Are you truly prepared?

Discussion in 'General Survival and Preparedness' started by urbancowboy, Jan 15, 2011.


  1. urbancowboy

    urbancowboy Monkey+

    Am glad to have found a decent board with like-minded individuals. Here is my question to all of you- are you truly prepared? I apologize if there is already a thread that covers this but it is something worth thinking about. Aimed more at those planning to bug out in a SHTF/TEOTWAWKI situation:

    You may have a all the gear in the world, all the food/water you think you'll ever need, but how do you plan to get it to your bugout location or put your bug-in plan in action? How's your fitness level? If you on your way home from work and SHTF, the freeway comes to a screeching halt 20 miles from your driveway, how do you plan to get there? Are you READY to make the journey back to your home to gather your supplies to bug out? Many have 60-80lbs of gear they say they are going to bring, yet have not put a single mile on their boots with that much weight.

    I am part of a small group of close friends who are of the survivalist school of thought. We decided that we needed to practice to see how we did. The first time was a horrible failure. Since then, we have improved our skills, figured out the best configurations for our packs, etc. We hike about once, sometimes twice per week. Our most recent hike (in the snow) was 16 miles, moderate elevation gain/loss with about 60lb packs each.

    I encourage all survival enthusiasts like myself to actually get out there and PRACTICE bugging out (or in, if you are so inclined.) That way you work out the kinks and when you really do need to get out of dodge and put your plan in place, you and your family/team/group/whatever will perform like a well-oiled machine. Get out there and pound sand!

    Cheers,
    urb

    PS Lights Out was an amazing read. I am going to throw a copy of it in my BOB. ;)
     
  2. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    Urb, I think no one here is truly prepared to the extent desired. I guess it's why we are here, to find out what we are missing, and different ways to fill in the blanks. We'll be very interested in your experiences testing things out, and particularly the successes and failures. Gear reviews, techniques, division of labor and how that division was arrived at in the field will find it's way into our knowledge base. You may very well find useful tips on the site as you get more familiar with the layout. Welcome aboard.
     
  3. TnAndy

    TnAndy Senior Member Founding Member

    As ghrit says, no one is truly prepared.

    An internet buddy of mine puts it this way: "To be ready is not".....meaning if you think you've got everything covered, you just haven't found the holes yet....but you will :D.
     
  4. urbancowboy

    urbancowboy Monkey+

    Good points, both of you. We will never be as prepared as we want to be, thats for sure. But as we've all heard since we were kids, "practice makes perfect."

    I hope I didn't offend anyone I was only offering a reminder to everyone (sometimes even myself) to not just store gear away and say you're prepared, but to get out there and take what you've learned and put it to use.

    I am looking forward to contributing what I have learned about gear I've used, field applications and anything else that someone may have questions about.

    urb
     
  5. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    I wouldn't say "No one" I would say "Very Few" in that if the SHTF down in the FlatLands, it wouldn't make much difference out here where I live for a couple of years, except there would be No Mail Delivery each week, and the internet and telephone connections would go dead. Oh Yea, forgot the direcTv would stop as well... I am that far out...
     
  6. sarawolf

    sarawolf Monkey+++

    We are already in the boonies as some would say. Sometimes I think not far enough in the boonies lol.
    We don't get mail delivery either. That's no problem either for us lol. Except right now dh still works down in town. And if there was a problem he could walk home in a few hours.
    He has walked home 3 miles form the State road shop in a blinding blizzard in 3 feet of snow with much higher drifts and though nothing of it.
    I said he was crazy and that it was dangerous and he still says no big deal. He grew up in Ohio when they had tons of snow.
    I don't know if someone can be completely prepared but hope we all can do the best we can.
     
  7. Disciple

    Disciple Monkey+

    We are deffinatly trying to get prepaired to the best of our capability. Right now working on a more rural location like on a nice gravel road off a secondary side road, where i can have a few acres for my new home......Here is my problem right now My better half and I are living in an apartment in a small Iowa town near the minnesota border. I am looking for a great location with a decent house on the property so we can move in and get started in seriously building our reserves. i have the plan in place and what we cant store here we put them in a friends basement, and go from there. so the work has started and going.
     
  8. dragonfly

    dragonfly Monkey+++

    I figure IF I had around $75,000 and another 5 years, then YES, I could be prepared...Until then,...... nope!
     
