HIGH PRIORITY PREPPING PRIORITIES....????
- Thread starter Sourdough
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How did I go from correcting a bad line to quoting myself?
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I agree.
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If you're facing a scenario which involves a major disaster lasting for a week or so, you're probably right. But if you find out about the problem at the same time everyone does, I don't see how you'd have much of a chance of bugging out unless you can somehow avoid having your exit being caught up in a fifty-mile-long traffic jam.
And how can you live in an urban location with long term food, water, heat, and some form of security?
When we finally made our move in 2017, we knew we'd have to relocate and build up our infrastructure before the sh*t went down. We moved 812 miles north to a state where we knew absolutely no one. That was scary indeed, but we're glad we did it; hopefully, if there is a major breakdown in the United States, we'll be in a (relatively) good position.
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Amen. Could you imagine breaking your ankle trying to bring in that last goat in the dark with a storm coming on with your wife at seven months and her water just broke? Give me good neighbors any day!
The simple truth is that a lot of people will live in unsurvivable circumstances that they are constitutionally unable to change. One of the 'burdens' of looking at the world from a survival perspective is the realization that most of the people who know and see are the walking dead.
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I have always found the history of the mid to late 1930s interesting.
It is clear that most people:
- Thought that Hitler wasn't serious
- Didn't think he would really do anything seriously bad to the jews (they were more just convenient scape goats that he would not need to persecute anymore after he got into power)
- Thought that Hitler would stop once he had back all the parts of Germany lost in the treaty of Versailles
- Thought that war would be avoided because they had already had "the war to end all wars"
- Thought that cutting off the oil supply to Japan would get them back under control - not push them into a corner
- Thought that Japan wouldn't dare attack a much more powerful nation
- Thought that all those new military aircraft would just be used against combatants
- Thought that dreadnought battleships would remain the ultimate tool of power projection - immune to everything else but another dreadnought
- Thought they could rebuild their military, in their own time
- Thought they could hide behind defensive lines of wire concrete pill boxes without defense in depth
- Thought it was better to end those defensive lines when you got to the border of a "friendly" country - so as not to offend them
- Thought that tanks were still just toys - and that anyone invading with them would not just use the local gas stations to refuel
- Thought that if a war came along, it would be exactly like the last one
I agree. If you're near an urban area and find out about a problem the same time everyone else does, you're probably no better off than they are. But if you've been seeing what's coming for a few years and have provided for yourself - food stores, reasonable defense, water storage and purification, storage of meds, etc., then you'll be pretty far ahead of others.
Personally, I'd rather have my neighbors be pretty far along in their preps which is why I very gently nudge them that way.
I used to think this....the problem is, I've found gentle nudging doesn't do anything useful, I've said this before, but I think if you don't wake up occasionally at 4 AM with your heart pounding and go out had check all your preps....you probably aren't going to be driven enough to do the hard, expensive work of serious prepping.
There is a NARROW advantage that an urban, heavily prepped person could have even if they learn about the problem at the same time everyone else does.
A non prepped person will have a delay in action, while they try to decide what to do.
A prepped person, with clear guidelines and a practiced bug out plan, could get moving at the head of the traffic jam, rather than in the middle of it.
But this is a NARROW window.....an hour after the ballon goes up will be too late....but if you are on the road in fifteen minutes, while everyone else is still running aroung their house grabbing their socks and family photos, you could be at a significant advantage, provided where you are going, is not going through any other epicenter.
We have done it successfully for years.
When a hurricane blows everything around here, roads closed, stores closed, power out, roofs blown off, everybody emerges and surprise, surprise, they are all preppers too
, and we all pull together.Folks are constantly going door to door, saying: "y'all need anything?".
I will argue that living alone in the middle of nowhere, may not be the best bet to survive a catastrophe.
I will argue, that it depends on the catastrophe.
When everyone has a little extra, people are usually glad to help out each other.
