Survivalist Forum banner

please mentor a noob

6K views 38 replies 26 participants last post by  Dragunov 
#1 ·
I am new to this, and I have a deep desire to learn.

1. what skills should I work on first?
2. what items should I start gathering first?
3. what should I have my wife and children work on?

Thanks alot guys, have mercy on me.
 
#2 ·
First and foremost have a PLAN...decide on a scenario to begin prepping for, start considering your needs for said scenario and assign priorites...

For instance you may decide to get started by prepping for a localised disaster be it fire, flood, earthquake, whatever is most likely to befall you...then start considering what your basic needs are most likely to be to ensure survival...

Assign priorities based on the rule of 3...
You can survive
3 minutes without oxygen
3 hours without shelter in extreme conditions
3 days without water
3 weeks without food

Prepping is not about gathering "stuff" it's about gathering knowledge...there is a massive amount of information available on this forum...spend some time finding it...

Good luck!
 
#5 ·
First and foremost have a PLAN...decide on a scenario to begin prepping for, start considering your needs for said scenario and assign priorites...

For instance you may decide to get started by prepping for a localised disaster be it fire, flood, earthquake, whatever is most likely to befall you...then start considering what your basic needs are most likely to be to ensure survival...

Assign priorities based on the rule of 3...
You can survive
3 minutes without oxygen
3 hours without shelter in extreme conditions
3 days without water
3 weeks without food



Prepping is not about gathering "stuff" it's about gathering knowledge...there is a massive amount of information available on this forum...spend some time finding it...

Good luck!
Thanks man. I have been lurking for a while, and I am going to do this. I will learn.
 
#3 ·
Start with the basic needs Food, water, and Shelter.

Food needs fire so learn about ways to make one, then learn where to get food from the wild (hunting, gardening, foraging). Water needs a source and purification so learn about those things too. And shelter from the elements can be handy as well so know how to make one.

Basic supplies like a good knife, cordage, and other basics you find in a survival kit would be a good place to start. You need to survive before you can thrive.

But before you get too heavy into any one area, read a couple books and formulate a plan.
 
#9 ·
1. basic bushcraft skills - gathering and treating water, making fire and shelter etc
2. general survival equipment - firestrikers, water purification tablets good quality survival knife - rucksack to put it all in - small stove etc
3. food stores - look at your situation whether your going to Bug In or Bug Out depending on that it will alter how you plan and prep ... if Bugging in is a option then store food - otherwise look at storing food at your BOL

feel free to message me if you have any questions ... always here to help
 
#13 ·
I am new to this, and I have a deep desire to learn.

1. what skills should I work on first?
First of all, make sure you're in the best shape you can manage. If you're an Olympic athlete or you just got out of the Marines and you're in tip top shape, please skip to the next line item. If you are like most of the rest of us, you could probably stand to lose a few pounds, cut back on some sweets and greasy fried foods, and maybe get out of doors and get some exercise. Not everyone is able to be as fit as a Navy SEAL, some of us are seniors and some of us have bad backs, arthritis or COPD. All I'm suggesting for exercise is to do the best you can.

Second, run down a check list with your family on emergency skills.

Does each family member know at least basic first aid? If not, there are youtube videos about basic first aid, the local red cross can hook you up with a CPR class, first aid instruction manuals are available from book stores and military surplus shops and your local community college probably offers EMT and/or Paramedic certification courses.

Do your kids know what to do in the event of a fire? Do they know your home fire drill, where to run to?

Can your wife and kids easily get to a phone that has all the emergency numbers already on speed dial, in case someone needs an ambulance, fire engine, poison control or the police?

When it comes to self defense, realize that guns are not always the ultimate answer. In crowded areas, spraying bullets is unwise because of potential collateral damage. While you may be able to legally shoot someone in self defense if they are trying to kill you, a taser or pepper spray might be better for an intoxicated jerk, who keeps threatening people with a baseball bat and doesn't pose a direct threat to life.

Learning a martial art always helps out if you find yourself unarmed.

