Guest Post by James Walton
The fruits of prepping have gone mainstream. After the pandemic, the US toilet paper epidemic and the summer riots of 2020, it became clear the crazy preppers were not so crazy after all.
I talked to Business Insider and the New York Times who all wanted me to rub it in the face of the unprepared. Of course, I laughed at the idea.
As the world is navigating what could be the pretext for WWIII I find myself much less worried about the accolades of all that we preppers have achieved both for ourselves and for the nation at large. Instead, I am thinking about the ugly truths of prepping and what to expect next.
Let’s take a closer look at some of those ugly truths.
It Might All Be For Nothing
There are two ways to look at this ugly truth. The first way is through rose-colored lenses. Perhaps the brilliance of human innovation and the minority of great men and women find a way out of all this mess we have gotten ourselves into.
Maybe we navigate all of these crazy challenges and wind up safe in the end. Prosperous even. I can hear some of you chuckling but there is always that chance. Then all the prepping and planning we have done might be for nothing.
Though, the flaw in that thinking is that my life has become so much better from prepping and homesteading.
However, there is another way to look at this ugly truth and that is the fact that fate could simply have it out for you. There are catastrophes that we can neither predict nor prepare for.
Related: 50 Homesteading Hacks You Should Know
A mass extinction event like a comet could kill everyone on the planet, a nuclear exchange could come so swiftly that even some preppers haven’t enough time to react.
There are lots of instances where being prepare might still not be enough and then all your preps might be for nothing.
You Will Have To Turn People Away
I like to say that preppers are limited by three things Time/Money/Space.
If you don’t have a spouse who understands your urgency, then it becomes four things and that one might outweigh the other three! We all have our limitations.
Because of this we simply cannot plan to take the entire world onto our personal Ark.
There will come a time when you have to turn people away.
It’s best to identify who you plan on taking in, now, rather than figuring that out when your Mom, Dad, cousin, siblings, niece and neighbor are on your porch. Can you handle that many people?
For most preppers the answer is NO.
We spend enough of time and money to get our own family as prepared as possible. You will have people that you need to turn away in a serious collapse. You will not have the room or the resources to take them on.
You can help this situation by having a list of duties and tasks that can be assigned to people who would like to be part of your group. This can be very effective when someone shows up at your door with their hand out.
Things like cleanup, cooking, gardening duties, animal care, security and waste management are all going to need to be done.
“I will put something in that hand of yours, but you will earn it first.”
You Could Become A Target
When people start to notice your garden, community, rain barrels, or preps in general, you could very well become a target.
You could become a target by the government who believes you have enough food so they will confiscate some and spread it out amongst the ailing population.
Related: Find Out What Areas Would Be Targeted by FEMA When SHTF (they’ll take your supplies)
You could become a target if you don’t get to know and trust your neighbors. Maybe a larger group targets your entire neighborhood because they catch wind that a prepper is living in their midst.
The potential for a prepper to have an excess of resources will be reason enough to target you in times of scarcity.
It’s an ugly truth about prepping but good OPSEC will help keep you from being so easily targeted.
You Cannot Prepare For Everything
If anyone tells you different, they just haven’t thought about it enough. You cannot be prepared for all eventualities.
We all have our capabilities and our limitations. Every plan you create has them, too.
While you cannot prepare for everything you can at least create a PACE plan that will give you options if your initial plan falls through or if you find yourself in a situation you are unprepared to deal with.
- Primary
- Alternate
- Contingency
- Emergency
PACE is a powerful ally for the modern prepper and with just a little forethought you can be prepared for even more. I like what Joe Fox of Viking Preparedness says, “Contemplate the Unthinkable.”
Your Family Is Not A Fighting Force
In 2015 I attended a course on Nuclear, Biological and Chemical survival that was taught by Dave Jones the NBC Guy. This was an incredible course that really changed my prepping direction in several ways.
Dave Jones is a great teacher, and he often asks questions that make you think and force you to face your limitations.
There was a small family group attending the course and while Dave was teaching night movement, we started talking about running into bad guys. What Dave said next changed the way I looked at my family and fantasy Dystopia forever.
“In the army we have what is known as acceptable casualties.
When we plan a mission, we are prepared to lose a certain amount of people.
I want you to look at each other and tell me who your acceptable casualties are.”
The family was stunned and from that moment on I realized that my family was not a fighting force.
I realized that I had to change the way I looked at community security and assure that we’re not putting ourselves in a situation where we would be fighting off bad guys as a family.
On my 10 year journey along the preparedness path, I have certainly enjoyed more good than bad.
Learning and preparing has made me a better man, father, husband, and person in general. For me it all started because my mind was capable of going to these ugly kinds of places.