But there is no comparing a storm, to a collapse. There is very little reason NOT to help when its a short term, small scale problem.
But if you are the man with 1000 days of food, in the collapse....and you break your ankle, you're not better off being in the middle of a thousand people who have 10 days of food than you are by yourself.
Which is why I said a good vehicle is the one thing I would tell someone, because a vehicle is flexibility. With a truck you can both live in the middle of nowhere, and be with other people. You can use it to help them....or to escape from them...depending on the situation.
Like most things, I think a bell curve would display how useful neighbors are. Graph the Y axis as 'severity' and the X axis as 'usefulness of neighbors'.
Set your 0 point halfway up....because in really minor things and really sever things, they can be negatively useful.
Set your 0 point halfway up....because in really minor things and really sever things, they can be negatively useful.
Happening right now..while many sit safe and sound many are at high risk because of lands handed over...fleeing at this point is only option...look at the clog road though..prime target if opposition decided to do some culling right about now and not let them flee inside new safe borders for them. This is a vote for a working vehicle but also being able to just step away from it and go on foot up the path of escape.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopoliti...0-year-old-heartland-karabakh-facing-genocide
Well i waited the week before posting. This is such a broad based question with such high variables it hard to answer because of lack of information such as location,age and abilities and so much more.
I mean the basic is food,water,shelter and security and that can look like a wide range of things too.
Since most of us are going into winter soon,not having a heavy sleeping bag to make it through a cold night would be baseline basic for an immediate threat of freezing to death over night.
Then food and water and way to cook them. I get high winds in my area often and you aint building a fire without extreme danger of setting the entire forest on fire..boradbrush statement there. But a simple stove with fuel or a stove to contain open flame for regular fire to cook over without dangers of wildland fires and lets face it many cant start fires much less keep one going and cook over it.
sturdy heavy clothes,sleeping bag,plenty of food and way to cook it,water and security of sidearm and long gun and least amount of population as can be and or having a working relationship with the folks you are around.
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This is my problem. I'm suburban with another location to go to. However, getting there is the problem. Six hours away (that's a leisurely 6 hours). I would have to drive past/around Albany, Amsterdam, Utica, and Watertown, NY to get there. When things pop off and I'm here, then I'm here. If that's the case, God wants me here for a reason.
Read diaries of folks living in London, Southhampton, Paris and the Channel Islands during WWII. There's got to something to learn from them. Don't forget to read the ones written by Germans living in Berlin, Dresden and the like also.
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Hey, @Tommyice don't feel like the lone ranger, we are about 8 hours south of you and if it pops we're stuck too. I have been able to try to develop some small scale sustainable resources, but it would be very dicey for us too. My only option would be to move west, but I have gotten stuck on that parking lot during a holiday weekend so I would not want to even consider it in an emergency..... My best option is to hunker down, go dark, and wait for the culling to finish, then make a plan based on the best information available.
I completely agree with your list; normalcy bias has killed more people! Why, when ol' Footh got eaten by that sabretooth cat, it didn't stop his brother Magooth from meeting the same fate the following week. Things appear not to have changed over the past hundred thousand years....
My country has done the same thing. In just my own lifetime, we fought (and lost) just about every war we fought, because our approach to this war had been to always fight the last war (cf: Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan). Recently, Mr. V. Putin has found that out as well, much to his dismay and that of the families of Mother Gaea-knows-how-many Russian soldiers!
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Well, your second best option.....
But I understand that people and place are the same thing for 'real' people so moving is an act of self destruction in itself.
I'm curious, what are you hunkering plans? I've never lived in an urban area so I've always been curious what people come up with in such places. What do you do when you are facing potentially tens of thousands of people with no resources milling around?
PJF put this vid out this afternoon to youtube.
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I saw that. It was a good one.
