Shtf scenario?

[Bluetick21]

What is your main reason to prep
Rather it be emp strikes, massive solar flares and other cosmic mayhem, a global Ice Age, economic collapse, nuclear world war, zombie outbreaks, robot uprisings. Mega-tsunamis, super earthquakes
Whatever it may be I’d like to hear your thoughts.
Personally in today I see and economic collapse happening more then anything

 

[angie_nrs]

I prepare mostly for short to intermediate term situations. Lately it has been to beat inflation. I'm buying anything I know I'm going to need with cash, especially if it doesn't have the potential to go bad. Prior to that, I prepared mostly for storms and such.

Then there was Covid when we were 'locked down', so that can certainly happen again if the people let it. Whether they will or not is debatable, but I think I'm prepared for it. Also, along with inflationary concerns comes product shortages which is another good reason to stock up on stuff.

Since we like to spend time in the wilderness in our down time, we are pretty well prepared for many scenarios. Our camper is already stocked with gear that we use when camping, so that is convenient as a backup if needed.

I notice that many people are well versed and stocked in their areas of expertise. I'm no exception to that. My medical kit (more like cabinet) is pretty good, although I'm sure there's things I don't have.

 

[BBLife]

I'm prepping simply for a preferred lifestyle when I retire "early". Who knows what God will allow to come my way. Just trusting Him to continue to instruct me as I go.

 

[Weedygarden]

I have never been one to have one particular reason to be prepared. I think anything is possible and to be a little prepared will help any thing that could come our way. I know that there was a television show that wanted people to declare their reason for preparedness, and then they had to move all of their preps and do all kinds of things to show how their plans would turn out. I hope those people were well compensated for all of that, because I could not imagine moving 1000's of pounds of supplies just to be on a show.

Imagine being in one of these situations which have actually happened in the last few years: pandemic, wild fires, epic storms (tornadoes, hurricanes, snow, rain, ice), earthquakes. Imagine not having any food, alternative cooking or heating methods, water, and more. I have prepared for these possibilities, as well as alternative shelter.

 

[TENNGRIZZ]

All the above

 

[Haertig]

Short term preps, measured in months, not years.

In the order I see their likelyhood:
(1) Weather/environment/other_disaster emergency
(2) Civil unrest
(3) Government antagonistic endeavors against citizens

I see large scale (2) and (3) as most likely being caused by "economic collapse", so I guess you could say I'm prepping for economic collapse in a way. But only for the immediate effects of it - I am not burying Krugerands in my back yard, for example.

I do not prep for the very long term (multiple years). Nor do I prep for the end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it scenarios (a nuclear bomb on my doorstep, asteroid strike on my house, decimation of a large percentage of the worlds population, etc.)

 

[Caribou]

Economic collapse is the disaster du jour, and this one may well happen. Alaska has more volcanoes than the other 49 States combined, so I live in the shadow of a volcano and prep appropriately. That is the live dragon in my prepping. There are too may realistic SHTF's to list them all. I think of the worst possible disaster and figure that if I'm ready for that then any lesser disaster is covered.

I bought a sheet of plastic on a long pole to remove snow from the roof. It should work for removing volcanic ash as well. I look for multiple uses for all my stuff.

 

[Bluetick21]

I would say I mostly prepare for natural disasters considering I live in Tennessee I’m not so worried about volcanos or tsunami’s. But in the south a good snow can cripple everyone it seems. And is nothing to lose power for a week.. not a big deal for me or the wife but for my 4 power loving kids. That means keeping stuff for them to be entertained. Also food storage that don’t require power like refrigerators/freezers is a plus. Many of times I have unloaded the fridge out in the snow so food don’t spoil.
I know this may sound silly to some of you that have snow 6 months out of the year haha
Tornados seem to get slower and closer every year. Maybe I need to do some planning for that as well..

I have also been stockpiling due to inflation as well with so many mouths to feed every bit helps. Meat is not and issue between the chickens rabbits and yearly hog along with hunting

 

[Neb]

I decided a worse case would be an EMP and if I was prepared for same I could handle most other scenarios.

So my target is 1.5 years of bronze age survival then work up through iron age to steam age.

Still short of my goals but working toward it.

Ben

 

[bkt]

We're far more likely to experience a personal SHTF situation. Whether it's losing a job, losing a loved one, medical emergency, major unexpected expense, or any combination thereof. That's more likely to occur than an EMP. Prep for the smaller stuff and the big stuff tends to be addressed, at least to a large degree.

