Any SHTF/Doomsday Preppers?

[forresth]

I do think harder times are coming. maybe not the walking dead, but I bet something bad that most would say "will never happen" will happen in the next 20 years, possibly this year. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if something involving the aftermath of the presidential election makes the 12/21/12 prophecy come true.

I have "more ammo than any reasonable man would ever use", and feel grossly under prepared.

I would like to stock up on more foods that will keep, but I think the plastic linings used in commercial canning and the high salt levels are just plain unhealthy, so canning is out. I imagine the freeze dried stuff and MREs are very similar, and are prohibitively expensive.

most importantly, I do buy toilet paper in bulk.

I'd love to go "off grid" but I don't think solar is a very viable option locally, and the start-up costs are more than I could manage.

As far as the medicine thing; I hope that SHTF living will result in me getting much fitter, and make those health problems brought about by me being a fat-*** no longer be a problem.

stuff like Advil and Tylenol on the other hand.....i crushed my finger in some machinery a few months back and thank anti-inflammatory medicine (I went through more than a bottle, pretty much everything that was on-hand) and having ice available for saving my finger.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

One thing I don't beleive anyone mentioned is the requirement for maintenance medication and proceedures for some people. Food, water, ammo, guns, are all good, but, there may be some people or family members that need medication for things like high blood pressure, diabetes, blood thinner, asthma inhalers for breathing problems, pace makers, dialysis treatments etc. These types of medications are not easy to stock up long term, or treatments to plan for in a SHTF situation.

You may be correct, but it's a lot more fun stocking guns and ammo than asthma inhalers.

 

[Foodfuzz]

You may be correct, but it's a lot more fun stocking guns and ammo than asthma inhalers.

I do find the "No Dash" inhalers much harder to find these days however.

 

[SpicyTunaRoll]

those shows are ridiculous. they interviewed the most obscene people to try and not only paint all preppers like lunatics, but gun owners as well. they knew that the average prepper isnt very interesting, so they found mentally unstable ones that think investing $500,000 in some 1980's GMC box truck outfitted to look like as a fake MRAP is a good idea.

2005: Hurricane Katrina
self explanatory

2010: 4.5 feet of snow hit the area i was living in.
It shut down the area for almost 5 days. No power, insanely slow Police/EMS/Fire response due to impassable roadways. closed businesses. no heat. no power. etc.

2012: Hurricane Sandy.
business closed for the first 4-5 days. no power for 9-14 days. looting, slow to no police response, no cellphone signal, etc.

during sandy:

• looting happened almost as soon as the power went out.
• police were inundated with scenes to respond too(call stacking residents needing help)
• strange vehicles started to show up in neighborhoods(searching to steal)
• generators were stolen by the hundreds in just a few days
• no hot water
• no heat
• no power
• gas stations who did have back up power had 4-5hour wait. then came fuel rationing.
• gas containers were sold out everywhere
• scumbags were going around at night and drilling holes in peoples car fuel tanks and draining the fuel out.

after all of these incidents, i realized how fragile our society is. just a few days of no power/heat/food = sent the locals into a frenzy. by the end of the first week; it became clear to everyone that they are on their own with no help in sight- and that takes normal people and turns them into angry scavengers. during hurricane Katrina it turned cops (the supposedly good guys) into criminals. many reports of cops using their badges to make entry and steal, rape, etc.

well i started to prep & fortify: i got a generator, gas containers, Wise Food buckets, car battery & power inverter, ammo, extra plywood, extra flashlights & batteries, extension chords, "bug out bags", plenty chafing fuel's, hiding spots(if needed), tactical gear for myself, walkie-talkies, and now working on water supply. things are diversified and movable. things are split amongst multiple locations. SUV's are also stocked with 1 day food/water.

believe it or not, but i sleep better knowing if something weather related(or any natural disaster) or government related(currency/policy/etc) were to go down, i am secure for a while. i sleep better knowing that i did and am doing everything in my power to secure my family's future. its very rewarding. and to be honest, i dont make a lot. i just save and buy on sale, and find good deals. its not hard to slowly begin to build up your cache, so dont think that it takes the amount of money you saw being spent on Dooms Day Preppers tv show.

saw this in the news afterwards from long island ny i think:

 

[walnutred]

I never took this stuff too seriously until fairly recently. Living in the country we are always prepaird for a few weeks without power but other than that not much preperation. Then a few months ago I mentioned to our two kids that I had started keeping a 22 rifle in the truck as part of a small "Get Me Home" kit. Both kids live in or around Columbus now. Thier comment was "Well you better get home quick because if there is civil unrest our plan is to join up and do what ever it takes to get home to you and mom."

