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Guest Post: The Poor Man’s Guide To Survival Gear
From Brandon Smith of Alt-Market
The Poor Man’s Guide To Survival Gear
Special Note: Obviously, an entire book could be written on this subject, which is a task beyond the scope of this article. The purpose of the following piece is to give those with financial difficulty a foothold on prepping without added pain. It is meant to be a starting point, not a compendium.
A friend of mine took note recently that a large portion of activists involved in the Liberty Movement had hit extremely hard times, or had been struggling financially even before the general economic collapse began to take hold. He asked me my theory on why it was that so many of us are always so broke. I could only relate that it is almost always the working class poor in any society that first sees the effects of a corrupt government and a faulty economic system. Those who legitimately hold to the principles of self sustainment, and fair play, are usually the first to be stabbed in the back by the establishment, and so, they are the first to become politically active against it. That is to say, sometimes we have to lose almost everything before we are able to see the bigger picture.
While I consider this fact a source of solace in these extraordinarily hard times, it still does little to put food on the table, or survival gear in the bug-out-bag.
The overall consensus within the prepper community is that survival planning is expensive, and yes, it certainly can be. Another consensus is that you “get what you pay for”; also true...to a point. My belief is that while no prepping model is free of expense or of quality concerns, perhaps there is a middle road that activists with thin wallets can take which will provide solid gear for less money, and that will serve most of the functions of high-end gear that is ten times as expensive. Let’s examine a foundation list of those items that can help get you started now….
Backpack (Bug Out Bag)
You can literally spend hundreds of dollars on many top-of-the-line framed backpacks, and some may even be worth it, but it is not necessary to spend that kind of cash to purchase a decent bug-out-bag. In fact, surplus ALICE packs with frames can be had online for as little as $30-$60, sometimes even less if they are a bit worn. The ALICE system provides adequate back support for your needs, for a low price, and the quality of the design is military proven.
Camouflage Clothing
Camouflage clothing and gear runs a wide spectrum in price, and it’s hard sometimes to find the colors you want at a discount. One trick is to buy any camo you find on the cheap, and then lightly dye it to match the colors you want. For instance, one could gauge the dye levels with small samples, find the right strength, and then dye light camo like Digital ACU a darker green. Eventually, you may be able to make your own camo with any clothing you come across. It sounds like a pain, but it’s actually quite easy, and could save you considerable amounts of money.
Extreme Weather Protection
Gortex is outrageously expensive, unless you get lucky and find it used or discounted. While it is difficult to beat the quality (or the warrantee) on most Gortex cold weather gear, there are cheaper alternatives that get the job done almost as well. A great extreme cold weather coat is the N-2B Flight Jacket designed to mil spec and resistant to most wet weather conditions. The jacket was meant specifically to deflect freezing temperatures and it can be had for around $120 or less.
Purchasing several packages of polypropylene thermal underwear could also save your life in extreme weather situations. They are lightweight, can be easily layered, can be packed into a tiny corner of your B.O.B., and will retain much of your body heat. Even if you don’t have a lot of winter gear with you, absolutely do not forget to bring the poly-wear! $30-$50 for a shirt and pants together is well worth it.
Finally, buy wool socks. Buy plenty. Look for deals, but do not cut them out of your budget. Any weather below 20 Degrees Fahrenheit and you’ll want to double up. Cold feet, on a march, on patrol, on guard duty, sucks. They can be damaged permanently if you are not careful.
Combat Boots
Top quality combat boots traditionally run anywhere from $100 to $300 depending on the brand. One rule that you cannot break regardless of the circumstances; always treat your feet right. They hold up your entire body. Surplus boots are a good place to start when looking to cut costs, but usually you won’t be saving much. To be honest, there are plenty of knockoff combat boots found in sporting goods stores, usually in the hiking section, that are just as durable as the expensive models but for much less. You can go far in a pair of $60 boots. Be sure, though, to thoroughly check for poor sewing on the seams, crap laces, and light construction. If they feel heavy, they are probably made well enough.
Camp Heater
Unless you have your own oil well, or a line on a hidden vein of coal (some preppers I have met actually do), then your best bet for efficient heat during the winter weather in a tent, a makeshift shelter, or a house, is a wood burning stove. Timber fuel sources are everywhere. A couple cords of wood are enough to heat most homes and shelters through the colder months.
Gasoline and propane storage is possible, but the likelihood of shortage is high, and arranging a practical supply lasting a year or more is incredibly expensive. Solar power systems and battery banks are recommended, but again, this is another option that requires moderate to substantial investment when it comes to heating a house. A very affordable alternative for your heating needs would be the M-1941 Military Tent Stove. The cylindrical stove is portable, burns quite hot, and can be had usually for $100 or less.
Survival Knife
Some knives deserve the amount of attention and the high price tag they have garnered, but many are just….well….regular knives with a fancy name engraved in the blade. You are buying a knife for its functionality, not its sex appeal. Gerber, SOG, and Kershaw make plenty of knives which work just as well for $80 or less than any $400 cord wrapped Strider knife. Again, pay for the tool, not the name or the artificial commercial mystic.
Communications
Good HAM radios, base stations to handheld models, can be had for around $200-$300, but even this amount is sometimes too high for a limited prepper budget. Unless you plan to coordinate operations over longer distances using repeaters, or set up a HAM alert system with multiple members of your community, regular two-way radios costing around $40 to $60 like those produced by Midland should suffice for communications. Consumer models often advertize an effective range of 20 to 30 miles, but this is in totally flat terrain. If you can get five miles out of them in rough terrain, you are doing well. This range is adequate to handle most tasks required during a survival situation.
Electricity
Gas powered generators are unnecessary long term survival situations, primarily because the amount of fuel they use is impractical and the noise many of them produce could make having electricity a daily temptation of fate. Solar is really the best way to go. Unfortunately, many people assume solar power solutions to be too technical and overwhelming. In fact, setting up a solar power system is so straight forward it makes all the prepper uneasiness a bit laughable.
A simple and comparably affordable set-up would include one 180 Watt solar panel (which can quickly charge your battery bank during the day), one deep cycle battery, a charge controller, and an inverter. This kit can be had for $600 to $1000, is compact enough to fit a medium Rubbermaid storage bin, and will power almost every appliance and charge every electronic device that would make life easier during a collapse. Remember also that every Watt of power you produce by the sun reduces your on-grid electric bill, saving you even more money.
At the very least, a portable solar powered battery charger is a must have item. Doing without gear like radios and flashlights is simply not an option. Going caveman is the most ill conceived method for living through the worst of all possible situations.
Survival Tin
Pre-made mini survival kits are a rip off. Most of the items they contain (matches, fishing line, compass, small knife, firestarter, wire saw, water purification tablets, etc.) can be easily purchased separately for half the cost. Making your own mini-kit is also a good exercise in efficiency. Being able to prioritize gear and understand what is truly useful versus what is a waste of space is as important a skill as being able to shoot or navigate a map. It does not take a lot of money to build a solid base kit for emergencies….unless you buy one that somebody made for you.