 

[Sourdough]

My "New Year's" resolution in December was that I would start this "prepping thing" that people keep jabbering about.
I'll actually start this summer, if nothing comes up.

 

[Bacpacker]

Weather is typically our biggest issue. Like Bluetick said, a heavy snow has a bad affect on this area for days. Tornados are a real threat from time to time, so is flooding.
Economic issues are bound to be problems at times. Always have been, always will be. Although I have a bad feeling the next one is gonna be a doozy. Markets are already down 25% and still dropping. One nig hit could take another 25% or more out.
Then throw in the supply chain issues over the past couple years and not improving, energy supplies being deliberatly shut down, sactions against Russia taking oil, fertilizer, and food out of the markets and this continues. On top of that there is major rumbles starting up of China hitting Tiawan in the next several weeks/months. Nothing good is gonna come from any of that.
I have tried to prep for long term loss of power, although I am no where near ready to meet that scenario. But smaller scenarios will be covered where we currently are. Regardless what comes, most folks on here are miles ahead of the general population to ride out much of whats coming.

 

[Acdoctor]

I started out prepping for everyday used items, food , fuel , clothing items , shoes , boots.
we prepped for security with guns and ammo as well as reloading supply’s, extra freezers ,
we bought a whole house generator and installed a large underground propane tank, we also have a solar system that’s off grid. I have several small portable gas generators as well.
the wife and I decided to purchase a harvest right freeze dryer and started thinking long term food storage was the next thing to prep.
the next thing in looking into is a wood fired source to cook on as we have multiple ways of cooking but in a all out last ditch effort to survive a major power outage i wanted to be able to use scavenged wood to cook with.

 

[Morgan101]

Natural disasters would be my primary concern. Floods, tornados, and earthquakes are all realistic possibilities in this area. Winter weather is a concern, but not as much since we don't have to go out in it. The weather is usually not severe enough shut things down for very long.

Civil unrest is also a concern, but that is more a sign of the times where laws are not enforced, and crime is not punished anymore.

I have said this before, but you shouldn't have to have a reason to prep. It is a practical way of life. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to watch the daily news and see the victims of all types of scenarios. If you don't want to be one of those people you prepare as best you can.

 

[Pearl]

Lets not forget health issues or injury! Not being able to work for some reason.

 

[Wingnut]

Spot on, Pearl! This ankle injury of mine is the perfect example: out of the blue, yet crippling in nature, and also in ability to do things we normally take for granted. I kicked myself early on for not replenishing stocks of lidocaine ointment, but at least I still had some Tiger Balm. And the injury is slowly healing, but I won't soon forget it's sudden & drastic effect upon my life. Meh, maybe my body will finally get crackin' in that healing department: in the past, I'd heal overnight from such injuries, but time has passed and my metabolism has obviously slowed down, so I gotta ride it out and hope for the best. In case I make significant strides tomorrow in healing, Friday looks like a good day for a motorbike ride, lol... on pavement only, of course, no dirt biking allowed while this ankle is in recovery mode. Crazy & reckless dirt biking is VERBOTEN!!! Lol...

 

[Haertig]

the next thing in looking into is a wood fired source to cook on as we have multiple ways of cooking but in a all out last ditch effort to survive a major power outage i wanted to be able to use scavenged wood to cook with.

You could keep a few cinder blocks and wire mesh or other material to make a grate sitting around. Then you could construct a "rocket stove" out of those parts in a few minutes.

Tons of videos on construction variations on YouTube. Just search for "rocket stove". Here are two videos:

 

[Alaskajohn]

Why do I prep? I have read the Good Book and it tells us how things on earth will go when the time comes. While I do not know when that time is, Matthew 25, verses 1-13 instructs us to alway be prepared.

 

[dademoss]

I'm an Eagle Scout, the BSA motto is "Be Prepared". I try to be, not for any particular thing, but in general.

 

[Biggkidd]

Yep started off from BSA so started prepping from an early age. Got real serious about it when my first child was born. Then right before my second child was born M.S. took me down in a big way. If it weren't for the preps we already had we would have never made it while I learned to walk talk and somewhat write again. Since then prepping and homesteading were the ONLY way I could insure my kids always had a roof over their heads and food in their bellies. Nuf said!

