Four Great Preparedness Myths

All I'm saying is that it can be done.

You're quoting the tactics of a proficient and trained military unit. Ok, fine. What if the defenders are proficient and trained? What if they add planning to the mix?
It is much harder to attack than defend.

The author contends that mere numbers would preclude you from defending your turf.
Why bother?

I'll give you this: concealment is a much better tactic - but the author even strikes that one out. So what does he leave us with? Hoping that the bad guys will be "nice" and only take a little?
Please.

 

It is harder to attack than defend;,But No; but some things are not survivable, no matter how many guns are in the locker.. I like guns as much as the next guy. I just don't believe they make you bulletproof...

"what ifs"
go on ad infinitum ( all night) and can't be argued; there's always a worse "what if". "what if" someone in your group sells out and leaves a gate open; (what if your teenage daughter sneaks out see her new boyfriend and leaves a gate unlocked.) , what if you don't see their best shooter (in a good ghillie a regular hathcock wannabe) slow crawl within 100meters and put the cross hairs on your eyebrows.We can't know if it can be done , only you will know.when the sunrises and you are still intact,with all your beanie weinies accounted for....
If the military or federalized fema police don't want you there or want to redistribute your obviously hidden supplies, they excel at hitting fixed targets.It's what they do.I always get in verbal skirmishes over stuff like this because I agree with the myths.and disagree with the ability to Know much of anything. If any of our usual teotwaki scenarios playedout i believe( don't know) life is going to be lived on the edge, hungry mean and dirty with the daily possibility of a future measured in hours..
" i.e, no plan survives contact with the enemy.Is it uselessto plan? Of course not. If things go according to plan you obviously plan to win so it works. You are right you won't alway be confronted by smart well trained disciplined adversaries.

Perhaps that will be enough (grease a few idiots between episodes of "ow my balls") until life gets"back" to the new normal? Then we can declare a success.

 

Yep. I tell most 500 of pistol and 1,000 of MBR will be more than enough.

(Although given repeated incidences....
Few warning rounds or 'altercations' etc over time...)

Better to have it and not need it...

I havn't had .30 carbine in 6-7 years...
Still have mags and ammo (As ONE example)

 

Right now I'm one of those 'homeless vets' you read about.

I put my goods into storage and took off on one of my bikes once school ended.

Living offa it for 6 weeks. (THen moving into my new place)

Last year It was over a month.

Doing things like that, or sleeping outside a bit helps 'reprioratise' your mindset...


I believe 'situation dictates'

ETA: But it won't be fun.

 

Done painted myself into a corner for no good reason I don'twan to make any enemies at 2am. I don't wanna play anymore. goodnight moon...

 

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Whaa questions (???)
I find myself arguing over whatis essentially a philosphical p.o.v... there's a word for that,and I've never taken philosophy...

The word"please" as in "please gimme a break"above was a Particularly effective poke in the ribs at 2a.m. after a couple of fosters...



I give: "uncle"...
(????) Need more "satisfaction"?

More Ammunition is good to have on hand...

Its entirely possible you can guard your provisions against any and all challenges....

not every hungry bunch with mohawk haircuts is going to form an effective looting party....

 

I generally agree. Great post.

 

How long will the seeds last and still be plant-able and how do you have to store them? I am planning on getting a supply of seeds to use for sprouting but haven't found a lot on how long they will store.

 

Ajax, sorry it took so long to get back to you. I ordered heirloom seeds from Burpee in late winter and they have been planted and are thriving plants now..I also ordered some heirloom seeds from Emergency Essentials. They are in the freezer as advised. I think they'll be fine for use next year and thereafter.

 

this particular brand says they will last for 5 years

Costco - Food For Health Emergency Garden Seeds

 

myth 1... against a really determined horde that has no thought about casualities is a no brainer your toast... by your self... again toast... if you have a community based plan with fall back locations and can spend the first week doing extra prep work... maybe because there will be other places that are less well prepared than you...

myth 2 ammo... the only thing worse than an empty gun is no gun...(at least you can bluff with an empty gun...) but there is a limit to the amount you can carry so i cache some in different areas... i tend to have guns with similar calibres so tghose i tend to have more... and cheap ammo is a no brainer.. i've picked up a bunch at yard sales cheap...

