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Post by The Resister on Jul 1, 2022 19:33:13 GMT
I visit a lot of boards. Some specialize in prepping, but once a board gets really large, the people are drawn in to all the other forums there whether it is something specific like archery or black powder weapons or the smaller forums like politics. In the end, you don't meet many preppers. I was a prepper before the word was ever invented. We were called retreaters, survivalists, and sometimes some unsavory things that they still use today. At the end of the day, there is no official definition of a prepper.
As someone who has prepared for the SHTF scenarios most of my life, my view of a prepper might be different than most. The average citizen could take some prepper skills and use them for their everyday survival. Are they a prepper? I don't know. I guess it's all about what kind of people you want to associate with. You may not be ready to live off the grid, go a year without leaving your property, or defend Life, Liberty, and Property at the drop of a hat, but you could use prepper skills to be prepared for the most likely events. Inclement weather, pandemics, civil unrest, shortages in goods and services, along with political divisiveness that manifests itself in everything from violence to supply chain disruptions in society have taught a lot us to be prepared at a minimal level.
I would advocate that all of you here do five things:
1) Build a Bug Out Bag (aka Go Bag, Get Outta Dodge Bag)
2) Develop an Evacuation and Rendezvous Plan for your home
3) Establish an Emergency Communication Protocol for your home (Never know when the power grid is going to go and your cell phone is left with just that flashlight capability)
5) Begin thinking about Security and Privacy within the home
What do you think?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2022 3:24:07 GMT
Getting yourself A HAM radio set is important too but I guess that is mentioned in #3.
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Post by The Resister on Jul 2, 2022 15:00:15 GMT
Getting yourself A HAM radio set is important too but I guess that is mentioned in #3. If a person wants to use HAM as an alternative, that would fall into the category of communications. The point is, we don't know when war, weather, civil unrest, or unforeseen circumstances may make your cell phone a worthless piece of junk save of the internal flashlight some are made with. You need a way to communicate (preferably several) even if you are not a full fledged prepper. Any one thing on that list could easily become an entire thread. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2022 15:23:54 GMT
Getting yourself A HAM radio set is important too but I guess that is mentioned in #3. If a person wants to use HAM as an alternative, that would fall into the category of communications. The point is, we don't know when war, weather, civil unrest, or unforeseen circumstances may make your cell phone a worthless piece of junk save of the internal flashlight some are made with. You need a way to communicate (preferably several) even if you are not a full fledged prepper. Any one thing on that list could easily become an entire thread. I think it is important that you emphasize the need for solar power flashlights and fireproof matches too. |
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Post by The Resister on Jul 4, 2022 3:21:38 GMT
If a person wants to use HAM as an alternative, that would fall into the category of communications. The point is, we don't know when war, weather, civil unrest, or unforeseen circumstances may make your cell phone a worthless piece of junk save of the internal flashlight some are made with. You need a way to communicate (preferably several) even if you are not a full fledged prepper. Any one thing on that list could easily become an entire thread. I think it is important that you emphasize the need for solar power flashlights and fireproof matches too. At that stage in this conversation, it's a bit premature. Nobody has checked in with questions like what all should go in a Bug Out Bag or what security protocols they should follow or questions about security. If you could get most Americans to actually make up a Bug Out Bag and maintain it, you'd be doing better than most sites. The thing is, EVERYBODY needs a Bug Out Bag. Imagine how embarrassed a person would be if they had to evacuate their home in the middle of the night due to a fire or something like a hurricane. They get out of their house in their underwear and their life. It would be embarrassing, inconvenient and unnecessary. When I was in the militia, we used to have a challenge that any militiaman could spring on you at any time. We used to go to meetings and FTXs, that sort of thing and one guy would ask another to show him his Bug Out Bag. If you couldn't show him one, you had to buy his lunch. Today they write books about Bug Out Bags and most people still don't have one. Do you? |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2022 4:16:47 GMT
No, I don;t but I have a big camping backpack, Bu the way the solar-powered flashlight and fireproof matches were just honor.
