Prepping

[Chubz]

Folks

Stumbled across the subject of Prepping this evening and it struck a deeper nerve with me. I have kicked around the idea of this for several months for my family, but reading tonight many of the things preppers do for disaster preparedness, I am no where near where I need to be if something goes awry in our system.

Anyone have specific experiences from self preparedness to survival camps, etc. I now have a deeper interest in being ready, but need to take that first step.

Interested in any real feedback.

Thanks

Greg

[Dave ESPI]

We can't live life in fear. "BE PREPARED" is a BSA motto. There is staples we all should have on hand, and then there is overkill.

We all dont need bombshelters and generators. In times of need, we can hope on our fellow neighbors to be there for us all and hopefully one of them does have said bombshelter :)

[bobdea]

yeah, but mormons and conspiracy nuts are, well, nuts.

do this, keep a garden,learn to save seeds, learn to can, can as much as you can, get a decent diesel generator so in a pinch you could brew bio if you had to and diesel is supposed to be more stable than petrol. install as many low energy appliances as you can afford. have a wood stove ready to go if there's a fuel disruption. solar set up so you could go completely off the grid if you need to. all this gets very expensive but will pay for it's self in about 15 years for a lot of people.

don't expect the rapture or nuclear holocaust any time soon but be prepared for long term power outages, food supply disruptions and fuel shortages these are more likely.

was reading a few weeks ago about if something or someone hit just a few refineries in the US or just a few "supertankers" it would cause disruptions in the fuel supply that could back up food and put fuel out of reach for months in some parts of the country.

[Loc]

You can get some basic items together. I have all these around just because I do a lot of extended backpacking trips in the Sierra in the warmer months. Not sure if I'd survive the 4 Horsemen but having the these supplies on my list makes me feel a little safer in case of natural disasters and FEMA can't get to me in time

Water filter

Iodine/purifier tablets

Space blankets

White gas stove + fuel

Lanterns, candles, fuel

Space blankets

Sleeping bags

Tent

[martyagt4]

The groceries run a "just in time" stocking program. There is nothing "nutty" about putting away food to sustain yourself and family. It doesn't always have to be a natural disaster, or the actual nut job terrorist. You can lose a job, or be disabled by a random car crash.

If you can live on rice and beans, you can easily put away and store enough for yourself and or family. Some O2 absorbers, good food grade Mylar bags, and clean 5 gallon buckets, etc.

Nothing wrong with a little overkill, as long as it's not having a negative impact on your life. Two is one, and one is none.

There is a lot of good info to be had out there, and a lot of BS too. Shoot me an email Greg, I can send a few links to help.

[bobdea]

The groceries run a "just in time" stocking program. There is nothing "nutty" about putting away food to sustain yourself and family. It doesn't always have to be a natural disaster, or the actual nut job terrorist. You can lose a job, or be disabled by a random car crash.

If you can live on rice and beans, you can easily put away and store enough for yourself and or family. Some O2 absorbers, good food grade Mylar bags, and clean 5 gallon buckets, etc.

Nothing wrong with a little overkill, as long as it's not having a negative impact on your life. Two is one, and one is none.

There is a lot of good info to be had out there, and a lot of BS too. Shoot me an email Greg, I can send a few links to help.

yup, I was speaking more of people that keep armories, bomb shelters and are WAITING for it all to go down.

yeah, I'm with you on the rice and beans we keep around 100 lbs of grain and 100 lbs of root vegetables pretty constantly along with lots of roots in the ground.

being able to ween yourself off the tit of the commercial food supply at least in part and indefinately along with the energy supply is the most essential though. this is where many people really drop the ball.

the most likely things we might have to deal with are either fuel shortages that would disrupt food supply or economic ****storms that just put these things out of reach.

most people that are "ready" I have talked with are so concerned with having supplies and a plan if something outlandish happens that they don't have any idea how to have a sustainable household because they are more worried about the some sci fi film scenario that they keep 500 gallons of fuel and a massive amount of dry food but nothing for when the fuel and food runs out. I don't get it. most have a can of seeds but no way to grow any of the stuff and don't keep a garden.

I guess the question is what do you think you need to prepare for?

that's where you have to be reasonable, most people on limited budgets so you have to choose between building underground fallout shelter or making your house capable of going off the grid with minimal use of fossil fuels or anything that can't be produced locally.

then at that point look at efficiency and independence. a good example is a masonry heater. very low tech they have been in use for 300 years but are the most efficient wood heaters available. best thing is you can DIY it.

[Chubz]

Thanks for the feedback. I am looking along the lines of self-efficiency to start. Not full blown paranoia. My goal would be to have a higher level of awareness and sustainability than most ppl out there, because I dont want to be one of the ones, feeding from limited resources should they start to "dry up".

Once I prepped at a level one , then I would move towards the next level based on sensibility and budget.

I know resources exist and feel I should take the necessary steps to move myself and family to that next level of preparedness.

Later

Greg

[boarderboy]

'cause Possum Pouch snows of yore are more often ice storms now, and we can lose power for days at a time. Also my diesel Beetle can serve as backup fuel supply.

Have a wood stove that easily heats the whole house, but I'd rather live with Ursus Americanus than my wife after more than a day without 120 AC.

My research has not been in-depth, but diesel generators seem really expensive.

Any suggestions??

Thanks

BB

[bigdyno]

I was living in Toronto when we had the black out a few years back. I pulled out the coleman stove after the BBQ ran out of propane. We didn't have power for three days, but had no problem staying fed from the freezer and pantry. I would have rather had a generator, but such is life sometimes. I'm glad it happened in the summer, winter would have really sucked.