Emergency Medical Kit
Again, all items within most pre-made medical kits can be bought individually for much less. Celox blood stopper, silk sutures, surgical tools, transfusion bags, and other goods should be added in with the staples, raising the cost slightly, but rounding out your kit and allowing for more critical injuries to be cared for. Bulk over the counter medications, especially for stomach ailments, would be highly valuable post collapse, and can be bought wholesale. Medicinal teas, at least the organic brands, work very well! These can be bought for reasonable prices and will boost your immune system, preventing illness before it ever occurs.
Food Production
If you have enough land to keep them, a half dozen chickens, a half dozen breeding rabbits, and a goat, will produce milk, meat, and eggs daily, providing valuable sustenance, reducing the amount of stored foods you need to use in a day, and reducing the amount of time you have to spend hunting for food in a dangerous collapse environment. Chickens and goats practically feed themselves with whatever is available on your land. Rabbit feed is easy to store, and can also be made at home. These animals are indeed worth their weight in gold.
Seeds are, of course, a currency in and of themselves. Non-GMO seed and strong gardening knowledge will save you and your family. Gardening is not as easy as it seems, however. Extensive practice, trial and error, and an understanding of regional climates will improve your crop yields dramatically.
If you are looking to survive on the cheap and avoid paying thousands of dollars for years worth of freeze dried goods, sustainable food production is the only way to go. Foraging and scavenging is NOT a reliable alternative.
Security Systems
Trip wires and tin cans are certainly cheaper than thermal security cameras, and a few well trained guard dogs can put your mind at ease, but sometimes more silent or less obvious methods are in order. I would recommend the MURS radio and infrared alert system for perimeter defense. As far as force multipliers go, MURS is relatively inexpensive. MURS motion detectors are wireless, weather proof, have a beam range of around 100 ft, and can be placed up to 4 miles away from your radio base station. Intruders crossing the infrared beam will set off an alert on your base station and all MURS handheld radios. Some MURS systems even have underground probes designed to detect the movement of vehicles. Up to four motion censors can be linked to one base station and each can be designated for a sector, telling you exactly where on your property the intrusion is occurring. A full MURS system with multiple motion detectors can be had for $300 or less. Other comparable outdoor security systems often cost $500 or more.
Night Vision
The price range of night vision devices is truly staggering. Some can run as little as a few hundred dollars, others climb into the thousands. For the prepper with low cash flow who feels the need for night time security, a couple models offer good quality at a lower price.
For typical surveillance and overwatch, the Bushnell 2.5 by 42 night vision monocular creates a strong image with quality construction for around $200.
For combat, the Yukon Nvmt Night Vision Scope offers many of the advantages of high end systems for only $350 or less.
Night vision may seem like an unnecessary expense, even at these prices, but any edge one can get in survival is a good thing. Being at a disadvantage monetarily does not mean you have to be at a disadvantage tactically.
Self Defense
Yes. Guns. Big-scary-guns. Guns and survival go hand in hand, especially during an economic or social collapse. To bring up guns in a prepping article almost always draws criticism of militancy and extremism from suburban basted over-privileged adolescent hippies who have read “Into The Wild” way too many times and think survival is about “communing with nature”. Sorry kids, but as much as I love nature, as soon as you turn your back on it, you end up a pre-digested meal spread like almond butter across 30 acres of grizzly valley. On the other side of the coin, firearms analysis always draws endless opinions and puffy chested “expertise” from armchair generals and “invincible special-ops superheroes”.
Frankly, after years of survival writing, you stop caring what other people think. That said, for those of us with limited resources (of which I would include myself), firearms purchases are much less about technical proficiency and more about affordability.
I won’t be delving into sidearms here. Instead we’ll focus on what you cannot conceivably live without. Purchasing a primary battle rifle should always be the prepper’s first concern as far as firearms go, whether he is rich or poor. Semi-automatic, accurate, reliable, hard to damage, fires a common military caliber (.223, 7.62 by 39, .308). There’s your list. Finding cheap rifles that meet that list is another matter, but here are a few that come pretty close:
SAIGA 
The Saiga is a high capacity AK variant that comes in all common military calibers as well as a 12 gauge shotgun model (I’m amazed it’s still legal). Works great, shoots straight, built tough, runs between $450 to $650. For the price, you can’t go wrong.
CETME
A Spanish made .308 semi automatic rifle with a similar design to the HK G3. Many in circulation have been pieced together with surplus parts, and it is wise to get yours checked out by a trusted gunsmith. A little tuning may be required. Otherwise, a pretty solid 300 yard gun running at $450 to $600.
FN FAL
The FAL is a Belgium made semi auto .308 rifle. Accurate and well made. Effective range of around 700 yards. Can be found for $600 to $800.
AK 47
Will you look like a terrorist holding this gun? Yes. But beyond that, the AK is synonymous with dependability, and affordability. Though gun prices the past few years have skyrocketed in ridiculous fashion, the AK 47, a 7.62 by 39 caliber rifle, can still be found for around $300 to $600 depending on the make, the age, and the honesty of your dealer. This is not a very accurate gun beyond 100 yards. Can you hit a man sized target beyond 100 yards with an AK? Yes. Can you do it accurately and consistently? No. You want pinpoint sniper accuracy from a Russian made weapon? Get a Dragunov. You want a close quarters weapon that you can clean with a dish rag and motor oil and still have it fire? Get an AK.
SKS
The SKS used to be a good deal. Four years ago you couldn’t spit without hitting one priced at around $200. Nowadays, many gunshops are fishing for $400 to $500. Do not pay this for any SKS. It is not a $500 gun. It is a $200 to $300 gun. Period. Deals can still be found if you are patient. The 7.62 by 39 rifle is relatively accurate and solidly built. The bayonet is a bit of a pain, but removing it is apparently an ATF no no. Technically you are required to remove the bayonet mounting lug and the grenade launcher attachment along with the blade for the gun to be legal (I’m not going to go into the absurdity of ATF assault rifle guidelines). Honestly, if you don’t like the bayonet, just take it off, and don’t let any of your ATF buddies shoot it at the range.
RUGAR MINI-14
Another rifle that used to be a good deal, now ruined by overenthusiastic gun shop owners. Private sale at a gun show is the only way lately to find this rifle at its traditionally suitable price of $350 to $450. Gun shops today will ask $600 to $800. The .223 rifle, designed after the M1 Garand, is light, easy to wield, and pretty accurate out to 300 yards. Lighter ammo means more rounds can be carried at a time.
Long Range Sniper Systems
For long range at an affordable price, you just can’t go wrong with Savage Arms. The company has maintained the great quality of its products, kept their prices low despite the Obama gun boom, and most of their rifles compete equally with guns twice as expensive. One issue to keep in mind, though, is optics, which can sometimes cost as much as the gun itself if you are not careful. Long range shooting platforms are essential for a small force defending against a larger or better supplied enemy. The more you can increase your standoff distance when at a disadvantage, the better chance you have of survival. One or two long range experts can wreak havoc on a seemingly unstoppable foe, making the cost of operations so high the enemy begins to question the practicality of moving forward. In collapse environments, snipers, amateur to professional, always come out of the woodwork to dominate the landscape. Preppers have the ability to counter this threat, and with very inexpensive firearms.
SAVAGE MODEL 10
This is a .308 sniper system commonly found with a precision stock and a heavy barrel. Range of around 800 yards. Can be found for $600 to $700. Modified systems come more expensive, but the standard model is all you need.