2. what items should I start gathering first?
Simple common sense items:

Does your home have a smoke detector and fire extinguisher?

Does your home have a first aid kit?

Does your home have flashlights with extra batteries for power outages?

Do you have a storm radio for those unexpected tornado warnings in the middle of the night?

Does your family have self defense weapons and are they trained in how to use them? ...And more importantly when NOT to use a particular weapon.

Do you have a well stocked pantry to tide your family over if severe weather or an earthquake (or some other disaster) prevents you from getting to the store for a few weeks? Large stocks of food and basic supplies (soap, toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper, etc.) can help tide your family over during periods of unemployment as well.

3. what should I have my wife and children work on?
If your wife is like most I've met, she'll decide what she wants to work on, or not.

I'd advise letting your kids be kids. Let them play, go out and enjoy their childhood. Don't scare them to death with "DOOMSDAY PREPPING" talk, but rather teach them that its a good idea to know a fire drill, where to go in case of an emergency, so they'll be safe. Teach them that its a good idea to know where the household first aid kit is, where emergency flash lights are located in the event a storm knocks out the power, etc.

As kids get older and able to take on more responsibility (and you'll have to judge this for yourself) teach them more things, like how to use a fire extinguisher, first aid, basic self defense, etc. The Boy Scouts is a good organization for kids to learn many self reliance skills and build self confidence.
 
#14 ·
"If you are like most of the rest of us, you could probably stand to lose a few pounds, cut back on some sweets and greasy fried foods, and maybe get out of doors and get some exercise."

...in my book, that is TEOTWAWKI :)


I am certianly not the most knowledgeable person here, but I always suggest a rookie start small. First you need to decide if you are going to bug in or bug out. Either way, start with 3 rubbermaid 31 gallon storage bins. 1 for food, 1 for light/heat/energy, 1 for first aid/hygiene. Each time you do your regular grocery shopping, pick up some items for each bin. Spam, dinty moore, canned/foiled tuna and salmon all have long shelf lives for example. From this lot build a Bug Out Bag of items that will sustain you and yours for 72 hours.

When you are done with your pepsi or coke 2 litre bottles, wash them out with VERY hot water and a little soap, rinse, fill with water, date, store out of sunlight. I generally rotate mine out every 6 months.

BOOM...you are on the road to being prepared. As for actual classroom training, I say EMT, and if you are comfortable with it, firearms training.
 
#15 ·
Here is my three key tips

1. READ
2. READ
3. READ

Knowledge is power.

When all else fails your brain will be your best friend.

Prepping gear and supplies will be your next step.

Some suggestions for reading:

A good technical manual on survival:
Amazon.com: 98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive (9781586852344): Cody Lundin, Russ Miller: Books

And if you get bored with the technical stuff:
Amazon.com: One Second After (9780765356864): William R. Forstchen, William D. Sanders, Newt Gingrich: Books

Then read up on the posts on this board, it is a good resource.
 
#17 ·
Read, learn, do.

Get a good preparedness manual.

Get the Foxfire series

Get "When There Are No Doctors"

Learn to gather medicinal and edible plants

Learn to protect your family.

Learn to preserve food and water.

Use the preparedness manual to get a plan together and know how much food you need to store for your family for at least a year.

Take classes on CPR and possibly EMT.

Know your surroundings and how to get out in a hurry on back roads. Learn how to navigate without GPS.

Make it fun for the kids, not scary. Camping is a great way to teach them wilderness skills.

If you are in an area able to get off the grid and you have the funds, start that process or start saving for that process. Have alternate water sources, rain, well, etc. Know how to purify water if needed.

Grow your own food. Use organic seeds so you can replenish your seed supply every year.

But, most of all, use the search function on this site and see what all is out there. We have a huge library of everything you'd ever want to know about survival and preparedness. Welcome to the forum.
 
