Any "Preppers" Out There?

[ACamp1900]

--On the point of booze to the right person... what other items would be "gold" in this case that aren't currently??? (Great thread).


--also, I'd love to run everything on solar if I could, heat the pool, house, everything...

--btw, is there a known way to turn pool water in to ordinary drinking water?

 

[IrishinTN]

If the economy completely collapses, precious metals have always been, and always will be a safe barter. Beyond that, items that will be hard to get will be "gold". Such as:
Lighters/matches
Toilet paper
hand sanitizer
water
Charcoal/gas for cooking
Chocolate
drink mixes (people will be tired of straight water)
Batteries

Those are a few I am hoarding.

 

[IrishinTN]

So for any of you who are serious about this, have you bought any freeze dried foods? Or any survival "buckets" with days or months supplies? I am looking to get some and wondered if anyone has tried any.

Also considering another weapon. Would you think a tactical shotgun or a handgun? I already have a 9mm, a couple .22's and a .16 ga. bolt action (mostly for hunting purposes).

 

[ACamp1900]

I have some storable foods and such... Not much of it though

 

[Ndaccountant]

So for any of you who are serious about this, have you bought any freeze dried foods? Or any survival "buckets" with days or months supplies? I am looking to get some and wondered if anyone has tried any.

Also considering another weapon. Would you think a tactical shotgun or a handgun? I already have a 9mm, a couple .22's and a .16 ga. bolt action (mostly for hunting purposes).

After watching Revolution, I am getting myslef a cross bow and a horse.

Really tho, I don't have anything but I should. I figured I would just steal from the old lady living down the street.

 

[IrishinTN]

After watching Revolution, I am getting myslef a cross bow and a horse.

Really tho, I don't have anything but I should. I figured I would just steal from the old lady living down the street.

Not sure how long you'll last on prune juice and depenz.grin:

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

--On the point of booze to the right person... what other items would be "gold" in this case that aren't currently??? (Great thread).


--also, I'd love to run everything on solar if I could, heat the pool, house, everything...

--btw, is there a known way to turn pool water in to ordinary drinking water?

I missed this one when you first posted it, sorry ACamp.

Other items that would be gold: Bullets, medication (even things like over the counter anti-diarrheal will bring a premium), batteries, feminine products, toilet paper, sewing kits (I grab these at every hotel I stay at and keep a stash for barter, soap, laundry detergent, gun cleaning kits, matches, first aid items...I could go on and on. You can think of just about anything that you use everyday but people would be unlikely to stock up on.

I would also love to go completely solar. The house we just bought actually has a decent solar array. It only provides about 30% of our energy for our house, but it is a huge savings. Not sure I could afford to put in an array to add to it, but it is nice to have with the home purchase.

For the pool water question, to my knowledge, you can't make pool water potable. You can, however, use the pool water for washing clothes and your person. I may have missed something, but everything I have read says to use pool/jacuzzi water for non-consumption uses.

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

So for any of you who are serious about this, have you bought any freeze dried foods? Or any survival "buckets" with days or months supplies? I am looking to get some and wondered if anyone has tried any.

Also considering another weapon. Would you think a tactical shotgun or a handgun? I already have a 9mm, a couple .22's and a .16 ga. bolt action (mostly for hunting purposes).

The weapon choice is such a personal preference question. There isn't a blanket answer. Lots of people say AR's, while others prefer AK's. My recommendation is buy what you will actually shoot and practice with. If you don't shoot it regularly, you will only have a very expensive club.

 

[timm3117]

So for any of you who are serious about this, have you bought any freeze dried foods? Or any survival "buckets" with days or months supplies? I am looking to get some and wondered if anyone has tried any.

Also considering another weapon. Would you think a tactical shotgun or a handgun? I already have a 9mm, a couple .22's and a .16 ga. bolt action (mostly for hunting purposes).

I ate enough MRE's in the military to last me a life time. I stock up on Rice, and Pinto Beans, which you can buy in bulk in large sealed containers with about a 10 year shelf life. Beans and rice goes good with Venision, squirrel, rabbit, fish, and alligator, all which I can find within a mile of my house.

 

[RDU Irish]

I'm feeling kind of dumb for opting for the $200 1500 watt generator with one 20 amp circuit when a 3500 watt, 4 x 20 amp circuit one was only $50 more. Sure it is a difference of 60 pounds versus 100 pounds but the bigger one has wheels dammit! I plan on using it for camping in between Zombie Apocolypses, hurricanes and blizzards (god forbid all three hit at once). Seems I can run half the house on the bigger one versus keeping the fridge running and not much else.

Thank you Northern Tool and Equipment for making these things too damn cheap to pass up! Also thanks to NY/NJ for showing how freaking pathetic people without power can be.

