Arrange these in your personal order of "PRIORITY".

[Sourdough]

FOOD.
FIREARMS.
SHELTER.
WATER.
"First-Hand EXPERIENCE".
FIRST AID KIT & SKILLS.
AIR to BREATH.
COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS.
HIGHT QUALITY "LOCATION"
TRUST & TESTED TEAM.
ENTERTAINMENT.

Choose as many or as few as you like.
Feel free to add as many more as you like.
Please list in descending order of "PRIORITY".

 

[backlash]

I would go in the order of what would kill me the quickest.
Some of these may change order depending on specific circumstances.
air
shelter
water
food
firearms
first aid kit and skills
experience
location
not a high priority for any of these.
COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS.
TRUST & TESTED TEAM.
ENTERTAINMENT.

 

[Haertig]

AIR (die within minutes without)

SHELTER (die within hours without, if you are in extreme circumstances)

WATER (die within days without)

FIREARMS (comes before food because firearms might be used to obtain food, also, you may be attacked prior to dying of lack of food, also, obtaining firearms after the SHTF will probably have to be by theft, so you'll have to go rogue if you don't already have them)

FOOD (die within weeks without)

EVERYTHING ELSE would be nice, but optional, so no priority

 

[Bacpacker]

FOOD.
FIREARMS.
SHELTER.
WATER.
"First-Hand EXPERIENCE".
FIRST AID KIT & SKILLS.
AIR to BREATH.
COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS.
HIGHT QUALITY "LOCATION"
TRUST & TESTED TEAM.
ENTERTAINMENT.

Choose as many or as few as you like.
Feel free to add as many more as you like.
Please list in descending order of "PRIORITY".

Air
Shelter
Water
I would have said food, but Haertig made a good point, Firearms
Food
Experience
First aid
Location, which preferrably would cover air, shelter, water, and food as well
The last 3 would be nice, but not really a priority

 

[Hardcalibres]

Location
Air
Shelter
Water
Experience
Food
Team
First Aid
Firearms
Communications


Entertainment is not on my list - I have "experience" in making my own fun.

For those that wonder why I put location at the top, the wrong location can kill you quicker than lack of air.

 

[Neb]

Location
Air
Shelter
Water
Experience
Food
Team
First Aid
Firearms
Communications


Entertainment is not on my list - I have "experience" in making my own fun.

For those that wonder why I put location at the top, the wrong location can kill you quicker than lack of air.

Yep but disagree.

Air yes but

Location / shelter same.

Ben

 

[Hardcalibres]

Another perspective on "safe location".

 

[Neb]

(OT topics)

Entertainment

In another thread recently I read of opting for electronic pianos etc.

If powers out could one play a piano?

If strings break can we make our own?

Ben

 

[Biggkidd]

Air
Water
Food
Firearms
Shelter
then the rest

 

[Sourdough]

Location / shelter same.

For me Location = Far from humans "FIRST & Foremost". (Then I would only choose a location like I currently have, Many sources of Abundant PURE Year-around WATER, Abundant free fish and game, and other free foods. Abundant trees for firewood, construction, barriers, etc.).

For me Shelter is any shelter, tent to concrete bunker. Shelter would also include several pre-established fall'back positions each fully-fully-fully stocked.

 

[Sourdough]

For me I grasp the need for air, but it is never on my lists.

LOCATION (Highest priority, by a thousand miles)
EXPERIENCE (Super high on my list)
MASSIVE-MONSTER Sleeping Bag.....This is so-so important to my lifestyle.
SHELTER (Well hidden & Bear proof)
WATER (Abundant pure, fresh must be year-around, and not needing purification)
FOOD (Abundant, "FREE" close by)
FIRST AID SUPPLIES & Skill to use it.
FIREARMS & Other important TOOLS.
SIMPLE BASIC COMMUNICATIONS (Truth is I have never needed this, unless piloting.)
Assumed: arctic clothing. (& mountains of it)

NOTE: Had I fully grasped in the beginning what skills & EXPERIENCE are required to live long, I don't think I would have, or should have ever wandered into Alaska Wilderness.

 

[Haertig]

If powers out could one play a piano?

I once played my digital piano for many hours (4 or 5 at least) during a power failure using only a small computer battery backup UPS to power it. I grew tired of practicing before the UPS ran out. I was using headphones - using the built in speakers and amplifier would have drained the UPS faster. This was during the daytime, so I didn't have to worry about powering lights to be able to see the sheet music. But a simple battery powered LED lantern could have handled that task.

