Skills vs Stuff

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Sentry18

Sentry18

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Skills vs Stuff

Posted on June 25, 2020 by Jim Cobb


Spend more than about 8 seconds in any survival related forum and you’ll hear some variation on this phrase – Skills are better than Stuff. The basic premise at work here is that learning skills is a more valuable investment than buying stuff, which is generally true for several reasons:
–Skills don’t rot or fall apart (though they are perishable and will decline without practice)
–Skills don’t take up storage space at home
–Skills add no weight to the pack
skills vs stuff

Skills
All of that is absolutely correct and if you had to choose between learning a practical skill or buying a new toy, I mean gun-to-your-head can choose only one, then go with the skill every time. But, in the grand scheme of things, today, right now, at this moment, you have the freedom to choose both. There is no reason you can’t acquire stuff while at the same time learning new skills. It isn’t an either/or proposition.
Stuff
The human race invented tools for a reason. Simply put, they make tasks easier to accomplish. We could hunt around for the appropriate materials to construct a bow drill, then grind out an ember for our fire. Or, we can pull a Bic from our pocket. When true survival is on the line and hypothermia is setting in, being able to a get a fire going quickly could mean life or death.
We could search for birch bark and make a container in which we can boil water to disinfect it for drinking. Or, we can carry a small water filter. Or a steel water bottle if we insist on boiling the water.
I am NOT suggesting there is no value in learning primitive skills. Far from it. That knowledge is tremendously powerful and I encourage all to seek out classes with true professionals who have earned great reputations. If you lose everything, you will have those skills to use.
That said, you might be setting yourself up for failure if you enter into the prepper/survival world with a mindset of eschewing “stuff” because skills are better. Yes, skills are damn important but investing in some “stuff” will make your life easier and will probably increase your chances of making it through a true survival situation.
Learn
Learn how to make and use a bow drill and other primitive means of starting a fire. But, still pack a disposable lighter, ferro rod, and other modern implements.
Learn when and how to use signal fires. But, still pack a good whistle, signal mirror, and an extra battery pack for your phone.
Learn how to use snares, deadfalls, and other traps for acquiring food. But, still pack a few granola bars, snacks, and such.
Above all else, please make it a habit to tell another person any time you’re going to hit the trail. Let them know where you’re going, when you’ll get there, and when to expect you to return. If they don’t hear from you, they should notify the authorities so they can come look for your lost butt.
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https://beansbulletsbandagesandyou.com/bullets/2020/06/25/skills-vs-stuff-2/
 
You presume everyone who bugs out doesn't have anywhere to go. Leaving your home for the safety of another dwelling with less people and more resources is still bugging out.

However most people live in cities. Staying in cities post-SHTF is essentially suicide.
 
Amish Heart said:
Tom Petty said it best about refugees. I wouldn't want to be one.
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I remember someone on PS once saying 'If you end up a refugee, make sure you are going a different direction than the herd'. Made sense then, makes sense now.
 
Why are all the skills that are discussed always bush crafting skills? Why are people so obsessed with a bow drill? There are a lot of other ways to start a fire.

I think Dave Canterbury explained it best. You want to have tools that would be the most difficult to duplicate by natural means.
 
Amish Heart said:
Tom Petty said it best about refugees. I wouldn't want to be one.
Skills vs Stuff: you need both. And common sense, a good heart, and you need to be brave
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Exactly what I think. You need both. As my grandmother used to say, "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear." You can't bake bread with no ingredients.

Sentry, you are correct about bugging out to a destination. In Facebook prepper group, in March, one man said he was bugging out. I asked, "Where are you going? Do you have a place to go? Or are you setting off to be a refugee?" And this is where the common sense comes in. This is where we have to spend time reading, researching, planning and thinking about what to do IF X, Y and Z happens. Not: "I lost my job today! Run!" You cannot just have a knee jerk reaction, get in your vehicle and take off to who knows where?

For someone who has no place to go, doing some exploring and research for the possibilities of places to go if SHTF and you have to bug out, no other options. People say, "I'm not going anywhere." What if your home is burned to the ground, or taken over by a group of thugs? Plan B. Have you ever considered that you may not have a choice?

