Thanks in advance for reading this thread.
I've been reading your fine website for about three weeks now. I've always had a bit of general prep (Mostly involving snagging my backpacking backpack), but I'm beginning to realize how more in-depth preparation is necessary.
Most importantly however, are the skill sets I need to develop, but that will be covered later.
To begin with, I'm seeking advice for what I feel are the 6 major scenarios any one person can experience. Some I'm personally immune to or are not applicable in my area.
Types of gear, what kind of gear, among other things, can be found in many other threads, and I'll try to keep this as general and concise as possible.
Scenarios:
Short-Term (Up to 30 days)
Disaster Types: Weather (Blizzard, Flood, Tornado, Light Civil Unrest)
Almost every citizen should be prepared for something like this, as they happen often.
At Home Plan: Shack up at home with enough food to get me by. Lock the doors, fire up the generator if necessary.
Bug-Out Plan: Vehicle, if Possible. Bug Out bag. Collect Immediate Family.
Medium-Term (1-6 Months)
Disaster Types: Extreme Climate Disaster, Non-Local Economic/Political Unrest
These type of situations will most likely evolve into a more serious scenario, but one can never tell.
At Home Plan: Deep Storage Food, Solar Array for Home Power, Use time to Prep for more serious needs.
Bug Out Plan: If I have to Bug Out, I'd most certainly use my Long-Term Plan.
Long-Term (1+ Years)
Disaster Types: Full Scale War, Political/Economic Breakdown, Permanent Climate Disasters, NBC Attacks
At Home Plan: Not Applicable. The density of my urban area precludes possibility for long term shacking in. Crime and looting would make it indefensible, and no area for livestock or crops.
Bug-Out Plan: Vehicle + Livestock Trailer. Trailer contains "Luxuries." Truck contains only bug-out bags, Hand Tools, Critical Books, Critical Food, Berkley Systems, and Family/Companions. Trailer has extended Food Storage, Extended Fuel.
This is the point where I'm asking for advice, as I'm pondering a few things in Long-Term Bugging Out:
1: Bartering. I have do not have the money to currently own livestock (nor the time to care for them.) Other than Shoeing Horses, I have basic levels of Animal care under my belt from growing up around my Grandfather's farm. It is my hope that I can stock Berkley Systems and Mini-Seed Vaults, and, should the need arise, I would trade these away in order to secure Horses, and, if possible, Cows and Chickens. Horses would be first priority. As I live in Colorado, Horses are in plentiful supply within 10 miles of my home. What do you think is the viability of this Bartering situation. In TEOTWAWKI events, Berkley systems and Seeds are worth their weight in Gold (In my opinion), and I would like to think that people would trade excess Livestock for bare necessities like Water and the ability to grow food.
The reason I think Horses are essential is that no matter what, Vehicles break down or run out of fuel. In TEOTWAWKI events, I can breed horses to last future generations. I can't fix a Truck / Scavenge for fuel for forever.
2: Defense: I see many people advocating a variety of weapons on this site, along with things like 2k excess 22 cal rounds, etc etc. In my own mind, these things also have a half life. In TEOTWAWKI events, once that ammunition is gone, you have a metal stick in your hand, and nothing more. It is certainly viable for "Threat of Force" events, but little more. Personally, my weapon of choice is 2 Fiberglass Bows with a healthy supply of arrows. These arrows will break over time, but they can be replaced with wooden arrows. These are "Legacy" weapons - can be handed down, and never run out (unless they break.) I'm certain I would have a rifle or two, but I would not rely on deep ammunition storage. Do you fellows agree? (And before you ask, I do know how to use a Bow - have Bow hunted for about 8 years. Not perfect, but adept.)
3: Power: Personally, I feel that it is foolhardy to rely on power in TEOTWAWKI events. Even the best deep storage batteries wouldn't last 20 years, and then you'd be up a creek. In my humble opinion, it would be better to abandon power entirely in Bug-Out long term disasters, and rely on skills and handtools.
4: Bug Out Land: I feel having Bug Out Land is foolhardy for my own part. A: It's unaffordable for me at this point. B: There is no guarantee that your bug out land will be safe when the time comes, and more often than not, the land that *is* purchasable, is ill-suited to be bug-out land (IE: You'll be surrounded by a great many people.) My current plan is to head north. Northern Wyoming seems ideal, and is close to me, but if possible, I think it would be beneficial to go further into Montana or even Canada. I'd think I'll discuss this in a different thread however.