So now we are adding bits an pieces to our pantry just in case. We have to at least hold the fort until the kids get home.

 

[SpicyTunaRoll]

aside from the typical generators & fuel cans, can i suggest:

wise food (long life, easy storage buckets that can be moved easily)
chafing fuel (buffet tray heaters)
walkie talkies (cellphones go out with the power)
wood (to burn for heating & cooking)
charcoal style grill (its easy to cook and use for heating)
propane (can be used for heaters & and cooking)
alcohol: for barter and disinfecting
lots of different fire making tools

PPE: helmets, gloves, knee pads, boots, goggles, bug out bags, 10,000lb tow straps & ropes(to move stuck cars or large trees),

 

[Mcwsky09]

Careful

I watched one episode the first time few weeks ago. Stuff there is really controversial I must say...

One guy - that was actually pretty interesting - said that antibiotics are the same for humans and animals. Therefore he's buying them in the pet store and using them for the family. One way to get it w/o prescription...

But then, in the same episode was an actual Doctor who buys medication in bulk. His wife doesn't like it and said that he spent $15k so far... but most medicine was already expired.

Bottom line: I watched ~45min but won't watch it again.

Too much hype only makes you crazy. And honestly, I don't wanna live forever...

While penicillin might be penicillin - the additives, preservatives, and strength (concentration) of veterinary products might not be the same as that intended for human use.

Aside from some liquids that might be more sensitive to storage conditions - the vast majority of medications, over the counter and prescription will last far longer than the expiration date. I read about a military study done that found the vast majority of medications were still perfectly safe and effective 10 or 20 years past the expiration date and that part of the reason for an expiration date at all was in case the dosage recommendations and warnings changed over time the maker would rather you don't have outdated information.

There are a very few substances that will chemically change over time and can become dangerous. so there is the old better safe than sorry attitude.

My wife tends to be overly cautious - thinking that the moment the expiration date or use by date hits that the product instantly becomes harmful if used. but then she never studied organic chemistry or genetic engineering like me.

 

[Arik]

aside from the typical generators & fuel cans, can i suggest:

wise food (long life, easy storage buckets that can be moved easily)
chafing fuel (buffet tray heaters)
walkie talkies (cellphones go out with the power)
wood (to burn for heating & cooking)
charcoal style grill (its easy to cook and use for heating)
propane (can be used for heaters & and cooking)
alcohol: for barter and disinfecting
lots of different fire making tools

PPE: helmets, gloves, knee pads, boots, goggles, bug out bags, 10,000lb tow straps & ropes(to move stuck cars or large trees),

You can buy fairly inexpensive solar chargers for you small electronics like radios and cell phones. With a several day power outage you can still charge your phone and talk/txt/online.

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[SpicyTunaRoll]

You can buy fairly inexpensive solar chargers for you small electronics like radios and cell phones. With a several day power outage you can still charge your phone and talk/txt/online.

you know, you bring up an interesting point. i thought about solar technology, but currently like LED's the market is filled with sub-par and cheap quality products. (just ask the guys buying up LED lights and bulbs for their cars - and them dying in less than 6 months). currently things that are affordable are made in china, fade in the sun, and simply stop working. just look at those solar driveway lights. they are great for like 3-6 months; but after that they dim out, the plastic housing fogs up, etc. not even worth the money to be honest - unless you are spending a pretty penny on serious panels that are glass coated to prevent fading.

for now, until the quality of portable/small solar products increases - i will still rely upon car/motorcycle batteries and cheap power inverters or lawn mower engines belted to car alternators. these two alternatives have proven to be very reliable and able to supply power even in the dead of winter when there is not enough sun available to supply power to the solar panels.

 

[Arik]

True, but thats also constant use. Those driveway lights are out there the who time. This would be a test run and then stored for when needed.

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[SpicyTunaRoll]

True, but thats also constant use. Those driveway lights are out there the who time. This would be a test run and then stored for when needed.

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certainly something to look into. i just want people to do more reviews before i spend my money LOL

 

[Arik]

Ive been looking into Goal Zero and they seem durable and recommended.