SAVAGE 111
A highly accurate rifle utilizing the effective 300 Win Mag cartridge. Range exceeding 1000 yards. Can usually be found for around $700.
SAVAGE 111 BA
The “long range hunter” model of the Savage 111 in .338 Lapua costing less than $1000. The .338 is an incredible cartridge with an effective range of about 1 mile. The Savage has been found comparable to sniper systems three times as expensive. The only problem with the .338 is the price of the ammo, which usually runs around $60 to $70 for a box of 20 rounds, almost twice as expensive as 300 Win Mag. Man, does that sting! This rifle should be considered a poor man’s substitute for the .50 Cal, a rifle that will always be undeniably expensive, considering one round usually sets you back $4 to $5. If you want the capability of a .50 Cal but not a quite so outrageous ammo price, the Savage is your best bet.
Procrastination Is Something We Cannot Afford
Preparation is not limited to the realm of the rich. Ultimately, survivalists with limited incomes must pursue their prepping MORE vigorously than those with expendable cash exactly because they are at a greater disadvantage. Being poor is no excuse for procrastination. Great gear can be had for little money, as long as purchases are approached intelligently. Budgeting for survival is not an enterprise for some future date in which we imagine ourselves to be better off than we are now. It should be a part of our daily life, even when times are tough.
Self discipline gets things done. Making a plan and then sticking to that plan despite our inner weaknesses and apprehensions gives greater returns in the long run. This method not only earns the respect we hold for ourselves, but also the respect others hold for us. The flaky and indecisive cannot be relied upon. The gravity of the socio-political situation we face in the near term demands that we shake off our fears and our apathy, step out of our baby cradle comfort zone, and MAKE THINGS HAPPEN. Backing out is not an option. Otherwise, we simply defeat ourselves, and we let each other down.
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Mercury's Poor Man’s Guide To Survival Gear:
Get a government job.
Fuck the bug out bag. I got a diesel genset 300 gallons of fuel, shotguns 357, bottled water, silver, FRN's 6 months food, propane stoves, white gas stove. Gas mask, cheap night vision and alot of fucking booze.
I ain't leaving. I live here and will die here. Bug out shit. With no bug out destination and no water and enuff food for more than a couple days is a stupid fucking idea.
Ruffcut
I have a bag of rats covered in oil which I will light and toss at your house.
I also have flaming arrows which Iwill fire at your barn, garage and home.
When you come out to douse the fire I'll pick you off one by one.
For every problem there is a solution.
Now pay me so you can fire proof your house and bury your chicken wire fence at least three feet underground to avoid burrowing rodents.
Any more crutches you need kicked out to face reality?
You may be one of the first to go, if you're showing yourself to those around you as you are showing us.
Emergency situation. Stupid man found dead with dead, oily rats. With the only water supply and well armed neighbors, no one will get close to burn anything. THe emergency plan has already been discussed.
I'll get someone to stand guard for a couple shots and a roll of toilet paper. You won't need TP, because you'll have dead rats to use.
Uh-huh. What happens when you get shot by the guy in the hidden watch-house?
Might want to rethink that little attitude of yours. Trying to take that which belongs to others will lead you to a violent death.
My house is made of asbestos shingles, for all you know his house is brick. I have fire extinguishers on every floor and at every exit, just common sense inexpensive prep. However, I also have scoped rifles, so what exactly makes you think you will live long enough to draw that arrow or fling that bag once the flames expose your position?
"I have a bag of rats covered in oil which I will light and toss at your house."
Is that olive oil? With a nice balsamic vinegar? Cook out! How many per person do you suggest? Our crowd will be hungry...
A BOB for the vehicle or even office is advisable. Mine consists of the basics and adds the weapon normally in my vehicle. Water, power bars, knife, poncho, etc. just to make it back to the lair should I get stuck out on the road.
A BOB is handy in the vehicle, 1st aid, some extra clothing, some snack and water, some tools, some fishing line and hooks, maps, flashlights, radios, batteries, lighters, candles, hand cleaner, gloves.
These are the things to have when you get into a tight spot with your vehicle. Lost, flat tire, mechanical breakdown, ran off the road, etc.
Shit happens, be prepared, it can change a life or death situation into an inconvience..
I want a bug out bag, I never have to use.
I'd rather waste a hundred bucks on shit I might need, than waste a hundred bucks on shit I don't need like a month of premium cable service.
My BOB had copies of documents, cash, extra clothes too. It served me well after our house was destroyed by a tree. I was living out of garbage bags in a hotel, toting guns, computers, and a few more clothes than the clothes on my back. I needed everyone of those documents before it was all said and done. Also had a few photos of my kid that traced the arc of him growing up. Some were on line in the "cloud" and others are lost forever.
What I want to add to this is that your life as an individual can collapse for a while, even as the rest of civilization goes on and you have to interface with them, even when you are wiped out. Some folks are not even prepared for this. BOB can help.
And you have a big mouth too!!
Dum loquimur fugerit invida aetas: carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero.
Quintus Horatius Flaccus
"A friend of mine took note recently that a large portion of activists involved in the Liberty Movement had hit extremely hard times... He asked me my theory on why it was that so many of us are always so broke"
I would have said that conspiratorialist rednecks have always occupied the second lowest economic class. Just above the hippies camping out at OWS and unfortionately just below the welfare queens.
RoadKill
"I would have said that conspiratorialist rednecks have always occupied the second lowest economic class."
In the late 90's I remember reading an article about a Skin head enclave in Pa. They were all on welfare because they couldn't jobs due to the tats. I imagine their political views were part of the problem too.
It starts at home with a negative attitude about education that blossoms into full-blown shitheel ignorance as they near the breeding stage.
If only everyone could learn at the feet of Larry Summers...
Yeah, the swastika on the neck really limits your economic opportunities.
Yes, they usually hold manufacturing jobs which are well paid. They are subjected to frequent lay offs. So, they do not know when they will lose their Job, even temporarly. Plus, they are now shipping all of the Manufacturing Jobs overseas, leaving so many Americans without sutable Jobs.
WERE well paid - past tense.
The army has a survival manual that you can download for free. (I bought the book and it is a fun read.)
Yes, people can Google "US Army Field Manual FM 21-76", have had my copy for years.
Great, thanks.
It is now mine, too.
They also sell their outdated Improvised Munitions Handbook in case you look out and see Gully Foyle in the street below...
Just kidding, Gully
You can never have too much ammo or too many guns. And don't forget simple things...if the fit hits the shan, stuff like TP will be easier to trade than silver or gold...the latter will help see you through the other side, but everyday items will bridge the gap.
toilet paper, though bulky, does have a very long shelf life. I still rotate my stock.
Alcohol and toilet paper, soap, fishing line, duct tape. There are a lot of items that are non-perishable and can be bought in bulk for not much money, that you will use anyhow in your lifetime, so why not buy extra and save a few trips to the store?
They also make great barter items, its a two-fer-one.
you can get a 10 year supply for about the price of a giant ass TV, and guess which is more useful when the power grid goes down?
Sailboat.
Sailboat and fishing gear. Good point for the coastal folks.
Holy sit. Is that Tarzan throwing the Bernak overboard in order to get his gold and his sea nymph?
Will life imitate art? Please tell me magic 8 ball!