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For me hunkering down is going silent and dark, especially at night. No generator noises at night and no extra lights, trying to keep the adage out of sight out of mind. I have rain water collection, water filtering, water storage, food stores, and growing stations that could keep us going for a couple of years. I also have been working on having "low profile" off grid solar back up to allow for the freezers and some cooking appliances to stay viable long after the grid was down.
From what I have seen, water is the thing that will separate the men from the boys... you can only last 3 days without water and once people start drinking unfiltered water from buckets, streams, and puddles, sickness will soon follow. For many, those sources will be beyond their comprehension so they will have to start moving south and west in search of water and food.
FYI- Most people don't realize that once the grid goes down, the tap water will dry up within a couple of days because the pumps will stop and the water towers only hold enough for a day or so... In a real SHTF event where things are clearly on their way south, the first order of business is to gather as much drinking water as you can.
Looters may be a problem, but historically they have tended to gravitate to the nicer neighborhoods...
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In the past, when I was active on the local search n rescue team and worked at the sheriff dept, I had alot of gear n stuff . I lived in earthquake country and it is not uncommon to have a stash of water and supplies in case the big one hit.
I never really had many friends come around too much..I was always too busy working , training or enjoying my very little time to myself.
Occasionally..a few friends would ask to join me the next time I canned something to learn how to do it. Or they'd make comments like , "I should put back a few gallons of water too"..but they'd never do it.
Even today, at the community meetings i go too, my good friends (specific ones in mind) go, they are interested in learning the how to's and voice their opinion on the value of being prepared but have done very little preparation since these meeting started almost a year ago.
They are good people..they know they should but always prioritize other activities and fun hobby type expenses.
The good thing about the meetings is it is a constant reminder to those who need to get ready AND people are sharing interest n skills they know how to do with others while were building community n trust.
But all that said, I learned over the years not to really get into giving alot of advice out personally.
Most folks just are not willing to do what it takes.
It's a lifestyle and mindset that requires having goals , security minded boundries , financial commitments and all the time n energy that takes.
Personal abilities n issues, mental health , financial ability or limitations can throw things into gear or plans sideways so in my opinion, individuals really have to do their own planning n research to implement their plans.
So, I've found it best to just direct friends to websites so they can do their own research since I dont know all the variables in their life.
I've offered to teach friends canning before in the past but there is always a soccer game that day n folks dont show up. So, I stopped offering.
Since moving out here almost a decade ago, I really havent befriended very many folks that really really know me..for a reason. I have one gal pal n her husband that are dear friends but neither of them really know the depth of my interest in this regard.
So, I agree with sourdough in the opinion that many folks want someone to think it through for them.
I dont believe it's because they dont want to just think it through themselves, but perhaps more deeply rooted in the arena that involves many personal lifestyle factors , beliefs about the state of our world, our country and how we are conditioned to be lead in life instead of being our own leaders, and the overall committment to make it all happen.
Normalcy bias, social programming and social inclusiveness are strong weapons to keep the masses doing the same ol same ol to fund those in power to do whatever they want.
And then there is the monkey wrench gangs out there ..I like that crowd better.
I never really had many friends come around too much..I was always too busy working , training or enjoying my very little time to myself.
Occasionally..a few friends would ask to join me the next time I canned something to learn how to do it. Or they'd make comments like , "I should put back a few gallons of water too"..but they'd never do it.
Even today, at the community meetings i go too, my good friends (specific ones in mind) go, they are interested in learning the how to's and voice their opinion on the value of being prepared but have done very little preparation since these meeting started almost a year ago.
They are good people..they know they should but always prioritize other activities and fun hobby type expenses.
The good thing about the meetings is it is a constant reminder to those who need to get ready AND people are sharing interest n skills they know how to do with others while were building community n trust.
But all that said, I learned over the years not to really get into giving alot of advice out personally.
Most folks just are not willing to do what it takes.
It's a lifestyle and mindset that requires having goals , security minded boundries , financial commitments and all the time n energy that takes.
Personal abilities n issues, mental health , financial ability or limitations can throw things into gear or plans sideways so in my opinion, individuals really have to do their own planning n research to implement their plans.
