Any "Preppers" Out There?

[woolybug25]

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.

So when you get caught by a gang of thugs and you pull your gun out, you think that will keep your family safe?

Again, almost all prepping/disaster survival experts disagree with the premise that guns/ammo should be at the top of your list. It certainly wouldn't hurt to have one, but it is a luxery item that should never be considered over things like food, water and medicine. The reality is that they give you far more in trade value and will actually keep you alive.

and before someone says, "I will be able to take what I want with guns", I want to remind you that eventually someone will beat you. That puts you and your family at risk. Staying alive means staying under the radar and giving yourself the best toolkit for personal survival. Those things are Food, Water, Shelter.

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

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.

Couldn't agree more. Don't get me wrong, I have the guns too, but I don't necessarily consider those part of my prepping. They are for my home and family defense all the time, but they are not specifically for a TEOTWAWKI situation.

In addition to the Bug Out Bags, I also practice layering of my supplies. I have a large Bug Out Bag (or Get Home Bag) for both me and my wife. I also have several plastic tote bins in various locations. I also have an everyday carry kit with some bare essentials. I also keep small kits scattered around in various places I frequent.

I want to be able to have access to something under many different circumstances or should unforeseen problems arise. For instance, I don't keep everything in my GHB in the event I have to ditch it and run or it gets taken from me. I also don't keep my supplies at home in one location in the event something were to happen that would prevent me from accessing that area.

My everyday carry kit consists of some basics - a small flashlight, cash and coin, a knife, some small first aid items, and then miscellaneous other items depending on where I am going.

 

[NDFANnSouthWest]

So when you get caught by a gang of thugs and you pull your gun out, you think that will keep your family safe?

Again, almost all prepping/disaster survival experts disagree with the premise that guns/ammo should be at the top of your list. It certainly wouldn't hurt to have one, but it is a luxery item that should never be considered over things like food, water and medicine. The reality is that they give you far more in trade value and will actually keep you alive.

and before someone says, "I will be able to take what I want with guns", I want to remind you that eventually someone will beat you. That puts you and your family at risk. Staying alive means staying under the radar and giving yourself the best toolkit for personal survival. Those things are Food, Water, Shelter.

And you think you are safer WITHOUT a firearm? Thugs prey on those who cannot protect themselves.

You say most experts....source?

 

[RDU Irish]

I see value in not being an easy target. A gun says, "move on to an easier target" more than it says "let's fight." You also have the ability to shoot game for meat, and life without meat is hardly worth living!

In both cases, not a lot of ammo needed and a rifle has as much utility as anything. Ammo is smaller/lighter than shotgun and more accurate for hunting. Plus the visibility of it is a better deterent than a concealed weapon that only is noticed when you show it at closer distances.

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

I didn't take Wooly's post to be necessarily anti-gun, I thought he was making the point that in a SHTF scenario, especially Tier 1 events, gangs would form. If confronted by a gang, it won't matter if you have an arsenal because you will still be outgunned. Your best bet would be to get out of Dodge.

I tend to agree with that. A gang or mob bent on destruction and looting and violence will be well armed. Unless you have your own group behind you, you are better off going unseen and avoiding the confrontation.

Too many people in the prepper community fixate on the idea of defending your homestead against the zombie biker hordes. A "grey man" approach will likely keep you alive much longer.

 

[NDFANnSouthWest]

I didn't take Wooly's post to be necessarily anti-gun, I thought he was making the point that in a SHTF scenario, especially Tier 1 events, gangs would form. If confronted by a gang, it won't matter if you have an arsenal because you will still be outgunned. Your best bet would be to get out of Dodge.

I tend to agree with that. A gang or mob bent on destruction and looting and violence will be well armed. Unless you have your own group behind you, you are better off going unseen and avoiding the confrontation.

Too many people in the prepper community fixate on the idea of defending your homestead against the zombie biker hordes. A "grey man" approach will likely keep you alive much longer.

Understand what you are saying and i will do everything in my power to get away...however having a gun is a nice option to have if push came to shove.

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

Understand what you are saying and i will do everything in my power to get away...however having a gun is a nice option to have if push came to shove.