If we ever face a true collapse of our society, these ugly truths will come to light. How will you deal with them?
Have you already thought these through, or will you choose to face whatever comes your way and deal with it in that moment?
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The weakness of every ‘average’ prepper:
Their loved ones.
Small children and women are going to be a liability. Evil men will use them as leverage to get what they want, and what they want may in fact be them.
Sure, you can have a thousand guns but if only you can actually shoot someone then 999 of those guns are useless. And 10 hungry people will most likely overwhelm you as you worry about your toddler and wife. And your wife will be distracted by the toddler. And the toddler will be almost 100% unlikely to run away and hide effectively.
Same with elderly and sick family members.
Although they can probably hold and shoot a gun.
Maybe.
Better to keep your mouth shut, display poverty and fake starvation.
Find a really good place to hide for a few days.
An “ugly” wife and daughters are less of a target. Stop with the nails and hair color and makeup. No wearing any jewelry.
If you have young children that can learn silence in an emergency, practice that.
Dont plan on any more babies. Pregnant women are very vulnerable.
Guns are great but also learn to shoot a compound bow. Arrows are mostly retrievable/reusable.
Foraging is a priceless skill.
Herbal lore. Learn it. It could save your life.
A defensible, hidden water source. Find one. Keep it a secret.
Learn to live with adverse conditions like colder temps, less hot water, less frequent bathing, less soap, less food. Unless your living in a rough way in cold temps, you dont need as many calories as you think.
Trust fewer people. The friends you think you have can turn into not only liabilities but kill you and take your food for their own families.
If you live in a city, move. Now.
Have a well-trained dog. Cats are useless unless you plan on eating them.
Squirrels, possums, raccoons, bullfrogs, turtles, and snakes are all good eating.
Menstruating women, get a menstrual cup.
Keep cheap vodka and cigarettes or tobacco, they are great to barter with
Lastly, keep love in your hearts. Evil may be in charge now, but it will not win.
Real estate Pup,
Good thoughts except cats are VERY useful. They are mice/rat killing machines and love their work.
Actually I trained our cocker spaniel and the next pet, a german shepherd to hunt and kill mice… they were better than 10 cats. Cats sit and wait… dogs will hunt for hours and kill everything they find, then go back to hunting…
My cat is constantly hunting when he is awake. Mostly a day sleeper, he hunts all night when mice and rats are most active. Early morning sunrise he is checking for gopher and mole activity.
Stock up on plenty of dog food.
Siamese cat will kill everything including rabbits-ours are exceptional hunters
cats are VERY useful. They are mice/rat killing machines and love their work.
Exactly. I have one male cat, neutered and he lives outside. He’s well taken care of and earns his keep, mice, rats, gophers (gophers not mentioned as an “edible”) …I don’t have a rodent problem. Living in the country those nasty mice and rats still exist so imperative to have a good cat IMO.
One of the essential items for a prepper that I recall on the list of 100 items is rodent poison. In the cities should SHTF, sewer systems may become inoperable and that will only add to an already existing problem with mice and rat infestation. When I lived in Fort Worth I would regularly see Norwegian roof rats running the throngs of paneled wooden “privacy fences”. Norwegian roof rats are large and simply scary.
Yes, cats are good for eating their deceased owners. They sleep 20 hours a day. Cats also walk on tables and counters when unobserved. Litter boxes are a great source of dog treats. And nothing like a male tom spraying up the walls.
Dogs eat shit and roll in it, happily.
Plus dog tastes better than cat.
Get an outdoor cat. Around here there are no issues as you describe. And, note, neuter the males. No pissing on stuff marking territory and no catin’ around. Stray cats get the bullet. 👍
Just have to know how to deal with cats , much like dogs.
“Neuter the ______”. Unless you are raising steers, (Not a beginner ‘Do it yourself’ project), Gotta love the subtle irony in that statement.
Lots of good advice in there, its a good primer. I would add that if you live in a city move to the suburbs if you can’t get out entirely. If you live in a suburb you can make your house appear to be burned out or ransacked and not worth a second look… Learn to use hidden in plain sight methods, they will come in handy. grey man…
And like Paleocon stated, place your faith where it belongs, in Christ. Demonstrating love does not mean you are a doormat either, you don’t invite dogs to the table. Choose wisely whom you hitch your wagon to…
Eh,me canine buds were actually always welcome for a few tidbits,but that is just me!Our dogs are heroes as demonstrated here!
Don’t forget the Kubota to dispose of the remains.
Poor dog can only eat so much and these LGBLT creatures have gotten very LARGE.
Red,am more of a Morebark chipper kinda guy!
