Skills vs Stuff

[RabbitsAreDelicious]

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.

Yeah like me for one. At the moment in the city. If/when SHTF happens I am not stopping or asking questions I'm heading to a predetermined spot asap. If not by vehicle by petal bike. If nothing else I can walk it. No way would my area now be safe in SHTF.

 

[Ann]

If you're planning to bug out to a relative's farm, I would urge you to contact that relative now and discuss your plans. It would be a shame to bug out and then find no welcome mat. Basically what would you bring to the table is the question you should be prepared to answer. If they are elderly and need help and you are young and strong, that might be your answer. Better give that some thought before you call.

I'm of the mindset to use the easiest method now, but have backup resources if those fail. I have bad arthritis is my hands so can't use a Bic, but I can use a match so I store matches, a lot of matches.

Beans and rice are a great prep but you're right they need additions to keep you from getting food fatigue. When I was a child I had severe allergy reaction and the doctor told my mom that I could only eat boiled rice (PLAIN) until the rash went away and then they'd add one food at a time to figure out what was causing the rash. It wasn't a week before I could not eat the rice without gagging. It wasn't until I started prepping that I would touch rice. Now I can eat it as long as its not rice alone...got to have something added or over it. A very important part of prepping is a good supply of seasonings of all kinds. Salt is number one necessity and then go crazy adding what your family will eat. Also a variety of beans will help with the food fatigue.

 

[RabbitsAreDelicious]

If you're planning to bug out to a relative's farm....

If that's addressed to me then yeah. It's not quite a farm but a large garden with some live stock and good trusty neighbors with different live stock. I already told them I would and said I could even sleep outside (I like to camp here and their) and take night watch over the garden protecting it. I work second shift so it wouldn't be a stretch to do that. Also yeah being young not afraid of dirt or but gutting animals I could help out with things.

Hope you were replying to my comment other wise ignore this lol.

Dang makes sense I could live on plain rice. I like the beans idea though and have taco seasoning packets in my gear. EVERYTHING tastes good with taco seasoning. I bet most people here thought Taco Bell had beef tacos.

 

[Morgan101]

Your BIC won't last forever. You have to have multiple ways to make a fire.

That is true, so I have several dozen Bic lighters. Plus Zippo lighters with fluid and flint. Plus butane lighters with extra butane. Plus boxes, again dozens, of wood matches, and boxes of paper book matches. Plus weatherproof matches. Plus magnesium fire starters. Plus ferro rods. Plus batteries and steel wool. Plus Fresnel lenses, and magnifying glasses. If all else fails I wear glasses, so I can use the sun. I keep at least three ways to start fire in every kit I carry plus tinder. Somebody said it here earlier. We all learned how to start a fire when we were ten years old, and told not to play with matches. I'm pretty confident I have this one covered.

 

[LadyLocust]

Oh yea, did y'all know you can still get refillable lighters (like Bic but metal) and the fuel to refill them? We have both.
*If interested, the lighters are usually in the camping section, but the lighter fluid is usually up by cigarettes. I don't lay out these stores

 

[Meerkat]

Yeah like me for one. At the moment in the city. If/when SHTF happens I am not stopping or asking questions I'm heading to a predetermined spot asap. If not by vehicle by petal bike. If nothing else I can walk it. No way would my area now be safe in SHTF.

For sure be shot right out from under it first one walking with a gun sees you.

 

[RabbitsAreDelicious]

For sure be shot right out from under it first one walking with a gun sees you.

Rather be shot at while leaving then risk staying if that's what you are saying. My walls are cardboard and large (unbarred) windows. Which is fine normally but in SHTF there is little protection.

 

[Peanut]

Something to consider skill wise... knowing when to leave a place. Waiting to late in a crisis would seal someones fate. Being born and raised in hurricane country means I have a full blown rehearsal for a bug out every few years. I'd rather leave a place sooner than later... So what if I jump the gun and have to come back in less than a day, just another rehearsal.

How many folks have actually loaded the truck or car to bug out... know exactly what items fit where. How long? an hour... 30 minutes? It'd better be less than an hour.

 

[joel]

I have land outside of the city, so I have both wild & planted perennials, water & a dry place to sleep.
I am with Supervisor42.
I was told how great char-cloth was & I ask why? If you can remember to make Char-cloth, then you can pack fat ligther, a rub stick, matches & Bic. I never leave home without a knife, cord, bic, mirror & first aid kit.

 

[CountryGuy]

I was told how great char-cloth was & I ask why? If you can remember to make Char-cloth, then you can pack fat ligther, a rub stick, matches & Bic.

Well I for one think char-cloth is great as is knowing how simple it is to make. Yes I can use a bic but if your doing flint and steel or a fero rod or fire by friction, short of some commercial bought firestarters, Char cloth is awesome at taking a spark. Making and using it is a skill too, and even after your bic has run out of fuel, if you have some char you may very well still be able to get a fire lit using the spark wheel on the lighter to catch an ember. They're all great but just another tool in your tool belt IMHO.

 

[Bacpacker]

Well I for one think char-cloth is great as is knowing how simple it is to make. Yes I can use a bic but if your doing flint and steel or a fero rod or fire by friction, short of some commercial bought firestarters, Char cloth is awesome at taking a spark. Making and using it is a skill too, and even after your bic has run out of fuel, if you have some char you may very well still be able to get a fire lit using the spark wheel on the lighter to catch an ember. They're all great but just another tool in your tool belt IMHO.

I agree Country. Bic is my #1 tool for fire starting, But I don't believe you can have too many tools. If one don't work in a given situaton,another surely will

 

[joel]

If you like it, use it, but man was making fire long before he was making cloth.
I think tinder & pine heart wood known as fat wood is a lot better, it is also what I use.
The best skills are the ones that use what is lay in the fields & woods, to be picked up.
I know a guy who refills his Bics, like a ammo reloader, even buys flint for bics.
I have spare flint, lip balm, bic, matches, Magnifier glass, magnesium stricker, hair, natural fiber,
fat wood. I doubt I will run out in my live time. If you are not on the move then you only need one fire,
the coals from the first will keep the fire going.
As a child we had wood stove as our only heat, in winter the only time the fire went out was when,
we let it to remove white powder ash. A plane ride is the only time I do not have a lighter in reach & I do not smoke.

 

[Bacpacker]

There are plenty of natural tinders around most of the time. But have always done the what if thing. What if I'm in an area the natural tinder is not readily available or soaking wet due to rain or snow. I want a back up, or three, on me that I can get a fire going right now if I need it.

I can't see any reason to not use something if it's available.