Preppers

[jhughes3281]

Who here is a prepper?

I have a full 72 hour BOB at home, and kits in both of our cars. We are going to start overnight backpacking trips here soon so we can utilize our equipment and get familiar with it.

What do you have and do?

[PedalBiker]

I've been snowed in for over a week twice in my life.

I keep the pantry stocked, we have a generator and firewood. I carry snow chains, a shovel and blankets in the winter.

I don't consider myself a "prepper" on the other hand only a fool lives with no buffer for the unexpected.

The other day we got a brief snow squall that put less than an inch of snow on the ground. There were 4 accidents in the space of 10 miles on the interstate. You just never know.

[jhughes3281]

Mine is really to cover 3 incidents: major earthquake, nuclear accident (live within 50 miles of a plant), and riots. I am surrounded by national forest, and have every intention on going there if some SHTF situation occurs.

[x_mods]

If I were on the mainland I would be one! But on such a small island, I am better off digging in than bugging out. I'm already 300+ ft. above sea level, so most places I go would be worse natural disaster wise.

[justin123560]

All I got are a box of MRE's and an AED. Prepping becomes pretty expensive but it will be worth every penny when sh*t hits the fan. My family does have an evacuation plan and meet up spots. Are you talking about the powerplant near the 5 going towards San Diego jhughes ?

[jhughes3281]

Originally Posted by justin123560

All I got are a box of MRE's and an AED. Prepping becomes pretty expensive but it will be worth every penny when sh*t hits the fan. My family does have an evacuation plan and meet up spots. Are you talking about the powerplant near the 5 going towards San Diego jhughes ?

Yes, San Onofre

Build your gear a little at a time. Plan out exactly what you need, and then make a list of the supplies. Pick something up every couple of weeks. After a year, you would be surprised at the pack you have. The AED is a good one right off the bat.

[HighALT]

The only reason "prepping" is even a thing is because so many people are used to living in the city, day-to-day. Anyone who lives in the country (or an area prone to natural disasters) knows to have extra food, water, tools, etc. It's just common sense.

Priorities (arguable, depending on scenario):

1) Water (store some and get a filter)

2) Food (MRE's, dehydrated, freeze-dried... or just rice and beans, depending on budget)

3) Shelter (your home + tent/camper/etc)

4) Self-defense (guns... more ammo than you need)

5) Transportation (ideally fuel efficient and off-road capable: dirt bike. but that's unrealistic for families, so this one can require many different approaches)

Are we really to a point where the average American doesn't have those five things available to them without having to go shopping?

A few cases of water won't break the bank and I have a water-filter for camping/backpacking. I got MRE's out of curiosity and some for free. Freeze-dried for camping/backpacking. Rice/beans are standard in the pantry, doesn't break the bank to buy more than you need. Probably have a roof over your head if you're on-line and own a truck. Camping gear is a given in any household I know of (living in Colorado). And guns... maybe it's just Colorado but there's more guns than people in the US, it's not exactly hard to own one (depending how fascist your state is). And for the last one... if you're on here, you probably have a truck capable of transporting you (possibly your family) and go off-road if necessary (within reason).

I don't see why it's so hard to be prepared without being labeled a conspiracy nut. Everyone in society has become way too comfortable with their security. I learned from my parents, grandparents and history professors that... well, quite frankly, **** always hits the fan eventually. It's inevitable based on the observations of human/societal behavior, historically. How delusional does one have to be to think that, somehow (magically), this society/civilization will be the first one in history to last forever? Yeah, right... if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.

[Gadsden]

I'm working on getting everything together. Like it was said, it's expensive so I add a little bit here and there. Just bought 1,600 stick matches, should last a while!

Where is a good place to get MRE's that have a great shelf life, at a decent price?

[jhughes3281]

^ the ready store. Got a weeks worth, heaters, and water for $135.

[Gadsden]

In a collective recommendation, what's amount to have? I've heard everything from 3 days to 1 year and beyond.