• Please be sure to read the rules and adhere to them. Some banned members have complained that they are not spammers. But they spammed us. Some even tried to redirect our members to other forums. Duh. Be smart. Read the rules and adhere to them and we will all get along just fine. Cheers. :beer: Link to the rules: https://www.forumsforums.com/threads/forum-rules-info.2974/

What did you do to prep today?

squerly

Supported Ben Carson
GOLD Site Supporter
I’m not a doomsday prepper but I do believe it’s a good idea to have a backup plan and to be as prepared as possible. I don’t make this my life’s work, but I try to do a little something whenever I can. There is no lead-lined bunker in my back yard but I do have a garden, fresh water supply, fish in the pond, hunting/trapping stuffs, backup cooking methods and other assorted things that make for a better quality of life if the SHTF.

I use solar motion lights instead of grid lighting, I gravity flow my water supply instead of depending on a pump, I prefer to build my living space around wood heating than depending on electric or oil, etc.

I’m sure there are others on this forum that are doing the same. Maybe not as much, maybe even more. So I thought it might be fun/helpful to keep a running tally on who’s doing what.
 

squerly

Supported Ben Carson
GOLD Site Supporter
Getting from point A to B without fuel can be challenging. So in preparation for a time when fuel might not be so plentiful, I purchased an external 50 gallon fuel tank and transfer device for my truck.

It's an "L" shape and fits against the back of the cab and takes up the empty space under my tool box. I had already changed out the stock fuel tank with a larger capacity tank so with the addition of this tank I can travel about 1,300 miles without stopping for fuel.
 

Kane

New member
Next time you're at the junk yard, look around for an old 12V CB radio. Could be invaluable.

All of these young adults addicted to iPads/iPhones/iWhatevers will simply not know what to do ... other than wander around with millions and millions of other young libs looking in vain for their government to give them more.
 

Cowboy

Wait for it.
GOLD Site Supporter
Getting from point A to B without fuel can be challenging. So in preparation for a time when fuel might not be so plentiful, I purchased an external 50 gallon fuel tank and transfer device for my truck.

It's an "L" shape and fits against the back of the cab and takes up the empty space under my tool box. I had already changed out the stock fuel tank with a larger capacity tank so with the addition of tank I can travel about 1,300 miles without stopping for fuel.
Where are you planning on going if and when the SHTF? :unsure:

Me i am staying right here where we have everything we need, we simply have been learning how to do without the many things that are important to most. We have a nice garden this year, plenty of back up food supply. Oil for lanterns, lots of firewood and plenty of fuel for the tractors, generators if needed.

The river runs through our back of property for fish, wild game is a plenty here and we have plenty of ammo if needed. Our biggest problem is our crappy water supply but i have been working on that as well, I also have been working on a filtering system to purify the river water if needed allthough i dont think that will become neccesary.

There is just the two of us, so i have it much easier then most but its allways interesting to see how others are prepared. :biggrin:
 

AAUTOFAB1

Bronze Member
SUPER Site Supporter
Today my plan is to acquire some more medicines and antibiotic for my portable trauma kit/bug out gear. not sure if any one else is stocking up on first aid prep,but this stuff is often over looked. like a sutures,they can be invaluable when on the move but most kits do not have any.
 

Kane

New member
Five Types Of Looters You Must Prepare For

by Survival Diva on June 21, 2012

Welcome to this week’s Urban Survival Newsletter, sponsored by “[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1470082829/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=surviveinplac-20"]Tactical Firearms Training Secrets[/ame],” the critically acclaimed book by David Morris, featuring Dustin Ellermann, winner of Season 3 of History Channel’s “Top Shot,” demonstrating skills throughout. You can buy the [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1470082829/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=surviveinplac-20"]book[/ame] or the [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007KN263Y/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=surviveinplac-20"]Kindle[/ame] edition on Amazon.com right now!
It’s Survival Diva again with some food for thought about societal collapse; what to expect and who to look out for. It’s an important part of the puzzle when you’re one of the few prepared to survive the coming onslaught. Some guesstimate preppers make up only 5% of the populace, but it’s my belief it’s closer to 3% at best, and more likely to be 1-2%. Many give lip service to prepping and claim to be prepared when the truth is they’re still in the “thinking” stage.

