Not a prepper, but… I was thinking about preparedness.

[*zap*]

I'm on 28 goods acres. Milking cow, pigs, vege garden, wood stove for cooking, heating and house hot water, water gravity feeds the house, we can veges and meat. Got enough ammo for a while, kangaroos are a free source of meat if need be.

Lately I've been thinking about an alternative fuel source for canning should propane become cost prohibitive or non existent. Besides wood I'm leaning towards charcoal. Looking into making my own.

I recently discovered a little charcoal cooker called a 'Cobb'. Looks like a very versatile piece of cooking equipment. super efficient on fuel. Damn thing will cook a chicken or small roast with 9 charcoal briquettes/handful of lump charcoal.

I can't help but think that all the self sufficiency in the world is all for naught if you are forced/displaced from your land. Ask a South African farmer, Ukrainian, etc. Then you need to be a nomad and know how to survive.

I agree but I think self sufficiency is not the phrase for that sentence...preparations would be a better word.

Self sufficiency is where it is at.

 

[Gone4Days]

I now realize the question mark was unnecessary.

Time will tell.

 

[displacedtexan]

My wife calls be ignorant all the time. I apologize for any hyperbole. It would probably have been best to articulate that my experience is based on living in or near the costal USA and the suggested preparations of 99% of the folks on the internet/high priced training courses focus on preparation for an event that very well could happen but in the meantime folks will likely face a disaster of much smaller scale of which most folks are completely unprepared for. I absolutely keep preparations well past what I suggested but most people start with stockpiling and gear and completely overlook the basics.

I'm jumping in this in the middle...

But I know more than a few people who's entire preparation plan is "ammo and body armor"

I was in a group conversation with a few friends a while back and one realized I wouldn't do well in close quarters combat. A good friend said "he'll disappear before that starts and outlast us all"

They have a pallet of bullets, two Mountain Houses and a case of Monsters.

 

[Super tag]

I think it’s wise for everyone to prepare to some extent, food, water, medicine, ammo and some cash, and other items that are good to have on hand for any emergency. Brings some peace of mind, and we really don’t know but I’ll bet there will come a time when these items are useful. No conspiracy theory, just common sense, its pretty clear that times are unsettled.

 

[*zap*]

Read Patriots.

 

[Stache Attack]

Right there with ya man. I a member over at https://www.americancontingency.com/ which is ran by Mike Glover. hes ex military and a stand up dude. Youll find like minded folks who will help you on your journey.
So you can get to know him more here is his youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/@MikeGloverActual

He also runs another site called https://fieldcraftsurvival.locals.com/ Youll find what your after there and more. to be a member you even have to pass a background check as they dont want the crazy people there either. Best of luck reach out if I can help with anything.

I was about to post this. Also just pumped out the book prepared. I need to grab that. We are pretty rural so not crazy concerned and getting into canning. We can/do grow a lot and have quite a bit of meat and wildlife to be had

 

[FairWeatherFisher]

Depends on what you’re preparing for, I’d think, as that will alter your needs.

Being on the west coast, my preparedness is focused on the cascadia earthquake that is a couple hundred years late. For me, that means enough freeze dried food and water to make it through about a month or so, and a basic go-bag on standby should the house not hold up.

Should my supplies not go as far as I’d hoped, I’m just over a mile from 2 rivers, so I can always pump filter more water, and trout aren’t too hard to catch there either.

I keep a few hundred rounds of 9mm in store, but that’s more so I have it when I go to the range. I’m not really worried about people.

 

[Pharmseller]

I’m not a prepper but I know where they live.

If you know what I mean.





P

 

[Fartrell Cluggins]

In a total breakdown, guns and ammo are currency and a means of procuring necessities. The way I figure is my neighbors are prepping for me.

 

[sconnieVLP]

They have a pallet of bullets, two Mountain Houses and a case of Monsters.

Don’t tempt me with a good time.

 

[timekiller13]

Prepping vs prepared

Two different things.

Prepping is useless if you live in a populated area. Either a major event is going to take you out quickly or the mass panic will take you out rapidly. Roving bands of hungry, angry people will overtake you and your supplies. Don’t care how much ammo you’ve got.

If you live in a heavily populated area the best thing you can do is have an exit strategy.

Now, if we are talking just being prepared for more likely scenarios (natural disaster or temporary loss of power) then that’s easy to prepare for. Canned food, dried goods (rice, noodles etc) water or water purification abilities, a small stockpile of OTC meds. Ability to keep warm if it’s wintertime.

I would venture to say 95% of people have everything they need in their home at this moment to survive for at least a few weeks. But, the panic is what will get them and making stupid decisions.

Take the pandemic for instance. Why in the hell did people stock up on TOILET PAPER?? It has zero purpose for preparedness. It just shows that irrational thought is biggest issue in situations like this.