For me, there are some farms in South Dakota of relatives with homes that are maintained and used for hunting groups, but not lived in year round. People have homes in town and in the country. There are many empty beds and bedrooms, where once, there were fewer, or just the country home. I have done work for some of these people as a child and young adult, so it is not like I would be a total invader or dependent. One situation has a dorm like situation with around 30 beds. I have stayed in that dorm room many times already, with others, male and female, relatives and family friends.
 
Morgan101 said:
Why are people so obsessed with a bow drill? There are a lot of other ways to start a fire.
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I watched a survical show once where this man spent forever trying to make a bod drill start a fire. After he was exhausted and beyond frustrated the other guy pull out a lighter and offered to let him use it. The first guy was all mad and asked why he didn't give it to him earlier. The second guy just said, you seemed so intent on showing off your skills.
 
Amish Heart said:
Food foraging drives me bonkers, too. OK if I'm supplementing, or looking for something medicinal. But it's not nearly enough to sustain a person just foraging for plants in the woods.
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This is what I think about when it comes to storing things like rice, beans, etc. Do I plan to cook rice and eat it just like that? Nope. But imagine if I had a beet, a handful of green beans, a tomato, an onion or something and a bunch of rice. Much better than just having the veggie to have some rice to fill up with, while being able to flavor it and make the whole thing more appealing.

In this vain of food foraging. Have people foraged in the area ever before? Are they aware that this grows here, and that grows there? I also think planting a guerilla garden where you know you can find something growing is something that many have not considered. Grandma knew what she could eat that grew wild on the ranch and it filled the gaps when my mother was growing up.

And have people foraged and tried cooking and eating these foods?
 
Weedygarden said:
For me, there are some farms in South Dakota of relatives with homes that are maintained and used for hunting groups, but not lived in year round. People have homes in town and in the country. There are many empty beds and bedrooms, where once, there were fewer, or just the country home. I have done work for some of these people as a child and young adult, so it is not like I would be a total invader or dependent. One situation has a dorm like situation with around 30 beds. I have stayed in that dorm room many times already, with others, male and female, relatives and family friends.
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Our family farm / vacation home has 7 bedrooms, 3 of them have multiple beds. We also have a bunk house and 2 campers that serve as additional bedrooms. We could comfortably sleep about 28-30 people if need be. And that doesn't count couches or sleeping bags.
 
Sentry18 said:
However most people live in cities. Staying in cities post-SHTF is essentially suicide.
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By the same token, if you are in the country - you need to be able to limit access to where you live.
"One way in, one way out" isn't ideal for some reasons - - but it's AWESOME for setting up a checkpoint for anyone trying to enter (in my case , a VERY rural "subdivision")
 
Amish Heart said:
Exactly, Weedy. I've heard people in NM say that if things got bad, they'd head for the mountains.
Ha Ha. And do what?
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You know....live off the land :good luck:

People are going to the pine covered mountains to live off the land when a pine forest is one of the most sterile environments.
 
I see no scenario where staying put can work for us. We are working towards finding a mutual assistance group. Until we find a bug out destination we can meet with others at our place of work, aside from food (we are working on that) it would be secure for quite some time. I devote ALL my free time to preparing. The only thing we won't do is quit our jobs and move. We will not stop working until we are sure we can have supplemental insurance throughout retirement. Our goal is to find some land and homestead it when the time is right. We can make something now, it may have flaws, but every day we are improving our readiness.
 
Gotta have both.

Gotta have access to stuff you don't have, but may need.

I'm old, decrepit, ain't bugging nothing nowhere.
Pretty well fortified where I am.
Ain't to bad as far as skills go...common sense is my best skill.

If they get to me to burn down my house .
I have underground hiding. But, I'll be having to climb over bodies to get to it.

Jim
 
hiwall said:
You know....live off the land :good luck:

People are going to the pine covered mountains to live off the land when a pine forest is one of the most sterile environments.
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That is why people have to give their ideas a try. Head to the mountains for the weekend and try to live off of what you find. Give your plan a test drive. It is an eye opener for many. Many years ago, I thought I wanted a place in the mountains. Then I heard about how difficult it is to garden, potential for fires, how many break ins there are at vacation homes and how difficult it really is to live in the mountains. I rarely go to the mountains.

Next thought was to have a place by some water. There are not a lot of bodies of water around me, but I could get to one with one tank of gas.
 