Very messy. But if you’re a woodchipper sort of guy, you can’t beat a Vermeer with the slowly rolling drums to feed the blades at a steady and anguishing rate!!!
Feet first, of course. Always feet first. That dumbass from Fargo didn’t know what he was doing.
The dumb ass from Fargo was using a rental, gravity feed,. disk chipper.
I believe this article is just a good repeat for many readers here.
That said,for new readers/just starting to prep you CAN do this.
Sure,late to the game but you can go to stores right now and get food/clothing/tools ect.
Time to think of the skills you have that could be helpful in tough times,i.e. medical care/military background/avid food gardener/just a person who can fix things/improvise when needed to fix things,the list is endless,work on making those skills sharper.
I get many are on a tight budget but you can go to dollar store right now with 20 bucks and get some beans and rice,put in freezer over night to kill any bug eggs and you have started,move forward from there.
Folks have any ?’s regarding prepping this and other sites have great readers willing to offer ideas/suggestions,just ask!
So,to those of us who have been at this awhile,time to relook/rethink our plans and are we as prepped as we can be given our personal circumstances?
To the newbies turn off your computer and get going!
Motivation cat is watching you!
Maybe the cat’s ears are in a natural position. They sort of look laid back like it is ready to attack. Plus the look in it’s face.
Buck,motivation cat is hard at work!Just follow commands and all will be fine!
Here is it ‘s brother:
Just work with them and it will end well!
I play the role of the ugly wife very well.
Don’t lie to us, Svarga.
I genuinely truly wish otherwise-pretty young women wouldn’t wear so much makeup. It makes them look like plastic sex dolls.
A fella who can look at THIS girl and complain about ANYTHING…
…has serious problems!!!
Hey Red …. look at that hand holding the beer …. dude, those are MAN HANDS!!!
OK, I might have “serious problems”, but facts are facts.
Stucky. You’re from New Jersey. There’s no such thing as man hands in New Jersey so you have no accurate point of reference!!! So long as her hands aren’t scarred from years of abuse, aren’t stained from dirt and engine grease, and don’t look like they’ve been carved from blocks of granite, well…
And I just zoomed in on her mitts to see what you’re on about. I find nothing to balk over whatsoever. Not even under extreme scrutiny!!!
Frankly, the ONLY thing I can think of to squabble over in that image…
…is there’s too much head on that beer.
(I already checked for an Adam’s Apple. But the fact is, the artificial freaks of nature pretending to be women are simply unable to attain that level of CLEAN beauty.
It can’t be done.)
The forearms are sort of beefed up. Kidding. Looks like a photochop.
Which is worse, a girl with man hands or a son with little girl hands?
Plus, how else is she going to be working on the homestead and milking the cows and pulling weeds?
Too much foam on that mug. It’s got room for another 5 or so ounces of beer.
When I worked in the German pavilion at Disney world as a 22 year old, that picture was actually kind of accurate, including the getup. Oh well. Things change. Did I mention
that I wasted my best years with all the wrong guys? Plus, never met Archie then. He appears to be an expert in Germans and gender confirmations.
Well, hopefully you saved the getup for your husband. 😉
Yeah, too bad you didn’t meet Archie then. He LOVES Germans!
I worked at the MK in the 90s, it was a freak show.
That girl is too skinny to have drank very many of those mugs.
That’s the cherry on the sundae. She is clearly HANDING YOU the mug!!!
Damn it, I haven’t had a beer in over a year … and I love the head. Beer ! I’m talking about the beer!! Honest. /s
I get a rash anymore. I guess that’s my body saying I already had several lifetimes worth and it was time to knock it off. I could talk about beer for a long time.
I think it’s the corn. “They” are killing US with corn.
Great advice. I’m 56 so probably won’t matter that I quit wearing makeup in 2020. Stopped having nails done 6 months ago. Still color my grey hair blonde. Switched to wearing pants at work and adopted a librarian look. Adopted an “I have zero f’s to give attitude” but have Jesus’ love in my heart.
We have retired Maine coon show cats who are very loving and entertaining but pretty much useless, unless I find myself having to toss one to an oncoming bear on our off grid property one day.
Baby steps, but slowly getting into better position day by day. We bought a trailer today and broke ground for our newest project.
Thank you all for your contributions and your kindred spirit.
Meow
I refuse to believe that.
Beauty is more a feel than just a look. Your beauty shines through in every post.
I almost went bigtime solar which implies longterm power outage need and realized that if the power goes out for months and months, there’s going to be way bigger issues going haywire around us all with no chance of being able to just sit pretty with my easy power and year of food and ride it out. For the mountain of reasons electricity is necessary to the parasites to keep control of us, I don’t think that’s going to happen.