 

[Gone4Days]

@MattB - Just curious what exactly you think is crazy…. the dollar collapse, CBDC’s in general, or that the Govt will use it to exert control?

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

Most others have stated you're in the wrong place. Sounds like not much you can do about it.

But that's why it's a cost premium to live in the West. It's an "investment" of sorts.

And there is nothing to be ashamed of about preparing.

My wife is a long term Emergency Department medical professional (Not a Nurse). We have a nice stockpile of meds on hand. Plenty of emergency IV, suture kits, etc. She's 8-9 times smarter than I am.

We've purchased a Harvest Right freeze drier last year for long term store foods (jury is still out on this. Very frustrated with the Company and support. We have a lemon and I am not thrilled). Meats are the most difficult thing to FD it seems. The canned option sounds amazing, but it always creeps me out. Of course if the shit hits the fan, I'd probably tug a dick to get a jar of 8 year old venison.

We have a hand pump option for our well. Raise chickens. Own acreage that buts Timber Company. We keep plenty of green money on hand in house. New and very efficient wood stove and literally years of fuel outside the window. Oil lamps and fuel on hand. Propane 18kw generator wired to secondary panel in the home. Covers the 'fridge and well pump and a few lights.

And I've done Law Enforcement for 27 years and have been a gun nerd a long time. A Dillion 550, plenty of brass, powder and primers on hand.

Just built a few back up ARs to bury and scatter. Several Glocks in 9mm scattered as well.

Longer term fuel storage and gravity water filter a few other things we need to improve. Second plated dirt bike also on the short list.

The hand milling flour thing will happen soon.

 

[Red Letters]

Speaking of does anybody have a recommendation for a good hand mill? Something that’ll work with mesquite beans if it makes a difference.

Guys on youtube making their own, they us a handheld grinder, a 5 gallon buckets and various parts everyone has in their garage. I’m not sure it would be worth the effort or why I even watched the video.

 

[MattB]

@MattB - Just curious what exactly you think is crazy…. the dollar collapse, CBDC’s in general, or that the Govt will use it to exert control?

The collapse of the US dollar and the notion that the U.S. government could use a CBDC to exert financial control over the populace. A US CBDC would not replace cash, banks, or other 3rd part payment providers, so it seems like a massive, uninformed stretch to think that it would give the U.S. government the degree of control you appear to believe it would.

 

[*zap*]

why can't the feds replace us denomination cash with another form of currency?

 

[Rich M]

I look at it as having what you need when you need it.

The $ for if you were out of work is a great concept to build from. Then go slow and easy. A water filtering system, extra matches and candles, dual use coleman stove, and after a year or two you’ve got everything you need.

We live in Hurricane Central so power outages and empty store shelves are a seasonal occurance. You learn to have that stuff on hand just in case.

I have no disillusion that wife and i will survive an apocolyptic scenario. Plan on sticking tight and fighting it out from home. Generator or odor from gas grill will easily give us away. You gotta sleep sometime and if you arent in some kind of a compound with multiple folks and renewable resources, it will be a losing battle.

For water, some areas of the country will give it up to a 3-5 ft hole. Other areas not so much.

Oh, books! Look at the boyscout type books. Lotsa goodies in there.

 

[dutch_henry]

If you're just starting out, you do a lot worse than simply assembling 2-3 months worth of disaster supplies. Think in terms of long shelf life foods, water purification, basic meds and sanitation needs, batteries, lights, cooking fuel, home cooling/heating, cash, etc. As others have said, this type of planning takes the sting out regularly-occurring disruptions and disasters. It's also a good way to get a feel for longer-term disaster planning.

RE: books, you'll be better off piecing together a modest library of specific topics, rather than going after one "do it all" volume. Find or print out good, in-depth books on gardening and livestock (your ag extension is probably a great resource), canning, emergency medicine, communications, and repair manuals for your machines, transportation, and tools. Don't neglect paper maps.

From there, decide what comes next for you, in accordance with your interests and analysis. Maybe it's something small like always keeping your gas tank topped up. Maybe you get interested and go deeper.

 

[Bearwhisky]

I think you will find that most people in the preparedness community are more reasonable than you think. Its the MSM that has cooked the “wacko” stereotype into everyones brain through shows and other propaganda. Point is, the “dark holes” you speak of are less prominent than you think and solid, useful info is more prominent.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rich M]

why can't the feds replace us denomination cash with another form of currency?

They could, i just dont see it as the end all thing some do.

Wife and her sisters come up w all kinds of scare stuff - still waiting for 1 of their predictions to gain traction and come to life.

This one gets beat to death. So they want precious metals. Ok, how do you use precious metals when everything is electronic? You trade people. Why would i trade you for a gold coin that is deemed worthless by the system thru which we buy food?

The end of the world scenarios are endless and we get to choose which ones we subscribe to.