What did you do to prepare today?

tommy2bad · 28-05-2013 10:49am

silentrust wrote: »

OK, this is a topic which comes up fairly often when apparently hardened survivalists examine my strategy and are surprised that I seem to have neglected assault weapons, armoured vehicles and "getting out of Dodge."

In the first instance, I want to say I think this kind of mach posturing about everyone's favourite machine gun and "living off the land" is one of the main things which discourages more women from not getting involved in Survivalism because they, like me, just find it rather boring and short sighted.

Those of you who followed my posts will know I grow my own food, nourished by kitchen scraps and rain water. Long term I hope to expand my garden to the roof, keep chickens and even manufacture biodiesel to be self sufficient. This isn't really relevant, you all have your own strategy and we're here to exchange ideas.

There is always going to be the risk that post-collapse, come the flood, zombies or whatever that our careful preparations will make us a more lucrative target to less well prepared thieves. This is true for some moustachioed redneck with a bandolier of bullets across his chest, as it is for me hidden in my house.

I have spoken to any number of self-styled survival "experts" who have done a few months of Bushcraft courses and think they can live "off the land" with just their hunting knife and machine gun for company - they don't realise that it won't be like the movies where they'll have the run off a forest to themselves. They'll be competing for hunting ground, fishing rights and so on with other heavily armed meatheads who didn't take proper precautions because they believed their ability to kill others would get them through the lean times.

Starting a firefight with someone is a surefire way to end up getting yourself killed in one. Barelling over a post-apocalyptic landscape in a jury-rigged RV is hundreds of times more likely to attract the wrong sort of attention than me hunkered down growing herbs and fruit. (Where do these people think they're going to travel to anyway?)

But hey, I'm a nice guy. If you guys want to riddle one another with bullet holes while squabbling over the last few cans of tuna, be my guest. I am going to rely on my anonymity, good physical security and homesteading to see my family and I through.

Of course if I do ever feel the need to have a bearskin clad sniper on my roof 24 hours a day, I imagine he or she would consider this a small price to pay for living in the only place where there are three meals a day and hot water for miles around but I honestly think they'd be a waste of good food.

Great post.
Friends with a range of skills are a better investment than all the ammunition in the world. Tribes survive, individuals die.

Danpad · 28-05-2013 10:57am

Well, I'm in the early stages of getting together a group of people who are 'like minded', a few of whom would be the 'hunter' type and handy with certain 'instruments' shall we say! A few of us are prep-steaders and one or two (who I really envy) are great with all sorts of tools and machinery, real MacGyver types! In the event of a sit X we intend on banding together at a location. Unless a looting, murdering mob came in large numbers and armed to the teeth I'd bet my money (or toilet roll) on us.

aaakev · 28-05-2013 11:36am

Danpad wrote: »

Well, I'm in the early stages of getting together a group of people who are 'like minded', a few of whom would be the 'hunter' type and handy with certain 'instruments' shall we say! A few of us are prep-steaders and one or two (who I really envy) are great with all sorts of tools and machinery, real MacGyver types! In the event of a sit X we intend on banding together at a location. Unless a looting, murdering mob came in large numbers and armed to the teeth I'd bet my money (or toilet roll) on us.

Thats very similar to myself, in my group we have hunters, an EMT, fresh fruit and veg growing with means to grow more, a close friend is a farmer with land and livestock he is also into this idea of a group, water butts, a carpenter/builder, mechanically minded/engineer type, every tool we would need to build or repair equipment ect.

I wasnt saying guns are the be all and end all but if your hunting there is no better tool. Of course anonimity is the beat stratagy but when that does fail you better be able to defend whats yours or be prepaird to loose it. The second part of my original post was not about weapons but being able to handle yourself. In my group i boxed for years and did martial arts for longer and still do and so do 2 others in the group, these are very useful skills.

This being ireland though the likelyhood of ever needing to go to any extreams are very unlikely, we produce enough on this island to be self sufficient as a nation, another reason im glad i live here...

silentrust · 28-05-2013 12:43pm

tommy2bad wrote: »

Great post.
Friends with a range of skills are a better investment than all the ammunition in the world. Tribes survive, individuals die.

