Emergency Preparedness / Prepping
 

The Coronavirus thread has evolved into a "prepping" thread so I thought we could move out of that thread. Post your hints, tips, and suggestions for surviving after a natural disaster or all-out SHTF.

To kick thing off:
1) Plan ahead. Trying to obtain food, water, etc when a catastrophe hits is going to be very difficult - you'll be competing for limited resources with everyone else.
2) People can survive for weeks without food but only 2-3 days without water. Food is important but water is even more so.
3) You will need some shelter. Hopefully, your home will be livable but keep a tent or other lodging handy.
4) You need to have some means of providing heat during those disasters that happen in cold weather.
5) Lighting (flashlights, lanterns) is more important than many people realize. Keep a good supply of batteries, fuel, etc.
6) You'll probably want to heat up or cook some food so have a portable stove on hand. Coleman has stoves that will run on gasoline or propane.

Ammo, dude. I can't take your ammo with my food or water, but I damn sure can take your food and water with my ammo.

Fixed that for ya. ;)

To expand:

(mostly this is full on SHTF stuff)

If you own firearms:

1) 2000 rounds per caliber owned. (minimum)
2) Military 50 cal cans or larger. The 50 cal cans will hold 840 rounds of 5.56 each (about). I've gotten 1000 in a can with careful packing. The 30MM cans (double height 50 cal) will hold about 1000 rounds of .308. Figure on 3 per caliber to start.
3) Reloading press (single stage or progressive)
4) Dies for each caliber owned
5) Brass
6) Powder & primers
7) Bullets (the ones that go into the brass cases, not the loaded ammo)
8) Dessicant pack
9) Common repair parts (firing pins, magazines, etc)
10) Good quality lube and cleaners (including patches and cloths)

I could add equipment to cast bullets (lead, furnace, molds, flux, etc) but that is up to the individual. Lead bullets don't go bad, they can be bought in bulk (500 count boxes) and you can store them in the basement. Powder and primers are the big issue, cool and dry is the watchword here. The basement is the best place, but not everyone's basement is 100% dry. If you do not desire to reload, cultivate a friendship with someone who does and who you trust. In a full-on emergency, trust is going to be hard to come by.

I'd maintain a stock of precious metals (besides lead and brass). Silver is probably your best bet, possibly copper. Gold is good, but the difficulty there is ease of exchange.

For archery enthusiasts, I'd presume you would need replacement parts (bow strings, cables, springs, rollers, etc) for your preferred bow or crossbow. Extra arrows/quarrels/bolts, tips and things like that. How many of each, I'm not sure. Archery projectiles are usually more easily recovered than bullets, but probably not in all cases. ;)

You can find lots of barely used camping equipment at garage sales. People buy a bunch of camping stuff and then decide they don't like camping. One of my buddies has 7-8 tents that he's bought for $5-20 ea. He and I have a lot of Coleman stoves, lanterns, and heaters that we picked up cheap (they are very easy to rebuild and parts are readily available, even for units dating back to the 1950s).

Another tip: If you are using mantled lanterns (eg, the ubiquitous Coleman lantern), get the Thorium impregnated mantles. They are much brighter and whiter than other mantles.

Either way, I'm good. Either I just ended up with a bunch of food and water, or I don't need food and water any more.

:roflpuke2: :driving: :tup:

Great idea. I use plastic ammo cans with o-ring seals on the lids (most of them are made by Flambeau). Throw some ammo and a desiccant pack in there and I'm good to go. I also have some .50 cal ammo boxes but they are heavier and harder to open than the plastic boxes so they are used mainly for tools and spare parts.

I like to take factory ammo out of the cardboard boxes and put them in plastic boxes for storage. I'll tear an end flap off the box and put inside the plastic box. Cardboard tends to attract bugs and water. :eek:

I used a large Sharpie to write the caliber on the ammo can flap.

I pick up surplus 50 cal boxes for like 5 bucks each at gun shows. Not a big fan of the plastic ones.

