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Question Of The Month (August 2022) (Prepping)

carbinemike

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In the last 10 years we have had shortages of guns and ammo multiple times as well as common items like baby formula and toilet paper. As a result, have you become more or a prepper, less or no change?
 
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Probably no change.

I was raised hard to start with. So, it was just engrained in me from the time I could hoe a garden to put stuff up and work and eat.

Learned early that sears books could double as toilet paper if you couldn't afford any or find none in the outhouse.

Heck, we even carried out water instead of turning on the faucet.

God, how I would I could go back in time for a while.
 
Our efforts toward a self sustainability lifestyle have continued with more recent efforts in two areas. First, becoming our own first responder for medical, fire and security emergencies and secondly, assuring we have no single point system failures. For example, we've developed redundant medical kits to address most emergencies. One kit remains in the house while a second one is placed in which ever vehicle we're using. We've gone through all our support systems (electrical, water, heating, communications, etc) and identified the potential for single point failures and addressed these by either installing redundant systems or by procured spares to fix these systems.

Like a lot of things these days, terms have changed. Today's "preppers" years ago were known as retreaters, bushcrafters, survivalists, homesteaders and even realists. While the focus may be different, most folks were addressing some level of a self sustainabiity lifestyle, which was good!

Regards
 
Yes and no. I'm better at keeping safety stock of more essential items. I also saw what got raided first during covid and keep a supply if those that we use as well.

I need to stock up in more non- frozen meal items. I can go a couple minths as ling as I have power. Not so long if i have to run my generator.


The complete shutdown of roadways during covid highlighted some flaws in my get out of town plans. My camp is too far relies in a toll bridge.
 
Yeah, I remember what happens when you run into a toll booth from watching blazing saddles.
 
My mindset hasn't changed. I'd say the events over the last decade leading up to now have only served to underscore and totally validate the need for some level of preparedness. That planning paid off for us during the first months of the pandemic. We were able to stay well ahead of the curve by having extra supplies laid up and not being asleep at the wheel. In turn, we were able to focus on warning friends and family to get their rears in gear before there was nothing left on the store shelves. We were also prepared to share what we had with friends and family that had any need.

By having spent time, money and effort well ahead of time it made those initial lean months when supply chains broke down, seem like a cakewalk. We never lacked for anything. Watching the lines at the grocery stores grow and people lined up at gun stores...that just wasn't necessary for us at all (thankfully, it wasn't necessary for them either it turns out). There's always take-aways from these experiences and we can always improve. There is almost no limit to the amount of things you could potentially store up for any number of different potential situations.

I've resigned myself to the notion that getting out of here in a major disaster will be nigh impossible. Until we are able to leave this area permanently we need to be prepared to stay put and defend ourselves. That too is a very tall order and is absolutely not sustainable. Like Mike said, our bug out location is too far away and there are bridges on every route out of here...could make for a very ugly, hell-scape with the right (or wrong) set of circumstances. This area is rife with organized crime groups and the angels have a big presence here too (a collection of port cities and the border with you folks to the south). The main HA club house for BC is not more than a couple miles from my house. Not to mention a population of generally very soft and unprepared people who will become desperate very quickly in a serious, shtf disaster.

I need to do more, but doing more here in this location is probably just a waste of time and money. The first opportunity to bug out...I would take it. This will be a losing battle here and would not end well for us if we stayed. If I could afford a boat, that would be the best route out of here...up the river and get to the mountains. But to make that work, the boat would have to be in the water. Towing the boat and trying to launch from a public boat launch...no way, that would be suicide if you could even get to it. So that means moorage...I can't afford that.

So after all that rambling did I answer your question @carbinemike??? LOL
 
If you go back 10 years, definitely more. That’s before I started seriously stocking up on powder and such.

But just going back two years to the pandemic, I’ve become more involved since then.
 
I have paid more attention to buying canned goods to keep in the pantry, and rice and beans and pasta. My wife hates rice and beans BTW :)

We have a fresh water source on our property if the county water authority dried up, sufficient at least for some cooking and flushing toilets, and a water purifier that is nothing more than a ZERO-Water but hey better than nothing right?

I never let my truck's gas tank get below 3/4 full but unfortunately my wife will drive her new Blazer until the warning light flashes. At least if I have to go out to re-supply I can go at least 350 miles or even more if I'm on FULL.

Speaking of going out from the house I don't think we'll even attempt to leave. More likely our kids and grandkids will come and hunker down with us because we have generators and gasoline and propane and charcoal and firewood and we are on very high ground with a very long defensible driveway where we can watch everything around for 360-degrees that might approach. And heck, we have a few cows and 24 ducks. The ducks are a daily source of fresh eggs (better than chicken eggs BTW) and good protein.

I try to keep several hundred dollars in cash for whatever emergency might come up where ATM use might get screwed. And trust me there is no shortage of guns and ammo here. Plus we have a newly installed steel tornado shelter which I suppose could accommodate eight people at least until claustrophobia made we want to get out. I even put a 5-gal bucket and trash bags and 3" pipe insulation in the shelter for an emergency toilet!!! Hahaha

But to answer the question of whether I am a "prepper" I would answer that I am definitely not. We're just country living people.... :)
 
I’ve stocked up on ammo during the trump years.

food I need to address a bit better. We are starting a garden in 2023.

I had MREs but got destroyed by mice in my old apartment. When Covid hit MREs went. Looking to restock Black Friday. Been restocking canned foods and meats. Though the inflation is killing my meat buys
 
Given we're discussing prepping thought I'd share a link to an excellent manual which focuses on survival and austere medicine. The original version which came out in the 90's is now in its third and greatly expanded edition which was published in 2017. It covers most aspects of medical and dental emergencies in detail. At 614 pages it certainly not something we would print out however it can be easily downloaded. I keep a copy on my tablet and my phone so it's always handy. This is a free download and can be found at the link below. Hope you find it useful.

https://1776patriotusa.com/survival-austere-medicine/

Regards
 
I have would say I thought I was in pretty good shape until the past two years. Then supply chain problems started rising, along with the war in Ukraine, and all of a sudden what used to be SHTF scenarios were actually becoming reality.

In the past year I have been prepping myself as well as supplying myself. I have lost 30 pounds I did not need to haul around. Lift dumbells daily, and walk a lot more. I feel much better and think I could survive better.
 
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