I agree with you as well. I have more than a few guns and a pretty decent stockpile of ammo. The value of firearms cannot be understated. However, the ability to get away is of paramount importance. Even a "minor" gunshot wound can be life threatening in a TEOTWAWKI situation.

The first order of business is always to get as far away from population centers as possiblem, but if push does come to shove, a gun will be a big asset.

 

[NDFANnSouthWest]

I agree with you as well. I have more than a few guns and a pretty decent stockpile of ammo. The value of firearms cannot be understated. However, the ability to get away is of paramount importance. Even a "minor" gunshot wound can be life threatening in a TEOTWAWKI situation.

The first order of business is always to get as far away from population centers as possiblem, but if push does come to shove, a gun will be a big asset.

We have three locations

a. primary residence in the city
b. secondary residence in a suburb
c. third residence in the country away from dense population. have cattle wells etc.

My biggest concern is that when ppl get desperate they do desperate acts...and the bigger the emergency the more desperate. Two winters ago in northern New Mexico those folks lost heat (via Natural gas shortage). They were not prepared and it was chaos. That is the situation i am prepping for....if there is a nuke or something along those lines i think we are all screwed so I don't go that far as to have 2 years of food and water.

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

We have three locations

a. primary residence in the city
b. secondary residence in a suburb
c. third residence in the country away from dense population. have cattle wells etc.

My biggest concern is that when ppl get desperate they do desperate acts...and the bigger the emergency the more desperate. Two winters ago in northern New Mexico those folks lost heat (via Natural gas shortage). They were not prepared and it was chaos. That is the situation i am prepping for....if there is a nuke or something along those lines i think we are all screwed so I don't go that far as to have 2 years of food and water.

I tell my wife all the time that people don't need an excuse to go bat **** crazy. We saw it here with the power outage. I saw fistfights in traffic jams and that was a power outage that lasted a few hours. Stretch that out to something that lasts days or weeks.

We have our primary residence in a heavily populated area. We also have a secluded location up in the mountains. My biggest concerns are (A) when to make the decision to leave and get out of town and (B) getting from the city up to the mountains. I have caches in both places so if we decide to hunker down, we have supplies and if we leave, but lose stuff along the way or we have to walk, we will have supplies when we get there.

 

[NDFANnSouthWest]

I tell my wife all the time that people don't need an excuse to go bat **** crazy. We saw it here with the power outage. I saw fistfights in traffic jams and that was a power outage that lasted a few hours. Stretch that out to something that lasts days or weeks.

We have our primary residence in a heavily populated area. We also have a secluded location up in the mountains. My biggest concerns are (A) when to make the decision to leave and get out of town and (B) getting from the city up to the mountains. I have caches in both places so if we decide to hunker down, we have supplies and if we leave, but lose stuff along the way or we have to walk, we will have supplies when we get there.

That is the ultimate question.

My wife thinks I am nuts, sure hope that we never have to use the gun or get into our emergency mode. That brings me to OUR biggest challenge...and that is communication. If power is knocked out therefore cell phone towers lan lines are out....then what. Scenario i play in my head is that my wife is at work, I am at work and the kids are at school...what then? My brother and sister have purchased HAM radios.....that seems to be an option. Its a scenario i am still trying to work thru...

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

That is the ultimate question.

My wife thinks I am nuts, sure hope that we never have to use the gun or get into our emergency mode. That brings me to OUR biggest challenge...and that is communication. If power is knocked out therefore cell phone towers lan lines are out....then what. Scenario i play in my head is that my wife is at work, I am at work and the kids are at school...what then? My brother and sister have purchased HAM radios.....that seems to be an option. Its a scenario i am still trying to work thru...

One solution is to have an out of state contact. Cell towers and local phone lines go down quick, but long distance lines tend to last longer. You can relay messages to your wife and kids through your out of state contact. Designate times for them to call back and such and then relay the info of what you need them to do and what is happening.

I also keep a land line in our house just for this purpose. And not a cordless phone either. A classic rotary phone that can operate even when the power is out is essential in this era of cell phones and internet based phone service.

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

That is the ultimate question.

My wife thinks I am nuts, sure hope that we never have to use the gun or get into our emergency mode. That brings me to OUR biggest challenge...and that is communication. If power is knocked out therefore cell phone towers lan lines are out....then what. Scenario i play in my head is that my wife is at work, I am at work and the kids are at school...what then? My brother and sister have purchased HAM radios.....that seems to be an option. Its a scenario i am still trying to work thru...