That was many years ago. These days, I'd be more worried about the lights never coming back on again, and would probably "save" the UPS for more critical uses.

 

[lonewolf]

without air we would all be dead so that goes without saying.
Location-away from other people. I dont do/trust others.
Water.
Shelter.
Food.
First aid supplies.
Weapons, for hunting and defence but mostly for food.
Experience, without experience how can anyone hope to use any of the above.
NO communications-who would I be communicating with?
NO teams.
NO leisure/entertainment stuff, what leisure? putting food on the table will be a full time task.

 

[Morgan101]

I would rank them exactly the same as Backlash. Food and Firearms could be flip flopped, but they are very close in priority.

I hear what you are saying about location, but location may not be an option when SHTF. You could be anywhere when it happens.

 

[LadyLocust]

For me Location = Far from humans "FIRST & Foremost". (Then I would only choose a location like I currently have, Many sources of Abundant PURE Year-around WATER, Abundant free fish and game, and other free foods. Abundant trees for firewood, construction, barriers, etc.).

For me Shelter is any shelter, tent to concrete bunker. Shelter would also include several pre-established fall'back positions each fully-fully-fully stocked.

As you say here, Pure water! We live near a river but at the wrong end of the valley. The water is used for irrigation and the chemicals from the farm fields leach into the water systems. Our house has both a UV and RO system on the water coming in. I've never had to deal with that until we moved here.

 

[Alaskajohn]

I am going to add will/attitude/purpose to my list. I am not sure which of these three words best describes what I mean, and it’s really a combination. Read about the Stockdale Paradox to better understand why I think this is tops. “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end —which you can never afford to lose —with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be." ~ James Stockdale.

For me, I could easily shuffle items below my top three in any particular order and be okay with it.

Will/attitude/purpose
Experience
Location
Air
Shelter
Water
Food
Team
First Aid
Firearms
Communications

 

[UrbanHunter]

AIR to BREATH
POTABLE WATER
SHELTER
FOOD
FIRST AID KIT & SKILLS
TOOLS
EXPERIENCE and PAPER MANUALS
HIGH QUALITY "LOCATION"
FIREARMS
COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS
TRUST & TESTED TEAM
ENTERTAINMENT

 

[Aerindel]

FOOD.
FIREARMS.
SHELTER.
WATER.
"First-Hand EXPERIENCE".
FIRST AID KIT & SKILLS.
AIR to BREATH.
COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS.
HIGHT QUALITY "LOCATION"
TRUST & TESTED TEAM.
ENTERTAINMENT.

Choose as many or as few as you like.
Feel free to add as many more as you like.
Please list in descending order of "PRIORITY".

AIR to BREATH.
If this isn't the top of everyone's list......I'll be worried for the state of humanity.

SHELTER/HEAT/COOLING, depending on your needs. Few things will break you down faster than being too hot or too cold long term.

TRUST & TESTED TEAM. Most important thing in the world, hardest to actually acquire.

HIGHT QUALITY "LOCATION"
WATER
FOOD
FIRST AID KIT & SKILLS.
ENTERTAINMENT, boredom and mental health kills more people than just about anything else.
"First-Hand EXPERIENCE".
COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, this is hard to rank on its own....as 'communication' can be worthless or infinitely valuable depending on who you have to talk to.

FIREARMS, yep dead last. I like guns as much as anyone else, but they are the corkscrew of the kitchen tools. Invaluable for one thing, and useless for everything else.

 

[Hardcalibres]

AIR to BREATH.
If this isn't the top of everyone's list......I'll be worried for the state of humanity.

SHELTER/HEAT/COOLING, depending on your needs. Few things will break you down faster than being too hot or too cold long term.

TRUST & TESTED TEAM. Most important thing in the world, hardest to actually acquire.

HIGHT QUALITY "LOCATION"
WATER
FOOD
FIRST AID KIT & SKILLS.
ENTERTAINMENT, boredom and mental health kills more people than just about anything else.
"First-Hand EXPERIENCE".
COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, this is hard to rank on its own....as 'communication' can be worthless or infinitely valuable depending on who you have to talk to.

FIREARMS, yep dead last. I like guns as much as anyone else, but they are the corkscrew of the kitchen tools. Invaluable for one thing, and useless for everything else.

I have seen different versions of the rule of threes.....including the following (which is the one kicking around in the military):

3 seconds without the will to live
3 minutes without air
3 hours without shelter
3 days without water
3 weeks without food

Often the civilian ones don't have that top one on the above list......but I guess they didn't consider people walking around with loaded guns.

In that context, 3 seconds is actually a pretty slow draw.