They haven’t advanced to in-the-trenches preparedness that many need to do to get prepared faster, where dinners out, budget-draining vacations, and designer anything are put on the back-burner until the storage shelves are full, water has been stored, and must-have preparedness goods are crowding sheds, basements, or in a pinch; closets and under the bed.

To come out on the other side of a wide-spread crisis in one piece, even when you’re prepared, takes getting into the head of the majority of the population who are NOT prepared. If you’re successful, you’ll face, head-on, the darker side of humanity most of us would rather pretend doesn’t exist.

Yesterday I was given a small example. When purchasing another 20 buckets for food storage, a Home Depot employee kindly offered to help me load them into the back of my SUV. Looking at the 200 pounds of sugar and another 200 pounds of flour crowding the back—I’m planning to use it for barter when the time comes—he asked; “What’s with all the buckets and the baking stuff?” This was my cue to wake up another person who’ll be sorely disappointed when meals on wheels doesn’t come to their aid in a wide-spread emergency. Besides, I knew I could safely talk to him without worry of him showing up at my doorstep if things go south. I live 90 miles away and I pay with cash for my preparedness goods and NEVER use rewards cards, where my personal purchases are tracked.

So I told him I write about prepping and I practice what I preach. Our discussion revealed he had attempted to start prepping, yet every time he stored the items in the basement, his teenagers helped themselves to his emergency stash. I asked if he had a shed that could be padlocked to keep his prepping goods intact, which he did. His answer, however, was disappointing: “My wife would kill me if I put the bikes outside to store preparedness goods.”

I left the parking lot shaking my head in sadness with the realization this man represents the majority of people, including many reading this very article. They may have that gut-wrenching intuition that things aren’t quite right, and they should be getting ready, but they have become entrenched with today’s norms and are over-consumers with the belief the government will step in if things get really bad. Like this man, many would-be preppers just haven’t marshaled their strength to lock horns with loved ones, even when it’s for their own good, nor can they stomach being labeled paranoid.

Get Into The Heads of Those to Watch For
In a collapse, not all looters are created equally. There will be varying degrees of how far a person is willing to go to survive. But even the best, most honest of people will be desperate for food and water. It’s a good idea to consider who might be approaching your doorstep before trouble shows.

Stan, the Family Man: He has loved ones that he desperately wants to protect. He ignored the hassle of preparedness. He even ignored FEMA’s suggestion of storing three days worth of emergency food and water. Money has been tight once his hours were cut since the economic slow-down. He’d thought about selling the jet skis and investing in storage food, but it was just too depressing. Now a wide-spread emergency has decimated grocer’s shelves in a matter of hours. Water is scarce and there are rumors of many in the area getting sick after drinking non-purified water from a nearby lake. The toilet won’t flush, sewage has backed up in the tub and there is no electric. Communications are down and he and his family are without hope. The first two days, he’d held out hope that help would arrive. But it hasn’t and his family is hungry and thirsty and frightened. Stan has always paid his dues, and would normally never think about stealing from others. But, that was then. He must do whatever it takes to provide for his family. The cooking smells coming from across the hallway of his apartment building has set a plan in motion. Survival has come down to them or him…
* * *
Toni, the Prisoner: When the lights went out, security at the prison was compromised. Most of the jail guards left for home at first sign of trouble. Now, the tables are turned and Toni and several other inmates have escaped. Toni and his group are on foot, but that doesn’t present a problem because their rural location offers plenty of opportunities. The farmers in the area have fruits and vegetables ripe for the picking. Several in the vicinity raise horses. Now that he and the other inmates broke out of prison, Toni considers himself lucky; the problem of food and transportation is solved…once he and the five other inmates have overtaken the family they’ve targeted.
* * *
Scorpion, the Gang Member: Scorpion, amember of a major gang is, mad at life and knows he’s entitled to survive because he’s young and strong. He’s willing to do whatever it takes without remorse. He and his homeboys have plenty of firepower and ammunition: the tools of their trade. They can’t wait to take what they need, just for the sheer sport of it. And it’s proven to be as easy as stealing candy from a baby. Several home invasions produced more than enough food, water and medical supplies. What didn’t interest them was grabbed and sold on the black market to desperate customers. The best part is they didn’t even have to leave the city. There’s more than enough to keep the gang well fed. Along the way, they’ve picked up an arsenal. Ammo is now so plentiful, it’s moved past need and has been sold for more than what gold and silver is fetching. The few police combating the looting and killing don’t have the manpower to take down his gang, and they’re on a rampage.
* * *
John, the Tactically Trained: For the past two days, John has had to watch his neighbors go into meltdown. They’re without food and water, as is John. One of his neighbors is a diabetic with no way to get insulin. They can’t call their doctor—cell and land line phones haven’t worked for days. Plus, the roads are in complete gridlock. The gas stations ran out of fuel within 24-hours of the crisis and many frantic motorists trying to flee ran out of gas, or experienced car problems, leaving their vehicles to clog the roadways.