I want to try to make my own nut i dont know about all the specs and when i start to do research i wanna bang my head against the wall

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[shouldazagged]

I got a Vespa, j-frame and a Snickers bar ~ Sipowitz

You're good to go...so to speak.

I could use a few more gallons of distilled water, and planned to take care of that this week. Other than that I'm okay except for a few Rx meds I can't stock up on.

But I respectfully decline to live what's left of my fairly lengthy life in a state of hyper-vigilance and anticipation of Armageddon. As for the prepper shows, they tend to bear out my belief that "reality TV" is (a) foisted on us because it's cheap to produce; (iii) the biggest oxymoron since "Aryan Brotherhood"; and (N) a load of pre-digested pasture grass.

Your mileage may vary quite a lot.

 

[Alpo]

SpicyTunaRoll - chafing fuel is the same thing as Sterno - canned heat, jellied alcohol. I don't know whether the canned heat sold in sporting goods at Walmart will be cheaper or more expensive than the chafing fuel sold at the restaurant supply store, but it's nice to know there are other options (for example, chemlights sold in the sporting goods section at Walmart are about half the cost of the same chemlights sold in the Halloween Costume aisle at Walmart).

Unless your house has as many air leaks as mine (built in the 40s), using your charcoal grill for heat or for indoor cooking will probably end with a house full of people dead from carbon monoxide.

When you say "alcohol", I suppose you mean "booze"? Isopropyl will disinfect fine, but I don't see it having much bartering ability.

If you plan to buy the pre-packaged "long-term storage" foods, look closely at the labels. It might say that "this bucket contains four days worth of food", but when reading the label you see that a day's food is 1500 calories. Sitting on your butt watching TV burns more than 1500 calories. In any type of survival situation, you will likely need 3000 or more. That means "Two Weeks Worth of Food" won't last two weeks.

 

[sw1834]

All that's needed is firearms and ammunition.

With them you can protect what you have and "take" what you need.
(by TAKE I mean killin' and grillin' --- not shootin' and lootin')

If you're not a prepper then you're already dead.
Jerry

 

[SpicyTunaRoll]

Unless your house has as many air leaks as mine (built in the 40s), using your charcoal grill for heat or for indoor cooking will probably end with a house full of people dead from carbon monoxide.

i didnt think i needed to warn people to not grill inside their homes LOL

i cooked on my grill during Sandy. I cooked on my grill many times the power went out. And there will be times when having an open fire either on a fire pit or grill can warm folks who have no heat. its not hard to warm up over a fire. furthermore you can boil water over a fire, and bring the pot indoors to warm the room

When you say "alcohol", I suppose you mean "booze"? Isopropyl will disinfect fine, but I don't see it having much bartering ability.

not true. vodka is great.
To avoid the uncomfortable reaction, immediately pour vodka on skin that has come into contact with poison ivy, and the alcohol will wash away the itchy culprit, urushiol oil.

vodka can be sprayed on clothing. Vodka kills odor-causing bacteria, but doesn't leave a scent when dry. (just dont do it to something expensive! lol)

Vodka can also disinfect and alleviate some of the bite of a jellyfish sting.

got mold? vodka kills many types of mold. spray, let sit, and brush away.

vodka makes a great mouth wash. it also helps with toothaches. and during a bad time - that could be a life saver.

the list can go on for various alcohols and their "other" uses.

If you plan to buy the pre-packaged "long-term storage" foods, look closely at the labels. It might say that "this bucket contains four days worth of food", but when reading the label you see that a day's food is 1500 calories.

yes very true. thats why my food is diversified. between canned, bucketed, etc.

 

[Arik]

Last spring when i got bit by a dog the first thing i did was open the bottle of Grey Goose I had in my trunk as a just-in-case and poured it over my hand (bite area). Dang that burned.


1500 calories is not optimal but its not bad, no where near starving. Most people are just used to eating a lot more then they should


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[SpicyTunaRoll]

the lowest caloric levels i see on WISE's website is 2000/day

example:
7 Day Ultimate Emergency Meal Kit for Two People - Wise Food Storage

 

[Arik]

Got me thinking. I could go for a Portuguese burger and Belgian Ale!!.

Mmmmm.....droool!

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[pace40]

I have thought long and hard about this and the only thing that absolutely scares me to death is running out of toilet paper. I keep 2 cases on hand at all times.