The Anti-prepper prepper

[rik_uk3]

You disagree I disagree , here hoping you dont have to find out the hard way .

J

I'll be fine, you will come a cropper

Gee thanks , yawn .

Take off the tin foil hat and breath in the air, you really must be mobile and have alternative locations and stocks with people you can trust...I don't see how you can't understand. Rigid isolation is just that, your isolated and basically living off your ever dwindling supplies with the 24/7 possibility of loosing everything you and your loved ones have. You can board up your home, have weapons etc but when you stay put and are under threat your stuffed, finished, starving, dead potentially.

There is a lot more to 'prepping' that stocking up on food. Food stock is a very basic requirement of any concept of long term survival.

How many people here camp in winter? Its OK having loads of kit but you and your loved ones are buggered if the first time you try your goodies out is when you have to.

Get off you bums (not particularly you) and go and set up your kit in the cold and wet with your family, learn to use it, learn to use it because IF, and for me its a doubtful 'if' social unrest would drive you from your homes, you will be will be very far up poo creek with no paddles; you'd not last a month.

[jonb]

A very interesting and thought provoking thread........

Lots of very good points , certainly about the "marauders" and "gangs".

This forum is full of people who have practical skills or are acquiring them, most of us born in the seventies (showing my age now ) can make and fix things , its a mind set.

The modern man ( or woman ) and youth can do nothing and I mean nothing, they have no practical skills and pay for those of us who have this knowledge to repair their world.

The point to my post ( sorry for the prologue ) is in a SHTF scenario these gangs will last, in my opinion a relatively short time.

Think of the skill sets you have or are learning and consider how many of those skills the group of lads hanging round the local shops / park have mastered ?

As the 2011 riots showed they can smash a window or door and grab a TV or pair of trainers but those skills will not keep them alive for long.

In previous posts, to get back on topic, keep your preps private or among a trusted group.
Be able to bug in or bug out as conditions dictate.

Keep looking for new skills to improve your survival chances for you and yours.

Jon

[sfcfinchrs]

You raise a very good point there jonb.

Not a great deal of skill out there these days.

I only wanted to chime in a bit to bring up something that came to mind.

I see people in SHTF in a few categories. Sheep, Sheep dogs, Shepard, Predator and Hunter. Please do not think I am disparaging anyone by this. Other than the predators of course.

Sheep - are most of the population that just wants to live a happy life.
Sheep Dogs - Are close protectors of their community with skills and willingness to serve as a protector.
Shepard's - Are the leaders of the community. Different levels of altruism here, yet doing it for the right reasons.

Predators - Now this is interesting. Anyone has the potential to be a predator. I believe you cross that line when you make a habit of taking the easiest route. You see, in an OH Crap environment it is always difficult to do the morally right thing. It is so very easy to do the wrong thing. Just ask any combat experienced Serving or Veteran.

So where is this leading? the community or group will most likely have the mix that allows for it to protect itself from the average threat. Getting all wrapped up in worrying about the predators out there, you have forgotten something. There is also a significant minority in your society that have served at the sharp end already as societies hunters. Do you really think that the majority of your combat veterans are going to sit on there backsides in a crisis and let predators ply their trade with impunity?

Now before you accidentally put your own foot in your own backside with a stupid reply. I want you to remember one very simple and undeniable fact. "They have already proven their fidelity. They have already put their lives on the line for societies protection." So please do not question that fidelity and willingness in the future.

So just a little reminder to predators. Hunters were made for you.

Ok.... Serious stuff over


Peace all................