John feels for his neighbor, but he has loved ones. They are his number one priority and he’s run out of time. John and several of his hunting buddies have decided it’s time to search for survival goods, taking their ATV’s. John’s military training now comes in handy. As leader of the group, he knows to head outside the suburb he lives for the boonies where it’s more likely there will be plentiful food and water and preparedness goods. They’ve agreed not to hurt anyone, so long as they’re allowed to take what they need. John knows what to look for: the sound of a generator or lights shining through windows. This is his signal a homeowner is prepared. During the day his group listens for the tell-tale sounds of a generator, a chainsaw, or a motorized vehicle, which isn’t hard to do now that the grid’s down. For days, things have been eerily silent. At night, John and his hunting buddies look for the tell-tale glow of lights reflecting from windows. In no time, they have what they need and will return to this rural goldmine on an as-need basis.
* * *
Brenda, the Naysayer: Brenda laughed when her co-worker, Sarah, shared her prepping plans.Now, the streets are over-run with desperate folks. The stores have been looted. Grocers, sporting good stores and gun shops were the first to get hit. But there have been plenty of TV’s, computers and high-ticket electronic items pilfered, even though they’re no good to anyone at present. The family car has an empty gas tank, but she’s in good health and so is the rest of her family. It’s just blind luck Brenda knows where Sarah lives, and the awesome part is she isn’t far—only a couple of miles away. Her family is into bicycling, so the problem of transportation is solved; They’ll just zip past the gridlock, baring looters, that is. The rest of Brenda’s plan lies with the knowledge that Sarah is kindhearted.

She’ll put Brenda and her family up until order is restored, which from the looks of things could be a long time. Brenda and her husband throw what little they have in their pantry (what they can handle weight-wise, anyway) into backpacks and pillowcases. Next, they clear out the medicine cabinet. They tried to use their ATM card for cash just yesterday, so they wouldn’t show up empty-handed—they’d never want to be seen as free-loaders—but the grid is hopelessly crashed, so no luck there, and all businesses are closed, including the banks. But Brenda doesn’t necessarily see that as a deal-breaker. She did everything she could, other than fill her pantry and get preparedness goods. And besides, Brenda has two adorable kids…how can Sarah say no?
* * *
Will You Be A Victim?
Desperate families, prison inmates, gang-bangers and freeloaders will be out there during a full-on collapse. The first thing you want to do is to get prepared so that you aren’t one of them. Next, how you handle desperate people and whether you come out on the other side alive has a lot to do with planning beforehand. Here are some pointers. Hopefully, you have some of your own to share by commenting below:

  • The “Vacant Home” strategy: Many people plan on making their home look unoccupied in an attempt to protect themselves from looters. In grid down, you don’t necessarily want to have your home appear vacant. The average person won’t risk getting shot when they believe a home is occupied. It’s better to keep them guessing, and that also includes NOT telegraphing your preparedness.
  • You will be an instant target if you’re running a noisy a generator, or driving a vehicle, or using a chain saw when your area has drawn looters or worse. It sends a message: You’re prepared and you have goods they need! It’s best to forgo the obvious. Some generators are built to run quietly. Is yours? If not, when looters are in your area, use only tools that won’t draw as much attention like a tree-felling ax, and cease running a noisy generator until it’s safer to do so. Keep vehicles parked, and gas storage out of site. Some things that you can do are to add supplementary mufflers to your generator, build a sound dampening enclosure, build an underground sound dampening enclosure, and only run your generator during the noisiest parts of the day, if possible.
  • Don’t light up your home in grid-down! Now is a good time to fit your windows with black-out curtains. Even using a piece of material that’s secured—possibly with duct tape, so light doesn’t escape and alert people outside, will do. Whatever you do, test, test, and test again. Test your black-out provisions now when there is plenty of ambient light and test them again if the grid goes down on moonless nights.
  • Cooking odors will attract anyone with a growling stomach, including neighbors, looters and worse. Keep canned goods and MRE’s on hand for times when looting is rampant.
  • You must have the means to defend yourself. Guns and ammo may be the pivotal deciding factor between who comes out ahead: Toni the prisoner or Scorpion the gang banger, or you and your loved ones. It will be necessary in times of unruliness, when people are frantic to survive, to patrol your home, whether it happens to be in the boonies or in the city. This, often times, requires a trusted group. It may become impossible to protect a location with just a husband and wife due to the heightened demands on your time that during normal times is not an issue. This is a separate post, however, because of all it entails. Look for the post soon!
  • Either have stored water or a safe route to get it and keep a high-quality water purifier on hand. During a collapse, sanitation will go south. Never risk drinking non-purified water. (David’s Note: I plan on purifying any water that I have stored rather than relying on my container cleaning and water preserving skills to keep us safe.)
  • Have a backup plan for toilet use and basic hygiene, as we talked about in this article: http://www.secretsofurbansurvival.com/1470/grid-down-water-and-sewer/

  • Put aside medical supplies. Should anyone in your family or group be inured, medical aid is unlikely to show during a crisis. We’ll talk about what you’ll need specifically in an upcoming post.
  • Keep several ABC fire extinguishers that will handle all types of fires. Do not expect to be able to contact the fire department for help. (David’s note: We also keep a LARGE supply of baking soda, aloe, and other first aid items for burns. One of these items is anbesol…which is for teeth, but contains .9% lidocaine. Solarcaine is aloe and .5% lidocaine and it works well also. You can buy lidocaine cream without a prescription at a 5% concentration >HERE< [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001F8HY0U/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=surviveinplac-20"]Amazon.com: Zcaine - Fast Acting Anesthetic Gel - 4% Lidocaine - 60 gram: Beauty[/ame])
  • NEVER depend upon land line and cell phones to work when a crisis strikes. If you doubt this, you only have to look at the Japan tsunami, or Haiti, or Katrina. Have a back-up plan, always—which we’ll be covering here in an upcoming post. (David’s note: Never underestimate the power of randomness in a large scale disaster. On 9/11 in NYC, the network that Blackberries operated on was the only one that was reliable. After Katrina, friends doing security contracting weren’t able to use cell phones, but were able to use landline phones even though the water was 6 feet deep on the ground floor and the cables were under water. In Hawaii, the night that the earthquake hit Japan and a tsunami was expected to hit Hawaii, cell phone circuits were busy, but I was still able to email, tweet, post updates, and surf the web over my data connection on the same phone that couldn’t make a call.)
  • When possible, a large dog is worth considering. It’s long been known by police that a large, serious-sounding dog will stop the bad guy. Problem is, he’ll just look for easier targets. You must provide for their survival, just as you have your loved ones, which will mean plenty of dog food. In my book, Survival: Prepare Before Disaster Strikes, [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1927360099/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=surviveinplac-20"]Amazon.com: Survival: Prepare Before Disaster Strikes (9781927360095): Barbara Fix: Books[/ame] I shared a work-around for those who can’t keep a dog. Just having a beat-up, large dog collar, worn water and food bowls, and a heavy duty chain trailing on the ground WILL have the bad guy thinking twice about attacking your home. After reading this section, a wise-cracking Alaskan friend suggested a chewed up moose leg.
  • Divide and avoid being conquered. Split up your survival goods in as many ways as are practical for you. Some people will have more options than others, depending on their living situation and how willing they are to hide things in places that many would consider to be completely crazy. Splitting up and hiding your survival goods will allow you to sacrifice stashes if necessary without giving up everything.
* * *
Most of us, if given the opportunity, would choose to help others, and many preppers who can afford to have put aside extra canned goods to help others. But there is a world of difference between helping someone in need and becoming a victim of someone who plans to steal your preparedness goods with force. It’s important to agree amongst family or group members how you will address likely scenarios, so if the time comes, you’ll be able to react as a cohesive group. Hesitation can kill you!