 

[TeeJ]

Such great insight! I have to be honest, a lot of my personal motivation to prep is because I'm a cheapskate and I hate to be reliant on anyone else for anything. A perfect example was living in rural Ohio we'd frequently lose power for a couple of days at a time. Neighbors would go stay at a hotel in a neighboring town and eat out at restaurants for every meal - one said it cost them about $500/day to do so. I'd heat the house with a woodstove, keep the fridge & tv running with a generator and cook over the woodstove & propane stove - at a cost of less than our regular utilities would have been for the same period!
Another big influencer for me was having a friend who lost their job & struggled to find one for 9 months. They didn't tell anyone, and lived off their food storage and savings the whole time with no one being the wiser. To me that's a way more desirable scenario than being dependent on the government teat for unemployment/food stamps/etc.

 

[backlash]

I prep for short term problems. Snow or ice storms. Another volcano isn't on my list of worries even where we live.
I don't figure we will live long enough after a real SHTF situation to matter.
If my wife doesn't have her Rx she will go downhill pretty quickly.

I bought a sheet of plastic on a long pole to remove snow from the roof. It should work for removing volcanic ash as well.

When Mt Saint Helens erupted my brother had to get on his roof with a shovel and remove all the ash.
He said it was very heavy and it took him a long time to get it clear.
Add in the need for some kind of protection for his lungs and it wore him out.

 

[Sourdough]

I figure those who only prep for short term problems (read as inconveniences), are going to be the "Second" wave of starving desperate "dangerous" animals, right behind the first wave of fools who only have a week or two of supplies.

 

[Sourdough]

What is your main reason to prep
Rather it be emp strikes, massive solar flares and other cosmic mayhem, a global Ice Age, economic collapse, nuclear world war, zombie outbreaks, robot uprisings. Mega-tsunamis, super earthquakes
Whatever it may be I’d like to hear your thoughts.
Personally in today I see and economic collapse happening more then anything

Why would any of that matter...?? Hell, why not do your best to prep (as best you can) for whatever happens. There are places set-up and paid for by the taxpayers (but not "for" the taxpayers) that are designed for twenty years survival.

 

[Bluetick21]

Why would any of that matter...?? Hell, why not do your best to prep (as best you can) for whatever happens. There are places set-up and paid for by the taxpayers (but not "for" the taxpayers) that are designed for twenty years survival.

Just wanted y’all’s opinions. That’s all
I don’t guess it matters. But makes for a good conversation

 

[UrbanHunter]

My motivation came from life.
My dad was a hydro electric operator, the Dam he worked at had a civil defense shelter built into it. While visiting him on a graveyard shift he showed it to me.. The door said how many people it was designed for, and the stacks of food were impressive, C-rations, cans of water, medical kits, and other equipment to take on a Nuclear War aftermath. The thing was this was 1973 and the food was from 1950, I remember my dad pointing at a case of food saying I had that when it was fresh and it was bad then. The government builds shelters as an event and then walks away as everything is ready, but they don't maintain anything. Think of the rotten medical supplies that they (the Government) pulled out and discovered was trash during the start of COVID-19. Back to my motivation to prep.

I was on my own at 17 and doing well, then when I was about 20 my income was cut drastically (~70% reduction) and I found myself walking to work (no gas money), eating Top Raman noodles (until it became too expensive), and just barely getting by (if you could call it that). That lasted for about 3 months until I could get a second job... (Food and water are job 1)

Then when I was older I was married with 3 children living in an all electric townhouse, we had a big snow storm and no power for 2 weeks. That was another short term event but it had different needs... (Heat, light, and the ability to cook are Job 2)

Today, we are comfortable but my wife relies on electric medical equipment. We have had several near misses with food recalls and I no longer trust the supply system. (Medical needs and Long term sustainability are job 3)

As I approach retirement my preps are designed around a simple plan: 1) 1 year's supply of the foods we eat every day, eat the oldest stuff first (First In First Out, FIFO) so the food is always just editable... 2) have a short term supply of emergency heating fuel, a way to cook, and electricity supplies to cover up to 3 months. 3) Develop a sustainable water, food, and power supply to cover a long term SHTF event. 4) Obtain the equipment and skills to securely maintain my supplies for external threats.

Most my SHTF events have been uncomfortable personal short term learning events that teach me what I will need, but in the world we live in we need to be prepared for the big events too.

 

[Bluetick21]

My motivation came from life.
My dad was a hydro electric operator, the Dam he worked at had a civil defense shelter built into it. While visiting him on a graveyard shift he showed it to me.. The door said how many people it was designed for, and the stacks of food were impressive, C-rations, cans of water, medical kits, and other equipment to take on a Nuclear War aftermath. The thing was this was 1973 and the food was from 1950, I remember my dad pointing a a case of food saying I had that when it was fresh and it was bad then. The government builds shelters as an event and the walks away as everything is ready, but they don't maintain anything. Think of the rotten medical supplies that they pulled out and discovered was trash during the start of COVID-19. Back to my motivation to prep.