Oh, and my wife thinks I am nuts too.

Do you have emergency kits for your kids too?

 

[NDFANnSouthWest]

Oh, and my wife thinks I am nuts too.

Do you have emergency kits for your kids too?

Excellent info on Comm...thank you.

I don't have any emergency kit per person...I have a huge tub that has food, medical supplies, Hand crank radio and flashlight.

Just noticed you are in Orange County. I use to live in Ventura County (thousand Oaks) ....and would go down to Newport all the time.

 

[woolybug25]

And you think you are safer WITHOUT a firearm? Thugs prey on those who cannot protect themselves.

You say most experts....source?

One source is the guy posting directly above you. Just google up the stuff and you will see that it is a recurring theme that guns are much farther down the list than things like water, food, shelter and first aid.

As I said, if it makes you feel good to have it, go for it. But the most important thing for survival in teir 1 situations is staying under the radar and staying alive. A gun doesn't help you do either more effectively than a water filter, MRE's and a tarp.

Didn't mean to offend y'all. I wasn't saying that personal protection doesn't have it's place in prepping. I, like many others, just think it falls pretty far down the list.


On the other topic. I have 3 safe zones that I have for my family. If something bad happened, we have a plan on which one they should go to. All are supplied and even if circumstances seperate us, we all have a place to go and the others should assume that it is where we are.

 

[NDFANnSouthWest]

One source is the guy posting directly above you. Just google up the stuff and you will see that it is a recurring theme that guns are much farther down the list than things like water, food, shelter and first aid.

As I said, if it makes you feel good to have it, go for it. But the most important thing for survival in teir 1 situations is staying under the radar and staying alive. A gun doesn't help you do either more effectively than a water filter, MRE's and a tarp.

Didn't mean to offend y'all. I wasn't saying that personal protection doesn't have it's place in prepping. I, like many others, just think it falls pretty far down the list.


On the other topic. I have 3 safe zones that I have for my family. If something bad happened, we have a plan on which one they should go to. All are supplied and even if circumstances seperate us, we all have a place to go and the others should assume that it is where we are.

Dude no worries you didn't offend, its ok to have a different perspective....just like the articles below it is a matter of opinion. For your experts that say its not essential for preppers there are some that say it is. Perspective is everything.

....you are still the NINJA.

Google
This article suggests run is part of prepping.
Armed To The Teeth: Essential Survival Contingency, by Michael S. - SurvivalBlog.com

Suburban Prepper

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

Excellent info on Comm...thank you.

I don't have any emergency kit per person...I have a huge tub that has food, medical supplies, Hand crank radio and flashlight.

Just noticed you are in Orange County. I use to live in Ventura County (thousand Oaks) ....and would go down to Newport all the time.

I was born and spent the first 13 years of my life in Westlake Village. Westlake/Thousand Oaks are my old stomping grounds. Small world.

I would definitely recommend at least a small kit of some sort for all members. The kids' kits could be as minimal as a water bottle carrier with a flashlight, some cash and coin, some band aids, and a rescue whistle. If you and your wife travel any distance for work, each of you would need a kit to help you get back home or get to the kids. I hate to use words like "should" in this regard. I don't have kids so it doesn't factor in to my preps, so I hesitate giving my opinion on the matter to people that do have kids.

I try to take my car out of the equation. Finding myself on foot is a very likely scenario. Being on foot dramatically increases your time on the road, so a kit to get you home can prove essential. Water, first aid, hand crank phone charger, flashlight, climate appropriate clothing, knife, cordage, etc. for however long it might take you to get home or get to your kids.

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

If you do have kids, be sure to include games, cards, coloring books, etc. in your emergency supplies. Keeping the kids occupied and at ease is an often overlooked aspect of prepping. Things like playing cards can also be good items to barter with other people that have kids.

 

[RDU Irish]

So as far as bang for the buck prepping, I am thinking I need to start by covering a good 3 - 5 days of in home survival. My generator keeps the fridge on and some basic amenities, I can siphon gas from one car for more generating capacity if shortages are happening. I can also use the bike and Burley to get in line at the gas station with a few cans if there is rationing, save gas getting around and stay off the roads if they are problematic.