Good man, good thinking.

Obviously it's hard to imagine the kind of skill set that will be needed for every single situation but I am sure that you know the kind of people who might be handy to have around - I'm currently renting out two rooms in my house and am hoping to recruit someone who can live rent free in exchange for helping to expand food growing. I can promise whoever it is, it won't be someone who handles firearms and lays snares, these kind of people are just a liability in my humble opinion! :-)

aaakev · 28-05-2013 12:46pm

silentrust wrote: »

I can promise whoever it is, it won't be someone who handles firearms and lays snares, these kind of people are just a liability in my humble opinion! :-)

a liability how? with proper training someone with a firearm is no more a liability than someone with a scissors

silentrust · 28-05-2013 1:10pm

aaakev wrote: »

a liability how? with proper training someone with a firearm is no more a liability than someone with a scissors

Hi Kev,

As I mentioned in my post above, I think they'd do more harm than good, draw too much unwanted attention. Even if they shot someone from outside my house, the gunfire would attract others - I'd rather hunker down live off my food supplies and only pop my head over the parapet six months later to start trading - hopefully by that time everyone will have spent their ammo. :-)

silentrust · 28-05-2013 1:13pm

aaakev wrote: »

Thats very similar to myself, in my group we have hunters, an EMT, fresh fruit and veg growing with means to grow more, a close friend is a farmer with land and livestock he is also into this idea of a group, water butts, a carpenter/builder, mechanically minded/engineer type, every tool we would need to build or repair equipment ect.

I wasnt saying guns are the be all and end all but if your hunting there is no better tool. Of course anonimity is the beat stratagy but when that does fail you better be able to defend whats yours or be prepaird to loose it. The second part of my original post was not about weapons but being able to handle yourself. In my group i boxed for years and did martial arts for longer and still do and so do 2 others in the group, these are very useful skills.

This being ireland though the likelyhood of ever needing to go to any extreams are very unlikely, we produce enough on this island to be self sufficient as a nation, another reason im glad i live here...

Sounds excellent Kev, best of luck with the team.

I suppose my worry about people with firearms wishing to hunt is unwanted attention as I mentioned, as well as the fact they'll probably be one of thousands of people trying to "live off the land" and even the best hunter won't be able to catch anything if the rivers have been spoiled with human excrement, the animals frightened away by hundreds of people thundering through etc.

Of course as a way to supplement your diet it sounds excellent. Come Armageddon I'd be happy to trade diesel/vegetables with you in exchange for some extra protein if you have it to spare, see you on the other side. :-D

aaakev · 28-05-2013 1:48pm

silentrust wrote: »

Hi Kev,

As I mentioned in my post above, I think they'd do more harm than good, draw too much unwanted attention. Even if they shot someone from outside my house, the gunfire would attract others - I'd rather hunker down live off my food supplies and only pop my head over the parapet six months later to start trading - hopefully by that time everyone will have spent their ammo. :-)

id be more inclined to work off the idea of having and not needing than needing and not having...

I have firearms because i hunt so they are part of everyday life for me so they are part of my preps from a mainly food gathering point of view. we grow food and we store food like yourself in my parents house, (i rent so growing and collecting water is not a real option in my own place) but fresh meat will be part of our diet.

Im not planning on starting a gunfight outside my house with anyone:D that would not be a good idea but as a tool for survival firearms are excellent.

silentrust wrote: »

Sounds excellent Kev, best of luck with the team.

I suppose my worry about people with firearms wishing to hunt is unwanted attention as I mentioned, as well as the fact they'll probably be one of thousands of people trying to "live off the land" and even the best hunter won't be able to catch anything if the rivers have been spoiled with human excrement, the animals frightened away by hundreds of people thundering through etc.

Of course as a way to supplement your diet it sounds excellent. Come Armageddon I'd be happy to trade diesel/vegetables with you in exchange for some extra protein if you have it to spare, see you on the other side. :-D

Cheers! its something myself, my brother, father have always planned and spoke about and we have some like minded friends who are all close by.

i get the impression you have not had much if any experience hunting or with firearms so if thats the case your fears are understandable. I would recomend trying it before you make up your mind, hunting is a very useful skill and will compliment what you are already doing;)

Where i live i am outside a town, my house backs onto some of my hunting ground and from here i can move on foot pretty much undetected and away from main roads and people. if i lived in a city or a very built up area i would probably have different ways of looking at things but my stratagy fits in with my surroundings and my lifestyle.

silentrust · 29-05-2013 4:12pm

aaakev wrote: »

id be more inclined to work off the idea of having and not needing than needing and not having...