So, What are your plans to survive in the midst of bedlam?
 

squerly

Supported Ben Carson
GOLD Site Supporter
Part of our prep is to have a good dog. They are great early warning systems and some can be a strong psychological detent to even coming into the area. And then some of them, properly trained, can be tremendous protection.

I work with my German Shepherd a couple of times a week. Some sessions are nothing more than the sit-stay-ok routine. He has the “stay” thing down so well that you have to remember where you left him or he’ll be there until you come back to get him.

Today’s drill was to go into my office, look through each room and sniff in different areas for the “bad guy”. He didn’t perform all that well today, but that’s why we practice. Anyhow, here was today’s drill. Sorry about the crappy video, would have been better if I had a 3rd person running the camera while I ran through the building behind the dog.

click here
 

Kane

New member
Part of our prep is to have a good dog. They are great early warning systems and some can be a strong psychological detent to even coming into the area. And then some of them, properly trained, can be tremendous protection.

I work with my German Shepherd a couple of times a week. Some sessions are nothing more than the sit-stay-ok routine. He has the “stay” thing down so well that you have to remember where you left him or he’ll be there until you come back to get him.

Today’s drill was to go into my office, look through each room and sniff in different areas for the “bad guy”. He didn’t perform all that well today, but that’s why we practice. Anyhow, here was today’s drill. Sorry about the crappy video, would have been better if I had a 3rd person running the camera while I ran through the building behind the dog.

click here
Impressive. Handsome dog.

Next time, you may want to borrow a willing "bad guy" to lurk somewhere in the building. Give the dog something to chew on.
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Kane, that was an interesting article. It highlighted two of the things that really worry me, namely noise and light.

I live in the country 6 miles from the nearest small town and 30 miles from the nearest large one. One thing that many people don't realize is just how far sound carries when you live in the silence of the countryside. I have a neighbor who shoots his pistol once or twice a week. I hear it clearly and there is absolutely no doubt about what it is and he lives over a mile away. Chainsaws can be heard for miles, most generators too. One of my generators while surrounded by buildings and structures can be heard from the front gate a 100 yards away and it's unmistakable.

During a power outage a few years back one of my neighbors asked me when I had the standby generator installed. He and his wife had decided to get out and go somewhere that wasn't affected by the outage. He said that our house was lit up like Christmas tree. At the time all we had out were a few candles, waiting to see how long the outage would last, but in the darkness of the countryside it doesn't take much to be noticed from a long, long way off.

Both things just set you up as a target. There's no sense stealing from someone who doesn't have anything and they both signal that you have something.
 

luvs

'lil yinzer~
GOLD Site Supporter
i'll put on lipstick & spray on sunscreen. soon i'll fix my hair. i'll head to the alkie distributor 4 guests, swim, & then maybe snooze. then i'll look for zombies when that apacolypse occurs.

seriously, food/gallons of h20 & all that i need is here.

this is so reminiscant of when the millenium was approaching.
 