#18 ·
The list can be endless and overwhelming, and very expensive... :) Read first, books, and posts here and on similar sites..Device a plan based on budget..Things that are a must:
1) Water and water purification devices and or tablets
2) Food
3) First aid supplies and medicine
4) Shelter (tarp, poncho, sleeping bags)
5) Weapon(s) at least one gun (long or short) and one knife
6) Ammo for your gun. At least 200-250 rds and if it is a .22LR then get at least 500-1,000.
7) CPR class
 
#19 ·
Prepping 101 by Jerry D Young

I don't include specific items but types of items on a priority basis. My priorities will be different than others, so feel free to jockey things around for your own situation. The main things are in the first two groups of five. It could just as easily have been a first 10 list, but I wanted to break it down into easy steps.


Some priorities to think about when you are just starting to prep.

Forget about Doomsday Preps, Armageddon, or TEOTWAWKI for now. Concentrate on basic human needs first and foremost. The rest can come when you’ve learned more and not only have, but have practiced with, the initial items. Begin to study and learn all you can now, and as you go along. Preps without knowledge aren’t nearly as effective as they are when you know the why-to and when-to in addition to the how-to. Develop a plan as you go along and adjust it as needed.

The needs are grouped together in basic order of need. Within the bracket, the items are essentially of equal importance. Having one without the others might or might not do much good or make much difference.

But something has to come first and something last, so they are listed that way, but the order of the groups is more important. Try to get the groups started in order, unless there is a pressing need to jump something ahead of the list. You don’t have to be ‘finished’ with one grouping before you start acquiring the items in the next group, but you should have a good start on them before you move on.


Some assumptions:

The overwhelming majority of preps will be needed for situations that occur at home.

Most disasters will not be Doomsday, The Apocalypse, TEOTWAWKI or WROL situations.

Most disasters will still have police and National Guard units enforcing law & order.

People will still be responsible for their actions legally and morally.

There will looters and violence in some major disasters, but the proportion of life & death incidents will be much smaller than the number of incidents requiring basic human needs.

Most households will have some basic items at home that can be used during a disaster. Not everything has to be purchased for use only during one. You can often incorporate into the preps items you already have. (Basic First Aid kits including some OTC & any needed prescription meds. A flashlight or two & some candles. A knife. Bedding)


The priorities are set follows:

1st Priority group: Items most likely to be needed during any disaster whether stay at home or bug out. People will need water to drink, some food to eat, a place to go to the bathroom, and a way to carry supplies if evacuation is required. This is a good time to set up the budget for preps, too. Won’t be much in it at first, but it needs to be started. It can be added to or changed as needed.

2nd Priority group: Important items, but not needed in many stay at home situations. It is important to have warnings of impending situations, especially weather related. But most homes have regular means to do this, like the Weather Channel or the news. Normally, people will be wearing seasonal clothing. Most homes already have some candles and a flashlight available. And there will have knives to use if staying inside. Protection will not be needed in most disasters that are minor, and most disasters range from minor to moderate. But if it is needed, it will be needed in the worst way.

3rd Priority group: Items that will make life a bit easier. Most people will have a basic first aid kit at home with items for minor injuries and basic meds, along with needed prescription medications. They have bedding that can be used. Most people will have some form of transportation all ready and will not need a specific BOV/PAWV yet. Being able to cook some food will be a comfort, but foods that don’t need to be cooked should be available anyway. Tools and hardware will also be nice to have but usually are not critical.

4th Priority group: Most people will have IDs so some the documentation can wait a little while. Preferably reference books will be purchased as needed, but an extensive library, which will be good to have, can wait since other people will have skills and the library may be intact. Finances are another thing that should be done all along, and are expensive. Like finances, CBNRE/HAZMAT gear is expensive. If it is needed, it will be needed desperately, but the probabilities are lower than for many other disasters.

5th Priority group: These are items that need either much training or are expensive and not necessary in many disasters


(And a disclaimer. Change the level of priority as needed by your situation. I feel that having at least something for the majority of situations is more important than having high dollar items for low probability situations first. You can begin budgeting for them immediately, and should, and then get them as soon as you can, but prioritize. What are your needs in your situation? If you live in a bad neighborhood or will have to travel through one during an evacuation, you might want to consider a firearm closer to the top of the list, if you can legally own one. The same if you live near a nuke plant, you might want HAZMAT/CBNRE gear sooner despite the expense.

