Best preppin' tip. Don't announce it.

[Dmach10]

Low key is indeed the way to go. As far as people keeping info on who's prepping, I don't think that's how it'll go down. I was leaning more towards local people who may have picked up on your preps whilst browsing on YT. If it ever came to a SHTF situation they will be aware of you and your preparations and might simply ask for help. But then again they might also get a little posse together in an effort to relieve you of your prepping efforts.

Not using a car is certainly important if you can do without it. 4 people on mountain bikes, each with a BOB & travelling after dark is the best way to get from A to B. Each BOB will carry the equipment needed to fix things like punctures and minor repairs. Nothing too heavy that'll weigh them down. I'd have more larger stuff like spare tyres and other replacement parts stashed away somewhere safe near the area you are heading to.
I haven't done this yet myself, but it is on my list of extras once the essential preps have been taken care of. The added bonus of bikes is that they are silent (if maintained) and require no fuel.

Definitely worth looking into if you haven't already thought about it

[SooBee]

Hiding in full sight is how to do it. Misguiding people is good too. It all depends on the people though. If you live in a supportive village, which is the best for long-term survival, it is better to guide them rather than fool them. That way there won't be ill feeling when you need help from them.

The bug-out thing would need to be short term because of supplies and renewing them.
Community and pooling of skills and assets is essential long-term.

The assumption is that all idiots will die - but some of them will learn and get nastier. (Pop-guns at the ready?)
A community does have more pop-gun possibilities but is less likely to want to use them than a bunch of survivalist loonies would be.

I still feel that prepping in a community environment is more likely to go long-term and I think that it suits most people better, so chatting to friends about it in a gentle constructive way is not quite so counter-productive as you hidey-hole types would think.

Nobody is superman and we all need help sometime.

Soobee
-

[Cocotte]

(Pop-guns at the ready?)
A community does have more pop-gun possibilities but is less likely to want to use them than a bunch of survivalist loonies would be.

It'll now be some time before I can stop picturing an Alamo siege on barricaded country village firing lumps of corks at each other sounding like someone's walking over bubble wrap.

[SooBee]

Don't you just love being a prepper?!!
Permission to let imagination run riot without having to accept the diagnosis of 'nutcase'.

Very few of us are mad (OK...a bit potty) but it does no harm to check ourselves now and then

I like to think I pass the tinfoil test by having a chuckle now and then.


Soobee

[grenfell]

I've mentioned in another post somewhere that it may even be worth getting clothes that are too large to make it look as if you are losing weight rather than remaining reasonably well fed.

Really good idea...

or as Soobee points out my imagination is running wild

[SooBee]

Nope...just a timely reminder that I need to slim down a bit anyway and this could be a good reason.
Now where is the spade? I need to clear the jungle that appeared when I had a broken finger and couldn't get all the digging done earlier this year.
Maybe a machete might be more to the point...?


Soobee

[SaintJimmy671]

I've been having a good long think about this one. The only person that knows I prep is my mother, and luckily she's pretty logical and level-headed so she thinks it's a good idea. Unfortunately, she doesn't have much interest in doing anything herself but that's fine because if SHTF, I'll be saving her anyway - Like it or not!

Now generally I agree about not telling people I prep but I also agree with other folk that there's strength in numbers, and to be honest if I have to bug out I don't fancy living alone for years in the ar*e-end of nowhere. So...my question is: how many people is the ideal number?
I know if it's possible to have a community band together that would be grand, but if things go bum-over-boob very quickly and I have to get out of dodge as soon as possible, how many people to take? (assuming I have lots of prepper-friendly mates at my disposal)

After a lot of thought I reckon maybe 4-6?

ps. Apologies if this goes off on a tangent a bit but I couldn't find any more suitable places to ask

[Arzosah]

Jimmy, its a good question, and 4 - 6 might be a good number, but the assumption you've made is the weak point, as I think you know yourself - "assuming i have lots of prepper friendly mates at my disposal" - yep, thats the bugbear

As well as the concept of bugging out ... where would you go, if it was for years? Where would be better than where you are now? With your mother ... surely its about making your current environment safe, and your mother's (no point preparing to bug out if your place is so vulnerable that your preps get stolen before you can move ), and making those friends/finding those local preppers.

I think my small town might be surviveable if anything bad happened, but I don't know anyone who might be of a prepping mentality except two neighbours, one over the road, and one next-door-but-one. And I've just found an existing acquaintance, who's becoming a friend, who might also be of a prepping mentality. Not sure about any of them, but thats the sort of thing to be on the lookout for, I think, not deciding ahead of time how many friends you want to bug out with, when you don't have the friends yet.

I'm not preaching from on high here - I'm in the same boat, going it alone and trying to think who might be safe to share knowledge and prepping skills with beforehand, and cooperate with after any event.

[SaintJimmy671]

I can't make up my mind about this one - I know of 3 folk I like (well one is tolerable, the other 2 I like!) who are definitely of the prepper mentality, although whether they've actually made any preps is a different matter. As for making up the rest of the numbers, I can think of a few people who I'm almost certain would be open to the idea and would be very valuable if the excretion hits the rotation.

As for the BOLs, there are 3 reasonably nearby and I've spend a full week at each with just the BOB and I'm confident of their sustainability medium to long term.

You're definitely spot on when it comes to mother dearest, though - she lives in a small village full of curtain-twitchers who'd all be looking out for each other (like it or not!) and bugging in is definitely the preferable choice.

Sorry, probably should have explained most of that in the first post - I was on nightshift at the time and running on caffeine. Reading it back, it does kinda give the impression I'd be roaming the half-destroyed streets asking randomers if they have any food stores and fancy a little holiday to my woodland retreat(s)

[Briggs]

I live in a small village, one pub, one crossroad and about forty houses dotted around the nearby countryside. The nearest supermarket and petrol stations is a 20 mile round trip. Because of our remoteness, it's almost illogical not to store fuel and food to get by for a week or two but some of my neighbours still live like they are right next door to a Tesco Express and a Shell Petrol station. We've been snowed in twice this year with intermittent power outs and I'm often amazed at some of my neighbours who's back up plan appears to be nothing more than head to the pub for food and warmth. (Sean of the Dead style). That's why I tend to prep alone so I'm self sufficient in food, fuel and motor repairs and I have a BOL if things did go totally pear-shaped. I'm fortunate in some respects because my wife has the same outlook. She's currently investigating how to freeze-dry venison and I noticed Amazon has recently delivered a bulk pack of sachet drinks, a multi-fuel stove and a wind-up radio/torch. She's also been wrapping more paracord around her the neck-knife in her BOB. (I'm not kidding, she does a pretty good job!)

So, we just keep our prepping to ourselves and assist our neighbours when it's necessary but this raises an important question in my mind: At what point do my wife and I decide enough is enough and we don't answer the door to requests for assistance. I'm sure we will handle that dilemma should it ever arise and I often think needy neighbours will be the deciding factor for when we head for the BOL.

Briggs