When my wealthy neighbors move to foreign shores,I have prepared my "bug-IN- bag" to take to their house to take up free residency with their food and fireplace and my dogs and my gun! Write and let me know how things are in the woods!
ROFL!
N Machiavelli: "with chaos comes great opportunity".
I have known enough survivalists to last a lifetime. Some are tax cheats and refuse to obey those laws as well as licensing and insurance laws on vehicles. Because they are poor? No. Usually because they think they are doing good by breaking the laws. Some believe the social security number is the mark of the beast, others that the president is the antichrist. Their kids are not registered when born, get "unschooled", the parents are completely paranoid about anything smacking of sex education.
We have to live in the real world. IMO books like those written by Wyomings Boston T. Party play on all the worst fears and evasive lifestyles. If you are a man and get a really raw deal from some gold digging wife, you need to get out of dodge while the getting is good, but for most of us who just want a decent life avoiding the paytriots and sovereigns is essential for our sanity and well-being.
I have no f'n' clue what you're trying to say. Is there a coherent point in this rant somewhere?
What he is saying is that ignorance leads to its own rewards, basically.
.
=O
I feel like I'm now ready for a walk-on role in "The Walking Dead"
dougm people should start just walking, then add stuff to carry, you are correct, no preparation will get you hurt or killed.
sabra1, that will work with the sheeples but will not work well for you with a number of those of us who are awake. You will not get far.
While these rifle choices seem ok, and better than nothing, sell your clutter and buy a good battle rifle, FAL, M1A, M1 Garand, AR and stock up to feed it and you, that will help you be fed, you can always barter with some ammo later on.
1 Thessalonians 5
Mosin-Nagants are great big game, long range rifles and can be had for $100-130. Plus the surplus ammo is cheap and can be had easily.
Added an M44 just for shiggles the other day. Cheaperthandirt.com sells new ones for $69! Ballistically the equivalent of a .308 or close enough. Beats throwing rocks. Mines mostly for a conversation piece. It barks, people listen.
Not available on their website. How did you procure this for that price? Hmm...
They were available last week: http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/70783-1.html
This place also carries them cheap but had been out for a month or more: http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=F3MOSIN9130
The M44 was off Gunbroker and was from a local shop. It was $155. They tend to be more expensive as it's a shorter barreled MN.
Check J&G Sales or AIM surplus online for M91-30s.
For $80 each, you can arm the whole family with Nagants. These are the round receiver ones that were refurbished after the war, but they are still beautiful after you clean off all the cosmoline.
http://classicarms.us/firearms.htm
Scroll down pretty far to find the crate sales for $79.95 each.
And wow! spring for some shodoma pads...thing kicks like a mule with that metal butt plate on! Got 80% on a 12" paper at 100 yards with open sights...
get your ass to an appleseed man, you're not holding it right if it's beating the piss out of you.
Hyperinflationists must be living in a different world.
no guns.
Any gun is a target on your back.
Any gun will increase the likelihood that someone with a bigger gun will come after you.
Yes, you may die. but we all do, sometime, anyway, right?
There is no better protection than having friends. Lots of them ....
and nothing more dangerous than anger and mistrust ....
good, don't have a gun and have someone beat the living shit out of you and ass rape your wife. Friends my ass. If you had a "friend" who warned you, he will kick your ass off the porch so fast and then warn you if you come back he will knock you down and shit in your mouth. Friends, planning singing campfire and playing games, too.
This is a "shits and giggles" approach for emergency situations. NIce.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evr_tP9cJWY
Every question and answer on a gun forum
Re Friends my ass
Right on,
Chisltoe..you are what they call "lunch"....
Who's bringing the fava beans and chianti?
Just as in the California or Klondike Gold Rush, only the merchants get rich.
Yeah, guns. So you can shoot more serfs like yourself. Way to go Amerikkka!
I suspect you'll be singing a different tune once all the small print in your Lisbon "Treaty" gets invoked. Resistance is....futile, when one is without means to effectively defend oneself.
I'm not European. I'm a simple "sudaca" living in a 3rd world country. Never had a gun in my life, even though I had certain issues with gun toting unfriendlies, but here I am, complete and all. Never needed a gun to shoot serfs like myself.
You're just as full of shit like the rest of the people in denial. You do not live in a 3rd world, and most certainly have never been out on your own.
I was born and live in Argentina. It's been called a 3rd world country for as long as I remember.
Hey as a freedom lover, I respect your freedom and if you don't like guns personally, hey no problemo amigo!
Viva Argentina, and I have a little question para usted: Does your love of freedom also respect our choice to keep and bear arms (guns), or do you hope and vote for the kind of government who disarms the serfs? Kind of like you know, Lenin did?
PS- yo quisiera ser en Argentina ahora mente es bueno.
Personally, I'd like to erase weapons from the face of the planet. I suffered gun violence 3 times in my life. And tell you, if I had a gun myself during those times, I'd been dead by now. I have enough reasons to hate guns, I still haven't seen one to love them.
Because after all, serfs with guns shoot other serfs. The more guns around, the more chances that guns are going to be fired. The more guns are to be fired, the more chances of gun deaths there are. It's a vicious circle of violence.
Ghandi didn't need guns. In the end, the return to democracy in Argentina from a military dictatorship wasn't achieved through guns. The fall of Mubarak wasn't brought about by guns.
There are tons of examples of freedom loving peoples who toppled dictators without guns, in contemporary history. Guns are overrated, that "control" they should give is as false as many other hopes of control we have nowadays. Yet, its negative social consequences tend to be underrated.
Well amigo I love you, but, your thinking is beyond silly.
All that "I hate guns" sheep talk gets you is this:
http://www.chgs.umn.edu/museum/exhibitions/cambodian/s21.html
or more recently this:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-470548/Doctor-sees-wife-daughter...
Do whatever you want, I do not hate you. But why are you on a website where some or most of the posters are themselves armed? All your talking points are nonsense as I said, none of the people here posting will ever shoot "their fellow serfs" they will only shoot in defense of their lives and their families, against criminal aggression. Just read the second link above and think about it.
Oh, the same fearmongering of yesteryear now in renewed form? Do you think I'm going to be scared into buying a gun because you post pol pot imagery or talk about hineous crimes? There are much better ways to fight for freedom and to protect your family than become a man at arms.
I know many people around here who had guns to "protect themselves/family". And most if not all, made huge mistakes while with the gun. Not only they managed to save none, but they immersed themselves in a whole sea of new problems because of that.
I don't need guns to feel safe. There are smarter ways to live, protect yourself and yours even during hard times, without needing guns. I mean, I'm an argie and I lived through 2 collapses already (late 80's hyperinflation, early 2000's default and govt collapse). Never needed a gun.
I know Americans are irrational about their guns. So, before discarding what I'm posting here, all thought derived from experience: gun violence experience, violence in general experience, societal collapse experience. So before calling my thinking "silly", you should know that it's the thinking I got living through those sort of experiences.
Argentinian with a german nom de blog. What are you, one of Megele's kids or something?
Hah! Those are the Children of Brazil! Not argies...
Eh, I really don't care as long as the right people get shot.
There was a lot of shooting on both sides when the people in India threw off the British yoke.
But yes, as a gun owner, I completely agree that guns are overrated because it is just random chance that you will come through a violent encounter intact, no matter how good a shot you are.