Sentry18 said:
I watched a survival show once where this man spent forever trying to make a bod drill start a fire. After he was exhausted and beyond frustrated the other guy pull out a lighter and offered to let him use it. The first guy was all mad and asked why he didn't give it to him earlier.
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This part has always puzzled me.
A couple of BIC lighters in a medicine bottle beats flint, magnesium, a knife, a bow with some string, magic, etc.
Sure, it is impressive to see them start a fire using cave-man techniques, but why?
"Flick of the bic, sir?"
 
You should have both skills and stuff. I used to do a ton of hiking in the backcountry. I always had several ways of starting a fire available to me. Ferro rods, fresnal lens, windproof matches, candles, water resistant tinder ... and a BIC lighter. I never had to use anything other than the BIC lighter. I was prepared to if I had to, but why not use the easiest way that still works and be done with it?

I remember one TV show - some military elite fighting unit show - where they crashed their helicopter in the middle of nowhere. It was freezing. And they were working really hard to start their fire using a bow drill. And in the background view was their flaming helicopter. I would have just taken a stick and lit that off the burning aircraft. But who am I to say?
 
Let me throw out another concept just for grins: Skills vs. Stuff vs. TECHNOLOGY. The reason we have evolved and survived as long as we have is because we invented things that would make life easier, and improved our condition. Why would you not use the technology that is available? I have asked this question before, but how far back in time do you have to go to find the skills you want? 100 years? 500 years? 1000 years?

I won't speak for everybody, but for me I prep for the things that I am most likely to encounter. I don't concern myself with surviving in the Arctic, or deep in the Rain Forest. Not going to happen, ever. Even the possibility of having to survive in the woods or the desert are miniscule. So I keep the tools I need and try to develop the skills I need to survive where I am, and I am prepared for the difficulties I will face where I am.

If I am forced to bug out I will not be going more than 100-200 miles from my home, so the environment will not change.
 
Your BIC won't last forever. You have to have multiple ways to make a fire. Flint, steel wool, cotton balls, char cloth, a fire piston, bow drill, are all good things to know about. A good chunk of fat wood, a knife and a fire piston will get a fire going under nearly all conditions. Bic lighters don't work when they are wet or cold.
 
SheepDog said:
Your BIC won't last forever. You have to have multiple ways to make a fire. Flint, steel wool, cotton balls, char cloth, a fire piston, bow drill, are all good things to know about. A good chunk of fat wood, a knife and a fire piston will get a fire going under nearly all conditions. Bic lighters don't work when they are wet or cold.
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Yep, your BIC won't last forever, that is why I keep several of them! Just kidding, SheepDog. I too, keep a few BIC lighters, but other things for fire starting.
 
Sentry18 said:
You presume everyone who bugs out doesn't have anywhere to go. Leaving your home for the safety of another dwelling with less people and more resources is still bugging out.

However most people live in cities. Staying in cities post-SHTF is essentially suicide.
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So is trying to invade a mountain with armed property owners.
 
LincTex said:
By the same token, if you are in the country - you need to be able to limit access to where you live.
"One way in, one way out" isn't ideal for some reasons - - but it's AWESOME for setting up a checkpoint for anyone trying to enter (in my case , a VERY rural "subdivision")
Click to expand...

Y2K we had some peopel here who were all set up but one passed and the others left of became hermits.
We were going to build a watch tower since we are basically i nthe middle of the 500 acres. Never happend.
At our age now no way will we be bugging out very far. Maybe swamps and rivers but those will probably be very crowded.
 
SheepDog said:
Your BIC won't last forever. You have to have multiple ways to make a fire. Flint, steel wool, cotton balls, char cloth, a fire piston, bow drill, are all good things to know about. A good chunk of fat wood, a knife and a fire piston will get a fire going under nearly all conditions. Bic lighters don't work when they are wet or cold.
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I would say this is one of the areas that common sense would be a perk - don't let the fire go out. And knowledge (skill) know how to bank a fire for the night then check on it. Stuff - like a tender box. If you have a "community" of folks in the area and band together to some respect, you can get some hot coals to get your fire going. And if all else fails, then the bic so it will at least last as long as possible. And yes, I still agree - knowing some of the other methods is an asset too.
 
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