Survival Series

[KW]

Here’s a link from a good Survival series by ‘Essential Concepts’ on Youtube.  It’s a 12 part series that covers both basic and advance concepts. It’s good info/viewing.

Survival - Essential Concepts	powered by Aeva

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[RoadKill]

What you prepping for? Zombies?

[KW]

Everyone laughs now, but wait until the Zombies show up on your front yard! 

[RoadKill]

The Zombies are what I'm ready for !  China and Blue helmets are not even a concern....Ready for them too!      I'm just curious what you think will bring them? Cable T.V. outage is my guess.

[KW]

I'm going with if 'facebook' and 'twitter' ever crash. . . . Oh, what an ugly day it will be 

[Varmintmist]

What you prepping for? Zombies?

You gotta remember that food stores don't have stock anymore. They buy as they go and are always awaiting a shipment. Something happens, and the shelves won't get stocked. Having a week or two worth of food put up isn't a bad idea. Besides, its how your parents (and some of us) grew up. You put food in the pantry and then you know its there.

I married a city girl that still has trouble grasping the concept of buying extra when we can, then rotating stock. The fact that its there for a emergency hasn't connected, but the fact that if there is something else to do on shopping day or even week, doesn't mean that we don't eat is beginning to sink in.

[PAVALKER]

I'm thinking he's not quite accurate on the AK47 logic.  With a jug of water you can drink but you can't shoot, hunt for food or protect your ass or assets.  With an AK47 you can protect your ass and assets  take someone elses assets and have them fill your water jugs to.       And I'm thinkin you need 3 AK's... one at the base unit, one at the Bug Out camp and one under the seat of the Bug out vehicle.... just in case you have a 1/3 failure rate you can hopefully get to the others..... and everyone in your family unit should know how to operate them, so if you do have all 3... they can help you out when needed.   

[Serk]

PAValker - Right before the whole Y2K thing I had a co-worker that was stockpiling food, water, batteries, etc, but he was a big time liberal anti gun person, wouldn't have one at all...

He asked me how my stockpiling was going, told him I wasn't worried about it, hadn't stockpiled any food or water beyond normal...

His eyes got as big as saucers... "But... How will you feed your family???"

I told him I had firearms and ammo... Me and my family WOULD eat. We might be eating YOUR food, but WE would be eating! (I was always saying that all families should have at LEAST one good rifle.)

He just kinda laughed it off and went back about his business...

Fast forward a few years, and we're watching the scenes of Katrina occurring in front of us on the news. He comes over to my desk and sheepishly asks me "Okay, so if I'm gonna own only one weapon to protect my family... What should I get?"

[RoadKill]

Food for thought, Good read IMHO
                http://www.silverbearcafe.com/private/10.08/tshtf1.html

[PAVALKER]

PAValker - Right before the whole Y2K thing I had a co-worker that was stockpiling food, water, batteries, etc, but he was a big time liberal anti gun person, wouldn't have one at all...

He asked me how my stockpiling was going, told him I wasn't worried about it, hadn't stockpiled any food or water beyond normal...

His eyes got as big as saucers... "But... How will you feed your family???"

I told him I had firearms and ammo... Me and my family WOULD eat. We might be eating YOUR food, but WE would be eating! (I was always saying that all families should have at LEAST one good rifle.)

He just kinda laughed it off and went back about his business...

Fast forward a few years, and we're watching the scenes of Katrina occurring in front of us on the news. He comes over to my desk and sheepishly asks me "Okay, so if I'm gonna own only one weapon to protect my family... What should I get?"

Yep.... funny how that works.   

Food for thought, Good read IMHO
                http://www.silverbearcafe.com/private/10.08/tshtf1.html

That was very good food for thought.   And although most of us don't like to think in those terms, we should to some degree.  That reading gave me some more insight, but I'm not sure I can/will act on every point made. 