This guy isn't planning for survival. He's planning for a survival movie. Have fun lugging all that shit around while being hunted by FLIR fitted drones.
Money is better spent on learning i.e. books that teach you how to improvise and developing countermeasures.
Gov't says jobless clamins dropped, so I guess there is no need for any of this stuff.
5 lbs of Purple or O.G. Kush will get you many things for trade.
Just a thought, won't you need water more than all this gear?
water, water filtration, water purification, water storage, and manual water pump if the power remains out for long periods of time.
That is one reason why it is easier to bug out in place, especially if you are on a lake or near one.
Clean water is a must, dystentery will kill more people than guns if we experience a prolonged SHFT scenario.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysentery
bleach is your friend and not just on laundry day. Pick up an extra jug next time you go shopping.
....and read Sun Szu's Art of War. When it comes to conflict, THINK first. Someone always has a bigger gun.
IMHO 80% of the world's population will never feel the demise of the Western world. They've been surviving in abject poverty for centuries.
Food, Water, Clothing, Shelter, Energy, a Healthy Body, and Friendships are all you really need. We all die sometime. I don't want to die being an asshole.
buy two books:
where there is no dentist
where there is no doctor
and get kevlar thread
ha ha, stocked up in 2009, still waiting
Owning survival gear makes you a terrorist.
Thinking about such gear makes one a terrorist. Minority report.
I am guilty!
now come and get me pussies!
I have said it more than once: .22 bullets and cheap whiskey, the trading platform of the future!
I tell people all the time that 22LR and silver pieces will be the new currency IF shit ever breaks down. Most laugh. Eventually they will not. Liquor and smokes of course are great barter items. I've read enough EOTW type books to realize that human nature will QUICKLY come into play in situations that are dire. The morally bankrupt will always prey on the weak and unprepared. Gangs will quickly develop with pecking orders firmly established within. Women will NOT be safe anywhere or anytime. If you require medication to survive then just know straight away that you will be dead within 30 days and accept it. The last book I read that left an impression was 'One Second After'. I tried to read 'Patriots' which is a prepper mainstay but just couldn't get past about 1/4 the way through as it was just sooo poorly written and sooo boring. I would surely never call myself a prepper but there are certain items that everyone should own and know how to use with the things that are going on in the world these days. The sense of entitlement is just incredibly strong in our society and if/when that system breaks down then we are in for a world of hurt by a lot of folks who will be left unprepared and angry. You can bet that the military and local LEO have plans for that eventuality so it only makes sense that you do too.
dp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GNu7ldL1LM&feature=share
Penn & Teller on the 2nd Amendment
WTF is this ? Night vision ? Trip wires , have you all lost your focking minds ??? Get back to work and doing something constructive with your time ........
He forgot to mention the half dozen sherpas needed to lug all of it. No chicken left behind?
How many of you fatties can run 5-10 kilometres without stopping? Now strap on your gear and Au/Ag and i bet you wont be able to move (some of you).
For those not very mobile ie. .out of shape. - maybe a golf cart is required?
run? thats why we have cars. Hell, if them there SOmallies can treat a teryota like crap and keep it runnin' AND mount a .50 cal in the bed, my honda should be just fine.
\What in the Hell is a kilometer? THATS why y'all lost the damn war! no one one on your side knew what the hell y'alls was talkin' bout.
Oh yea. One last point. Don't trust the chicks just because they're chicks. You might find out they've got dicks.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y44/mfingar/LaRue_Tactical/P8200611l.jpg
dicks are popular here - I think you'll find it's "pussies" they hate. . .
If you want to know what it looks like when society collapses - check out the Congo or Somalia or Russia in the 90s.
People there do not survive by becoming lone chicken rearing gunmen, but by forming tribal alliances and bartering USEFUL goods and services.
Keep living your boyhood gun-based fantasies if you like, but you really think a collapse is coming, you would be better advised to seek protection not through the aquisition of certain material goods (night vision FFS), but by making some (more) reliable and useful friends.
http://www.energybulletin.net/node/23259
Those places were shitholes before and after the collapse of their society and their people were always used to living on scraps and well within their means. Americans currently living like kings compared to the rest of the world are NOT used to living like that and there will be a MAJOR adjustment period for the entitlement crowd and the unprepared. Desperation ALWAYS leads to drastic and terrible action. While what you say is sound advice, it's just GETTING to that point where small communities are created which will be the hurdle for us in our societal breakdown. There will be a lot of strife in the period leading up to that. You make it sound like everyone will just break up into local cliques and start trading with each other without any disruption in the interim. GL with that belief...
I agree, but reading the majority of the posts on here, one would think that choosing the calibre of your weapon is the biggest struggle in the post apocalypse World, and if you get that right you will live some kind of Chuck Norris one man vs the World survival dream.
That's horseshit, hence my reference to places where society HAS collapsed.
FWIW, I see the US heading for a lawful Megacity / Anarchic Cursed Earth scenario....
Chickens feeding themselves? Not where I live. I have over a dozen layers and a couple of roosters which I free range as much as possible for their health and well being as well as cutting down on feed costs. It supplements the lay ration but does not replace it. A bag of feed around here is close to $20 which lasts a week. I get about 3 dozen eggs a week. Being self sufficient is costly and seems to be the path of resistence. It's tempting to cave in and buy them for less at the grocery store with less hassle. Most folks who I relate with who raise chickens, goats, sheep can barely recover the costs without factoring in the labour. We do it anyway for other reasons. However, I know I am still reliant on a source of feed and the income to buy it of course. It seems to me that stores of food will get you through the shortterm crisis but a long term strategy is more challenging.
I have 10 Red Stars and get 10 eggs a day, 365 days a year(mild climate). I also supplement their feed but only when they are penned up. You can grow your own corn, barley, and oats for starters. Greens, squash, tomatoes, watermelons, etc. are all easy, low maintenance plants and they'll eat all of it. Rye will reseed itself generally and they eat the heck out of it. I have closed loop aquaculture in tanks. Greens use the fish waste for fertilizer, feed unwanted or leftover greens to the fish, repeat. And feed has gone from $11.50 in '08-'09 to $16-17 here but I generally get 3-4 weeks out of a bag.
An egg a day! Wow. I live in a colder climate so I have selected large multi purpose birds RIR for now. Moving towards Chantecler and Wyandottes. I'm not familiar with Red Stars. Winter is hard on the budget. I am eager to grow my own though like some have discussed here, gardening is easier said than done esp. when I live in the Canadian Shield country. Thanks for the feedback.
Got most of mine from McMurray this year. It's a RIR hybrid I believe. I have four older hens that are going on 3 years and lay enormous eggs. Very docile, reliable layers, forage everywhere here and have no issues with anything taking them and I have Barred Owls here that are over 4' plus hawks. Dog keeps the 4 legged critters at bay and the dog and hens coexist well.