5: Skills: This is a big one for me. I'm of the opinion that Skills > Supplies, and that Skill can get you 80% of the way towards what a Tool would have done for you. To that end though, there are a litany of skills I feel I need to get a basic understanding of, and many more that I'm not aware of. Are there skills that you feel are vital that I'm missing?
Listed in order of importance:
1: Purify / Filter water using Natural Means (Once Berkley is gone.)
2: Hunting, Trapping, Raising Livestock, Farming/Cropping
3: Create fire without Technology (Flint, Steel Wool, etc.)
4: Shelter
- Build Basic Shelter
- Mill Lumber using Hand-Tools (To create long term buildings)
- Create Natural Mortars (Adhesives for Buildings and Foundations.)
5: Basic Medical Care (Heimlich, CPR, Setting a Bone, Cleaning a Wound, Natural Treatments for basic ailments, Cold, Cough, Headache)
6: Leather (How to create leather from hide)
7: Smithing (How to recycle metal and create Heat Treated Metals - Mechanical Engineer, so I know the principles behind this, but would need to research how to make a forge, molds, among other things)
- Creating Grinding tools for sharpening would be key here, as well.
With those skills, I feel I could create a life for me and my companions to live comfortably. Ancillary luxuries I'd like to figure out
8: Building an Antenna / Long Range Radio
9: Medicine: This one boggles me. Many family members have ailments which need attention (Blood Pressure issues, etc.) Herbal remedies can only go so far. I'm not sure how to provide for them long term.
10: How to fashion Glass into lenses. This one is a key skill I need for my own and my families' survival. Poor eyesight plagues our family. Being able to fashion glasses would be necessary over time.
11: How to create natural lamp oils
12: How to create natural waxes (for candles)
Edit: Oh wow, almost forgot some critical things:
13: Food storage: Salting, Freezing, etc etc (All in natural environment)
14: Procuring Salt.
1-7 I know where and how to research. 8-14 I'm having severe difficulty in finding resources to learn these skills.
That about sums it up for me. If anyone has any planning advice, particularly with regards to long-term Bugging Out, Bartering for Livestock, Defense, the abandonment of power, and developing skillsets, I'd be much obliged.
Thank you again ladies and gentlemen for letting me post on your forums!
I've been reading your fine website for about three weeks now. I've always had a bit of general prep (Mostly involving snagging my backpacking backpack), but I'm beginning to realize how more in-depth preparation is necessary.
Most importantly however, are the skill sets I need to develop, but that will be covered later.
To begin with, I'm seeking advice for what I feel are the 6 major scenarios any one person can experience. Some I'm personally immune to or are not applicable in my area.
Types of gear, what kind of gear, among other things, can be found in many other threads, and I'll try to keep this as general and concise as possible.
Scenarios:
Short-Term (Up to 30 days)
Disaster Types: Weather (Blizzard, Flood, Tornado, Light Civil Unrest)
Almost every citizen should be prepared for something like this, as they happen often.
At Home Plan: Shack up at home with enough food to get me by. Lock the doors, fire up the generator if necessary.
Bug-Out Plan: Vehicle, if Possible. Bug Out bag. Collect Immediate Family.
Medium-Term (1-6 Months)
Disaster Types: Extreme Climate Disaster, Non-Local Economic/Political Unrest
These type of situations will most likely evolve into a more serious scenario, but one can never tell.
At Home Plan: Deep Storage Food, Solar Array for Home Power, Use time to Prep for more serious needs.
Bug Out Plan: If I have to Bug Out, I'd most certainly use my Long-Term Plan.
Long-Term (1+ Years)
Disaster Types: Full Scale War, Political/Economic Breakdown, Permanent Climate Disasters, NBC Attacks
At Home Plan: Not Applicable. The density of my urban area precludes possibility for long term shacking in. Crime and looting would make it indefensible, and no area for livestock or crops.
Bug-Out Plan: Vehicle + Livestock Trailer. Trailer contains "Luxuries." Truck contains only bug-out bags, Hand Tools, Critical Books, Critical Food, Berkley Systems, and Family/Companions. Trailer has extended Food Storage, Extended Fuel.