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Kane

New member
Kane, that was an interesting article. It highlighted two of the things that really worry me, namely noise and light.

I live in the country 6 miles from the nearest small town and 30 miles from the nearest large one. One thing that many people don't realize is just how far sound carries when you live in the silence of the countryside. I have a neighbor who shoots his pistol once or twice a week. I hear it clearly and there is absolutely no doubt about what it is and he lives over a mile away. Chainsaws can be heard for miles, most generators too. One of my generators while surrounded by buildings and structures can be heard from the front gate a 100 yards away and it's unmistakable.

During a power outage a few years back one of my neighbors asked me when I had the standby generator installed. He and his wife had decided to get out and go somewhere that wasn't affected by the outage. He said that our house was lit up like Christmas tree. At the time all we had out were a few candles, waiting to see how long the outage would last, but in the darkness of the countryside it doesn't take much to be noticed from a long, long way off.

Both things just set you up as a target. There's no sense stealing from someone who doesn't have anything and they both signal that you have something.

Tex, be glad that you live 30 miles from the nearest large city. Can you imagine being a diligent prepper living on the near outskirts of, say, Chicago or Detroit? Just imagine the wave after wave of stupid liberals scouring the countryside looking in vain for their government to give them more. When it finally dawns on them that their government ain't coming to the rescue, they're gonna' be real hungry.

Still stupid, but still hungry. Keep the long gun loaded.
.
 

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Squerly, you need to get somebody wearing a hat to help get that pup fired up a bit. My black GSD goes nuts on the Amish when they are here. The dogs are my early warning system and to help protect the wife while I take aim! Most folks don't even know our place is up here on top and even walking the lane they will be tired by the time they get here. As far as prepping we are set pretty well. My biggest problem is rotating stock in the pantry as the wife likes to just add new items in front of things that have been there a while. Between canned and frozen we are good for 6 months at least plus what we grow in the garden and greenhouses. Fuel is the one thing i try to keep rotated and filled up. Price right now makes me wish I had waited to fill my diesel tank.:hammer:
 

Cowboy

Wait for it.
GOLD Site Supporter
Kane, that was an interesting article. It highlighted two of the things that really worry me, namely noise and light.

I live in the country 6 miles from the nearest small town and 30 miles from the nearest large one. One thing that many people don't realize is just how far sound carries when you live in the silence of the countryside. I have a neighbor who shoots his pistol once or twice a week. I hear it clearly and there is absolutely no doubt about what it is and he lives over a mile away. Chainsaws can be heard for miles, most generators too. One of my generators while surrounded by buildings and structures can be heard from the front gate a 100 yards away and it's unmistakable.

During a power outage a few years back one of my neighbors asked me when I had the standby generator installed. He and his wife had decided to get out and go somewhere that wasn't affected by the outage. He said that our house was lit up like Christmas tree. At the time all we had out were a few candles, waiting to see how long the outage would last, but in the darkness of the countryside it doesn't take much to be noticed from a long, long way off.

Both things just set you up as a target. There's no sense stealing from someone who doesn't have anything and they both signal that you have something.
Just my opinion, but most city folks (even the criminals) i ever knew were scared of their own shadow unless they were going much more defenseless then theirselves. :doh:

Cowards will most likely not fuck with folks in the country wether they are desperate or not, by the time they run out of easy prey in the city they will be eating their own IMO.

Either way i aint gonna sweat it, if things get that bad it wont be worth surviving to me, but "they" will damn sure know there was a fight. :wink:
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
if things get that bad it wont be worth surviving to me

Cowboy, that's my attitude. I'm not one that's going to disappear in to a hole in the ground and live there for a year and come out to find what? I'm 65-years old, if things ever get that bad I'm not sure that I want to live through it.

Here in East Texas, out in the country, there are just so many guns. Everybody I know has at least one, usually more. People who come out from the city to scavenge the country may get lucky and catch 2 or 3 people unawares but the 4th one is going to nail their ass.