We tried some redstar this year a good layer , we also tried Freedom Rangers but they are a bit stupid they dont know to run from a fox , our best ones are home hatched they are buff and black allstrop x
Try Mizuna lettuce. the birds love it and in one season from just a few plants, you can get several ounces of seed (literally thousands of seed)
Here's another opine on wanting to leave the country when the collapse comes.
http://www.naturalnews.com/034404_preppers_collapse_bugging_out.html
if.. we were to be blessed with a fire..
then here are some simple rules everyone should understand.
fires burn slowly at first.. then spread and then burn hot.. until the fire burns itself out of fuel.. and then the fire smolders.. unless a good wind comes long and carries one of the hot ashes to new fuel.
so..
how much fuel is there in America?
how many areas are there in which this fuel is condensed?
is there more fuel in south central LA than in Montana for instance?
how long before that fuel burns itself out?
I would offer.. if, I.. F.. spells IF!
there is a problem and fires start burning.. all anyone would have to do is keep their family safe until the fires burn themselves out or down to an easily controlable level..
then all you have is clean up.. some new construction and a better place than you started with.
think of all the new roads and building America has built all over the World after we burned them down with bombs!
so!
the real question is.. if someone were to decide on a controled burn..
what would you like to see accomplished?
be rid of the top 1% of the top 1% becuase you are tired of thier drunk driving of the Country maybe?
that is my issue.. maybe your is being rid of the Jews! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_LjvSIBKVc
maybe it is closing the boarders and sending the Mexicans home? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajkAP_M4ZAM
I dont know what is important to you..
but as long as you are not getting in my way? (clearing out Wall Street, Washington DC ("K" Street Plus the Lobby Whores) and then my personal State Houses) I dont care what YOU! do..
But like the Jews said there were in the White House..
DO
NOT
LET
A
GOOD
CRISIS
GO
TOO
WASTE!!
either you believe in the Constitution of the Untied States?
or..
you believe in the procedural law that has enslaved America.
it is that simple.. and in the end.. those will be the two sides. They are already the two sides.. people like to twist things to allow for thier egos and personal importance.
so..
which side are you on?
maybe you want to figure that out now and start acting like it.. you wouldnt want your nieghbors believing that you are part of the problem with the fires start.
Being prepared for a disaster is just common sense. I do not believe the USA is going to explode in my lifetime, but I am an ole fart. Having a good first aid kit can actually save a life regardless of your belief. If you love to garden or want to start gardening for some wholesome veggies do not buy genetically altered seeds. Do you like to camp or want to try camping buy a decent tent instead of the cheap one. So it sets you back 200.00. Alot of the stuff you buy to prepare for a disaster and family outings, can be used for survival. I have a 3 week supply of water and always have incase the water gets contaminated with something and this does indeed happen alot when the city where you live works on their main systems. I have 3 weeks of non perishable food I rotate to the kitchen and eat.
You can definitely go broke trying to prepared for the next death of society or you can apply common sense and stock up on necessities to cover a set period. Firearms most have talked about. I like my 9mm, a 12 ga. shotgun and my AR15. If you do not shoot them do not go out and buy them, with the exception of the 12 ga., you are wasteing your time and money. If you decide to learn their use have the whole family participate and teach your children old enough to shoot how to treat firearms with respect. Having all the latest and greatest gadgets for shooting is actually big time hype. Learn to shoot with Iron sights first and foremost and you will never go wrong.
I laugh at all the doom and gloom dealer try to tell you to get you to buy the NVG's red dots and other high dollar accessories. If the shit actually hit the fan most will fail when their batteries die or they get dropped time after time. If you do hunt a good scope will not set you back much. Get one that is simpe and durable.
Picking up some good first aid books will save your's or other people's lives. I have had many over the years and learning CPR is free.
You do not have to break the bank to be prepared. Most common items you already own can be used in the event of a disaster.
Haddock well said. There is no I in team so you better make some friends with the same goals or your toast.
Given a large enough or significant enough SHTF event, batteries and generators are of limited use. Friends are a definite MUST. You must adopt a mindset that there will be no batteries, there will be no power for months if not longer.
After Hurricane Andrew, if not for fuel deliveries, water deliveries, and food deliveries, a vast majority of people in South Florida would have died. Period. They took such a massive infrastructure hit than many in the more suburban parts of South FLorida were without basic services - water, and power, for 6 or more months. My father, who stayed after the storm did not get basic water service back until 8 months after the storm, and power was 9 and a half months until restored. One woman just recenltly, years after the fact, got her power restored because she was living in a house that was "not up to code" and she could not afford to get the house brought up to "code".
If not for fuel, food & water hand outs, and generators, they were basically living in the 18th century and ill prepared to do so. Many many hundreds of people would have been dead long before the water system got brought back online if not for the actions and charity of others.
YMMV.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evr_tP9cJWY
Every question and answer on a gun forum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evr_tP9cJWY
Every question and answer on a gun forum
That is probably the best Utubular bears momemt I've ever seen. Still FOTFLMAO............Thanks
Solar panels are a cruel joke. Perhaps you can charge a cell phone but you'll not be allowed to have or use one by TPTB. HAM radio in a survival situation? Good luck with that! I am an Extra class Amateur Radio Operator and obtained my license before the FCC eliminated Morse Code requirements. I passed the 20 WPM code requirements. After the FCC eliminated the Morse Code "Idiot Filter" HAM radio almost immediately descended into utter worthlessness. Prior to that was the elimination of the world wide packet e-mail system by an odorous rule change making the first BBS (Bulletin Board System) SYSOP responsible for all outgoing messages and not the person posting the massage. This required that every message be read and approved by the SYSOP before being forwarded to the packet system. Needless to say the entire system was dismantled and lost forever. I knew then the Government was going to destroy HAM radio and turn it into a legal high power CB (Citizen Band) radio. The FCC has completely destroyed HAM radio as a viable emergency radio system. I still operate but only operate in the CW (Morse Code only) portions of the HF bands because the Idiots don't know and don't use Morse Code. Eventually even this will be eliminated by the death of Real HAM Radio Operators and the elimination of CW only portions of the Bands.
If you want electricity in a survival situation where the Grid is gone you must have a Steam Engine and Boiler. A system such as this will allow you to produce enough power from easily obtained fuel to recharge a 110 volt battery system. Why 110 Volts DC? Converting 110 volts DC to 110 volts AC is cheap, efficient, and very easy. An automotive alternator can be stripped of it's internal voltage regulator while retaining it's diode matrix so it's efficiency is greatly improved and provides the proper voltage and current for recharging your 110 battery bank. A steam system is also great for heating too. You can plumb the outlet of the steam engine into the home and operate an easily built steam condensate oven and heating system.
I could go on and on about real Off the Grid systems but it would run into a largish book length.
You can learn a lot about Steam Engines and Boilers here. http://home.earthlink.net/~dlaw70/12stmng.htm
After Obummer shuts down the Internet will Zerohedge be broadcast in Morse Code?
--.. . .-. --- .... . -.. --. .
I am writing this now, living off the grid, using solar power. Its a dark cloudy day outside. No Joke.
A 110 Volt DC battery system? No such thing, not in solar anyway. There is no "110 volt battery bank."
Guys, go buy a $40.00 1500W inverter on ebay and store it in your car. You can run an entire travel trailer on one powered by nearly any car.
Here's what to do...and how to do it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbkp5zr7ngI&feature=plcp&context=C25425U...
Single 130 watt solar panel. And what to hook to it. $600 total (more or less).
You don't need anything really. Our ancestors didn't. But if you want to be "Amish with benefits" watch that video.