[KW]

Overall, this “Lessons from Argentina's economic collapse” was a good read and I agreed with much of it. A couple points from this article though;
1.   I strongly disagree with his statement that “Wish I could say country good, city bad, but I can't.” I understand what he's trying to say, but that statement makes several behavior assumptions that aren’t correct. In an all-out collapse, you treat EVERYONE you don’t personally know as an enemy. Period. And, a rural setting offers the best chance at that. Less people = less threats. (see #4 'conceal and avoid')
2.   Any well trained, disciplined military force, no matter its size, will be able to TAKE what you have if you’re in a ‘fixed’ location.
3.   “The best alarm system anyone can have are dogs” Absolutely! I prefer “watch” dogs over “Guard” dogs.  Guard dogs will have a “one time use” and then get killed by an armed intruder. I want my dogs to bark and growl and let us take care of the problem.
4.   “The solution is to stay away from the cities but in groups, either by living in a small town-community or sub division, or if you have friends or family that think as you do, form your own small community.” BINGO! I would add “conceal and avoid” as much as possible. Learn to use your generator sparingly. The noise will attract the zombies.
5.   “No one can last too long without water.” DUH! I would suggest everyone put in an old fashion hand pump. It’s something I plan on doing this summer. My water table is only 35’ down, so it won’t be a problem. Water will be THE commodity of trade.
6.   Even a Navy Seal, or an experienced Army Ranger, the best of the best, can be ‘sniped’ from 200 yards as he checking his AO.

Here are some information/points from a ‘Sarajevo War Survivor.’ Here's the link; http://wakeupfromyourslumber.com/node/6111?sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4d502fd30e2997c3%2C0

Experiencing horrible things that can happen in a war - death of parents and friends, hunger and malnutrition, endless freezing cold, fear, sniper attacks.

1. Stockpiling helps. but you never no how long trouble will last, so locate near renewable food sources.
2. Living near a well with a manual pump is like being in Eden.
3. After awhile, even gold can lose its luster. But there is no luxury in war quite like toilet paper. Its surplus value is greater than gold's.
4. If you had to go without one utility, lose electricity - it's the easiest to do without (unless you're in a very nice climate with no need for heat.)
5. Canned foods are awesome, especially if their contents are tasty without heating. One of the best things to stockpile is canned gravy - it makes a lot of the dry unappetizing things you find to eat in war somewhat edible. Only needs enough heat to "warm", not to cook. It's cheap too, especially if you buy it in bulk.
6. Bring some books - escapist ones like romance or mysteries become more valuable as the war continues. Sure, it's great to have a lot of survival guides, but you'll figure most of that out on your own anyway - trust me, you'll have a lot of time on your hands.
7. The feeling that you're human can fade pretty fast. I can't tell you how many people I knew who would have traded a much needed meal for just a little bit of toothpaste, rouge, soap or cologne. Not much point in fighting if you have to lose your humanity. These things are morale-builders like nothing else.
8. Slow burning candles and matches, matches, matches

[RoadKill]

We will never see anything EXACTLY like Argentina. We have A LOT more armed citizens,not as densely packed into most cities,more land mass,but our population is more spoiled and will turn to "survival at all cost" alot faster. The only thing keeping us from collapse now is that we ARE THE world currency but even that has been under attack and loosing ground.

I believe,first comes marshal law and soon after that we will have a U.N. "police" force that will be just as corrupt as South America's and trying to make sure you dont "Snipe" your neighbors.

We will build back from scratch instead of rolling over and trying to just survive under the new regime if only enough are prepared,but it would be ugly.      Hope it does not happen within my life time !

 

[KW]

RoadKill, are you coming to InZane?

[RoadKill]

RoadKill, are you coming to InZane?

Unless my "personal economic crisis" changes,I dont see that I will be attending 
Inzane is very high on my priority list but unfortunately the ones at top of the list come first.
If the FED dont get their cut I loose it ALL ! 

[Varmintmist]

Before we dive into the Zombie Apocalypse, remember that it doesn't take a world wide calamity to realise that you should have had a plan.