Also, like you, I'm not going anywhere unless ....

I've got everything I need right here to get by for a while in a reasonable amount of comfort and that's all I need.
 

tiredretired

The Old Salt
SUPER Site Supporter
You can have all the food and water and etc you need but if you do not have a supply of back up meds you may be in trouble. Fortunatly for us, the local pharmacy screwed up big time and gave us double the pills monthly for over six months. I said nothing, insurance paid and I stashed. Now I need to rotate the meds to make sure nothing gets too old. :clap:
I would say realistically, one should try to maintain at least a 30-60 day supply.

Other things we have:

Plenty of propane and gasoline on hand.
Clean sine wave generator.
60 day supply of food & water.
Lots & lots of ammo with ability to keep reloading spent brass.
Plenty of dog food for Sophie. :biggrin:
Lots of batteries.
 

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Still have about 60 rolls on hand. When we get down to 48 it is time to get more.:clap:
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
TR touches on a couple of really good points.

Meds : Bad things can start to happen if you run out. Our insurance pays for a 90 supply but you can renew after 70 days. Over the years you can build up a useful "buffer".

Fuel: You can have all the food and water you want but without power life can get pretty miserable in a hurry. Power doesn't necessarily mean a generator but more importantly the FUEL to run it. This is one of the few areas where I don't think that the "bigger is better" theory applies. I know that many people like to have a big, honking generator that burns 10 or 12 gallons of gas every 12 hours but to me that just means that, even for a relatively short outage, you have to keep an unreasonable amount to gas around and FRESH all the time. No, I like my 2 little generators that sip fuel so that my gas stash can last a useful amount of time.

I remember a long time ago Melensdad has a topic somewhat similar to this one and some of the things that I identified that I really didn't have enough of was dog food, cigars and Scotch ... all of which have been taken care of. :biggrin:

Another thing that I've found useful on quite a few occasions is a 2000 watt inverter. It has 4K surge watts for around 10 seconds. It'll run all 110volt household appliances easily and, using diesel, I can power it from the tractors or the truck without having to think about draining gas from the vehicles.
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
this is so reminiscant of when the millenium was approaching.

I'm glad that you're going to look good when the zombies come around. :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

Referencing the quote above, it's nothing like the Millenium thing. I'm not talking about those Doomsday Preppers that you see on TV. If, like many of us, you live out in the country being prepared is a way of life. Living without power, no water, not being able to get off the property for days forces you to take certain precautions if you want to get by or even, in extreme cases, survive.

It's even worse if you are someone who raises something like chickens commercially. A one day power outage in the middle of the Texas summer can wipe you out financially. You'll have houses full of thousands of dead chickens. Experience teaches you to take precautions.

Out where I live, losing power for a few hours, or up to 5 days, isn't that unusual either in winter or in summer. You lose power, you lose water. Things start getting tough. It's all a question of whether you want to revert to the Stoneage for a few days or get by with some semblance of civilization and creature comforts. Me, I'm prepared.
 

luvs

'lil yinzer~
GOLD Site Supporter
us city folk- we needn't prep very much. necessities- a hop, skip, & a jump away. my kitty food & litter- always overstocked. for me, soap, a few pens/sharpies, minerals & stomach meds, laundry detergent, food, h2o, a change of clothes, & farm-dwelling family shall suffice. a way to contact ppl.
pardon me, i lack that there thing they call paranoia.
 

luvs

'lil yinzer~
GOLD Site Supporter
TR touches on a couple of really good points.

Meds : Bad things can start to happen if you run out. Our insurance pays for a 90 supply but you can renew after 70 days. Over the years you can build up a useful "buffer".

Fuel: You can have all the food and water you want but without power life can get pretty miserable in a hurry. Power doesn't necessarily mean a generator but more importantly the FUEL to run it. This is one of the few areas where I don't think that the "bigger is better" theory applies. I know that many people like to have a big, honking generator that burns 10 or 12 gallons of gas every 12 hours but to me that just means that, even for a relatively short outage, you have to keep an unreasonable amount to gas around and FRESH all the time. No, I like my 2 little generators that sip fuel so that my gas stash can last a useful amount of time.