 

[JadeBrecks]

I'm feeling kind of dumb for opting for the $200 1500 watt generator with one 20 amp circuit when a 3500 watt, 4 x 20 amp circuit one was only $50 more. Sure it is a difference of 60 pounds versus 100 pounds but the bigger one has wheels dammit! I plan on using it for camping in between Zombie Apocolypses, hurricanes and blizzards (god forbid all three hit at once). Seems I can run half the house on the bigger one versus keeping the fridge running and not much else.

Thank you Northern Tool and Equipment for making these things too damn cheap to pass up! Also thanks to NY/NJ for showing how freaking pathetic people without power can be.

Im kicking myself for only buying a 7000W generator instead of a 8000W generator. I was in a massive bind and I couldn't wait for the 8000W. I knew I should have bought it when I first started looking.

 

[IrishinTN]

I'll be getting the 1500w solar soon. Gas wont be available if you have no power.

 

[JadeBrecks]

I'll be getting the 1500w solar soon. Gas wont be available if you have no power.

It will if you have a couple hundred gallon gas container around. It will get you by long enough to out last the unprepared.

 

[woolybug25]

It will if you have a couple hundred gallon gas container around. It will get you by long enough to out last the unprepared.

Even a bad hurricane, flood or winter storm poses the threat of over a week of no power. That alone is enough to run a couple hundred gallons of fuel (especially when you consider the driving you may incur to situate family emergencies or to help people in need). It's important to think of multiple solutions.

Myself, I will never own a home without a woodburning stove and without auxiliary power of some sort (solar isn't the best for everyone, but more likely than not, one of the best options). Fuel is something that will not make it through a variety of possible situations outside of major catastrophes.

I feel this way about both fuel and guns. We can yell up and down that we "can get what we want with guns" or that "if I have enough fuel it get me by", but the heart of prepping revolves around putting yourself in the position that the worst case scenario would leave you standing. You will run out of ammo and fuel eventually.... but when that happens it wont give you clean water. It wont feed your children. It wont stave off illness. It wont leave you self dependent.

If you are preparing for worst case scenario, give yourself the tools to survive for the longest period of time.

 

[NDFANnSouthWest]

What does you guys think of this generator?

Black Max 7,000 Watt Portable Gas Generator with Electric Start Powered by Honda - Sam's Club

 

[JadeBrecks]

What does you guys think of this generator?

Black Max 7,000 Watt Portable Gas Generator with Electric Start Powered by Honda - Sam's Club

I know a lot of people who swear by Honda generators. I personally have not had one but i haven't heard anything negative. As far as size that is based on what you want to power with it and what you have.

 

[Irish Houstonian]

Don't forget gasoline spoils. You can't just keep it in cans for years-on-end, even with preservatives.

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

Don't forget gasoline spoils. You can't just keep it in cans for years-on-end, even with preservatives.

Good point. It is important to rotate just about everything. I change out my water stores, rotate through batteries, change out my gasoline, rotate food, and rotate ammunition as well. Preps don't do as much good unless you are using them. Putting something in a bin and having it sit on a shelf for 15 years until you need it isn't a good plan.

Use what you have and have what you use. It not only gives you practice, but it also helps you keep track of how much you should be storing.

It has been hard to get my wife in the mindset of using the preps whenever possible. I try to get her to use the stuff in her Get Home Bag, but she has been reluctant. The other day, she went around most of the day with a bad cut on her hand. I asked her why she didn't use the first aid kit in her GHB and she said she thought she should save it for emergencies. I want her to use what is in her GHB so (A) she knows what is actually in there and (B) how to use the stuff when the time comes.

Get a rotation system and keep things revolving and fresh.

 

[JadeBrecks]

Get a rotation system and keep things revolving and fresh.

I labeled all my stored food. Now I am Buying the same food to eat and putting the new stuff in back and using the older stuff.

 

[NDFANnSouthWest]

so i have ordered samples from the below location...see if its any good.

Wise Food Storage - Emergency, Long Term, and Camping Meals

 

[JadeBrecks]

so i have ordered samples from the below location...see if its any good.

Wise Food Storage - Emergency, Long Term, and Camping Meals

Let us know. A website I also know of is Food Storage, Survival Food, Emergency Food by Food Insurance

 

[IrishinTN]

I labeled all my stored food. Now I am Buying the same food to eat and putting the new stuff in back and using the older stuff.

A definite must. And be aware of your dates and how long they are actually good past the expiration date. for example canned goods are good for at least 2 years after the date. We just ate some that was 14 months past expiration and it is fine. Water has no expiration. Be sure to have bleach on hand in case it gets some type of build up.

 

[JughedJones]

I'm prepping.

I'm prepping for ND to win 3 ships in 6 years... AMIRITE?