[jansman]

I suspect that the 'Bug Out' merchants are of a * certain age*
I am with poppiesdad here. I am of an age that I ain't runnin' away. Of course, if the house flooded or some such , then we would go to an hotel, or family. We have bags to do that.
As for this fantasy -run- to - the - woods- I'll - live - off- the -land-nonsense...go and put your tarpaulin up, and get under it in your sleeping bag now-in your back yard. Do it for three nights. In between ,live on shit, and naff all water. When you are sleep-deprived and under fed, dehydrated and probably hypothermic, then tell me 'bugging out 'is a good idea.
And before you say I don't know what I am talking about, I do. I served in Her Majesty's Royal Marines. I have reached my half century, and served back then where we were sent. One of them cold and horrible. Made me appreciate home comforts.
Sitting here with my cat on my lap, dog at feet all in front of the wood stove , no way Iam living in a hole in the ground.

[Plymtom]

Sitting here with my cat on my lap, dog at feet all in front of the wood stove , no way Iam living in a hole in the ground.

Agreed and ditto about the cat at any rate, the dog farts too much to let her stay that close it's not an easy choice to bug in, more a combination of realizing the limitations of the family (some are disabled) and finances ( we can't afford multiple stock piles) as for alternative locations/friends, realistically it is very doubtful we could get out of the city in the manner a bug out advocate would suggest, we are very well aware that in many scenarios we would be screwed and fighting to survive but such is life, the bug out option looks closer to suicide.

[grenfell]

I too have to agree with jansman . Bug out for a very localised short term event like flooding but other than that I would consider it largely a non starter for a long term policy. It also assumes that only a very few people would leave their homes leaving the countryside all pristine and full of forage.
The other reason it's not high on my list of priorities and I don't have a ready packed rucksack sitting by the front door is that I really don't believe that such a sudden event is that likely . I'm more of a believer of the slow crash scenario taking anything from a year or two to a couple of decades and I struggle to see how bug out sits in that scenario .

[Arzosah]

I don't have a ready packed rucksack sitting by the front door is that I really don't believe that such a sudden event is that likely.

I agree with you, jansman and plymtom on everything except this - mine isn't by the front door, its 2 steps from my bed, and always packed - house fires! Thats a sudden shtf event that can leave you with nothing! My rucksack has clothes to get me to a hotel, a flash drive with the contents of my computer, a packet of dried apricots for comfort food, and a notebook with addresses, finance details, and website logins. Gives me great peace of mind.

[lonewolf]

I have to agree about the skills thing, we now live in a throw away society, its cheaper to throw it away and buy new than to repair anything, have you tried to get an electrician lately? every tradesman says "i'll ring you back"-but they DONT! post SHTF skills will be the thing, knowing how to repair things. also I know lots of people on all the forums THINK they will be joining groups whether larger family groups or community groups, all I would say is if you don't know the people(intimately) then DONT trust them, there is nothing worse than putting your survival in the hands of people you've only known for 5 minutes (or 5 weeks or 5 months).

[Plymtom]

I don't have a ready packed rucksack sitting by the front door is that I really don't believe that such a sudden event is that likely.

I agree with you, jansman and plymtom on everything except this - mine isn't by the front door, its 2 steps from my bed, and always packed - house fires! Thats a sudden shtf event that can leave you with nothing! My rucksack has clothes to get me to a hotel, a flash drive with the contents of my computer, a packet of dried apricots for comfort food, and a notebook with addresses, finance details, and website logins. Gives me great peace of mind.

I have to say, I cannot argue with that it makes good sense, not that I don't have bug out gear which varies with the seasons, it is tempting to make a list for each of us for a bag, pets stuff, and other things that should not be left behind if avoidable.

[ForgeCorvus]

I don't have a ready packed rucksack sitting by the front door is that I really don't believe that such a sudden event is that likely.

I agree with you, jansman and plymtom on everything except this - mine isn't by the front door, its 2 steps from my bed, and always packed - house fires! Thats a sudden shtf event that can leave you with nothing! My rucksack has clothes to get me to a hotel, a flash drive with the contents of my computer, a packet of dried apricots for comfort food, and a notebook with addresses, finance details, and website logins. Gives me great peace of mind.

A Sister-Bag. Everyone should have one
Even if you don't go for the full BoB or INCH kit