2 years ago there was a windstorm that took out power to people around here for up to 7 days. About 2 years before that there was a windshear that took out power for 6 days for some folks. So far I have been pretty lucky and have only lost power for less than a day at any given time. A day can be a long time if its 20F out and you cant run a furnace.
A generator is a handy thing to have, however you might not need one. A decent sized inverter that you can connect to your car battery can run a lot, not all at once, depending on the size. Get a good estimate on your load, break it down into what you NEED to run and when you MUST run it. EX a freezer that stays shut will hold for about 24 hours. If you put power to it every 12 for a while it will keep for a long time.

Inverters.
Watch what you buy. If you want to run your PC or TV you should buy a pure or true sine wave unit $$. If you are planning to run the furnace, the fridge and the freezer and a coffee pot, then the modified or square wave will work fine. http://www.theinverterstore.com/

[KW]

Excellent point about just ‘being prepared’ and a good tip on a power inverter. I never thought of having one of those.

There’s a negative conation over being called a “survivalist,” but good grief, tell that to someone who’s been through a serious hurricane or some other natural disaster!  EVERYONE should have a ‘bug out’ AND a ‘bug in’ bag or tub with a few simple essentials. It doesn’t make you a ‘crazy’ or a ‘survivalist’. It makes you ‘smart.’

As far as having a power source; most people simply don’t realize what will happen until they lose power, even for a few days, (yet alone be without potable water and basic food.)

Seven years ago our area lost power . . . because there’s different feed lines in the same neighborhood, houses that are close, lost it for differing periods of time. We lost ours for a ‘mere’ two days. Our neighbors behind us, on a different line, lost there’s for a total of 10 days, though it came briefly back on twice during that period. It was in November. . . I didn’t have a generator then. It was cold, but staying warm wasn’t an issue, not having water, ever for a ‘mere’ two days, most certainly WAS! People just don’t understand how much we take our modern conveniences, such as water from the tap, for granted.

The next spring I picked up the biggest generator Sam’s Club had and wired it up myself, with the help of a buddy. I just ran a 220 off the main breaker into a relay box, then outside to a covered 220 outlet. It’s as simple as can be. I plug in my portable gen, start it up, go downstairs and turn off the main, and hit the other 220.  It backfeeds the whole house. I’ve tested it with the power on and the lights don’t even blink. . .  And, my generator is easily big enough to run the entire house, including the well.    

[Jess from VA]

PAValker - Right before the whole Y2K thing I had a co-worker that was stockpiling food, water, batteries, etc, but he was a big time liberal anti gun person, wouldn't have one at all...

He asked me how my stockpiling was going, told him I wasn't worried about it, hadn't stockpiled any food or water beyond normal...

His eyes got as big as saucers... "But... How will you feed your family???"

I told him I had firearms and ammo... Me and my family WOULD eat. We might be eating YOUR food, but WE would be eating! (I was always saying that all families should have at LEAST one good rifle.)

He just kinda laughed it off and went back about his business...

Fast forward a few years, and we're watching the scenes of Katrina occurring in front of us on the news. He comes over to my desk and sheepishly asks me "Okay, so if I'm gonna own only one weapon to protect my family... What should I get?"

Good story, here's mine.

My best lifelong friend from 4th grade on and I were raised on the same island in MI.  We played, did sports, got cars and drank our first beers together.  We were each others best man at our weddings.  We drifted apart in college, he to LA in the entertainment industry, me overseas in the USAF.  I get reassigned to Riverside CA (15AF), and call him up and we have a great reunion at his home in Beverly Wood (LA).  I ask about his dad's old beautiful 1/4 engraved Browning A5 shotgun, and he sheepishly pulls it out of a back closet, in really poor shape from neglect.  I ask to take it home and clean it up, and later I do a nice job removing surface rust/corrosion, detail cleaning and lube, and some finish work on the stock.  When I return the shotgun, I ask him if he has shells on hand, and he says no, he has little kids, and the wife doesn't like guns, and "there is no risk."  I nicely dispute this and ask how he can defend his family?  He is not a flaming lib, but he has been in lala land for many years.