It takes 20 12 volt batteries for a proper 110 volt system capable of producing 110 volts AC so standard 110 volt AC devices can be used without modification. The DC to AC converter is nothing but a 555 oscillator chip switching a relay at 60 HZ. 10 batteries are for the positive AC cycle and the other 10 batteries are for the negative cycle. You don't really need a 555 oscillator chip in the DC to AC converter. A home built reed relay can be fashioned from a hacksaw blade and a couple of hand would coils of old telephone wire. This is immune from an electromagnet pulse. You may be using a solar system now but when the shit hits the fan you will never be able to use it simply because people kill you for it. Then the hoards will kill them too. It will become a feeding frenzy until the solar panels are ripped to shreds. Not only that they are only good for 15 to 20 years before they degrade to the point they become unusable. Steam Engines produced in the 1800's are still in service in third world countries. You're also not going to have people dragging off your engine and boiler. If there is an electromagnetic pulse your car and that 12 volt to 110 volt inverter will be dead and unrepairable.
Great another angry HAM radio elitist that thinks CW is the cats ass.
Go fuck yourself Old Man.
General Class Holder.
I'm so sorry you are an illiterate HAM.
Asides from gadgetry and short-term bug-out, it's useful to stockpile supplies for the Long Emergency.
I'm not just talking water, food, hygiene, seeds, fuel and ammo. All sorts of utilitarian chemicals and materials will
be scarce and valuable. Alcohol, hydrochloric acid, bleach, solvents, glues, lubricants, sheets of tarpaulin, fabric,
ropes, hardware, polyurethane, neoprene. Tools and manuals of all kinds to help work these into their utilities.
if you can afford it, add large powertools like arc welders and compressors and generators to power them.
You need a cache to hold your stores, it doesn't have to be a bunker, and it could be a community depot.
It all depends on the estimated size of your community and the tentative duration and serverity of the crisis.
Things may not get to Argentina or Liberia crisis levels. Maybe just a minor depression, but you will still benefit
from the comparative advantage of having bleach-purified water, alcohol-sterilised first-aid, spare garments,
poly-tunnel greenhouses, productive farm tools and shop machinery, and useful items of trade or manufacture.
industrial quantities of lighters, batteries, stationary and hygiene are a must; as are non-trauma quotidian
medical supplies: vitamin additives, pain killers, anti-histamines, cough syrups, flu tablets, antacids, etc.
Ferfal writes that community is key. whether it's a family or like-minded neighbours this will be the key to survival.
there is strength and protection in numbers. You also will gain an advantage by pooling skills and equipment.
remember that our technology has shielded us from the time and effort of labour. Anyone who's been out camping
and has seen the entire day go by just for the activities of securing and preparing food will see the value in economy
of labour allocation. for this reason you will want to add coordinating communications like home ham and cb radios.
I didn't used to think I needed an arsenal, but I've met people whose entire planning strategy is simply to hoard
weapons and survive by view of armed coercion. It's for protection from these "good folks" that I recommend
a few serious high caliber scoped rifles, something with enough dissuasive power that can take out an engine
block from a safe distance and halt pursuit or predation. It also helps to be able to put big game on the table.
Society is a see-saw struggle between resource producers and predatory robbers since the advent of agriculture.
On one hand a cycle of collaboration, abundance, and organization, and on the other competition, scarcity, and restructure.
In a way the TPTB barons are the evolution of the second group, hedged up as far as possible from primary capital production.
A crisis would strip these layers and flatten the curve: we will all have to get closer to production. And what you produce you protect.
Do you guys REALLY think its going to get that bad that this article needs to be taken seriously?
no, but better safe than sorry
Interesting attitude. What makes you think the USA is invulnerable from civil war (possibly nuclear), oil shocks, economic shocks sufficient to break supply chains, solar flares like the 1859 Carrington event, gradual oil and gas depletion leading to supply chain breakdown, or invasion from Mexico if the military is insufficiently funded? That's just what I can think of off the top of my head. Perhaps new diseases should be included.
Seriously, I'm curious. I see this a lot. The underlying assumption that nothing is, or can go wrong. An attitude that anyone from Bosnia, Argentina, Thailand, or the former Soviet Union would find a bit questionable. What's up with that? What makes you think nothing bad can happen here?
" from Bosnia, Argentina, Thailand, or the former Soviet Union would find a bit questionable.."
And, I might add, most of America right up to the 50's
I think that there were substantial hints happening in these countries. But... Cuba, Cuba is perhaps the best model of how quickly things can change and catch people off guard. Nothing going on in Cuba and then BANG, the USSR collapses! Oil imports vanish. Cubans went on a massive campaign to grow food locally: before the collapse of the USSR Cuba had been just another big mono-crop Ag country like so many others, hugely reliant upon petroleum.
The blissfully ignorant assume tomorrow will be like today, today was pretty good, so what's the problem? True until the day it is not.
So many examples - why is the average person so blind and naive ?
Seriously, I think it already is. Because what is the downside to having fresh eggs? Organic food? A bag full of supplies in your car for unexpected events? A solar panel system that you can take camping or use in your home to reduce energy costs? And home defense? Well, most of my friends live in Oakland.
When your car breaks down on a sunday drive in the middle of nowhere and you've got, say, the neighbors kid in the car, you'll be greatful for the extra snacks, warm clothing, and if you have sense, the glock under the seat in case the first people that come along don't have your best intersts at heart.
"Because what is the downside to having fresh eggs?"
Feed costs. Ask me how I know...
What's the worst thing that can happen if you do take this article (and the comments) seriously? 1) You get in great shape physically. No downside there. 2) You have the means to support yourself if food becomes scarce. Hardly a bad idea. 3) You know how to defend yourself and you have the means to do so. Bad idea? Doesn't seem to be.
Now you're protected if a natural disaster happens and you're educated. If nothing EVER happens you've learned something about yourself and the world at large.
Better to front run this sort of thing rather then be stuck scrambling right along with the great unwashed masses...
regarding seeds for gardening..
Buy Heirloom varieties. Then you can also SAVE seeds from your harvest to plant during the next season.
Oh ok. Heirloom.
Also, Careful who you trust. Those chicks can have dicks.
And, be sure you know how to store them (physical storage as well as duration- some seeds only last a cuople of seasons).
Good resource:
http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/seed_to_seed
man wtf this is supposed to be a financial industry blog/news feed
you just hurt your reputation by posting such apocalyptic garbage
What a fool you are!
"On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero". Hmmm, no mention of finance. Curious...
its obvious what the main focus is did you even read anything except that line on ZH
well if you believe this good for you now go out and buy some guns. You think everything will just fall apart so easily even after (if) the banking sector collapses?
keep dreaming
oh and dont forget to buy ammo or the clean-it yourself guide for dummies.
"You think everything will just fall apart so easily even after (if) the banking sector collapses?"
OK, Nostradamus, tell us why you think it will not. There's plenty recorded here on ZH as to why people believe that it will (history is also a pretty good place to look).
You are a noob here I see.
When your food supplies start to fall, keep a nice map to your food warehouse wholesalers. A few silver coins and a crowbar will get you in for a month or two worth of can goods. Then what? oh well your screwed. Easy start gardening in the spring, replace trees in your yard with fruit trees
My Family ready pack
Cabin and Land on an Island near by, check
greenhouse, check
5 years worth of garden supplies, check
fishing poles and gear, duh! check
books a person library worth check
wood cutting equipment, check
supplies to barter with, check
firepower, check
tin foil hats, check
Tent stove???
