SHTF preparations

[Ramroo]

With the S*** going on in the world, thought I would post this to get ideas. I’m not a hard core prepper, but I like to do some for piece of mind.

Having grown up in a military family, deployed myself, 1 kid deployed now, and 2 are getting ready. I don’t take our freedoms and lifestyles for granted. They can be taken away very quickly. Good ol’ USA is not safe anymore!

So, I have one 275 gal tote for water storage and I’m going to pick up another one soon. I’m also going to stock up on some food. Mainly canned foods, meats, veggies, beans etc. According to USDA, canned foods will last indefinitely if stored properly. Canned foods are great because they are cheap, precooked, and will last. Hydrated foods are good but too expensive. Pasta, dried beans are not bad either, but have to be cooked.

I am thinking and considering options for cell phone charging, heat, cooking, lighting, etc.

Of course self defense is a priority also.

Don’t want to be a Debbie Downer, but when it is obvious when might need stuff, it might be too late.

Im going to be in the woods for most of Nov and Dec chasing whitetails. Just a little preparing now, might help me sit still still longer, with SOME piece of mind
as the provider and protector in my family.

Please pray for our war fighters!

Any ideas please offer them up.

Thanks

 

[DEG]

Good ol’ USA is not safe anymore!

It's safer today than it has been in past decades. The murder rate in the 80s and 90s was nearly twice as high as it is today. However, during the 80s and 90s there was not a constant 24x7 bombardment of every rare and sensational event through the internet, social media and a multitude 24 x 7 news sources so people's perceptions of reality today are somewhat distorted as a result.

Any ideas please offer them up.

The best idea is probably to stop listening the news. However, if you want some prepper ideas read the book "One Second After" by William Forstchen. It will probably have you measuring up your neighbors to decide which one's would be too tough to eat.

 

[Ramroo]

When I was saying USA is not safe anymore, I was not even thinking about murder rates.
Don’t want an argument on murder rates etc. We don’t even prosecute criminals any more, defund police, definitely not safer society now IMO.

Thinking more on terrorists, external threats, world war. I am on the military side of things and see and hear things, not just news.

I’m thinking about storing food, water, supplies for SHTF. I really don’t want to eat my neighbor.

 

[Mountain Whiskey]

Murder rates and such are only as accurate as the government allows them to be. I think to the published unemployment numbers two years ago. Third quarter numbers were great. Seemed odd that they improved so drastically when the economy was still in the toilet. Oh, amazingly, right after the election the BLS quietly announced that there had been a mistake and then redacted and published the real numbers. They allowed you to see what they wanted when they wanted.

Agreed @Ramroo The USA is not the safe haven it once was. Even history will show it. 1933, as soon as Rosevelt was elected a "Banking Holiday" (sounds nice doesn't it?) was declared and you could not withdraw your money.

That same money is just paper the government is devaluing daily. It is not gold backed any more but based on stocks and promises. People scoff at cryptocurrency but the dollar is not that different.

Precious metals. Naysayers will say "you can't eat gold", but even in medieval times when dying of starvation was common, metals were coveted. There will always be haves and have nots.

A tote for water is great. Keep a supply of chlorine too. I keep pool shock on hand and refresh it every few years. A little goes a long way to keeping water bacteria free. It breaks down in your storage water so you need to add a teaspoon every now and then. For drinking, you can just let an open pot sit for a few days and it will dissipate. Don't store pool shock near anything, it degasses naturally and will cause things around it to rust. I just keep it in the corner of the shed.

If you have a well, a hand pump auxiary is available. Get one.

Freeze dried food is always a must for staples. Regular food, canned or dry, whatever you stock in the cabinet should be stocked in a pantry and rotated with use. Can dispensers are great for this. Keep a few cans of peas or beans in the kitchen, you eat these and when you go to the grocery store those few cans go in the dispenser while you pull old cans out to go in your cabinet. The government says keep 3 days of food on hand for emergencies, I say a year or better.

Generator is a must. Too much depends on electricity. Propane stores indefinitely but in a collapse it may not be available. Gasoline will be. A few hundred gallon tank of it is great to have. People talk about it going bad. Put preservative in it and you will see, it still burns and runs vehicles and equipment just fine after a year. On paper it losses some power but oh well still works.

Of course G&A. Ammo lasts for decades. Get plenty, store it dry in the basement. Remember that the lowly .22 is the most versatile round available. Game small and large can be taken with it and it does not scream "here I am!" for miles. Self defense? I would not like for someone with a 10/22 to plunk me 5 times in the chest. Slow and horrid death... You can also carry plenty of ammo on the move. Of course 5.56, 7.62x39, 9mm are a must. A good sniper rifle that will reach as far as you can shoot at home. My house is in the woods. I only have about 100 yards clear at the longest shot so anything I have works.

