped.

I have sort of done the same = little bit at a time.

Some of the things I did/do:

Bought a plastic "Rubbermade" type container. Started to add items.

In NO order:

1) Small bags of rice,dried peas and beans. Small because once opened they do not last as long. Also are easier to contain.
2) Every time we Take-Out Chinese I add all the extra soy/mustard/sweet sauce to the container.
3) Packets of soup mix (think Lipton Onion Soup) - indivualy wrapped and can be added as seasoning to Rice - also packs of chili seasoning. gravy mix, salad dressing (includes salt, seasonings for spicing up anything).
4) Duct tape - MANY MANY uses! From wound closure to shelter making!
5) Tampons and mini-pads - good for original use as well as bandages and fire starting.
6) Meds - including antibiotic cream, tape, Tylenol (type) pluse Real Asprin for heart problems. Benadryl for allergies or allergic reaction to something.
7) Vodka - trade and ALSO for disinfecting.
8) TP Wipes - very handy for TP as well as cleaning hands and body - plus they are bio-degradable - reg wipes are not.
9) Space blanket(s) = really cheap online something like 10 for $12 (Not sure of exact cost).

These are just some of the items I am trying to add each month - most are really cheap (sm bag rice about $1 at my store)

I just read something Very Interesting = Crisco Candle..... Take a can of crisco and a piece of typing paper. Roll the paper into a tight tube and stick in middle of Crisco Can. Article said this will last as a candle for 8 hours a day for a month!! I have NOT tried it but sure sounds like a good source of light = and cheap!

Hope this was a little helpful. go through your day and figure out what you use each day. What you Need vs Want. Get some "travel size" shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, deo, etc - good if needed and perfect as trade items.

Originally posted by Gazrok
reply to post by rickymouse

 

Thanks, I'd have to have them shipped.

Just called the factory to get the shelf life, he said five years is the best but as long as the seal is not compromised it was probably indefinitely. Indefinite means they don't really know Shipped here it would cost 18.94 for a case of large cans. That brings the price up to about eight bucks a can. so I would say the worth of the meat is about five bucks a pound inside, considering there is no water added.

I'll order some for that in the future as regular fast food. Hot beef sandwiches with gravy and potatoes in a half hour, sometimes convenience is great. Great camping food.