To me the best way to think right now is to buy up as much of non-degradable supply stuff as possible at today’s prices. EVERYTHING major and minor you can think of food/non-food. Light bulbs, shampoo, paper clips, sheets, spices, ‘parts’, cords, oils, pens, copier ink, vitamins, laundry stuff, batteries, etc etc.
I agree with the person who only bought enough of an energy backup to power his fridge and a few lights. A much cheaper possibility than solar is a tri-fuel generator you can hook up to your natural gas – much less likely to go out. I learned in CA that they have to go house to house to turn it off.
I’m currently shopping for some kind of electric transportation however to have an alternative to gas, again, asap at today’s prices.
In Texas Greg Abbott will pay for you to go solar, him or someone. At least that’s what the face of adds indicate. Kind of strange for “conservatives”. NG for generators is ok as long as you are not in -4 temps like Feb. ‘21 in Texas. Had that gone on for another 24 hours peeps would have been in deep do-do in Texas. People were blaming the power issues on wind turbines pointing to Facebook pics of some frozen wind turbine in Sweden in 2014 with helicopters spraying deicing chemicals. In Texas it was frozen NG pipelines in various parts of West Texas. Poor planning years ago when the good ole boys allocated $$$ for upgrades, yet skimped on the upgrades. After all, temps never go down to 0 in Texas. 👍
To truly “prep,” I think that we have to get into an 1860’s mindset. If things really collapse, we might have to deal with a yemen/kosovo style war, but at this point, if the USA goes down, then soooo much “war” will be off the table.
If that is the case, then without power, people will die left and right, due to lack of refrigeration, lack of clean water, a short burst of violence, and finally, lack of knowledge and skills.
It could be that, if you can hang on for a month or three, the major deaths will have passed, and you are on your own. Your stores will not last, so if you want to make it to the next half-decade, you’ll need to live with limited technology.
Technology like they lived on in the 1860’s, just around the civil war. Steam engines, telegraph, small farms and workshops, wind-driven power, etc.
So, forget about tiktok, porn, and even websites like this. And plan on living the rest of your life in a permanent power outage. Which means your solar panels, batteries, generators, and pretty much every thing else electrical goes away.
If you are ready to do that, you are truly prepped, both mentally and physically.
Your supplies will eventually run out. Put your faith in the only place it belongs.
You mean the GOP who are going to sort everything out after the midterms, right? 🙂 /s
Correct. Trump and Melania will promote bringing in the Log Cabin Republicans.
I think that he means if you place your faith in the Creator who made you, you will listen to the Creator for guidance. I expect that the Creator (and probably Jesus, too) wants you to get a good supply of heirloom seeds, lots of tools, and a quiet way to kill critters for meat. I have faith that the Creator will give me what I need, not what I want, but I am fairly certain that He wants me to use the brain he gave me to figure out how to prepare for the shitstorm that is coming.
This is not something I worry about. I’m a “choose to face whatever comes your way and deal with it in that moment” kinda person…and it’s always worked out. Must be my faith in God.
We’ve experienced MANY miracles, from the oil jar to physical healings that the doctor had no reply for. Faith in Gods provision is never misplaced but He does expect us to use common sense and not be foolish too… Don’t build on sand and consider the ways of the ant…
Proverbs 6:6
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
7 Which, having no [d]captain,
Overseer or ruler,
8 Provides her [e]supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.
9 How long will you [f]slumber, O sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep—
11 So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
Yes, good point. I do have a family of preppers…and they just go overboard with all this stuff. Together, they have spent a ton of money…on surviving the end of the world (who wants to survive that?). And, they’re Christians…they just come across as not having any faith.
Conversely, one might reason that the time to prepare is itself a gift from God.
It’s all a matter of where the heart and the mind are when we do what we do. Personally, I have more ammo than I’ll ever be able to use, but I keep on buying more. Could be some form of addiction!!!
I can reason that. Personally, though, I’m not interested in surviving the worst. This is what I don’t understand about Christians who can’t wait for Jesus to come??
Yes, I think you *might* have an addiction.
Some of us are gluttons for punishment and want to see how far into the HELLSCAPE we can make it!!!
In my case, it’s nothing to do with trust in the Lord. Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him. He knows when I’ll breathe my last. I’m just fool enough to want to know how tough I really am. I’ll regret that attitude, I am certain.
And none of those downvotes come from me. I think your downvote army probably follows you wherever you go.
I remember the old story. Trust and tie up the horse.
The zombie apocalypses is coming, more is better…
Like the old joke we used to tell about God rescuing a ‘christian’.
A christian is drowning and calls out to God to save him. A man sees him and offers to throw a life ring.
The christian replies, don’t bother, God will save me.