This is a suggested list, a guideline for those that are just starting out, not the Ten Commandments etched in stone for everyone to follow blindly. The list isn’t particularly for use by anyone that already knows what they are doing as you’ve probably already set your priorities and are acting on them. I repeat: Change the level of priority as needed by your situation.


1st Priority group:

Water. Store a lot, locate a reliable future source, get water treatment/purification. A few 15-gallon water drums, a couple of stainless steel water bottles with cups for the BOBs, a quality water purifier, either a high cap camping filter or a combination of a drip filter for the BIB and a smaller hikers filter for the BOBs. Scout out locations for long term supplies of water.

Food. No cook, add hot water only, & easy-cook shelf stable foods, heavy on meats, fruits, and comfort foods. For both BOB and BIB. Learn to garden and grow as much as you can as soon as you can. Ditto home canning when you get the garden going. Don't be afraid of the commercially produced crops like wheat and oats. You can grow non-hybrid/organic types in a home garden.

Fire. Several means to start one, and a couple of items to contain fire. Fire steel, Lifeboat matches, lighters with some tinder for the BOBs. To heat one room in the house, an indoor safe propane or kerosene heater with a supply of fuel stored outdoors.
Sanitation/Hygiene. Chemical toilet, TP, hand washing means, bug spray, antiseptic cleaners, shovel to bury wastes. Toiletries. Charmin camper’s toilet paper and cleansing wipes for the BOBs. Infectious diseases protection supplies, face mask, gloves, goggles and hand sanitizer. And the ladies, and especially soon to be ladies, need large supplies of their needs on hand.

LBE. Equipment to carry your equipment when in the field. BOB/BIB/GHB/INCH bag/GOOD bag, etc. Packs, travois, game cart. I am a proponent of taking more than what you can comfortably carry in a back pack. Especially if you have children. Consider having some type of cart to carry heavier weights than you can on your backs, and give the little ones a chance to get off their feet.

Add everything to the budget list, mark down the quantities, purchase date and expire date, with the price per item and subtotal for that item.

Once the very basics of 1st Priority group items are obtained, and as additional items for it are acquired, go ahead and start on 2nd Priority group acquisitions. You do not need a year’s supply of 1st Priority items before you start on 2nd Priority group items. The 1st & 2nd Priority groups could be one huge group, but I feel that there should be some priorities because very few people can do it all at once. Add a few lines to the budget, down a ways, for the long term ideas and expensive ones that you will start seeing a need for someday


2nd Priority group:

Signals/Communications/Intelligence/Navigation. A wind up radio with NOAA weather alert (this could easily be the first item you should get if you’re in tornado alley or where coastal hurricanes occur), AM/FM, Short wave & a set of FRS/GRMS or MURS radios works for both BIB & BOB, Amateur Radios for LR comms, Binoculars, maps, compass, GPS, Flares/mirror/smoke/whistle. Forewarned is forearmed. If you know it is coming the better you can deal with it. And if you are lost or separated or trapped, having the means to signal will get you back a lot faster.

Season specific clothing/Shelter. The right clothes for the season. Basic camping gear in case the house becomes unlivable. You are probably already doing the right clothes for the given season, though here in Reno I see people going from heated homes to heated cars, to heated business and back again wearing a T-shirt, shorts, and flipflops in 20 degree weather with snow on the ground and coming down hard (I am not joking). Have what you need to keep you comfortable in the weather. And the camp gear is for when the house cannot be lived in and you need to camp out in the back yard or evacuate.

Lighting. Wind up LED flashlights. Indoor & outdoor. a couple of crank flashlights for both BIB and BOB, candles, propane lanterns, battery lanterns. Get some specifically for preps, even though you probably already have a couple with weak batteries and non-working bulbs.