Fast forward only a few months and we are down at the O'club watching the Rodney King riots tear and burn LA apart.  I go home and call him at home and he says 'Jesus Jess, those people are within a half mile of my home, and I went out to buy 12ga shells, and all ammo sales are suspended."  I withhold my many comments, and told him to pack everyone up and come out to my home on base, and he thanked me and 'I'll wait and see, we may or may not come.'  The riots stopped short of his neighborhood........... but he now keeps shells for his (only) shotgun on hand.  The next time we meet I ask him how he's prepared for the giant LA-destroying earthquake that is likely to come in his lifetime.  He smiles and says he isn't.  There were multiple moderate earthquakes out there during my 5-yr tour. 

I do believe many libs are just moderates who have not yet been robbed, jacked, mugged, murdered, raped, beaten, home invaded, etc.

Ever notice how survivalism is part of the Mormon and Israeli religion/lifestyle?   I worked for a Mormon LtCol who lived out in the CA low desert.  I asked him if he kept a year of food along with his firearms, and he smiled sheepishly and said no,  his food/water stores would probably not last past eight-nine months.  I liked that guy.   

[RoadKill]

Excellent point about just ‘being prepared’ and a good tip on a power inverter. I never thought of having one of those.

There’s a negative conation over being called a “survivalist,” but good grief, tell that to someone who’s been through a serious hurricane or some other natural disaster!  EVERYONE should have a ‘bug out’ AND a ‘bug in’ bag or tub with a few simple essentials. It doesn’t make you a ‘crazy’ or a ‘survivalist’. It makes you ‘smart.’

As far as having a power source; most people simply don’t realize what will happen until they lose power, even for a few days, (yet alone be without potable water and basic food.)

Seven years ago our area lost power . . . because there’s different feed lines in the same neighborhood, houses that are close, lost it for differing periods of time. We lost ours for a ‘mere’ two days. Our neighbors behind us, on a different line, lost there’s for a total of 10 days, though it came briefly back on twice during that period. It was in November. . . I didn’t have a generator then. It was cold, but staying warm wasn’t an issue, not having water, ever for a ‘mere’ two days, most certainly WAS! People just don’t understand how much we take our modern conveniences, such as water from the tap, for granted.

The next spring I picked up the biggest generator Sam’s Club had and wired it up myself, with the help of a buddy. I just ran a 220 off the main breaker into a relay box, then outside to a covered 220 outlet. It’s as simple as can be. I plug in my portable gen, start it up, go downstairs and turn off the main, and hit the other 220.  It backfeeds the whole house. I’ve tested it with the power on and the lights don’t even blink. . .  And, my generator is easily big enough to run the entire house, including the well.    

Sound like you did it right..I just want to clarify for others
Feeding it back to the main breaker that usually is fed by the power grid is gonna piss off the guys trying to fix it on the other end. Install a 2nd 220 breaker in yer box to the Generator and turn the main OFF!

Also a great idea to do what you can to lower energy use around the house any way you can . LED lighting,energy star rated appliances, etc... just to make life easier on your generator and fuel supply for it. Solar and wind recharge those batteries that feed your inverters quite nicely too    

Food storage was my question. Are you guys storing a year's worth for a rainy day or a month supply for hurricane/flood/ice storm scenario ?  I think a week or two is longest we'd be with out for a local or regional disaster in which case a months supply would suffice. Nation wide disasters will require extreme long term self reliance and food storage would only make the transition ALOT easier.

PTO generator for the lil diesel tractor is my next big preparedness expense

 

[KW]

Jess, I didn’t know about Mormons ‘being prepared.’ Learn something new everyday!