  9. CANDY fISHER

    CANDY fISHER Monkey+

    well my kids and I plan a 2 day bug in this next month. we have our little stove ( plan on getting 2 more different ones and other fuels SOON) will be turning out the lights, water etc and just trying to live with out these things. Im a grandmother and live where its always stable ( power never goes out) so we will bug in and do our best to go through 2 days of going with out, cooking on our little stove and even baking breads and baking in our new little oven that goes on top of the stove.
    we have only stated preparing as far as foods etc. but we pray we have time to get at least a years stuff in or more and continue going down our lists. will let you know how it went.
    my main concern is a toilet,but not sure about what to do right now. Im a grand mother who is raising grand babies so its just me and the kiddies. I saw a compost toilet that was real cool, just need to find someone to make it for us. :)

    YouTube - Loveable Loo Eco-Friendly Compost Toilet
     
  10. sarawolf

    sarawolf Monkey+++

    Good luck candy fisher. I will love to hear how things went for you and yours.
     
  11. CANDY fISHER

    CANDY fISHER Monkey+

    Im going to keep notes on how the kids do,and all we get accomplished. my 16 year old says OMG mom 2 days with out water except to drink and cook with? 2 days with out paower ? LOL yep 2 days girl ! I will let you know! :) we plan on the weekend of February 18th through the 20th. :)
    since we have never been camping, and Im not the best cook, we are looking at how to bake bread, how to cook on a camp stove and basically do with out the things we have always depended on. this summer we are going to go camping and learn more about living out side the house, if only a few days a week ( I work and my 16 year old works) so weekends will be fun!
     
  12. Joseph Thomas

    Joseph Thomas Monkey+

    Candy, go to beprepared.com. They have a five gallon portable toilet kit with the enzymes to digest waste. A must have in my opinion before you make more long term waste preparations.
     
  13. CANDY fISHER

    CANDY fISHER Monkey+

    thanks will go look.( might b what we will use for the first bug in time :) we really want to try the one I had pictured. we can empty it and put it away until the time comes to use it for good, but thought we would try the "real thing " so we can say we did 2 days full off the grid and full disaster preparedness.
     
  14. mysterymet

    mysterymet Monkey+++

    Even though we are planning on bugging in (at least at this poit) hubby and I play the bug out game. Give yourself 10 minutes to get what ever you can and get on the road. Then you can take it even farther and try and camp with just that over the weekend. Next you can try 5 minutes then 1 minute to leave the house. It is interesting to see what you take and what you forget... The more you practice the more efficient you'll get!
     
  15. Robryan

    Robryan Monkey+

    If you have prepared enough for 1 week you are ahead of probably 85% of the population, which would give you time to think what is your next step while everyone else is out looting.
    If you have prepared enough for 1 month you will be able to start implementing your next step maybe harden your home or prepare to bug out while everyone else is just trying to survive.
    If you have prepared enough for several months you should be able to hunker down until the main treat is over.
    If you have prepared enough for 6 months you probably can last long enough to start living more and more off the land and even be eating some of your own produce.
     
  16. Falcon15

    Falcon15 Falco Peregrinus

    Candy and anyone else looking at Humanure composting: this is a very HARD thing to try, especially for a novice without any kind of training outside of a video/book. Even at seminars they explain how difficult and potentially dangerous it is.
     
  17. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    In a word? No. I have been prepping seriously for more years than I want to admit and am very well prepared for almost anything except for whatever happens next. Johnny Rocko, in Key Largo said it best "yea, I want more. That's it: more."
     
  18. dragonfly

    dragonfly Monkey+++

    That's my PROBLEM. I have MORE! More than I can carry, and a LOT more than I can move! With all I have ( and it's probably around 4 1/2 to 5 tons) I always seem to discover things I don't have (might need) and there's no money to get/stock up on, the most important things....My biggest downfall is the lack of manpower.
     
  19. hank2222

    hank2222 Monkey+++

    i have been doing this since 1982 time frame and i can not count the times i failed in trying to do something and i learned from those time i failed more than the times i passed with flying colors..

    your failures are the ones that teach you more than anything else..now iam getting old i know that i can not pack a 50 pds pack for long distance so i learn to do things in a more shortern distance and time frames than in a long distance run to the cabin ..so it more of knowing your basic limits and time that you can do and not do ..
     
  20. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    I love the book, too. However, it weighs a freaking ton!
     
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