Protection/Physical security. From wild domesticated animals, wild animals, and self-defense in those cases where it might be needed. Training, weapons, defensive measures. For some this is a much higher priority. Evaluate your needs and make the decision. They tend to be expensive, so set up a budget and start saving money for one now, even if you can’t get it yet due to the overall expense. Train, train, and train some more with them.

Sharps/Edged tools. Knives/SAK/Multi-tool, axe, saw, etc. Same as lighting. I’m fairly sure you have a knife or two in the house. Probably suitable for most uses, except lacking a sheath. But there are some blades that are better for field use and Swiss Army Knives (SAKs), and multi-tools can be handy, and if you need to build shelter or an outdoor fire, axes and saws will save you much labor.

At this point you should have a good feel for your family’s need, including longer term ones.

Once a good start on 1st & 2nd Priority group items are made, and as additional items for them are obtained, start on 3rd Priority group acquisitions. You do not need a year’s supply of 1st & 2nd Priority items to start on 3rd Priority group items.


3rd Priority group:

Sleeping: Sleeping bags, cots w/linens, sleeping pads. A space blanket for each person for the BOBs. If these aren’t automatically included in the camping gear you need to think about them if you have to bug out. Household bedding is fine for the house, if you can stay in it, and even use it in a tent if it is pitched in the back yard. But for evacuations, a sleeping bag is better, and a space blanket or space blanket bag are for last ditch sleeping and warmth.

Medical: Extensive first-aid kits, heavy on the trauma treatment for at the scene and in both BIBs & BOBs and the rest of the alphabet. These are supplemental kits to your regular home first aid kit. It’s is fine for minor cuts, abrasions, stings, and bruises. In a disaster the injuries are likely to be not only worse, but in great numbers. Stock up with quality in mind and with as much quantity as is possible. Another item to budget early on to get a bit later. And get some training.

Tools/Hardware/Cordage. To get you out if you’re trapped in, to get in to someone that is trapped. Tools and parts to make and repair items. 100+ feet of 550 cord for the BOBs, plenty of rope of several types for general use. Not everyone knows how to use many, or are physically unable to. These are primarily for at the scene of a disaster, but some items can be carried in the evacuation kits for minor things on the road.

Heat/cooling/Cooking: Means to maintain acceptable temperatures in home and in the field such as indoor safe propane and kerosene heaters. Gas grill w/tanks, various camping stoves for home or field to cook food when possible (but not in the house). No-cook, and add-hot-water-only foods are desirable in the early stages of a situation. But a hot drink and hot meal can raise the spirits and supply needed warmth in many situations. Not critical at first in some climate, but nice later on. Others will need to up this on the priority list if in a cold climate and suitable clothes for the weather won’t be available. This could include a generator in addition to non-electrical means so a refrigerator, freezer, AC, stove, etc. can be operated.

Transportation: A vehicular BOV if possible, Motorcycles, bicycles, animals, on foot. Since, in my opinion, the majority of disasters do not call for bugging out long distances, if at all, transportation is down here on the list. If you live in a tsunami zone, near an active or soon will probably be active volcano, you might want to up the priority level. And if you have children or pets or both, evacuation on foot is very difficult and calls for some more sophisticated measures

Add the time frame and amount for the long lead items that you plan to purchase and start saving a budgeted amount per month for that item/those items.


4th Priority group

Morale/Welfare/Recreation: Games, some small toys and some paper and pencils, religious books, movies, books. Something to keep the kids quiet and busy, adults entertained or comforted, or just to break the monotony.

Important Documents: IDs for everyone, Contact list, copies of insurance cards, etc. for the BOBs. There are several lists of what you need to have. This is another thing that, though probably doesn’t need to be budgeted for (except to get replacement birth certificates and passports) does need to be planned out and executed over time. You will be working with agencies of the government and big business with some of them and it just takes time. Start early and finish when you can will hopefully be good enough. It is serious enough for me to remind parents about children’s immunization records. Those could be a big deal.