This is the point where I'm asking for advice, as I'm pondering a few things in Long-Term Bugging Out:
1: Bartering. I have do not have the money to currently own livestock (nor the time to care for them.) Other than Shoeing Horses, I have basic levels of Animal care under my belt from growing up around my Grandfather's farm. It is my hope that I can stock Berkley Systems and Mini-Seed Vaults, and, should the need arise, I would trade these away in order to secure Horses, and, if possible, Cows and Chickens. Horses would be first priority. As I live in Colorado, Horses are in plentiful supply within 10 miles of my home. What do you think is the viability of this Bartering situation. In TEOTWAWKI events, Berkley systems and Seeds are worth their weight in Gold (In my opinion), and I would like to think that people would trade excess Livestock for bare necessities like Water and the ability to grow food.
The reason I think Horses are essential is that no matter what, Vehicles break down or run out of fuel. In TEOTWAWKI events, I can breed horses to last future generations. I can't fix a Truck / Scavenge for fuel for forever.
2: Defense: I see many people advocating a variety of weapons on this site, along with things like 2k excess 22 cal rounds, etc etc. In my own mind, these things also have a half life. In TEOTWAWKI events, once that ammunition is gone, you have a metal stick in your hand, and nothing more. It is certainly viable for "Threat of Force" events, but little more. Personally, my weapon of choice is 2 Fiberglass Bows with a healthy supply of arrows. These arrows will break over time, but they can be replaced with wooden arrows. These are "Legacy" weapons - can be handed down, and never run out (unless they break.) I'm certain I would have a rifle or two, but I would not rely on deep ammunition storage. Do you fellows agree? (And before you ask, I do know how to use a Bow - have Bow hunted for about 8 years. Not perfect, but adept.)
3: Power: Personally, I feel that it is foolhardy to rely on power in TEOTWAWKI events. Even the best deep storage batteries wouldn't last 20 years, and then you'd be up a creek. In my humble opinion, it would be better to abandon power entirely in Bug-Out long term disasters, and rely on skills and handtools.
4: Bug Out Land: I feel having Bug Out Land is foolhardy for my own part. A: It's unaffordable for me at this point. B: There is no guarantee that your bug out land will be safe when the time comes, and more often than not, the land that *is* purchasable, is ill-suited to be bug-out land (IE: You'll be surrounded by a great many people.) My current plan is to head north. Northern Wyoming seems ideal, and is close to me, but if possible, I think it would be beneficial to go further into Montana or even Canada. I'd think I'll discuss this in a different thread however.
5: Skills: This is a big one for me. I'm of the opinion that Skills > Supplies, and that Skill can get you 80% of the way towards what a Tool would have done for you. To that end though, there are a litany of skills I feel I need to get a basic understanding of, and many more that I'm not aware of. Are there skills that you feel are vital that I'm missing?
Listed in order of importance:
1: Purify / Filter water using Natural Means (Once Berkley is gone.)
2: Hunting, Trapping, Raising Livestock, Farming/Cropping
3: Create fire without Technology (Flint, Steel Wool, etc.)
4: Shelter
- Build Basic Shelter
- Mill Lumber using Hand-Tools (To create long term buildings)
- Create Natural Mortars (Adhesives for Buildings and Foundations.)
5: Basic Medical Care (Heimlich, CPR, Setting a Bone, Cleaning a Wound, Natural Treatments for basic ailments, Cold, Cough, Headache)
6: Leather (How to create leather from hide)
7: Smithing (How to recycle metal and create Heat Treated Metals - Mechanical Engineer, so I know the principles behind this, but would need to research how to make a forge, molds, among other things)
- Creating Grinding tools for sharpening would be key here, as well.
With those skills, I feel I could create a life for me and my companions to live comfortably. Ancillary luxuries I'd like to figure out
8: Building an Antenna / Long Range Radio
9: Medicine: This one boggles me. Many family members have ailments which need attention (Blood Pressure issues, etc.) Herbal remedies can only go so far. I'm not sure how to provide for them long term.
10: How to fashion Glass into lenses. This one is a key skill I need for my own and my families' survival. Poor eyesight plagues our family. Being able to fashion glasses would be necessary over time.
11: How to create natural lamp oils
12: How to create natural waxes (for candles)
Edit: Oh wow, almost forgot some critical things:
13: Food storage: Salting, Freezing, etc etc (All in natural environment)
14: Procuring Salt.
1-7 I know where and how to research. 8-14 I'm having severe difficulty in finding resources to learn these skills.
That about sums it up for me. If anyone has any planning advice, particularly with regards to long-term Bugging Out, Bartering for Livestock, Defense, the abandonment of power, and developing skillsets, I'd be much obliged.
Thank you again ladies and gentlemen for letting me post on your forums!