I have firearms because i hunt so they are part of everyday life for me so they are part of my preps from a mainly food gathering point of view. we grow food and we store food like yourself in my parents house, (i rent so growing and collecting water is not a real option in my own place) but fresh meat will be part of our diet.

Im not planning on starting a gunfight outside my house with anyone:D that would not be a good idea but as a tool for survival firearms are excellent.

Cheers! its something myself, my brother, father have always planned and spoke about and we have some like minded friends who are all close by.

i get the impression you have not had much if any experience hunting or with firearms so if thats the case your fears are understandable. I would recomend trying it before you make up your mind, hunting is a very useful skill and will compliment what you are already doing;)

Where i live i am outside a town, my house backs onto some of my hunting ground and from here i can move on foot pretty much undetected and away from main roads and people. if i lived in a city or a very built up area i would probably have different ways of looking at things but my stratagy fits in with my surroundings and my lifestyle.

Hi Kev,

Yes, I very much understand you want to be on the safe side. I wasn't having a go at people like you who hunt with firearms for food but I still think they'd draw the kind of attention you might not like - what about hunting with crossbows? If it worked for The Walking Dead... :-D

I did some air rifle shooting at school and University but nothing beyond that, you're absolutely right to say Bushcraft and shooting are skills to be explored before being dismissed but as a long term strategy I can't see it working out well by themselves as I think there'll simply be too much competition for hunting ground, fishing rights and so on - naturally I'll be very happy to be proven wrong!

You're very lucky in that you've chosen a spot well suited for hunting, I am very jealous.

Re: growing food in rented accommodation, I am currently renting myself but since we're growing food in recycled wooden pallets, all we need to do when moving house is to pick them up and put them in the back of the removal van when it's time to move on. Ditto herbs we grow in pots on the window sills - I imagine it'll be a lot easier for you and yours as you already know how to garden while we're stumbling around blindly. :-D

aaakev · 29-05-2013 5:01pm

Believe it or not crossbows are restricted in ireland so must be licenced and are harder to do so than my 2 rifles and shotgun!! Now a nice take down bow would be very handy and is something people should practice with but unfortunatly hunting with any sort of bow is illegal in this country so you would only be practicing on targets!

I certainly wouldnt be relying on hunting and bushcraft skills alone but using them along side everything else. They would be both very strong skills of mine, much more so than the gardening, my mother and brother are the ones who enjoy that so look after that end of things for the most part!

With regards to competition i dont see that there will be as much as you might think. For one most people wont have the tools for the job but more importantly the skill or knowlage to do it effectivley

silentrust · 29-05-2013 5:14pm

aaakev wrote: »

Believe it or not crossbows are restricted in ireland so must be licenced and are harder to do so than my 2 rifles and shotgun!! Now a nice take down bow would be very handy and is something people should practice with but unfortunatly hunting with any sort of bow is illegal in this country so you would only be practicing on targets!

I certainly wouldnt be relying on hunting and bushcraft skills alone but using them along side everything else. They would be both very strong skills of mine, much more so than the gardening, my mother and brother are the ones who enjoy that so look after that end of things for the most part!

With regards to competition i dont see that there will be as much as you might think. For one most people wont have the tools for the job but more importantly the skill or knowlage to do it effectivley

Well it seems you have your bases covered.

The reason I have firmly committed to "bugging in" is because I've lost count of the number of survivalists who tell me their whole plan involves getting out of Dodge and living off the land as they put it - we all imagine it will be like the films where a vicious epidemic has ravaged the country and we're the fortunate few left - it will probably be the case after 12 months or so but I think we'd see a lot of people living out of their cars, scavenging what they can find and trying to steal the rest from others.