Education and reference books. Going to need to how to do a lot of different things. Start accumulating as you see books and things on sale. Read over them and then put into good storage. Practice those things that are advantageous for ordinary times. Gardening, home canning, animal husbandry, auto repair, gun smithing.

Finances: cash, gold coins, silver coins, several dollars in small bills for the BOBs, debit card. This is special disaster related finances, not your everyday household budget. The things listed can, in various circumstances, be of great help. Or not. It is all situational. Some will take cash but not PMs, and some will take PMs but not cash, some won’t take either. Try to have something set aside if you have to evacuate.

CBRNE/HAZMAT gear: Extremely important if needed, but expensive and requires training. Radiation sensors, Respirator, Tyvek suit, other PPE. Bucket, brush, bleach to decontaminate. The cleansing items you probably already have. The PPE items are very important if needed. As stated above, if you live in an area where you have to think about nuke plants melting down, up the priority and get them in the budget for acquisition as soon as possible.


5th Priority group:

Wild food gathering (fishing equipment/hunting equipment/traps/game prep equipment, etc) This is long range planning. If you don’t already know how to hunt and fish, and process wild foods, you might want to work it into you schedule as you get more prepared.

Barter: Items to barter/trade to get things you need. For those that don’t think precious metals or cash will be any good, and to just have when having is better than not having. Don’t tie up junior
s college fund for it, but look at some of the many list on the forums that address trade and barter.

Spares: Spares for everything that uses consumables plus spare parts for critical items. Enough supplies for everyone when bugging out, a PAWV if money is no object. Once you get ‘things’, it doesn’t end. Some will need routine maintenance, some rotation, and some spare parts and extra consumables such as batteries.

Rappelling/climbing: Gear for those trained that might need to do some vertical work. Nice to know. Could save a life, even yours. But don’t even think about it without getting some serious training and some very expensive, quality gear.

Everything else. Stuff that doesn’t apply to me or I never think about.

Plus what I forgot. And I always forget something.


You basically then start over, on a new level, increasing the amounts of the consumables and adding various equipment you have discovered that will make your preps work better for you. Either your budget sheet or a specific expiration date/rotate date sheet will start having consumables marked off as you rotate, use, and replace what you use.

From this point you are in a position where you are thinking things through on you own, studying the available literature, checking vendor sites and Forums for more knowledge.


Just my opinion on the subject.



A second, condensed version.

I would list them as follows.

1. Water: no question here, definitely top five and top for most.
2. Food: Same. While one can last for several days without, they won't be up to doing anything.
3. Fire: For heat, light, signaling, cooking
4. Sanitation: Everybody has to go and want privacy while doing it. And without proper disposal, illness is just around the corner.
5. LBE: You need some way to carry the items above if you can't stay where you are.

6. Security: Guns and other means (could go in the first five if one lives where it is an immediate need.)
7. Medical: Will be needed at some point most likely.
8. Signals/communication: Some way to find out what is happening as well as two way communications with the group. Plus a NOAA NWS SAME weather alert radio. Could be higher if in an area subject to weather disasters.
9. Lighting: Things happen in the dark. You need a reliable, portable way to see in it.
10. Sharps: You are going to need a knife at least, and possibly several other edged tools.


11. Season specific clothing. You're stranded if you don't have clothing that will get you through the weather at the time of the incident.
12. Cooking tools to go along with the fire. A hot meal will become a real morale booster as things play out.
13. Sleeping materials: Need better means than a blanket off the bed in many situations and if travelling.
14. Tools/Hardware/Cordage: For repairs or simple construction.
15. Transportation: While bugging in is preferred, if you have to bug out, using a vehicle to get you at least part way would be a great help.

There are another ten or so primary ones I can think of. Including HAZMAT gear, which would be higher up on the list if living near any nuclear facility.

Just my thoughts on the matter.
 
#22 ·
Just starting...prep for a bug in situation.

if you are bugging in, count your house as shelter. all you need now is food and water.

My starter list is simple, 100 pounds of rice, 50 pounds of dried beans, couple gallons of bleach, couple 20 pound tanks of LP and a turkey fryer.