My ex's parents were affected by the ice storm (in about 99 I think it was) in eastern Ontario and Quebec. They live in a small rural community and everyone camped at one house to conserve supplies. Her father then wired a pony panel to connect to a generator; it would run the fridge, stove and furnace with the throw of a switch if needed. As far as I know, they have never needed it, but who knows what tomorrow will bring.

I like to have a b-plan almost always, it just makes me more comfortable since we all know that s*** happens. I'm not some end-of-the-world fanatacist, but there is certainly something to be said in this day and age for having some alternate plans.

[Chubz]

Dy

What's a pony panel?

Even though my Dad has various items that would heavily contribute to a preparedness plan, I can see that I need to step up on my action planning. Lap of luxury makes us soft and I need to tighten the cage a bit

Greg

[bigdyno]

A pony panel is a sub panel, usually in a garage or workshop, usually 60A or so. It's so you can run outlets without having to go back in the house to reset them if the breakers trip.

[bobdea]

it's sub-panel I believe

like a second set of breakers in your garage for example but still off of your existing service.

I think this is what it is not entirely sure.

[bobdea]

'cause Possum Pouch snows of yore are more often ice storms now, and we can lose power for days at a time. Also my diesel Beetle can serve as backup fuel supply.

Have a wood stove that easily heats the whole house, but I'd rather live with Ursus Americanus than my wife after more than a day without 120 AC.

My research has not been in-depth, but diesel generators seem really expensive.

Any suggestions??

Thanks

BB

yes, diesel generators are pricey but gas generators blow when it comes to service life and reliability. not to mention being finiky about fuel. diesel systems will burn all sorts of oils with fairly minor adjustment.

if you only expect to run for a day or two or a week for minor power outages gas is fine but if you want a true system that would be looking at the long term and efficiency and reliability come into it diesel is it.

well, unless you want to do wood fired steam...........

[Gecko]

I lived in Typhoon alley for 4 years. I think we spent more than 10% of our time without power so gathering all the materials for survival was just smart. If you can go with an LP generator life would be good. We have a membership to a CSA, we garden and we can a lot of stuff

[martyagt4]

Canning is certainly a good step in prepping. Even if you're not growing your own foods, you can still can store bought. Although it may not be as economical, you can find vegetables and fruits on sale, or canning them during in season for out of season use.

[boarderboy]

yes, diesel generators are pricey but gas generators blow when it comes to service life and reliability. not to mention being finiky about fuel. diesel systems will burn all sorts of oils with fairly minor adjustment.

if you only expect to run for a day or two or a week for minor power outages gas is fine but if you want a true system that would be looking at the long term and efficiency and reliability come into it diesel is it.

well, unless you want to do wood fired steam...........

and since I have some interest in learning how to weld, one of the smaller diesel generator/welders might be the ticket.

Some years back, I bought plans for the ProCut log mill. It's designed as a DIY welding project.

Thanks for your input!

BB

[SteveInOregon]

Don't go way overboard on one hand and become paranoid , but don't deny the need to be self sustaining.

1)Physical fitness, be fit or get fit by hicking up the slope, the chair lift is great but "huff it" at least once every time you go boarding, ride a bike, do JuJitsu , what evger it takes to be able to fight & run and stay healthy.

2) Having a couple fire arm's and professional training (( google or YouTube Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch in southern Oregon ))

3) Save your money for a rainy (( blow it on a "snowy" )) day , lol.

4) Load up on canned goods and all the other stuff you would want to eat and eat without a stove or electricity .

5) Buy a lot of 1 or 2 gallon jugs of water rotate them but alway keep many gallons of water on hand.

6) Stay out of the big cites, (( they don't have snow covered mountain in the big city anyways , lol ))

7) Have a cheep 2nd ride with good gas mileage , such as a motor cycle., or Honda car or Toyota truck.

8 ) Learn to fish and hunt.

9) Grow veggies.

10 ) Join a food co-op

11) Eat simple & clean to your immune system stays top notch.

12) Make associations & friendships with farmers / ranchers and good counttry folks who help there neighbors and make trades for goods & services.

13) Hang out with smart motivated wise calm grounded tuff moral good people, ((dump the slackers they will hold you back when the going gets tuff ))

14) Learn about Ham radio (( google ARRL )) they are a fantastic back up communications system, even better in the back country.

15) Learn to make home made beer & or wine (( trust me on this one ))

16) Read abiout survival, financial servival , moral, emotional and physical survival.

17) Dont stress, when its You time to die You aint gona be able to do anything about it, and Cancer can get a foot hold on you if Your stressed out.

18) Dont tempt death, dare devils live by chance not by inner enlightenment, ego cancels out Your inner self protection, so dont kid Yourself about Your abilities.

19) Wear a helmet and listen to the silent inner voice that says " Boy your going to fast on this Heyabusa, lol.

20 ) Watch a little TV news , listen to some Talk radio, then turn it off just dont hide you head in the sand.

21) Do massive bong hit's of fresh mountain air when your riding up the mountain on the lift, (( trust me )) take the biggest tokes on the fresh air you can (( just a few )) it will do wonders for your health.

22) Treat people nice, give off a good helpful vibe , but don't take any s**t or fall into the soap opera minds games from anyone.

23) Practice being objective with a simple meditation (( nothing fancy )) of just sitting still with your eyes closed and watching You thoughts and emotions as they suck you into day dreams, (( don't over complicate this with mantras and intellectual stuff )) Just look at Yourself and then the world & people in your daily life like a child does with simple observation that way you can act from your inner silent intuitive self and be effortless and wise without even trying, Your SA= Situational Awareness will become highly advanced and you will be ahead of the game & know what to do instantly in what ever situation presents its self.

22 ) Ad 10 more things to this list, PEACE, lol :)