A trade that you may have that could be used for bartering is great. People will always want liquor.

I don't think I am up to running. If SHTF, I make my stand here. I don't have a Bug Out Bag, I keep a Get Home bag in the vehicle. I make my stand here. If it gets that bad they can find my corpse on a pile of spent brass here.

 

[Eighty]

The way I see it, you don’t need to worry about charging your cell phone. If SHTF, there won’t be cell service.
Canned food, good. Water supply, good. I have a 44,000 gallon pool and plenty of chlorine, so I’m set for water. Unless we’re talking radiation and fallout - then we’re all f’ed.
I have about 30,000 rounds of ammunition at my place, of varying calibers (and the firearms to go with it). When society collapses and we are eating professional sports players (low worth to society but high in protein), I have a currency that will be valuable.
I’m not a prepper, but I have put a bit of thought into what happens next.

 

[Mountain Whiskey]

Great points. I love the high protein food source! You are doing great on the ammo front. Minimum 10k/caliber in my book. At least important ones, I don't think I need that much .38 special.

I also live between DC and Mt Weather, close to Dulles Airport. If it comes to nukes, I will put on the welding goggles and watch the pretty display for those last few moments as they are all high value targets.

 

[Eighty]

I also live between DC and Mt Weather, close to Dulles Airport. If it comes to nukes, I will put on the welding goggles and watch the pretty display for those last few moments as they are all high value targets.

Yeah, you’re screwed. Nashville isn’t a high value target, so I’m not worried. I’m far enough away from the coastline that Russia’s tidal-wave nukes aren’t going to hurt me. Fairly decently set for fresh water sources. Lots of wild game near me.
And side benefit: lots of country music singers here to eat. Not as high in protein as sports players, but at least they’re not as full of preservatives as movie stars.

 

[DEG]

I know a few preppers and they are proud they are preparing and not afraid to tell their friends how prepared they are.

When SHTF eatable wildlife soon disappears because everyone is hunting them and the masses who are not prepared will eventually form mobs to seek out the resources of those who did prepare. It's much easier for them if they already know where to go because a prepper has already told them how prepared they are. It doesn't really matter how many guns and ammo you have because mobs attacking to take your resources also have guns and ammo and they are willing to risk their lives in order to take your life so they can survive.

I think the only way to really prepare for when SHTF is to do it in complete secrecy and to have resources stored where they cannot be discovered after SHTF. After SHTF you need to appear to be just as unprepared as everyone else or you again make yourself a target.

 

[seansmd]

I had a friend that was a prepper and anti-gun, would go on for days about his preparations. One day he asked me what I was doing, I said nothing I'm going to follow the smoke to his house and since I have plenty of guns and ammo he will invite me in. And he said what if I dont? Then I guess I have a new house , next day he says we have a gun now too....

 

[Mountain Whiskey]

Yeah, you’re screwed. Nashville isn’t a high value target, so I’m not worried. I’m far enough away from the coastline that Russia’s tidal-wave nukes aren’t going to hurt me. Fairly decently set for fresh water sources. Lots of wild game near me.
And side benefit: lots of country music singers here to eat. Not as high in protein as sports players, but at least they’re not as full of preservatives as movie stars.

Somewhere between Pulaski and Crossville is likely my 5 year plan. Nice areas.

 

[Ramroo]

Murder rates and such are only as accurate as the government allows them to be. I think to the published unemployment numbers two years ago. Third quarter numbers were great. Seemed odd that they improved so drastically when the economy was still in the toilet. Oh, amazingly, right after the election the BLS quietly announced that there had been a mistake and then redacted and published the real numbers. They allowed you to see what they wanted when they wanted.

Agreed @Ramroo The USA is not the safe haven it once was. Even history will show it. 1933, as soon as Rosevelt was elected a "Banking Holiday" (sounds nice doesn't it?) was declared and you could not withdraw your money.

That same money is just paper the government is devaluing daily. It is not gold backed any more but based on stocks and promises. People scoff at cryptocurrency but the dollar is not that different.

Precious metals. Naysayers will say "you can't eat gold", but even in medieval times when dying of starvation was common, metals were coveted. There will always be haves and have nots.

A tote for water is great. Keep a supply of chlorine too. I keep pool shock on hand and refresh it every few years. A little goes a long way to keeping water bacteria free. It breaks down in your storage water so you need to add a teaspoon every now and then. For drinking, you can just let an open pot sit for a few days and it will dissipate. Don't store pool shock near anything, it degasses naturally and will cause things around it to rust. I just keep it in the corner of the shed.

If you have a well, a hand pump auxiary is available. Get one.