 

[ND NYC]

any of you preppers read D.J. Molles' "The Remaining" books?
thats some serious prepping right there!
cant wait for next installement

 

[RDU Irish]

Part of my appeal of the smaller generator was that it used 1.25 gallons to run 8+ hours. The larger one did not have specs on how big the tank was but it lasts 10-12 hours per tank, I think it has a 2.5 gallon tank. So with a five gallon can I could run for a day on the bigger one or close to two days on the smaller one. Storing mass quantities of gas is impractical for me so the smaller one has advantages from the perspective of lasting longer in a case of fuel shortages and a situation lasting longer than a couple days.

I traded in for the larger one after considering the most likely situation of a few days to a week without power due to hurricane or ice storm (they really cannot handle snow and ice in this neck of the woods). I can now easily run the furnace, water heater, fridge, deep freeze and TV (thanks DirecTv). I could do the microwave too. If we don't have nat gas in addition to power, I have power for a couple of space heaters. I am more concerned with being able to plug in my A/C units since hurricanes are legit risk here and the thought of being stuck in 95 degree weather without it sucks. Maybe there is some type of adapter out there to pull circuits from a breaker and convert to an plug that I can plug straight into a generator? In that sense, I could put four circuits straight into the generator and not have to run extension cords all over creation.

So for about $200 I have a mild emergency covered to keep most of our creature comforts plus a nice toy for camping and helping out with various fundraisers that set up off grid. When I consider what I pay for various insurances, this was a no brainer.

 

[RDU Irish]

I also looked at solar systems and damn if they don't get expensive fast. They border on useless (from a prepping standpoint) if you don't have battery backups and that blows the price out of the water (although I am convinced the sellers of these things have them marked up 2x what they could profitably sell them for). Apparently if you don't have batteries, the power only flows if the grid is up.

When a hurricane came through Raleigh 10-12 years ago, my assistant was without power for 11 days. She stayed with friends that had power and it was more a clean up issue than massive shortages and civil unrest. Problem now, population is 2x what it was then. That much more demand on resources in the event of disaster.

So I am primarily prepping for short term disruptions, Tier II events. We are screwed in Tier I situations. #1 useful item there is firearms/ammo and knowing how to use them. #2 is having stuff to take care of yourself because if you don't have #1 it will be taken from you.

 

[woolybug25]

I also looked at solar systems and damn if they don't get expensive fast. They border on useless (from a prepping standpoint) if you don't have battery backups and that blows the price out of the water (although I am convinced the sellers of these things have them marked up 2x what they could profitably sell them for). Apparently if you don't have batteries, the power only flows if the grid is up.

When a hurricane came through Raleigh 10-12 years ago, my assistant was without power for 11 days. She stayed with friends that had power and it was more a clean up issue than massive shortages and civil unrest. Problem now, population is 2x what it was then. That much more demand on resources in the event of disaster.

So I am primarily prepping for short term disruptions, Tier II events. We are screwed in Tier I situations. #1 useful item there is firearms/ammo and knowing how to use them. #2 is having stuff to take care of yourself because if you don't have #1 it will be taken from you.

A lot of the prepping experts disagree with you on this. Most believe that Teir 1 events force people to be on the move for long periods of time. Gangs would form and they would have more firearms then you anyway. Furthermore, the weight of ammo would be a detriment. You would be better off using that space/weight for food, medicine and water.

That's why pretty much every Prepping expert in the world advocates "Bug-Out Bags", and almost all of them put guns and ammo pretty far down the list in importance.

 

[NDFANnSouthWest]

A lot of the prepping experts disagree with you on this. Most believe that Teir 1 events force people to be on the move for long periods of time. Gangs would form and they would have more firearms then you anyway. Furthermore, the weight of ammo would be a detriment. You would be better off using that space/weight for food, medicine and water.

That's why pretty much every Prepping expert in the world advocates "Bug-Out Bags", and almost all of them put guns and ammo pretty far down the list in importance.

IMO Having a gun is essential, even if you don't have alot of ammo. Not having a gun puts you and your family high on the target list.

 

[NDFANnSouthWest]

Gents...I purchased some items from the web site below, specifically the NDUR Survival Straw, inexpensive, portable and light weight. If you get a chance check out this site....there are some great buys in general.


LA Police Gear 5.11 Tactical, Galco, Maxpedition, Converse, Bates, Danner, Surefire and Blackhawk

 

[RDU Irish]

Good insight. I just lost points in my continued badgering of my wife for a gun.

So for your bug-out bag, fishing pole > gun?

I'm screwed regardless there, I have three young kids so bugging out is next to impossible when compounded with our need to bug-out 1000 miles to find relatives. We are too soft and inexperienced to have any chance of living out of a tent for any extended period of time, no matter how much Survivorman I watch.

Medicine is a great point too, antibiotics are more valuable than about anything in a time of need. Very easy to see a supply chain disruption wiping out pharmacy inventories quickly, especially if there is a corresponding spike in demand.