Hello to all

[BallooTheBear]

Hello,

My name is Andy, 33 years old and I am from South Wales. I am new, extremely new to prepping, around 4-5 weeks. Stumbled upon the subject while browsing the web. I have done a some research on the matter and become more and more confused. I really understand the need to be prepared...
I thought it would be better to get advice rather than fumble my way through and get it wrong. I have started to think about my BOB and I think I've settled on a 5.11 72 hour rush back pack. That is the extent of my prepping so far...

Any thoughts would be most welcome!

Balloo

[unsure]

hello and welcome .
best advice i can give at the minute ,is do you intend to bug out to your family , friends or to a hotel if you had to .
no point in lugging a tarp and food if your heading to a hotel ,on the other hand if you intend to run to the hills so to speak no point taking shower gel

[BallooTheBear]

Hi unsure,

Thank you for your reply, I think my plan would be to bug out to my mothers approximately 50 miles away. She lives in a rural area. It is where I plan to start stocking food reserves etc. When the shtf I think I would prefer to stick to the hills and avoid towns/cities. I can only imagine what will happen in populated areas when resources become depleted. Also plenty to hunt and fish in my mothers area.

[BallooTheBear]

Hello unsure,
Thank you for your reply.

I think my plan is to bug out to my mothers, she lives approximately 50 miles away in a rural area. It is also where I plan to stock pile food reserves. I think I would prefer to stick to the countryside and avoid towns/cities. I can only imagine what happens to populated areas when supplies become depleted.

Being out in the country side suits me down to the ground - not really a city slicker, also plenty to fish/hunt wtshtf

[tigs]

Welcome to the forum

If you are bugging in or out the main points to consider are food ,water ,shelter ,heat, medication and information/communications . If you are bugging out transport is added to it

There may look like a lot to think about but in time it will come together

[Deeps]

Welcome, as others have said, you need to figure out what YOU are prepping for, not some guy on youtube is prepping for (they are handy for ideas though). Do you live on a flood plain or are you liable to be snowed in etc etc. If you don't have anything specific like that do you intend to stay put or run to the hills and question why this is your choice. Are you prepping for (or secretly on behalf of) others ?

That's not as complex as it maybe sounds, a lot of it will be pretty intuitive, but once you have an idea of why ? You can start getting things together, some things will always be vital, water, food and something to cook/heat it on, shelter (includes warm clothes, sleeping gear, tents/tarps etc) even if you plan on staying put. Basic meds and lighting/batteries etc. Again, not that daunting, and you don't have to rush out and get it all in a oner. Every trip to the supermarket buy that wee bit more and it soon accumulates, you're looking at a minimum of about 3 litres per person per day of water. If you're primary plan is to 'bug out' then you're looking at the toys to put in your bag but there are plenty more qualified on here than me for that stuff.

Good luck with it all mate.

[Ranger]

Hi Andy,

I'd second that. All depends what you are prepping for mate. There are a huge number of things which need to be considered but it all starts with the cause. For me there are a range of things which I am considering. However whatever you decide there is always going to be sacrifices being made in terms of choosing one thing over another.

A couple of things to consider are how many people do you include your prepping plan to include. Doing it by yourself is less hassle to arrange but ultimately I wouldn't recommend it because its hard to do all the jobs that need to be done solo never mind dealing with the loneliness or how you would support yourself if you got sick or injured.

Leading on from this I believe its the skills and knowledge which a person possesses to be the most valuable thing you can have. The more knowledge you have, the less you need to own. Lots of people have this fantastical idea that should SHTF they will just hunt or forage what they need, but I don't think that's entirely realistic. I've been out hunting heaps of times and returned with nothing. Also if you are interested in living on wild food buy yourself a good identification book and enrol on some workshops. Its much easier to correctly identify the correct plants if you are shown, partly because they can look very different as the seasons change.

Also consider what is realistically achievable given the time and money as well as other commitments you have.

My plan is going to have change massively now I am returning to live in the UK instead of New Zealand. Thankfully no risk of Volcanic eruptions, Tsunamis, or Earthquakes in England, unlike here

[BallooTheBear]

Hello Ranger,

Thank you for the warm welcome and advice!

I am starting to realize "the more I learn, the less I know" applies. I am extremely keen to participate in some of the bush craft weekenders. I am thinking of the Bush craft show 2016 near Swadlincote as my first one. Hopefully by May, I will have acquired some equipment and knowledge so as not to look too out of place.

With regards to numbers, its just myself and the good lady. Our plan is to head off to my mothers as previously mentioned. My mum thinks I am slightly... over the top, shall we say regarding prepping. I tried to ask what she thinks would happen were it to snow heavily for a week or two and the lorries couldn't deliver to the shops. Or there was some sort of melt-down/attack/shut-down of the gas/water/electric companies. Her response is a dismissive "there must be back-ups!" After these sorts of comments I realize now, more than ever how blind some people can be. My wife is slightly more interested however, more for my sake than anything I fear. So I guess what I am saying is, I am prepping for 3!

I have a plan!.. well an idea, my good lady hails from Transylvania (no Dracula jokes ) and just an hours drive from her mum's is the Carpathian mountain range. (where Top Gear drove 'the best road in the world' - as did I two years ago, albeit in her grandfathers Renault symbol; top speed 60 mph!) Well there is 1000's of square miles of wilderness to practice my 'Bear Grills' alter ego. In the summer the temperature can reach 35+ and in the winter -40. The brother-in-law is a camping/hiking fanatic and goes off for days at a time in all seasons. He has offered to take me and teach me the ways of the force, which I am seriously considering for my next visit. The only issue I have is the Bears and Wolves...

Any who, I've gone off on a tangent... I meant to ask if fellow Preppers ever meet up for the weekend, to practice and or share experience and knowledge?

Best of luck with your move back home, I hope it is a smooth transition for you and yours.

Balloo

[Arzosah]

Welcome to the forum! Prepping can be very big, but just take it step by step.

I tried to ask what she thinks would happen were it to snow heavily for a week or two and the lorries couldn't deliver to the shops.

I think you need to ask yourself the same question - in a week or two of heavy snow, wouldn't it be safer to sit it out with your partner where you currently live?

Or there was some sort of melt-down/attack/shut-down of the gas/water/electric companies.

Long term, heading to your mum's rural place might be more appropriate, yes, but there's a whole host of things that might happen before that. The most common shtf event is a housefire. Do you keep a torch by your bed? Do you have a safe backup for your financials and photographs somewhere safe? What if you're in a fairly minor car accident and your seatbelt gets jammed, do you have a seatbelt cutter on your keyring? (I love seatbelt cutters!).

I meant to ask if fellow Preppers ever meet up for the weekend, to practice and or share experience and knowledge?

There might be, Balloo, but thats a specifically bushcrafty type thing

[fifeprepper]

hi mate gear at hand or already in a BOL is vital water fire making equipment saw small axe warm cloths boots a tarp or 2 is a must for shelter evem a Bug Out bike can be safer than a car/van. also candles boots food if going to a more permanent BOL a very handy stove is the frontier stove I use one in my shed for heat /cooking and its portable as the chimney flu breaks down and everything fits inside put in a bag and that's the heat cooking sorted also a small folding woodburn stove and or trangia burner is imo a must,a location that has fresh water is handy as is a lake/loch that has trout pike almost forgot to add snare wire [yes I know its illegal in some areas but it push comes to shove you will be using a snare] ...ATB take care stay safe...col