So what time period do you think covers most of the Tier 2 type problems? Seems 3-5 days is just getting started and 7-10 days is a more realistic expectation for things to get back on line. I'm feeling better about my generator making a big difference in quality of life if/when a hurricane or ice storm smacks the area.

Most of my motivation is keeping status quo around the house as much as possible for short term Tier 2 situations. Waiting out infrastructure coming back on line.

 

[RDU Irish]

Novice note - don't forget about accessing your home. We have electric garage door openers and did no not carry house keys. When the power was out one day we were locked out of the house. Now we keep house keys in all cars. Really dumb but never crossed our minds until it happened.

It could also be an electrical surge tripping the home breakers that would have been worse, then the power does not come back on unless you flip the breakers and you would have to break in.

 

[ND NYC]

RDU:
to get a generator to provide electricty to your whole house, (so dont have to run extension cords etc everywhere) this is what you do:

turn main service breaker in house off
get a "120/240 30 amp cord" (most of the home depot etc have these)
plug the 4 prong end of the cord into your gen. (gen is NOT ON)
snip the other end of the cord and strip back to the wire
go to you AC condenser, there should be a junction box...unhook existing AC condenser's wires.
install wire from gen cord to where the AC condensers wires were.
turn main serive breaker on but make sure the double breaker that feeds the AC unit(s) is now off. (this is most important step)
no turn on gen and you will backfeed your entire house with power off your gen.

 

[IrishinTN]

My problem is my closest family who is also prepping (and would take us in) is 800 miles away. That is more than a tank of gas and I don't foresee being able to get gas and things getting dangerous out there. I can't imagine hiking through 300 miles carrying our crap with the wife and kids. I'll have to do what I can to prep my house, including home defense.

The other thing that sometimes overwhelms me is the medical needs. Can you get anitbiotics on-line now? I guess that is only a google away, but the government probably doesn't like you doing that.

 

[RDU Irish]

If you do have kids, be sure to include games, cards, coloring books, etc. in your emergency supplies. Keeping the kids occupied and at ease is an often overlooked aspect of prepping. Things like playing cards can also be good items to barter with other people that have kids.

Great points.

Logistics are one reason I am looking at relocating home and office to be more central to each other and school. Kids get put on lock down, they do not get released in these situations as far as I know. My wife works further away and GHB is a great concept I have not thought about before. Enough provisions for her to walk home!

 

[RDU Irish]

RDU:
to get a generator to provide electricty to your whole house, (so dont have to run extension cords etc everywhere) this is what you do:

turn main service breaker in house off
get a "120/240 30 amp cord" (most of the home depot etc have these)
plug the 4 prong end of the cord into your gen. (gen is NOT ON)
snip the other end of the cord and strip back to the wire
go to you AC condenser, there should be a junction box...unhook existing AC condenser's wires.
install wire from gen cord to where the AC condensers wires were.
turn main serive breaker on but make sure the double breaker that feeds the AC unit(s) is now off. (this is most important step)
no turn on gen and you will backfeed your entire house with power off your gen.

Now when I take these laminated instructions out of the box down the road I will just say, "Don't worry honey, the guy on the internet said this would work perfectly."

I am guessing getting some of that prewired for more plug and play is very much against code and hard to get an electrician to sign up for.

So even though the breaker I just tied the generator into is off, it is able to feed electricy back into the house? So are breakers kind of a flow valve for a one way street? not so much on/off as they are in/out? And is the feed limited to 30A then as well?

See, I need this info prepped! I won't be able to access Google to look it up and I will be busy looking over my shoulder for zombies!

 

[IrishinTN]

Yes, won't this set-up cause backlash that could zap your friendly neighborhood line repairman?

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

So as far as bang for the buck prepping, I am thinking I need to start by covering a good 3 - 5 days of in home survival. My generator keeps the fridge on and some basic amenities, I can siphon gas from one car for more generating capacity if shortages are happening. I can also use the bike and Burley to get in line at the gas station with a few cans if there is rationing, save gas getting around and stay off the roads if they are problematic.