A passing boat spies the drowning christian and pulls alongside, offering rescue. The christian replies, no, don’t bother God will save me…
A helicopter passing overhead spies the drowning christian and swoops in for the rescue. The christian replies, that God will save him.
He drowns…
Standing before God the christian asks why God did not rescue him…
Gods reply, So I sent a life ring, a boat and a helicopter and it wasn’t enough??
I know to many ‘christians’ that are indeed’ sheep. Having raised sheep I know just how dumb they are, and some are dumber than dumb. We try to insert some common sense into people in our circle but many refuse the life ring… And when a ring is offered to us, we try to humbly accept it, even when its painful.
Ok, ok, you made your point. 🙂
I’m sorry, wasn’t brow beating. Its something we all do, but some more than others. You are intelligent and appear to walk where few really want to go. Not religious but relational…
This joke stuck with me over the years… probably because I’m guilty of it often…
I didn’t take it as brow beating. You’re right…God sends people to help us if we’re discerning enough to see that. Christians just seem to contradict themselves sometimes, that’s all. Not you & RRD, of course.
I’m as self-contradictory and inconsistent as the best of em!!!
But I do at least attempt an awareness of such things.
yep…
(who wants to survive that?)
not i
Went to get new inspection sticker. Did not get it, because of crack in windshield. The guy said “I pray for you that you won’t get a ticket while you wait for the windshield replacement.” I said: “Don’t waste a prayer on something so meaningless as a windshield or a ticket.” Him: “I am not praying for the windshield but for YOU! Plus, a prayer is never wasted.”
Wisdom at Jiffy Lube.
Inspection certificate? Dang.
This may burn some egos here, if Trump was still in office would we be prepping less and would we be talking less end times prophesy? What would be “different”? 🤷♂️
I for one will prep a little more… I trust no chameleons…
1 Thessalonians 5:3
For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
Another suggestion: If you have tooth issues, get them fixed now, while practices have reopened and before the wheels fall off completely
Rusty pliers still work.
!!!
I have made it a point to befriend dentists, orthopedic surgeons, etc.
I make sure they are always welcome and always have access to fresh food and my help whenever need it.
Building a community based on shared values and mutual support is worth more than a warehouse filled with supplies if you are all alone in the world.
That’s true about community building. However, a depressing fact about the last two years is that many of the people I thought I had something in common with became complete Covid Karens overnight.
Yes, hard to build community with nutjobs.
Choose wisely.
And don’t confuse iconoclasts with nutjobs. Odd people have skill sets that regular folks don’t and they always have good stories.
Yes, you’re right. Nutjobs look like very normal people.
Stay away from clowns, they tend to taste funny.
Great advice. I was at my longtime dentist this week. His child is heading to college this year (thanks to umpteenth crowns, lol) and he mentioned his fondness of the local breweries. I shared with him my coof-inspired skill of craft brewing, and would he like to try our latest?
He welcomed it.
Which is why, when the gay dentist from Texas made an offer on the “treehouse” with his partner, the orthodontist, I joked to Geneva that at least, if we accepted, we could all get free dental work until the “rapture” which she expects and deserves.
I do have a couple good nurse friends, which counts for something.
How fucken gay is it to let fags stick their hands in your mouth?
We’ve been prepping in earnest for 6 years. You’re never done. There is always another level to take things.
Keep things in perspective. What are the most likely events and start there. You need water and sanitation. Taking care of just those 2 things increases you survivability by 50%.
Food: we have the 25 years stuff and a good stock of rice, beans and canned goods. By having those we have food security and have stayed ahead of inflation. The food can always be eaten so there’s not “lost cost”.
We have a solar energy plan. It’s a relatively small 5K inverter, 7.5K K Li battery and 3K watts of panels. It’s very modest in size but will keep the fridge, coffee pot, fan and lights on. That is one EXPENSIVE and daunting deal. The education I’ve received in doing this project has been huge. The installation costs are enormous and extend way beyond what I was thinking the project pieces would cost. I’m not unhappy I started it but again, you gotta think through all the costs that somehow are not included in the price of the basic parts.
The things we have done equals security and a contentment about unknown events that may arise. All we have done saves money in the long run and can be used at some point. Again, no real lost costs.
Yeah, there’s a million contingencies we’re unprepared for (tsunami or asteroid strike)but the most likely are covered.
Security, contentment and peace of mind are good feelings to have in these weird times.
Water purification is more important than water stores. You can only keep so many bottles of water in the cellar, but a good water purif system will allow you to clean up any water that comes your way. However, Steve, I’m sure you know all that already.
Water is very fortunately not a concern for us. We have a freely running well that has huge pressure..