Other things to consider to have on hand:

P38 Can opener on every key ring
Full gas tanks and perhaps a jerry can or two of fuel
Cash and/or gold/silver

Don't tell everyone in the neighborhood of what you have. Only a select few. Otherwise you will have everyone beating on your front door when something happens.

Remember the 3's. 3 minutes without air. 3 days without water. 3 weeks without food.

Lol any suggestions on mitigating the 3 minutes without air?

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Really shouldn't have to be said in this forum - aside from JAR - but make sure your vehicles are in proper running order.

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Or have one that isn't painfully obvious. In case I have to leave my house, the Z is probably staying in the garage. Easier to blend in with the common everyday Honda or Ford.....


Besides, the Z can't handle all the ammo..... :wtf2:

Just offering an alternative. I can see where the metal cans could be the best choice for some people.

But I'm just preparing for the aftermath of a relatively short-term disaster. I'm assuming that said disaster will only last 2-3 weeks (maybe months) before some semblance of normalcy returns.
I'm too old and my health is too bad for me to worry about a real SHTF situation. :)

+1. A can opener is a must-have. I keep at least three hand-crank can openers on hand. I can find them at garage sales for 10-50 cents.

I used to have several P38s but I've somehow managed to misplace them. Need to get some more.

Yeah, I have a bunch at home. Just not on my keychain..lol

While searching for some other stuff, I ran across this prepping site. Haven't made it past the page posted below but what I'm reading makes a lot of sense for those who, like me, aren't preparing for SHTF. We just want to be ready for "normal" emergencies that will only last a few weeks.

https://theprepared.com/prepping-bas...ing-beginners/

Get some books on first aid, prepping, survival, and food. The Boy Scout Hand book and Field Books are really good. You want books, not on-line reading. Because when the power goes out. You'll have something to read, and you can write notes in the books too.

Lots of good, common sense type of stuff with links to more detailed information. Thanks SouthArk. :tup:

Don't rely on Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency. Because when the power and internet goes out. How are you going to get it?

Being a trained first responder, and hazmat tech. If there is a spill or a release of anything toxic. Remember to go uphill, up steam, and up wind. Some stuff will have a 10ft safety radius. Others will have a 5 mile safety radius.

Cash is king... but if SReallyHTF, cash is worthless... gold and silver.

I still have both and I have an old Air Force Survival manual that my uncle gave to me. Only challenge is that it's a heavy sumbitch.... :icon14:

menhhh.......i take lead any day. I cast my own bullets. :tup:

..............wait.

the coronavirus is like the flu. why are we prepping like it's the end of the world?

:facepalm:

The service training books are a good read too. :tup:

I get one magazine. That is OffGrid. Lots of good articles in it. :tup:

:iagree:

Excellent choice. After a certain year, they dropped a lot of the info. :( IIRC, it was some time in the late-80s maybe early-90s, possibly with the 10th edition, but wouldn't swear to that.

This virus has a higher death rate then the flu based on the number of cases.

I still have mind from the early 70's. :eek:

and thats thinking china released any numbers near the truth :bowrofl:

pretty sure our gov't is more worried about the stock market swing over losing a few thousand people :inoutroflpuke:

The reason I started this thread was to get the prepping stuff out of the Coronavirus thread. Now y'all are bringing the Coronavirus stuff in here. :shakes head:

Don't blame me..........flaccid penis started it. :facepalm:

I've seen good arguments for both sides of precious metals, gems, etc. Just depends on if you think other people will place any value in them. For a SHTF/ITEOTWAWKI situation, I tend to side with the "they will be worthless, stock up on food, tools, toilet paper, etc to barter with" folks. In less dire circumstances, metals/gems might be a good option. YMMV

Read some of the stories of survival from the Bosnian war. Toilet paper was gold. Bic lighters, antibiotics, and bullets are up there too.

True, but at the same time, gold/silver/gems can be a barter items that can be traded to someone who already has everything.

Ammo is the best. Making it is just like printing money.

Don't forget about condoms/birth control pills, because when the power goes out, you can only read/write for so long....just saying lol

With us being in the digital age, I would also recommend getting a power bank charger that you can charge from both solar and plugging in.