So what time period do you think covers most of the Tier 2 type problems? Seems 3-5 days is just getting started and 7-10 days is a more realistic expectation for things to get back on line. I'm feeling better about my generator making a big difference in quality of life if/when a hurricane or ice storm smacks the area.

Most of my motivation is keeping status quo around the house as much as possible for short term Tier 2 situations. Waiting out infrastructure coming back on line.

3-5 days is usually the starting point for preparations. Beyond that time period, opinions vary. It also depends on your surroundings. For example, here in Southern California, if a major freeway gets wiped out in an earthquake, the infastructure could be affected for weeks. It all depends on what the potential is in your area.

After getting set for 3 to 5 days, I might recommend 7 to 10 days would be your next goal. That could vary based on where you live.

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

My problem is my closest family who is also prepping (and would take us in) is 800 miles away. That is more than a tank of gas and I don't foresee being able to get gas and things getting dangerous out there. I can't imagine hiking through 300 miles carrying our crap with the wife and kids. I'll have to do what I can to prep my house, including home defense.

The other thing that sometimes overwhelms me is the medical needs. Can you get anitbiotics on-line now? I guess that is only a google away, but the government probably doesn't like you doing that.

As far as medical needs and getting antibiotics, that is something I am researching now as well. You can always just ask your doctor and tell him why you want extra. He will either do it or he won't. Asking for more antibiotics isn't the same as asking for a bunch of painkillers or muscle relaxers. Tell him you are preparing for emergencies and ask if he can help you out.

I have read some about people using fish antibiotics. They are the same incredients as the human variety, it would just require different doses. You can get them at pet stores. However, I have some trepidation over doing that. I am sure it is probably just in my head, but it still seems weird.

 

[RDU Irish]

3-5 days is usually the starting point for preparations. Beyond that time period, opinions vary. It also depends on your surroundings. For example, here in Southern California, if a major freeway gets wiped out in an earthquake, the infastructure could be affected for weeks. It all depends on what the potential is in your area.

After getting set for 3 to 5 days, I might recommend 7 to 10 days would be your next goal. That could vary based on where you live.

Well obviously 7-10 comes after 3-5.... What I mean is what time frames cover a majority of calamities. Your earthquake example is great, you may be stuck with dramatically more significant infrastructure damage than a hurricane coming 100 miles inland to Raleigh. Scrapes and bruises versus broken bones would be an appropriate analogy to infrastructure damage with corresponding differences in healing times.

Majority of our damage is from tree fall, however what zinged my assistant was an underground line ripped out by an uprooted tree. Roads also get blocked by fallen trees as well.

On the other hand, Fort Bragg and a nuclear power plant are close by so this area would be a target for attack and has potential for fallout. Much different GTFO of dodge scenarios there, the more you can beat the rush the better I suspect.

In either respect, emergency response to our area (state capital and smaller population base) would be expected to be greater than that of a NOLA or NYC that have significant population density and geographic considerations working against them.

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

Well obviously 7-10 comes after 3-5.... What I mean is what time frames cover a majority of calamities. Your earthquake example is great, you may be stuck with dramatically more significant infrastructure damage than a hurricane coming 100 miles inland to Raleigh. Scrapes and bruises versus broken bones would be an appropriate analogy to infrastructure damage with corresponding differences in healing times.

Majority of our damage is from tree fall, however what zinged my assistant was an underground line ripped out by an uprooted tree. Roads also get blocked by fallen trees as well.

On the other hand, Fort Bragg and a nuclear power plant are close by so this area would be a target for attack and has potential for fallout. Much different GTFO of dodge scenarios there, the more you can beat the rush the better I suspect.

In either respect, emergency response to our area (state capital and smaller population base) would be expected to be greater than that of a NOLA or NYC that have significant population density and geographic considerations working against them.

I know the date range is kind of a given. I meant it is hard to assess a time period with so many unknown factors so I keep pushing the date range out more and more.

The downed trees and power lines are a great example as well. Yet another instance where you could be walking to get home.

 

[IrishinTN]

What do you think about bullet proof vests? Nice to have or complete waste of money?

 

[NDFANnSouthWest]

What do you think about bullet proof vests? Nice to have or complete waste of money?

IMO i think that is over kill. I would rather spend my money else where.