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professorx
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Post by professorx on Jul 6, 2022 17:59:54 GMT
I do have a Go Bag. Some call them Bug Out Bags or Get Outta Dodge Bags. It is basically things to sustain you for a few days if you have to grab a bag and go in a hurry. Just the thought of having to leave home in a hurry due to fire, flood, hurricane or some event you have no control over makes having a Go Bag a great idea. Books have been written about the perfect bag but I don't see the point. Companies sell ready to go bags fully stocked and I fail to see the point. Each of us is different. We have different needs. We have to figure out how much we can physically carry and how much room a bag takes relative to our traveling options.
A 50 year old man that is single has different needs than a prepper in his 30s with one or two babies he has to take when he leaves the house. Where you live might be a consideration too. People in rural areas might need ways to carry water while those in urban settings might want to think about larger water filters. My advice is to start building a bag with what you know that you will need.
* Underwear
* Socks
* Towel
* Washcloth
* Soap
* Toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, dental floss
* Razor, blades, and shaving cream (mostly for men)
* Toilet paper
* Flashlight
* Small sum of extra money
Then it becomes a matter of individual needs. It also depends upon climate. A person might need an emergency blanket during the winter months or if it gets cold at night. You might need an emergency rain poncho if it is a damp and wet climate where it rains a lot. You have to play with it and see what you need the most and what you can carry comfortably.
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Post by professorx on Jul 9, 2022 12:40:44 GMT
To pick back up where this left off the best that some writers do is to say that some gear is based on individual needs and let it go at that. Whether you become a prepper or not does not take away from whether or not you should have a Go Bag. You need one. If a fire broke out at your house and you had to leave it in the middle of the night you would develop a new appreciation for a Go Bag. It's 2 am and you run out of the house with just what you can carry. It wouldn't be but a day before you realized how important clean underwear along with a shave and brushing your teeth really are.
What you take is dependent on your age, physical condition and how many people you are prepping for. In any case weight becomes relative. One of the items that you can save space and weight on is your flashlight and a couple of extra batteries. Cheap flashlights might help you in the short term but you probably get what you pay for at the low end of the spectrum. Three names for higher end flashlights are Surefire, Streamlight and Olight. Surefire flashlights can go as high as $250 or more. Streamlight flashlights are expensive but you can get really nice ones for a hundred bucks. Just under that are Olight flashlights and they have some for around $75 or so. The flashlights at Walmart put out an average of about 350 lumens. That is the amount of light they emit. Those cost close to $40 and are cheaply made. They do have bigger ones but that is the thing. They are big and cheaply made. For about $100 you can get a Streamlight that emits 1,000 lumens and it is built like a tank. Olight has really small flashlights for that same price range and they emit up to 1,000 lumens. Some Olight flashlights are so small they would be easily lost. Study the literature before buying. The packaging generally tells you how many hours a battery will last and how many lumens it puts out. Others may tell you at what height the flashlight can be dropped and still function and some may even have rechargeable batteries.
Save weight as you need a secondary source of light that has multi functions. A candle can be used for light and heat. The thing you need to learn when learning how to prep that two is one and one is none. If your flashlight gives up the ghost you still have a candle. Two is one and one is none.