I was on my own at 17 and doing well, then when I was about 20 my income was cut drastically (~70% reduction) and I found myself walking to work (no gas money), eating Top Raman noodles (until it became too expensive), and just barely getting by (if you could call it that). That lasted for about 3 months until I could get a second job... (Food and water are job 1)

Then when I was older I was married with 3 children living in an all electric townhouse, we had a big snow storm and no power for 2 weeks. That was another short term event but it had different needs... (Heat, light, and the ability to cook are Job 2)

Today, we are comfortable but my wife relies on electric medical equipment. We have had several near misses with food recalls and I no longer trust the supply system. (Medical needs and Long term sustainability are job 3)

As I approach retirement my preps are designed around a simple plan: 1) 1 year's supply of the foods we eat every day, eat the oldest stuff first (First In First Out, FIFO) so the food is always just editable... 2) have a short term supply of emergency heating fuel, a way to cook, and electricity supplies to cover up to 3 months. 3) Develop a sustainable water, food, and power supply to cover a long term SHTF event. 4) Obtain the equipment and skills to securely maintain my supplies for external threats.

Most my SHTF events have been uncomfortable personal short term learning events that teach me what I will need, but in the world we live in we need to be prepared for the big events too.

I believe everyone has been through things similar at some point in life.
And it’s amazing the things one will learn having gone through certain things. But I guess that’s why they call it life. And tomorrow is no guarantee.

 

[Sourdough]

Just wanted y’all’s opinions. That’s all
I don’t guess it matters. But makes for a good conversation

My post was not an attack on your question. It was an attack on the silly idea that post SHTF (even an assumed small one) things will return to pre-SHTF normal.

I have been at this prepping for over seven decades, and everyone I know that has 20 or 30 years or more prepping, figures plan for a long-long-long period. And pray it will not be required.

 

[Bluetick21]

My post was not an attack on your question. It was an attack on the silly idea that post SHTF (even an assumed small one) things will return to pre-SHTF normal.

I have been at this prepping for over seven decades, and everyone I know that has 20 or 30 years or more prepping, figures plan for a long-long-long period. And pray it will not be required.

No worries here!
All in all it don’t matter why you’re prepping Just as long as you’re prepared!

 

[Old Whatshisname]

What is your main reason to prep
Rather it be emp strikes, massive solar flares and other cosmic mayhem, a global Ice Age, economic collapse, nuclear world war, zombie outbreaks, robot uprisings. Mega-tsunamis, super earthquakes
Whatever it may be I’d like to hear your thoughts.
Personally in today I see and economic collapse happening more then anything

What is your main reason to prep?

[/QUOTE]
What do I prep for? Climate change. It's inevitable and inescapable. It's not going to 'kill everybody' or 'wipe out civilization', but it will, over the next 40-60 years, pretty much destroy the economies of the larger countries (except Russia; it's economy cannot be destroyed, it already is.).

Most of the agriculture crops of the United States, since they're bred for optimum growth under present-day climate conditions, will be impacted. Forget about being able to be the bead-basket of the world, we'll be lucky enough to feed ourselves. Gaia alone knows what the rain and snow patterns will be in ten years, but if you have a homestead, you might want to think about how deep your well shaft is, and long it's going to take you to get that greenhouse built!

The next decade will see billions (that's billions with a "B") of people being displaced from their homes by weather conditions (hurricane storm surges, bomb cyclones on a weekly basis, collapsed Gulf Stream, etc.) and even by rising sea levels.

We can't do a damn thing about it; it's too late. If we'd figure out a way to hustle the other big and polluting countries back in the 1970's to work with us -- but we didn't. Same thing with the rest of the horseshit that people worry about: Is the Ukraine War going to end this year? Who gets Donbas? Crimea? There isn't anything you or I can do about it. Same with Old Xi Jinping or Kim Jongun or Vladimir Putin or Donald Trump or Joe Biden or even the Republicans' and the Democrats' travelling ****-shows. It's too late -- and we are too insignificant -- to turn things around.

We have only so many drops of blood, breaths of air, or minutes of our life in our bodies. My job is to take care of myself and my family as best as I know how. Isn't that what makes us preppers?