Woodland areas might become overwhelmed as shanty towns are set up and sources of fresh water are soiled by sewage, and less skilled hunters than yourselves make clumsy attempts at hunting and use dynamite for fishing which will quickly deplete the local resources, meaning they'll all die out or be forced to move on to another area.

Perhaps I'm being overly pessimistic in imagining an ugly worst case scenario but of course the reason we prep is to avoid having to find out how monstrous people can be when their bellies aren't full.

I have started building up an excellent collection of books and look forward to devouring them from the comfort of my home while the world burns around us if necessary. Let's hope I'm wrong and it doesn't come to that.

silentrust · 29-05-2013 5:35pm

Returning to the topic at hand, I've decided to concentrate on keeping it clean this week, ventured into the City Centre (which I hate doing) to lay hands on the following:

- Job lot of toothbrushes (speaks for itself really).

- 8 packs of baby wipes (special offer in a small pharmacy in O'Connell street). Living with four women as I do we go through these fairly regularly but they need to be rotated anyway as they smell really bad when they go off. Bought unscented ones to reduce likelihood of this happening and placed spares inside ziplock Freezer bags. (Thanks to The Survialist Blog for the tip.

- Two cans of Foot powder. I have never used this before but it stands to reason that post collapse we'll be doing more walking and less laundry so hopefully this will stave off jungle foot.

- Several cheap sets of toenail/fingernail clippers for family use/trading. Once again something I wouldn't have thought off if it weren't for the good people at the Survivalist Blog.

- 10 rolls of heavy duty refuse sacks.

Can you ever have too many of these? :-)

aaakev · 29-05-2013 6:36pm

If you read back on all the old threads most people would agree (myself included) about bugging in and staying put as long as you can

You seem to have alot of bases covered too, fair play

silentrust · 30-05-2013 12:21pm

aaakev wrote: »

If you read back on all the old threads most people would agree (myself included) about bugging in and staying put as long as you can

You seem to have alot of bases covered too, fair play

I think your main issue if you are in an urban area is sanitation - in the short term making sure you've enough clean water for drinking, in the medium term enough to stay clean, I imagine there must be a section on here on sterilising water. I just add a few teaspoonfuls of bleach to the tap water I have stored - looking forward to having to heat hot water on the outdoor stove ordered from Amazon, will let you all know how it's going.

silentrust · 31-05-2013 12:31am

Bought several boxes of safety pins and ordered a spare sewing kit from eBay. I know you can just keep lots of spare clothing but space is at a premium so I prefer to make do and mend.

Tabnabs · 08-06-2013 8:55am

Another recce of backwoods areas in the Dublin mountains. Interesting to see where people are wild camping and making shelters. Also saw two fine looking rabbits and a decent size sitka deer all within relatively close proximity.

silentrust · 08-06-2013 9:01am

Tabnabs wrote: »

Another recce of backwoods areas in the Dublin mountains. Interesting to see where people are wild camping and making shelters. Also saw two fine looking rabbits and a decent size sitka deer all within relatively close proximity.

Imagine the area crammed with shanty towns, we live in very privileged times! :-)

mawk · 17-06-2013 11:03pm

A friend abroad mentioned that she wanted a type of Irish broach. So I decided that it was as good an excuse as any to try blacksmithing. I made a quick forge in the back garden and started practicing!

Really fun

mawk · 17-06-2013 11:07pm

Edited-

Snarky post deleted, no need for my smartarsing anymore

mawk · 17-06-2013 11:10pm

GY A1 · 20-06-2013 12:04am

chopped some more wind blown wood, which is stored and can dry away til next year

mawk · 23-06-2013 11:43pm

Today i prepared Just about nothing at all I must say.
Played some video games
Nice to have a day to relax sometimes.