 

[joel]

Air is free, so I do not count it on dry land.
Shelter/ Location I have.
Water I have
Food- Perennial plants I have
Firearms for hunting & protection I have
Experience, I have about 75% of what I need to start over
First aid & one med person
The rest will be added as time becomes available.

 

[SoJer]

Good 'un, SD.

OK, so, uh.. yeah - AIR, (because Duh.. I don't really see how that's even 'rankable, Lower', since there's not much you can do to Not have it 'be #1, all the time' (unless yer a Fish... Even 'SCBA' isn't limitless, and we all live in the Real World, here, not TRON, so.. with 'Duh' out of the way, I'd add / rank:

- Yep, Gotta second Alaska John's 'Will / Attitude / Purpose' in First Place.. Even the 'Best Stocked Elite Prepper' will quickly wither without Those attributes Well-stocked in yer Soul, and Born from Experience. And I'd also add: Adaptability - Ability to 'Think in Plan B', and Quickly shift to adopting such alts, when - invariably - most-to-all of your "Plan A"s go sideways..

- Solid, Fortifiable and Easily Reparable TRANSPORTATION, even above 'Location', because that can cover: Location, Shelter, Entertainment "Communication" (ie: headlight morse-code; burn a spare tire, in a Truly Dire-Dire situ, etc) and even be a formidable 'Weapon' (especially with proper-reinforcements..) But MOBILITY is paramount, because it gives you the Flexibility to deal with much going awry, in nearly all the other 'categories' (ie, FA: Transpo = Ambulance / 'Field-Hospital', etc)

- LOCATION, defensible, with an Excellent 'vista' (for wide-surveillance / sniping, etc) supporting such, and like SD says: Can Also be the hedge for Food, Water, Shelter, etc, etc..

- SHELTER, designed / engineered with Other 'threats' in mind, ie: Below Ground helps with: Temp Extremes, Food-preservation, possibly water, Trapping (for food and/or enemy mitigation, etc..)

- WATER, and as Much means to collect, purify, filter, etc as you can Possibly pack-in to the above..

- FOOD, and EXPERIENCE (kinda tied, Imo, since Experience will help with: Hunting / Fishing / Foraging / Cooking (which Also helps with the very-important Morale..) and, of course, Experience is Mission-Critical across many / Most of the disciplines herein.

- FIRST AID (both Stuff, and Knowledge / Experience) & TEAM, also kinda 'tied' in my mind, as a) can undo yer everything PDQ, and b) Solid Team helps with FA issues - and visa versa. That said - just like careful selection of FA items, TEAM members MUST be 200% Trustworthy, Well Seasoned, and Willing to Kill to protect YOU / Yours. If they ain't - They Can't Be In.

- FIREARMS, sure, but.. Honestly, I'd rank a Good Recurve / Arrows, and long-term maintenance / construction supplies, and TOOLS, above Guns. If someone held out an AR / 5000 rounds of ammo, a well-made Recurve / Arrows / spares, etc set up... and a Leatherman, and said 'pick One', well.. It'd be Really tough for me to leave that Leatherman behind for the Recurve, but... Sorry, Tim. And, if it was 'Only pick Two' - yah, the AR would get left behind, in that line-up.

- COMMS, yeah, but Cautiously, because those can actually 'reveal much about You' (ie: you 'have stuff' / batteries / perhaps Other 'expensive gear', etc) as well as be a means to track / locate, etc You down. One of those 'two edged swords', Imo, just like Gennies..

- ENTERTAINMENT, yah - almost doesn't need to Be on this list, there's SO much More I'd 'rank above it', ie: a Solid knives, Solid Axes, MORE tools, LOTS of Flyfishing gear (to keep 'em running / Make flies, etc)

..And, really - any / all should be able to 'Create / invent your own' entertainment, ie: Carve yer own Chess-pieces / board, Other whittling, etc; Knife / Axe throwing practice - limited only by the Imgination, really. That said, I Do think the ability to Journal / chronicle / sketch, etc is Very important, and that could be classified as 'entertainment', so there's that.

.02
jd

 

[Tommyice]

I've been thinking about AlaskaJohn's response about the Will/attitude/purpose. Some may or may not have it. Some may not know they have it until IT happens.

It makes me think about a friend's mother. She told her story in a documentary on the Holocaust. She was a young woman, on a train, headed to her final destination and resigned herself to seeing the face of God. The guard either forgot to latch the door or he did it intentionally--know one will ever know the answer to that. She said the others were all arguing about the order in which they would try to make their escape. An opportunity near a woodland presented itself during the arguing and she and a few others took it. Then more took it. That's when she heard the shots but she had made it to the woods. She survived for a few days in the forest before being found by a Gypsy family and taken in and hidden. A city girl from a ghetto in Poland had never prepared to survive in wilderness like a hunted animal but found what she needed.