Freeze dried food is always a must for staples. Regular food, canned or dry, whatever you stock in the cabinet should be stocked in a pantry and rotated with use. Can dispensers are great for this. Keep a few cans of peas or beans in the kitchen, you eat these and when you go to the grocery store those few cans go in the dispenser while you pull old cans out to go in your cabinet. The government says keep 3 days of food on hand for emergencies, I say a year or better.

Generator is a must. Too much depends on electricity. Propane stores indefinitely but in a collapse it may not be available. Gasoline will be. A few hundred gallon tank of it is great to have. People talk about it going bad. Put preservative in it and you will see, it still burns and runs vehicles and equipment just fine after a year. On paper it losses some power but oh well still works.

Of course G&A. Ammo lasts for decades. Get plenty, store it dry in the basement. Remember that the lowly .22 is the most versatile round available. Game small and large can be taken with it and it does not scream "here I am!" for miles. Self defense? I would not like for someone with a 10/22 to plunk me 5 times in the chest. Slow and horrid death... You can also carry plenty of ammo on the move. Of course 5.56, 7.62x39, 9mm are a must. A good sniper rifle that will reach as far as you can shoot at home. My house is in the woods. I only have about 100 yards clear at the longest shot so anything I have works.

A trade that you may have that could be used for bartering is great. People will always want liquor.

I don't think I am up to running. If SHTF, I make my stand here. I don't have a Bug Out Bag, I keep a Get Home bag in the vehicle. I make my stand here. If it gets that bad they can find my corpse on a pile of spent brass here.

Agreed. Very disturbing trends in US and around the world. Gone to the s****. Not only do we have much of the world against America, we have some of our very own citizens turning their back.

Things are much different as far as military capabilities here, but more importantly around the world. US targets are already, and will continue to be evaluated and targeted and stored.
Unlike WW2, these targets in America are vulnerable (with very little tactics), to say the least. I’m not sure most Americans realize that. Will be much different.

History shows that there will be another global war, along with biblical prophecy. Starts with
Israel at war, and that is where we currently are.

Hopefully won’t happen for a very long time, but burying your head in the sand and thinking your government or mankind won’t allow that to happen is just naivete at its best.

So, enough of reality.

Agreed on chlorine. I have bottles of Clorox that I keep switching out for water purification.
Lifestraws are very effective also, and nice to have.

Generators and gas are great to have. I need to work on more gas storage.

Working on more food and water. IMO, electricity will be the first to go, and without that for extended periods, everything else is lost.

Good call on liquor and ammo. You forgot cigars.
At least we can eat, drink, smoke and go hot.

Have a great day.

 

[Ramroo]

I had a friend that was a prepper and anti-gun, would go on for days about his preparations. One day he asked me what I was doing, I said nothing I'm going to follow the smoke to his house and since I have plenty of guns and ammo he will invite me in. And he said what if I dont? Then I guess I have a new house , next day he says we have a gun now too....

A prepper and anti gun. WOW

 

[seansmd]

Yesh not the smartest fella, EV guy too.... He started his argument by saying it's fortified and I wont open the door, I said you will come out willingly, he said why, I said when the smoke from the plugged up stack smokes you out.....

Lots of folks forget when there is no broad power, smoke and the sounds of generators will attract visitors.

 

[Ramroo]

Yesh not the smartest fella, EV guy too.... He started his argument by saying it's fortified and I wont open the door, I said you will come out willingly, he said why, I said when the smoke from the plugged up stack smokes you out.....

Lots of folks forget when there is no broad power, smoke and the sounds of generators will attract visitors.

Yea, no body is talking about getting an EV for SHTF. Not on my list.

Wont open the door… now that’s some stupid s*** right there.

 

[DEG]

Yea, no body is talking about getting an EV for SHTF. Not on my list.

Yea, the book I referenced earlier is about an EMP attack on the US that wiped out the grid and all electronics. Newt Gingrich wrote the forward for the book and said that while it is a fiction book it is a scenario that many in government believe is a real possibility. At one time they actually funded programs to shield the grid and military aircraft and equipment from EMP attack but most of that funding ceased long ago.

The only cars that run were ones that run off of distributor and points before electronic ignition. When you are driving down the road with one of the few cars that actually runs guess how many people with guns want that car.

 

[theblet]

All I hoard is ammo and beer. At least I’ll have a fun ending.

 

[Ramroo]

All I hoard is ammo and beer. At least I’ll have a fun ending.

Note:
Get some guns also.

 

[theblet]

Note:
Get some guns also.

going back to field and stream now

 

[DEG]

This or similar will probably be one of the most valuable resources for preppers.

 

[theblet]

This or similar will probably be one of the most valuable resources for preppers.

Look out of you eat the wrong shrooms. On second thought, it would probably help the situation immensely.