Myth 3 i tend to stock the stuff i can't grow or get in the area... and stff that keeps so beans,rice,sugar, spices,tea,coffee,etc... a 9 month supply should do it that will allow me to have my crops startto come in so i can start to replace what i've used...

myth 4... amen like combat with no resupply and no r&r...

 

The military has artillery and mines-you will just have to improvise A&O.
Ammo and arms for barter will be one of your most valuable and sought after items.
Food and water(filtration) make the days go much easier. Dry stored grains and a mill mixed with a bit of oil and condiments will go a long way. We have about a 4 month supply of rations and hopefully triple that in grains/pastas/etc.
Nothing is fun if you are dodging incoming or living in fear of imminent attack. Good scheduling of work/play/manpower will mark the good leaders.

 

i have a large stock seeds and plants plus about a years worth of stores
BUT there is no such thing as to much .

 

if's, and's, or but's....

Complicated questions/myth's and even more complicted answers....
I think it all depends on the particulars and scenario's presented at the time...Far too many variables and unknown FACTOR's are not represented in either the questions/answers or myth's....
Sure, you could DO a lot of things, "IF"......
"And", given the right preparations and supplies.....
"But", not in all cases.....
For instance:
A single person or even 2 or 3, may be able to out maneuver the "horde" and survive.
It has been shown ( most recently in news reports) of a single man or woman survivng for 6 to 10 days on their own, with no assistance, no supplies, and only their wits!
Many years back, people COULD effectively "live off the land", and had no need for stores or caches of food. That has changed, people have changed, and few have the skills or knowledge to even attempt such a thing today.
It's a matter of perspective.
Do you see a "horde" of several, a hundred, or even thousands overrunning you, to get what you have?
I guess it really all does depend, like real estate: "location, location, location".
Improbable to impossible, to carry enough food and water to keep you alive for a LONG time.....
Same for any multitude of weapons and ammo.
I have read a FEW "doom and gloomer porn" as it is called anymore, referring to fictional survival novels.....And it's basically all the same. Many against a few. In reality, those few would lose by simple default: lack of manpower.....The "HORDES" always would win...
Or,..... would they?
It takes a LOT to keep any large mass of humans together, food, water, shelter, and someone has to be the KING!
There is always dissent amongst the ranks, always has been, always will be. That alone would be their undoing!
The heirarchy is the weak-link in the chain.
Yes, it could happen, for a time, a short lived time however. Too many personalities, too many egos, too many wants unfulfilled!
It falls apart under it's own weight.
Honestly, I fail to see where hordes, or gangs, or bikers, will roam the entire United States, looking for wine, women, and song!
What would feed say 6-12 people, will feed 2 or 3 much much longer!
It all comes down to semantics.....

I am not in the least concerned with the horde's, or the rest, only the locals that will come, and they WILL COME!
Few here would have any qualms about defending their homes, and families from the "intruder's".....BUT, what about the guy down the street?
He's a threat, it's real, and he's at you door, NOW!
That is a REAL SCENARIO!
Not fictional, not "IFFY".
Things go sideways, the tires come off the cart, the balloon goes up, TSHTF, TEOTWAWKI, whatever you want to call it....societal breakdown..
Hunger, thirst, need for shelter, and protection...Now that's real!
They will come! You will have to make your first, and perhaps "ONLY" stand at that point.
It's UGLY. No way around that. This person may have been a neighbor, a mailman, a co-worker, or a distant relative....perhaps a "former" friend.
"IF" you, (the ANT), are defending your family and the preparations you have painstakingly acquired, while the (grasshopper) was at the movies, starbucks, or whatever, squandering their money....where does that leave you? You either defend, or you allow access to your supplies.
Reality really sucks huh?

 

Nothing to add, just a thanks for posting this exchange.

"Truth springs from argument amongst friends." - David Hume