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Post by The Resister on Jul 9, 2022 16:12:27 GMT
FWIW A man once told me that Olight was the only flashlight known to blow up on someone, killing them. I own a Streamlight. forum.full30.com/t/olight-flashlight-exploded-killing-user/18068 Advancing beyond that, it was mentioned that you need a candle so I would advocate carrying those candles that are made specifically for camping and get some waterproof matches to go along with it. Moving along I think that everyone should include a multifunction tool in their Bug Out Bag. These usually have some pliers / wire cutters, screwdrivers, knife, file, etc. all built in. Here are a few links so that you get an idea of what I'm talking about: www.amazon.com/LEATHERMAN-Rebar-Multitool-Black-Sheath/dp/B005KSWIIY/ref=sxin_16_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa?content-id=amzn1.sym.b245e49f-68a4-4489-b1f9-81f4034255f5%3Aamzn1.sym.b245e49f-68a4-4489-b1f9-81f4034255f5&cv_ct_cx=multifunctional+tool&keywords=multifunctional+tool&pd_rd_i=B005KSWIIY&pd_rd_r=e409fac8-9418-4c49-8555-1476bbd344d0&pd_rd_w=kDvdh&pd_rd_wg=YzSpA&pf_rd_p=b245e49f-68a4-4489-b1f9-81f4034255f5&pf_rd_r=ZR2X16D4P4FV9FB4XYZD&qid=1657382326&sr=1-1-a73d1c8c-2fd2-4f19-aa41-2df022bcb241-spons&psc=1&smid=A2KAK4SU06JJJF&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyV1pQRUVGV01XSEIwJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDA3OTI4MkdKRjZYMDVMR1VBWCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDc1NTQ3M0lTNEVPQTVLMVFGUyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX3NlYXJjaF90aGVtYXRpYyZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=bestsurvival.org/best-multi-tool/#:~:text=10%20Best%20Multi-Tools%20%28Update%202022%29%20Buyer%E2%80%99s%20Guide%201,SOG%20Switchplier%202.0.%20...%2010%20Extrema%20Ratio.%20 www.marineapproved.com/best-multi-tools/It's best to get the most expensive things in your Bug Out Bag taken care of first. I think we've covered those. There is one more item that, if applicable, should be in your Bug Out Bag and that is prescription glasses. If you can afford a pair of extra prescription glasses, by all means purchase them. Put them in your Bug Out Bag. If you can't afford them, save your old glasses and put them in your Bug Out Bag. Better to have some sight than none. |
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Post by The Resister on Jul 10, 2022 4:01:43 GMT
I would say that if anyone is finding this engaging, they might be a prepper OR they might be swayed in that direction. Without any feedback, I will make one more post about Bug Out Bags and drop the issue. IN MY OPINION, the best way to obtain a Bug Out Bag is build it yourself. I'm always shopping flea markets, military surplus stores, second hand thrift shops, etc. looking for the perfect bag. Do you sling it over your shoulder? Do you wear it as a backpack? All of this is up to you. You know how you can comfortably carry a load and in what manner. If you buy a ready made bag it probably won't fit your needs. Every geographic region is different and every person's personal needs are different. The rural backpacker has much different needs than the city dweller. My method was simple. One time I found out I would be traveling for a couple of weeks. Not knowing what I'd be up against and knowing that I could only take what I carried, I began writing down everything I used over the course of a day. I did that for a week and then compared each day to find out what I used continually from toothpaste to antacids. That was a guide for what I NEED. The weather, circumstances, etc. dictated the rest of it. If you're lazy or if you're a gear junkie, this might be beginning resource: www.amazon.com/Build-Perfect-Bug-Out-Bag/dp/1440318743www.aarp.org/home-family/friends-family/info-2020/emergency-go-bag.html?cmp=KNC-DSO-COR-DisasterPreparedness-15204-Bing-EmergencyGoBag-Phrase-NonBrand&gclid=0d1e23099baa155e928b41c3d6067f8c&gclsrc=3p.ds&msclkid=0d1e23099baa155e928b41c3d6067f8c&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Core-DisasterPreparedness-NonBrand-Phrase&utm_term=emergency%20go%20bag&utm_content=Emergency%20Go%20BagI'll end with this final note: In all my bags I have one smaller bag that fits into the main bag. In this smaller bag is my shaving gear and anything that is sensitive to the weather. The reason being, where I live it gets hot and humid. Anti-perspirants, toothpaste, medicines, food, water purification tablets, etc. wouldn't last. So that stuff went into a small bag and upon arriving at work, that bag went into my locker at work. We can cover all kinds of tips with your feedback. |
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professorx
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Post by professorx on Jul 11, 2022 14:51:40 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2022 0:55:18 GMT
IF the shit hits the fan, it will start with home invasion. |
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