How about a $100 barrel stove kit? Holds a lot more wood and heats a bigger space.
Aslo, nobody thinks of hunting dogs? A terrier type dog (working lines - not poo poo wee wee show lines) is useful for catching just about anything on four legs up to the size of a fox. Meat is meat.
MIDGE stove FTW:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N2wwSSg-Sk&list=PL531C5E0E548F6365&inde...
Just don't use it in a tent like a dummy ;)
I'm F'ed without my Meds anyway.
Maybe I should go off them now to prepare, just like the author! :)
Seriously, imagine we are all microscopic organisms. The 1% are multiple-cell organizims that have perfected how to keep growing in moderately benign environments. In hostile environments, they can survive, but they will slowly shrink back towards single cells.
The 99% are single cell organizing that keep multiplying I'n a behind environment, but can't seem to evolve to multiple-cell organisims. I'n a hostile environment they will start dying off.
The survivalists are a mutant breed. I'n a begnign environment they barely manage to multiply. But they have the capability to survive in a hostile environment. They do worse Then I'n a begnign environment then I'n a hostile environment, but they survive better then the 1% or 99% I'n a hostile environment.
And for some reason they keep rooting for "god" to dump chlorine I'n the pool, because it will hurt everyone else less then them.
Personally I'd rather be the cleaning guy with the chlorine bottle, but the damned trilateral commission still hasn't responded to my application.
Israeli gas masks for under $30 on eBay.
People think I'm crazy to have which means I will most likely need it.
If you live in Oakland, you need it already. Don't listen to the fools.
If nothing else...get a 3M P100 (HEPA) rated mask for $17:
http://www.pksafety.com/3m-lead-dust-respirator.html
They are listed for radionuclides (rad dust). You see them being used in Fukushima.
Will also stop "mutant killer flu" etc.
Home Depot sometimes has them with the big pink round style filters. Same exact thing. But HD only carries size medium.
Most guys will need size large. The box filters in my link are the covered type. Perfect for outdoor use in rain.
The 7500 series takes the same filters and is much nicer ($23 without carts.):
http://www.pksafety.com/3m-7500-half-face-respirator.html
http://www.pksafety.com/filandcar.html
http://www.pksafety.com/3m70p1fi.html
3M makes fullface versions too. Same filters:
http://www.pksafety.com/fulfacres3m6.html
These carts *may* work for tear gas etc, though I'm not sure:
http://www.pksafety.com/3m-60923-cartridge.html
Get em before FEMA buys em all up....and gives them to the "worthy".
Nice find. I'll refer my husband to the site because the prices are better than what he's currently paying.
I compared prices for 3M 8511 N95 General Use Particulate Respirators that are generally used for protection in the case of airborne pathogens at the pksafety.com site ($16.30 each) with drugstore.com, where I have bought them. Drugstore.com currently has a pack of ten on sale for $16.99, regular price $27.99.
Also, for the list of supplies you might consider latex or vinyl gloves. They can be purchased in bulk for about $5 or $6 for a box of 100 and will come in handy in so many ways that you'll wonder why you didn't get them before.
There are very few scenarios where a gas mask will help you unless you wear it around your neck 24x7 for insurance.
Most nerve gas or pathogens are invisible once dispersed. how do you know when to put on the mask?
The filters need to be replaced on a regular basis and the fit must be airtight or else it's useless.
A gas mask is useless unless you are a demonstrator up against mace/pepper spray or in an army with chemical gas detection systems.
Spend the 30 bucks on canned chicken breast. You can eat it whether the world goes to hell in a hand basket or not.
For 4 years after Katrina hit, a dozen or so of us traveled to Mississippi twice a year to help rebuild some homes there and got some firsthand experiences from those we helped or met. The stories they told were nearly every bit as bad as anything I've heard of elsewhere in the world. To think that it won't happen where you live is sheer normalcy biased lunacy. It will and has, so good luck with that. One only has to take the black Friday mentality and juxtapose wants with needs whether real or perceived and you have the makings of a Mad Max scenario. A normally civil society functions with the ever present thought that there is risk as well as accountability for actions. Take away law enforcement and ultimately the risk and accountability with it, all manner of behaviors can now be justified and even condoned. For me and mine, we'll err on the side of caution any day.
Ah, a country with a military and military mindset the likes of which has never been see on earth and you casually assume you can just "Take away law enforcement".
The lizard people will not allow it because if you take away LE: "Lizard, it's what's for dinner!".
You WILL NOT get 5 miles out of 5 watt GMRS portable radios in moderatly terrain.
The best you can hope for is a maximum range of 1.5 - 2 miles in an urban environment due to multipath effects and line o sight issues.
The best thing to do is to get your Ham Radio license, acquire some good 2M, 440, or 220MHz gear and possibly an amplifier with a nice high gain directional beam or omnidirectional antenna located at elevtion and work simplex, or through repeaters.
On simplex you could work 10, 15, 20, or even longer depending on location.
I prefer my IPhone
Cell towers will be made available only for government use, hell ham radio will likely be banned too, but the capability will still be there, iPhone, not so much.
At least you can play birds.
Until your battery dies and then its a 500$ hockey puck or a really nice door stop.
The first thing that goes is the power grid, how do you recharge a phone and why do you bother when you can't even pump water or gasoline?
An Iphone is a status symbol that will get you killed in a rough scenario, as you look someone with money and not much smarts.
might as well wear a bullseye on your chest and carry a sign that says "I've got money and no sense."
on the Ham radio thing, if the SHTF, you won't have to worry about the FCC making sure your rig is limited to legal power output. You can bump things up a few watts cause they ain't writing no tickets.
Absent a hurricane, no reason to expect the power grid to immediately collapse. Coal plants have a 60 - 90 day coal pile. And coal is mine mouth or rail delivery. Natural gas combustion turbines get fuel from underground gas pipelines. Nukes run for years between refueling. Hydro does not require fossil fuel.
The short term risk is the distribution system - substation to your house. Unless some knucklehead is stealing the copper wire for scrap metal sales, that will continue to work. In an economic collapse, the big commercial and industrial loads will disappear. The Feds realize the electric grid is fundamental, so they will be sure to take care of line crews, and make sure coal trains will be high priority. Keeping the families of utility workers safe will be a priority so they workers will stay on the job.
No inherent reason why the eletric grid will immediately collapse. That said, my bug out place is within 20 miles of a nuke power plant. It will run for years. Only in cartoons is Homer Simpson a nuke operator......
Over time transformer shortages and distribution system repair part shortages will make the grid increasingly unreliable, but it will take time to degrade. Assuming stupid people don't go around shooting up or stealing grid components.
Wouxun amateur radios:
http://www.powerwerx.com/wouxun-radios/
They are selling like hotcakes for $120-$175
China finally makes something useful.
Fuck Wouxun, get a Boufeng
http://www.radioshop888.com/radioshop_product.php?id=104205
$45 free shipping just like a Yaesu VX-3R
Rock on.
Though there is a community of users for the Wouxun.
Where are they for the Boufeng?