Then, for every fun piece of tack you pick up, you know...cool flashlight, knives, or guns...pick up a boring essential.
 
#24 ·
1. what skills should I work on first?

Security (Learn to fight, shoot, protect).
This is the most important skillset to start with, because without it, You'll not be able to protect anything.... Including your life.

Shelter/Water.
Without this, you'll die of thirst and exposure.

Fire.
Learn to make it. If you don't, you can't boil water, cook food or keep warm.

Food.
Learn to forage, fish, hunt and trap.

Work on these skillsets first. Learn to do them at the lowest denominator. You can practice from the safety of your back yard. The more skillsets you have, the less "gear" you're going to need.

2. what items should I start gathering first?

At least one battle rifle and 500 rounds of ammo and PRACtice.
Paracord, but learn to make cordage and save the paracord for need only..
A couple of good, quality bush knives.
A way to carry water and sterilize it.
A fire steel.
A mess kit and P51.
A backpack.
A first aid kit.

With the proper skillsets, That is all you'll need.

3. what should I have my wife and children work on?

The same things you work on. Keep it age appropriate.

Some in your family will enjoy learning some skillsets more than others. Between everyone, you should be able to work together as a team.

I'm speaking in terms of survival, not prepping. There are hundreds of good threads on prepping here. :) Welcome!
 
#31 ·
If you have boys, get them involved in Boy Scouts. They will learn skills and have fun. Get trained and go with them, you'll learn too. Take a first aid/ CPR class, see if there are other courses offered. I've taken a CERT course that was both first aid and
safety training. If your family is interested split up areas that you will work on.

My focus is on food/comfort items. I realized that prices were going up and things weren't going so well in the economy so I started to panic. I've always had a decent pantry, but after we lost power 2 times for several days, I realized I counted on my freezer too much. When we were out of power for over 2 days with Sandy, I knew where/how to get dry ice for my freezer and knew to pull out the items on top that would end up thawing. We ate well! I now have a pressure canner, so if I need to, I can process the meat in the freezer so it doesn't have to be eaten right then.

The article below was what started me on food storage, with low cost and disasters in mind. I didn't rush right out and buy everything on his list, I realized I had a lot of it already and gradually added a few things as they were on sale. It makes no sense financially to buy 1 pound bags of rice, when it's cheaper by the pound to buy a 10 pound bag. By shopping and eating only things that are on sale, I've been building my pantry without it costing a lot. Some weeks all I buy is bread and milk. Other I stock up on something that is on sale. I'm not a Peanut butter & jelly person, but I have them in my storage, becasue I know people who are and I got them cheap on sale and with coupons.

http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/survival-food-storage-walmart/
 
#33 ·
Well the question is what are you trying to prep for ? Sense you posted this in the Urban survival section I will start with what it would take to deal with a city .

Step one the plan .

With out a sustained influx of supplies coming into a city it will collapse upon its self . The space requirements for even a roof top farming setup or the indoor equivalent would be cost prohibitive even more so then stocking a Bug out Location (BOL) . So most city dwellers here on the boards either have plans to initially bug in or plan to bug out at a moments notice . No matter how well your stocked you think you are .your eventually going to have to bug out . But to where you ask ? I would look at a 100 mile radius in all directions to see what would be the best place for my BOL. Me personally I have been looking at land in either PA or WV as being in located in in a DC suburb as two rather good places for cheap land to set up a BOL. in the 150 miles range . I had to extend my range due to wanting to be in a gun friendly area and I will say I am leaning more towards PA but that is a more personal choice then anything . Having family roughly halfway between where I would like to bug out to and where I am at is part of my planning and a valuable asset that I will take full advantage of.

Outside of having a place to go is how do you plan to get there ? Do you plan to drive to wherever your BOL is at ? Have you considered what if the roads are blocked or travel has been restricted as in check points at natural choke points like bridges and other natural areas where bottle necking could occur. Do you have a plan to get around or alternative routes to assure that you and your group get there safely ?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top