Having said that we also have a 3.5 gallon BERKEY with 2 extra sets of filters. Berkeys are da bomb. Get one if you don’t have one.
I included a surgical suture kit. It was not expensive at all. I’ve never stitched myself or anyone else. I sewed a dog up once.
I went somewhat insane thinking about this stuff years ago and these topics need to be discussed.
I came up with this formula a while back:
Portability is flexibility. Flexibility is resilience. Resilience is survival.
Therefore portability = survival.
But, even so, in bugging out, one could still be jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
So, in the end, I have decided upon a course of action as mentioned in my Jan 2018 article “Choose Love: Don’t Ever Let Fear Turn You Against Your Playful Heart”
Right action may be self-defense at times, and sometimes the best defense is a good offense. Of course, after that, the outcomes belong to Fate and Providence. Being the anti-Borg may not be enough to survive the coming days, but what else is worth dying for?
Doug, your post reminds me of my largest concern–I have set up a “hard times” sort of prepping. I am probably ill-prepared for a full-blown societal collapse scenario.
My small farm has fruit trees, dozens of blueberry and raspberry bushes, I grow enough veggies and can them to last until the next spring. I have 15 chickens laying more eggs than I can eat. We have a small creek which I added bluestone and sandbags to widen an area to a small “pond” which has continuous circulation, I buy in bulk, have an extra freezer– etc…
All good things to cut costs in inflation, cut food costs and even sell a little ( farm fresh eggs are always a hit)– but if trouble came to my doorstep a .308, shotgun and Rossi revolver with .357 hollow points aren’t going to keep away a group of 10+ starving madmen.
Solar panels are a “I’ve got power and warmth!” sign on your roof– lights on in a house can be seen for miles in the country, lots of wildlife and I live on a peninsula with waters full of seafood, but in the end, the MASSES of Humanity will be the largest problem. Most everything I’ve done to prepare cannot be picked up and moved.
Like your attitude.
My solar is mobile with backup and simple.
And yes, one can put a massive “fear of the Lord” into a throng of usurpers with a little thought and simple preparations. After a video of the masses flowing northward on the former southern border, my self defense was revised.
Honestly, Javelin, ten hungry fighters could be an opportunity in disguise, and you could always parlay your medical knowledge and experience in such times with any foragers possessing common sense.
Regardless, I believe most decisions will make themselves when the time comes. For an honest realist in such circumstances, perhaps the choices would involve only the four “F” scenarios below; and while knowing survival is never guaranteed as death comes for us all sooner or later.
1.) Flight (avoidance)
2.) Fight (engagement)
3.) Fifty-Fifty (agreement/bargaining)
4.) Fold (surrender)
Food for thought.
I didn’t know folks in MV prepped Unc. No Way!
Quick….order an extra case of caviar and toast points.
Where ya been, BL? You been on vacation or something?
Un- A vacay of sorts, I can’t sink my teeth into scripts that are so fake or day after day of trannies and weird in general. Just burned out on “stupid” Un, that’s about it.
I am interested in Putsky giving the LBMA a run for their money. He won’t live long as the Rothschild’s still have more money than God to order the demise of anyone they deem disposable.
portability = survival.
I like that formulation. I wonder what potential SHTF or sub-SHTF scenarios people find most likely and prep for specifically.
For the last 2+ years, my main concern has been the digital trap. That is, vaccine passports tied to digital ID and CBDC.
I have decided that I cannot participate in that.
How are people prepared if there is a very rapid shift to a completely cashless society. I understand the UK plans to implement digital ID this coming week.
There will be no way to pay property tax without being immersed in the digital system, i.e., you’ll need a CBDC wallet tied to all the biometric & social credit aspects.
Going cashless won’t happen suddenly. It’ll take a few years to fully implement it, probably minimum two. When they introduce it as a ‘mandate’ then switch to cash only.
Keeping only a bank account for bill/mortgage payments and dump the credit/debit cards. Reduce everything to cash as much as possible. This will merely buy you some time to see where to adjust your plans.
When push comes to shove the govt can impose taxes on your property to the point you can’t pay… you’ll own nothing. And if you are co-operative they’ll allow you to stay and tend the place. Have a plan for the unthinkable because in todays world it tends to become reality…
HONK HONK…
So you plan to go along with the ID/CBDC/social credit system.
nope… not what I said… I’m saying keep a minimum exposure until they demand compliance. By then you will/should have a better plan, THEN cut all ties and compliances. Going grey man completely, there or somewhere else.
Before a complete ID/CBDC implementation will be a period to make adjustments for underground or uprooting…
https://tldavis.substack.com/p/slavery-or-victory?s=r
Someone starting out should look at these old articles by Buckshot over at SurvivalBlog,
The Basics of Stocking a Retreat For One Year, by Buckshot
Great Depression II What Will it Be Like?, by Buckshot
The Super Pails he lists are long gone and have been for years.