Your head may try to prepare you for a situation, be it mundane or the final one, but your spirit will decide your fate. None of us know for certain what our spirit wants.

 

[Aerindel]

- ENTERTAINMENT, yah - almost doesn't need to Be on this list, there's SO much More I'd 'rank above it

I think that boredom kills a lot of people. Trying to make your own entertainment is a leading cause of death in my profession.
I'd put it near the top of the 'soft' skills. No matter how much food, water, security you have, none of it will do you any good if you get so bored or depressed in your bunker that you go out looking for something....anything....to pass the time.....when you shouldn't have.

People who run out of water will die quickly.

But I think people who run out of books will be right behind them.

 

[Alaskajohn]

I think that boredom kills a lot of people. Trying to make your own entertainment is a leading cause of death in my profession.
I'd put it near the top of the 'soft' skills. No matter how much food, water, security you have, none of it will do you any good if you get so bored or depressed in your bunker that you go out looking for something....anything....to pass the time.....when you shouldn't have.

People who run out of water will die quickly.

But I think people who run out of books will be right behind them.

It's that Darwin stuff in action! Modern advances in EMS and critical care is making it a bit harder for Darwin awards to be issued.

 

[Supervisor42]

I think that boredom kills a lot of people. Trying to make your own entertainment is a leading cause of death in my profession.
I'd put it near the top of the 'soft' skills. No matter how much food, water, security you have, none of it will do you any good if you get so bored or depressed in your bunker that you go out looking for something....anything....to pass the time.....when you shouldn't have.

People who run out of water will die quickly.

But I think people who run out of books will be right behind them.

This is very important and something that many preppers skip over.
I ran across it reading the booklets about 'managing a fallout shelter' that came with my radiation detection gear from the cold war.
"Keep everybody busy".
"Assign everybody a job to do".
They had done extensive testing simulations and this had emerged as one of the most important parts.
Bored people will resort to violence just for 'entertainment'.
Witness the slums .

 

[dademoss]

This is very important and something that many preppers skip over.
I ran across it reading the booklets about 'managing a fallout shelter' that came with my radiation detection gear from the cold war.
"Keep everybody busy".
"Assign everybody a job to do".
They had done extensive testing simulations and this had emerged as one of the most important parts.
Bored people will resort to violence just for 'entertainment'.
Witness the slums .

There is a shelf in my storage room just for games and entertainment. Chess, Checkers, yahtzee, battleship, scrabble, decks of cards, dice, etc etc etc.

 

[Supervisor42]

There is a shelf in my storage room just for games and entertainment. Chess, Checkers, yahtzee, battleship, scrabble, decks of cards, dice, etc etc etc.

I have kept my lips zipped on this thread, but since I couldn't, I want to add...
I was hoping when he mentioned "AIR to BREATH" he was talking about having a respirator if someone has to go outside when the air has toxic-gas or radioactive-dust blowing in it.

 

[Aerindel]

I was hoping when he mentioned "AIR to BREATH" he was talking about having a respirator if someone has to go outside when the air has toxic-gas or radioactive-dust blowing in it.

Probably didn't want to stir up the whole debate....remember, its 2023....filters are political now.

 

[Supervisor42]

Probably didn't want to stir up the whole debate....remember, its 2023....filters are political now.

I wasn't talking about the silly paper masks.
Carbon filter Respirator:

I have used these in areas full of lethal-level stuff.
Had to get certified that the fitment was correct.
Air to breathe.

 

[Peanut]

I am going to add will/attitude/purpose to my list.

Can't count the times I seen men retire, lose their purpose, attitude goes to crap. A visit to the funeral home follows a couple years later.

I never said a word to dad. As long as he want to raise cows I would help. When he finally couldn't work cattle... I could see the loss in him, health took a rapid decline afterwards.

But to the point, the will and purpose to pick up and go on from any disaster is paramount. But knowledge and experience will determine your success. The key is to have hope amid hopelessness. Not an easy thing to do. I worry about some folks...

A tornado took my home as a kid. Normal was gone in a blink, just the clothes on our backs. As life would have it I've lost everything more than once, most people have. I learned, don't sit and worry about things you can do nothing about. To quote teddy "Do what you can, with what you've got, where you are". I would add 'or lay down and die, just don't make a nuisance of yourself in either case'.