I remember a long time ago Melensdad has a topic somewhat similar to this one and some of the things that I identified that I really didn't have enough of was dog food, cigars and Scotch ... all of which have been taken care of. :biggrin:

Another thing that I've found useful on quite a few occasions is a 2000 watt inverter. It has 4K surge watts for around 10 seconds. It'll run all 110volt household appliances easily and, using diesel, I can power it from the tractors or the truck without having to think about draining gas from the vehicles.


then u should be good for now. :wink:. see why i live here & keep farm-fam nearby~
 
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tiredretired

The Old Salt
SUPER Site Supporter
us city folk- we needn't prep very much. necessities- a hop, skip, & a jump away. my kitty food & litter- always overstocked. for me, soap, a few pens/sharpies, minerals & stomach meds, laundry detergent, food, h2o, a change of clothes, & farm-dwelling family shall suffice. a way to contact ppl.
pardon me, i lack that there thing they call paranoia.

City folks should keep a bug out bag handy. A good sized rucksack with some essentials. Never know, may need to leave in a hurry. :biggrin:

I do not feel I am being paranoid over this at all. I just wish all those people that are out to get me would stop it. :mellow:
 

Kane

New member
us city folk- we needn't prep very much. necessities- a hop, skip, & a jump away. my kitty food & litter- always overstocked. for me, soap, a few pens/sharpies, minerals & stomach meds, laundry detergent, food, h2o, a change of clothes, & farm-dwelling family shall suffice. a way to contact ppl.
pardon me, i lack that there thing they call paranoia.
Paranoia aside, luvs, if you live in the city you are screwed. Really screwed. As TR suggests, have the means to get away with your kitty to that farm dwelling family you know.
 

pirate_girl

legendary ⚓
GOLD Site Supporter
I am glad I live on the edge of town, right where city meets country.
Got friends who live in the sticks (or what we call the sticks around here-- 11 miles + out of town)
I always have a bug out bag of essentials ready... no matter what it would be for, it's ready.
There are a few items I'd throw in at the last minute, then get the hell outta Dodge.
 

luvs

'lil yinzer~
GOLD Site Supporter
Paranoia aside, luvs, if you live in the city you are screwed. Really screwed. As TR suggests, have the means to get away with your kitty to that farm dwelling family you know.


i have gone sans basics several times via h2o mains going, nature- (excessive cold/snow; summer sun, etc. etc.), yet plowed thru it as that was the only way @ that time. i have farm-dwelling Godparents. it's all good. i'll stay here- in the city~ we deal w/ difficulties, too. we manage & we manage well.
 

Kane

New member
i have gone sans basics several times via h2o mains going, nature- (excessive cold/snow; summer sun, etc. etc.), yet plowed thru it as that was the only way @ that time. i have farm-dwelling Godparents. it's all good. i'll stay here- in the city~ we deal w/ difficulties, too. we manage & we manage well.
okay...

You seem the good trusting soul, but methinks it is the "we" part that breaks down.













BTW, do you own a small pistol?
.
 

luvs

'lil yinzer~
GOLD Site Supporter
City folks should keep a bug out bag handy. A good sized rucksack with some essentials. Never know, may need to leave in a hurry. :biggrin:

I do not feel I am being paranoid over this at all. I just wish all those people that are out to get me would stop it. :mellow:

:flowers:goober. i know u know i know as much. laughing @ the last line in ur post.
i have a jansport that i take w/ me daily. my life is stuffed into that bag.
 

luvs

'lil yinzer~
GOLD Site Supporter
okay...

You seem the good trusting soul, but methinks it is the "we" part that breaks down.

the 'we' is my block. we look toward each others' well-being. very tight-knit community, here.BTW, do you own a small pistol?
.
:flowers: we're tight-knit. it's all good.
 
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