Only Walton Feed still has these. They are in Idaho and don’t ship.
While I was reading this post (haven’t finished yet) my weekly e-mail delivery noticed popped up from Natural Catch.
https://naturalcatchtuna.com/
One of the common mistakes new Preppers make on the food side is storing too many carbs and not enough protein and fats. Above is a delicious product (the sardines are good too) that is a subscription, fits in your mailbox, easy to store, and is a great addition to any food prep plan.
For those with space problems six of these will fit under most beds and make it easy to store food, while rolling them out and then back in for easy peasy rotation. I always write on the top of a can or package the date I bought it with a sharpie for at a glance rotation. Like a lot of things their cost has really risen. We have them under 3 beds.
This couple puts out many rock solid common sense short vids on all aspect of family prepping.
https://www.youtube.com/c/GoshenPrepping/videos
What’s the actual shelf life on that tuna?
I would open it, smell it and if it smells like tuna, I would eat it. If it smells worse? Not.
I for one know what you’re insinuating, Colonel Angus.
🧐 Why is this funny? I don’t get it.
Check this out Red,
How Long Does Canned Tuna Last?
January 4, 2022 / By Marcin Skrzypiec
https://www.doesitgobad.com/how-long-does-canned-tuna-last/
Moocho gra-see-ass…
!!!
We have always tried to live well below our means. That has always made all the difference. All our camping supplies became our prepping supplies. Food can always be consumed. At some point this incarnation was bound to end. Its always better to have and not need than need and not have. And be sure not to eat the GMO humans if it comes to it.
Opsec is supremely important. People you feel you know and trust might turn on you if they become deperate. Check out the film ‘It Comes at Night’ for an example of how good deeds do not go unpunished in this type of situation.
Further, prepared families will be demonized by the government as hoarders and treated as the Kulaks of the modern world, especially by those in cities. Most people feel that city-dwellers will have the hardest time in a real crisis, but the government will do everything to support them at the expense of those in rural areas. They want to move populations into cities and away from rural communities, and will utilize regulations that allow the seizure of food and the means of food production, allowed per emrgency measures enstated decades ago, to sieze food and land, turning people with those resources into serfs or prisoners.
This is part of why they are constantly harping about “rural white supremacist domestic terrorists”. Just as with Ukraine, they are pushing until they get the reaction they want so that they can label anyone who resists a terrorist, and then have carte blanche to take any action they wish with the full support of the hungry sheep in the cities who will feel justified that the kulaks got what they deserved.
If you got food or other preps stored, don’t tell anyone what you have, not even relatives who are not part of your nuclear family. Tell one person; they blab; then 500 people know.
We are in slow motion collapse; once we move into the end stages of collapse, it will be very important to act as needy as those are unprepared. Hungry people can smell food cooking from a long ways. Your nearest neighbors will show up on your doorstep with guns.
Always plant a bigger garden than you need. Share with others. As for meat, shoot a deer or whatever down by the river. Raccoons, possums, skunks, and other critters are edible, if you are careful about how you process the carcass and cook the meat very, very thoroughly. Share some of the meat with others. Let them think killing wild critters is your only source of meat. Do not give them any idea that you have canned meat or fish stored away in the basement.
Raccoons carry an intestinal parasite that is worse than the trichinae worm that feral hogs carry. Other critters carry parasites, too. be careful to not puncture a gut when you are cleaning the carcass.
Ultimately. there will be no government, especially in the hinterlands…
Great information thank you James. But I assume you are staying put. As a life-long yachtsman, prepping, security, safety and back-ups (3 always) comes as second nature. I have my Plan B and it’s not in the UK- Cape Town, which I know well, having lived there with plenty of contacts and backups is the place for me. In extremis I can always sail away! You might like to check out my Substack:
https://austrianpeter.substack.com/p/brace-for-impact-inflation-alert?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoyOTUwMzA1MCwicG9zdF9pZCI6NTEwNzk2MTksIl8iOiIvWXFMbyIsImlhdCI6MTY0ODYwMDQ5NywiZXhwIjoxNjQ4NjA0MDk3LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItNzYyNzkyIiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.IHjH6-L2uzVdBJZJjPi6ze7m5wI56N4ZvR1THz_bHTo&s=w
Thought about buying a fat gullet many times… Hang out in nice warm places, dive and enjoy new places… JUST about pulled the trigger a couple times but God had other plans… Now when our current obligations are completed, I’d settle for some dirt in Columbia.
