Anyone into survival/SHTF planning?

[Inazone]

It doesn't seem that long ago that Y2K and 9/11 had people really on edge, stockpiling everything from canned food to ammo, and the current economic and political environment pretty much around the world seems (to me) to be prompting a lot of people to consider more long-term "shit hits the fan" scenarios. I'm generally not a doom-and-gloom type of person myself, but since getting married and more recently becoming a homeowner, my perspective has changed a bit. If people can riot over the outcome of sporting events or Black Friday prices, the prospect of legitimately bad stuff happening - natural disasters, government shutdown, etc. - makes me wonder what we need to prepare ourselves for.

I read all kinds of articles and posts on various forums about people who are taking this to the extreme, having the equivalent of a bomb shelter or even a separate residence "out in the sticks" just in case. I don't really think things are going to get that bad, but thinking back to what happened in New Orleans during/after Hurricane Katrina, the LA riots and even things like the California forest fires destroying hundreds or thousands of homes, I can't even imagine what the results would be on a nationwide scale.

So, what say ye, oh wise JCFers?

[emperor_black]

We just got an "earthquake survival kit" from my wife's workplace and that's all I have at the moment. I don't even know where to keep the damn thing. Which part of the house will be least damaged and accessible? No idea!

[Jayster]

Ryan, I fully believe in keeping things on hand. Even the FEMA website states that you should always be prepared for a 'few' days of interruption of goods and services. Not that I buy into the utter chaos theory, but even a good winter storm can shut down roads and utilities....

I try to keep at a minimum 3-5 days worth of food and water, always have blankets, candles, batteries and TP(you don't wanna run out of that).
I'm a big believer in owning firearms, there's a lot of bat shit crazy people out there(without anything else going on).

[Soap]

Yep, a camper, proud 9mm Glock owner, bow hunter, a few knives (Tops/Buck's CSAR-T fixed, Cold Steel Recon) Estwing hatchet.
Blast Match fire Starter, MSR windpro stove, water treatment/filtration, medical supplies and sooooo much other stuff related to this scenario.
Whether you intend to stock up on a few things at the house or creating a bug out bag to have ready to go on foot.
Its good to be prepared.

One word of advice or a friendly suggestion regarding self preservation.
Trust no one outside of family and deliberately find an occasion and use it as an opportunity to train family on survival skills.
Also, learn/know what plants, vegetation and etc you can eat and get water from. It can preserve and keep you alive.

[bombtek]

Please don't forget the impending zombie apocolypse....remember head shots only. Saves ammunition.

[micha]

Sounds like you're preparing for zombie-acopalypse

edit: exactly...

[Mr Sandman]

The juice, the precious juice... the guzzoline...

[RacerX]

The juice, the precious juice... the guzzoline...

...kachunk, kachunk, kachunk

[84sups]

Please don't forget the impending zombie apocolypse....remember head shots only. Saves ammunition.

Don't forget the double tap.....

[Endrik]

fucking pussies, I'm no preparing for anything except winning a lottery

[Inazone]

My wife is planning on winning the lottery, but you have to play to win, so there's a major flaw in her plan already.

Since the missus is in the Army Reserves and comes home from training exercises (desert training two years ago, jungle/swamp training this past year) loaded with MREs, we have a couple weeks' worth of those; I'm working on the water storage part now. But also because the wife is in the military, she could just as easily get deployed when things "get real" and I'd be fending for myself. Living in this lovely land of ice and snow (someone should write a song about that) I've already put together cold-weather travel packs for both of our vehicles, but I've also put together a couple of other packs. One is meant for both of us, the type of stuff necessary for "roughing it" for a few days: extensive first aid supplies, tools, a decent survival knife, water purification, spare clothes (especially socks) and a couple of flashlights with batteries.

The second is more for living off the land, so to speak, if things get to the point where supplies are scarce and needed to be either protected when you have them, or for getting them when you don't. That consists of more trauma-type first aid stuff, bolt/pipe cutters, small fire extinguishers, more heavy-duty tools and other miscellaneous stuff. I do some recreational shooting (9mm handgun and .22 rifle) and collected knives when I was a kid, so I've also included things more along those lines, specifically personal defense ammo, a couple of knives (Gerber Prodigy, Buck Nighthawk) and also some things for securing my house if staying there remains a viable choice.

Meanwhile, I'm reading up on a lot of survival topics, and at the same time hoping that none of these scenarios ever play out.

[Soap]

I'm reading up on a lot of survival topics, and at the same time hoping that none of these scenarios ever play out.

Me too.

I inherited alot of my Dad's guns and knives and acquired some of my own over the years.
Such was a huge part of my childhood, fishing, hunting learning survival stuff.
Huge military family.

[Jayster]

Such was a huge part of my childhood, fishing, hunting learning survival stuff.
Huge military family.

This is also how I grew up, and in camping for weeks on end. These basic skills are something we should be teaching our children. As far as some 'endgame' scenario playing out, someone's always screaming that the sky is falling. So - what I'm trying to say is have basic supplies and know how to use them, this should be as natural as having a family fire evac. plan for all families.... And, try not to worry about the things that are out of your control.

[Soap]

These basic skills are something we should be teaching our children. As far as some 'endgame' scenario playing out, someone's always screaming that the sky is falling. So - what I'm trying to say is have basic supplies and know how to use them, this should be as natural as having a family fire evac. plan for all families.... And, try not to worry about the things that are out of your control.

Exactly bro.

[horns666]

This is why I'm in survival eating mode. My goal weight is about 450.

I figure I could survive like a camel on 300+ Lbs of my own manfluff. That should buy me a few weeks during the apocalypse.