Roadkill; Thanks for clarifying the power hook-up. If the main breaker isn’t turned off, it could hurt one of the linemen working on the problem.  As far as ‘how much’ supplies to have on hand, any answer will be about as subjective as it gets. . .  and opinions will vary greatly.

First, let me say clearly that I DON’T HAVE ANY SUPPLIES OR EXTRA AMMO AT MY HOUSE, so this is all just theoretical . . . and very opinionated.

I would set a goal for 2 -3 years, two meals a day, per person. That’s a LOT of ‘stuff’ so you have to have the room. . .  . An entire room set aside in your basement and dedicated ONLY to food storage is ideal. My parents had a root cellar when I was a kid . . . and they kept it stuffed with canned jars of ‘everything.’

An immediate goal, and easily obtainable for most people (if I were inclined for such things), would be a 3 month supply, with it broken down into as many tubs as it takes. I would have one of two tubs set aside, ready to be packed in the bug out vehicle. A case or two of MRE’s are good for this. Water is the most critical. Period! Boiling is the tried and true method, but it may not be practical. Filters are all the rage, but if you’ve ever had any experience with them, you know how easily they foul. So, I would have the filters & chemicals on hand, but also have some sealed, store purchased gallons of distilled water. Learn how to ‘clean’ your water with a little bleach. It could save your family. All it takes is a few drops, but have a ½ dozen gallons on hand at all times (Yeah, it doesn’t taste good, but it’s drinkable and that’s all your shooting for.)

For me and mine, it would tale something SERIOUS to be driven from our home, but a natural disaster could do it and it’s nice to have a tub of food & water ready to go. My eldest son lives in Fort Wayne. I could see taking my Yukon and going to meet him, but other than that, I’m staying put.   

As far as long term foodstuff, like grains and beans, if stored properly they can in theory last 20-25 years.  If you can afford it; MRE’s that’s the easiest way, but they are EXPENSIVE when you start buying bulk. I think a case of 12 meals cost about $65. You may find some cheaper. Can goods can last WAY BEYOND the listed “use by” dates on the cans. I’ve eaten Spam from WWII and it tasted just as crappy as the new stuff.  With the can goods, I would ‘mostly’ buy stuff you use regularly and rotate it out as well as you can.   

Ok. .  That’s my ½ cents worth. I know there are more qualified people here who may or may not add something. . .  This is all for fun anyway. I don’t really believe in any of it. Our government will take care of us, yes?

[Jess from VA]

I have a 5000W cast ironed sleeve, low oil shutoff, overhead valve generator I use to power the house.  Sits in a shed behind the house (ventilation) and I made an 8 gauge flexible cable with 220 4-prong twist plugs on each end.  I had a heavy-up 200 amp service installed years ago, and had them install an outdoor 220 box (just behind the indoor fuse panel) I use to back-power the box.  I can run everything, except no 220 (hottub, ac, dryer).  The pull rope on this beast is a bear with no compression release.

Step one is to knock off the main switch to the pole.  I understand you could injure a worker, but it was my understanding if the power came back up with my generator operating and hooked up, was I would fry my generator, and maybe damage my box???

We lose power every year in NoVA due to ice storms, more ice storms here than any place I've ever been.  Usually for 2-8 hours, but a couple times for a couple days.  Lucky so far this year.

What I always find amusing is.... whenever I need the generator, it is always night time, pitch black with no power, raining or freezing rain, cold and icy as hell, and I am out in all this wet playing with gas engines and enough voltage to wilt my willie.  NOT a "hold my beer" moment. 

[KW]

Jess, I think if the power came back on and you didn’t have the main shut off and were running your generator, the power surge would just pop off the main breaker (or the breaker on your generator) and not damager your generator. . . . . but I’m no electrician. I always make certain the main is OFF before engaging the breaker which will bring the gen power into the box. Then reverse it when I know the outside power is back on.

[Jess from VA]

Thanks KW... but I'll never know, cause the main is off while the generator is on. 

Couple times though, it was hours later when I looked out the windows and realized the power to the neighborhood was back in business.