These days, self-reliance is actually a revolutionary act
https://www.theorganicprepper.com/the-self-reliance-manifesto-more-than-300-resources-to-guide-you-on-the-path-to-freedom/
LOL.
Ah, no.
Old daisy is ripping you off.
A Benjamin pump pellet rifle is inexpensive, quiet, durable and the ammo (.177 or .22 cal. ) is very cheap. Fine for small game and marksmanship training.
“Your Family Is Not A Fighting Force”
This is why you need a bigger family.
Prepping is about buying time. Buying time for the hordes to drop dead, to wait and see if anything is going to resurrect itself. I have enough to buy a fair bit of time. Would it be enough? Who knows. In a real shit hits the fan scenario it will be real hard to survive. My age works against me.
Buy time to see if there is any future at all. That is about all you can do.
If you are near a big city, it will be hard to buy time.
My two cents on this subject as my family has been prepping before prepping was cool. Too many people go solo and as mentioned in this article, they may face a situation were they cannot defend their homestead. Living in a rural community I have been able to establish a sort of network with others. It is clear that many people you will not be able to trust, but you have to sort out the goods from the bads. I take my neighborhood for example. It is pretty rural and luckily most of my immediate neighbors in a 1-2 mile radius also prep/homestead. Expanding out, there are those that are essentially useless and unprepared, we identified them and know they exist. In at least a 5 mile radius I know the prepared, the useless, the dangerous, and the ones that will leave if things got bad.
Were I am going with this is simple – get a network of preppers together. You don’t have to have weekly meetings like some organized group. Just an understanding of the goals of each family. Each has something to offer the other for barter when the shit does hit the fan. They will also come to defense of their neighbors. Hell we have a plan to close the road off from access to any type of vehicle (barriers, waterways, etc).
I think if you plan to sit on 2 years worth of food and tons of guns and ammo while sheltering from the rest of the world, you will be a dead man very quick.
What are some of your criteria for identifying the “dangerous”?
Well we keep our prepping quiet, but there are some that when told about preppers will say something along the lines of “I know where I am going when the shit hits the fan”. I consider that to be a person that poses a threat, even if they were funny about the comment. Maybe threatening is a better word than dangerous. There are many people who are a threat that we all need to worry about.
Have a neighbour that I took off the trust list and moved to the, not so much, list.
I personally don’t see the value in worrying about threats… Imo, situational awareness is a better skill to have and the mental fitness to deal with the problems as they arise.
I’m more convinced improving grey man skills will be essential and worth every cent of effort one can invest in learning this skill. I don’t have military background experience but I do have bush craft skills that pay dividends in times of need.
Having trained dogs for S&R, guard and pet stock and being raised on a farm you learn to read animals. Some of that translates into reading people too… Its saved my bacon a few times and I suspect I’ll be needing it more so in the coming days…
Time to lose weight and get skinny. I can’t grow food here because of the dear, rabbits, squirrels, birds, and insects. And even if I could it is much more expensive to do so.
Both my Cardio guy and my Orthopedist have told me I need to lose 50 lbs.
I do my best work under pressure so this’ll be my ‘lemonade’ as it were.
I dropped 10% of my body weight and can now hike for hours/miles if necessary with 30-60lb load if needed. YOU can do it. It is intimidating but get a plan. Start every meal with a big salad and be conscious of the quality of your calories. I think this is the start of any prep. I try to encourage any one I meet who is wanting to move to better health.
Had to go back to framing on a project (labor shortage) recently after two decades of desk work. Fun to show some of the youngsters how to get it done.
I think it’s good to prepare and live your life. That being said prayer is number one.
There are so many weapons to kill you now (stealthily for sure) it will be by the grace of God that you live, especially if they go all out.
I believe this is happening now with the plandemic, fires, weather, DEW use, drones, not to mention economics, food, energy
Some areas/people are affected more than others.
To me, if you know it’s a fake global pandemic, looking at Canada, uk, Australia, California, Washington
….fake elections, psychopathic globalists
You know we’re in really big trouble
All your preps are belong to us:
https://tldavis.substack.com/p/slavery-or-victory?s=r
Good article, sounds like he’s been reading the Platform…
Prepare for a hurricane / derecho / earthquake / blizzard or a week without power because you know one of those will eventually happen. Its sensible, easy, and won’t get you bankrupt or divorced. Money spent on a good well for drinking water is more likely to be helpful than a dozen extra weapons.
I have been trying to drill that into peoples heads as much as I can. They walk into the local gun shop and buy guns and ammo with big talk about defenses and hunting for food. I ask them about their plan for drinking water and I get this lost look. There are so many people without a plan it is very concerning.
You just turn the tap on… and yes they really think that the water will always be there… Those without a plan… will be the ones that’d be dropping dead sooner than later.