So, I've found it best to just direct friends to websites so they can do their own research since I dont know all the variables in their life.
I've offered to teach friends canning before in the past but there is always a soccer game that day n folks dont show up. So, I stopped offering.
Since moving out here almost a decade ago, I really havent befriended very many folks that really really know me..for a reason. I have one gal pal n her husband that are dear friends but neither of them really know the depth of my interest in this regard.
So, I agree with sourdough in the opinion that many folks want someone to think it through for them.
I dont believe it's because they dont want to just think it through themselves, but perhaps more deeply rooted in the arena that involves many personal lifestyle factors , beliefs about the state of our world, our country and how we are conditioned to be lead in life instead of being our own leaders, and the overall committment to make it all happen.
Normalcy bias, social programming and social inclusiveness are strong weapons to keep the masses doing the same ol same ol to fund those in power to do whatever they want.
And then there is the monkey wrench gangs out there ..I like that crowd better.
I think this is a common, and very American normalcy bias.
I've been to cities of two million people where much of the population regularly drinks horribly contaminated water. Like directly downstream from open sewer water.
And yes, disease is rampant.
But its still a city of two million people......
I think we, living as Americans, tend to greatly underestimate how bad a living situation can be, and still be....livable.
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Yep - I have been to those places too.
In general, I am skeptical of any idea that sounds like wishful thinking, especially when it is used to support a counter-intuitive concept.
You made a very true statement! “Most folks are not willing to do what it takes.” It is a lifestyle choice that comes with decisions to make- sometimes difficult decisions.In the past, when I was active on the local search n rescue team and worked at the sheriff dept, I had alot of gear n stuff . I lived in earthquake country and it is not uncommon to have a stash of water and supplies in case the big one hit.
I never really had many friends come around too much..I was always too busy working , training or enjoying my very little time to myself.
Occasionally..a few friends would ask to join me the next time I canned something to learn how to do it. Or they'd make comments like , "I should put back a few gallons of water too"..but they'd never do it.
Even today, at the community meetings i go too, my good friends (specific ones in mind) go, they are interested in learning the how to's and voice their opinion on the value of being prepared but have done very little preparation since these meeting started almost a year ago.
They are good people..they know they should but always prioritize other activities and fun hobby type expenses.
The good thing about the meetings is it is a constant reminder to those who need to get ready AND people are sharing interest n skills they know how to do with others while were building community n trust.
But all that said, I learned over the years not to really get into giving alot of advice out personally.
Most folks just are not willing to do what it takes.
It's a lifestyle and mindset that requires having goals , security minded boundries , financial commitments and all the time n energy that takes.
Personal abilities n issues, mental health , financial ability or limitations can throw things into gear or plans sideways so in my opinion, individuals really have to do their own planning n research to implement their plans.
So, I've found it best to just direct friends to websites so they can do their own research since I dont know all the variables in their life.
I've offered to teach friends canning before in the past but there is always a soccer game that day n folks dont show up. So, I stopped offering.
Since moving out here almost a decade ago, I really havent befriended very many folks that really really know me..for a reason. I have one gal pal n her husband that are dear friends but neither of them really know the depth of my interest in this regard.
So, I agree with sourdough in the opinion that many folks want someone to think it through for them.
I dont believe it's because they dont want to just think it through themselves, but perhaps more deeply rooted in the arena that involves many personal lifestyle factors , beliefs about the state of our world, our country and how we are conditioned to be lead in life instead of being our own leaders, and the overall committment to make it all happen.
Normalcy bias, social programming and social inclusiveness are strong weapons to keep the masses doing the same ol same ol to fund those in power to do whatever they want.
And then there is the monkey wrench gangs out there ..I like that crowd better.
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Agreed.
It is also my observation that (as with much in survivalism), mindset is critical.