ShadowFox · 24-06-2013 12:01pm

Over the weekend my 4 kids graded in Ta Quan Do so I've now got 3 purple and 1 brown belt protecting me. The other half and I train in Krav Maga and due to a back injurie I've needed to use a walking stick the last while and have been shown how to use it for best self defense. It's something id recommend to everyone learn to defend yourself. Mentality alone it makes you more aware of who and what is around you

ShadowFox · 24-06-2013 12:41pm

Just to point out I'm no way a fitness fanatic I'm 3xl in size and love my junk food. Never think you have to be super fit to train in self defence. Id rather stand and fight than run and get mugged or beaten up tired

Khannie · 24-06-2013 6:29pm

ShadowFox wrote: »

Just to point out I'm no way a fitness fanatic I'm 3xl in size and love my junk food. Never think you have to be super fit to train in self defence. Id rather stand and fight than run and get mugged or beaten up tired

I agree strongly with the post (I'd happily stay and take a hiding to give one), and I hate to say this, but I question the value of a lot of self defence classes, especially more traditional martial arts (general statement / not aimed at you). I think they instil a false sense of security in people. If you're not actively sparring against someone who is trying to spar with you in a way that will knock you out when used properly then it's confidence building but ultimately not terribly useful when push comes to shove.

I have stepped in the ring many times (Muay Thai) and by far the best thing I have taken away from my years of training, sparring and fighting was the ability to take a punch and move on. A lot of arts are never going to give you that, unfortunately because they assume a specific type of attacker or attack.

ShadowFox · 24-06-2013 7:56pm

Khannie wrote: »

I agree strongly with the post (I'd happily stay and take a hiding to give one), and I hate to say this, but I question the value of a lot of self defence classes, especially more traditional martial arts (general statement / not aimed at you). I think they instil a false sense of security in people. If you're not actively sparring against someone who is trying to spar with you in a way that will knock you out when used properly then it's confidence building but ultimately not terribly useful when push comes to shove.

I have stepped in the ring many times (Muay Thai) and by far the best thing I have taken away from my years of training, sparring and fighting was the ability to take a punch and move on. A lot of arts are never going to give you that, unfortunately because they assume a specific type of attacker or attack.

Thats why i like Krav Maga it teaches how to get out of a hold and how to fight dirty helped me alot over the years but i do agree most martial arts are great on a matt or in a ring but useless on the street as my kids get older they wil be doing krav maga

silentrust · 24-06-2013 9:58pm

ShadowFox wrote: »

Over the weekend my 4 kids graded in Ta Quan Do so I've now got 3 purple and 1 brown belt protecting me. The other half and I train in Krav Maga and due to a back injurie I've needed to use a walking stick the last while and have been shown how to use it for best self defense. It's something id recommend to everyone learn to defend yourself. Mentality alone it makes you more aware of who and what is around you

Agreed, I really used to enjoy Karate for that reason but I don't teach any more as all the male students decided that every lesson was actually a competition to compare the size of their egos. . . Nothing is more boring.

I trained one to one with a Kenpo Instructor which is well worth the expense if you can afford it. No inadequate boys trying to prove themselves.

aaakev · 24-06-2013 10:45pm

silentrust wrote: »

Agreed, I really used to enjoy Karate for that reason but I don't teach any more as all the male students decided that every lesson was actually a competition to compare the size of their egos. . . Nothing is more boring.

I trained one to one with a Kenpo Instructor which is well worth the expense if you can afford it. No inadequate boys trying to prove themselves.

Different strokes for different folks, i used to love sparing hard. It was never an ego thing ether, iv always trained with friends who are in the same mindset. I couldnt prepair for a fight be that in boxing or martial arts without sparing against someine who was going to hit me hard given the chance, it was the best way for me to learn. Many a focus pad to the jaw i got in boxing for dropping my left hand

fun times! Same as khannie it has thought me how to properly handle myself and i think more disaplined than someone without, iv had a few causes to use it and iv been able to control myself and keep a level head in the chaos..

silentrust · 25-06-2013 12:53am

In response to the OP though, the answer is I have been designing a chicken coop for my new house - looking forward to free eggs if I can find a way to make my own chicken feed from leftovers....

spynappels · 25-06-2013 10:29am

silentrust wrote: »

In response to the OP though, the answer is I have been designing a chicken coop for my new house - looking forward to free eggs if I can find a way to make my own chicken feed from leftovers....

Hens eat pretty much anything green as well as grubs and insects etc. Any patch of garden you put them in will be down to bare earth in a week, Just make sure you give them grit to ensure they can produce strong eggshells.

What did you do to prepare today?

Comments