The more of a survivalists mindset you have, the easier/more natural it is to make those lifestyle choices that contribute to survivalism/preparedness.
For the really full on survivalist, following any normal path would be unacceptable.
I always smile a bit when people post about all the sacrifices that people have to make to get very prepared.
But to someone with a strong survivalism mindset, to not make those "sacrifices" and try to live in an urban place, would make us apprehensive and miserable.
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Once upon a time, I read the transcript of an interview of the author Stephen King.
He was asked the following question:
"Why are all your stories about such scary and dark themes?
His answer:
"What makes you think I have a choice?"
........mindset.......
He was asked the following question:
"Why are all your stories about such scary and dark themes?
His answer:
"What makes you think I have a choice?"
........mindset.......
Indeed. I always roll my eyes when someone or other starts out with "Well, I'm a highly prepared but I'm not one of those crazy survivalists, I'm just a normal guy"
Which to me always translates as "I'm not really prepared for anything more serious than a storm"
I think the common "I don't want be a prepper because I won't live in fear" statement for non-survivalists is a variant of that.
Yeah, I don't want to live in fear either....hence the prepping. Living in fear comes from being smart enough to know the dangers, but not motivated enough to actually do anything about them.
And often, they don't do anything, because they don't want to be 'weird'.The desire to be 'normal' I guess must be very powerful for most people.
So much so that a great deal of prepping advice is based on 'how to be a prepper and still normal'.....and hence is pretty useless beyond the beginner level.
If you live a normal life....you will have normal results....which in extreme situations, usually means failure to survive.
Sourdough asked that we wait a week before posting, so my reply is a bit overdue. My go to answer to the typical “high priority prepping priority“ question is typically the need to be in a location devoid of humans and rich in natural resources and mastering things/skills that improve sustainability, flexibility, survivability, etc. I still believe that.
But what is the this one thing? I offer critical thinking skills. The SHTF world will likely be much worse than even the most pessimistic among us can truly appreciate. We will be faced with a hostile, volatile, shifting and dynamic environment. A bone headed or wrong decision could be fatal in this unforgiving world. Rational, quick, grounded, critical thinking might be the one best thing to have/master.
Oh well, back to my glass of wine!
But what is the this one thing? I offer critical thinking skills. The SHTF world will likely be much worse than even the most pessimistic among us can truly appreciate. We will be faced with a hostile, volatile, shifting and dynamic environment. A bone headed or wrong decision could be fatal in this unforgiving world. Rational, quick, grounded, critical thinking might be the one best thing to have/master.
Oh well, back to my glass of wine!
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Sorta along the lines of above- they might want “to be prepped” if they don’t have to change anything or think too hard. The only reason for prepping is the kudos they receive from others which is where their own value lies.
If it hits the fan, I might not make it, but it won’t be because I’m normal
and what others think certainly won’t be where my decisions rest.
And too be fair....'normal' but 'prepped' will cover a lot of 'normal' things......Sorta along the lines of above- they might want “to be prepped” if they don’t have to change anything or think too hard. The only reason for prepping is the kudos they receive from others which is where their own value lies.
If it hits the fan, I might not make it, but it won’t be because I’m normal
I've always had the attitude that I won't shame anyone for deciding to only prep for certain things....and not others. Everyone has to decide how far they want to go.
Its the people who are only prepped for normal things....who think that makes them ready for the big stuff too, that I have to point out the flaws to.
No argument there! I bought a Nissan XTerra brand new in 2011, and it still runs well with 175k miles on it. Since it's rated at towing 5000 lb, we use it for pulling a little travel trailer. However, a 4-liter V6 is pretty thirsty, so Dawn got a new Outback for shopping trips and when we go to visit friends in Boise or SLC.
We always keep both of them with at least 2/3 tankful of gasoline and have our 72-hour stuff already packed away. I'd like trade in the XTerra for a new Toyota Tacoma, but I'd also like to grow my hair back, lose 20 pounds and 40 years, too!
