Posted on 11/14/2012 4:53:51 PM PST by Kartographer
1. Not Having Enough Water
2. They put too Much Importance on Their Gear
3. They lack the Knowledge it takes to Really Survive
4. The Rice & Beans Mentality
5. Becoming too dependent on your Guns & Ammo
6. Not Understanding that People will become a Threat During a SHTF Crisis
I was raised off the grid. I remember how much work it was and am not anxious to do it again, but could if I had to. I think most people underestimate how much work it is to be self-sufficient or even mostly self-sufficient. I was part of a large family and we all had to work hard just to survive. When I read about people that are going to “go it alone” and what not- well a lone person is going to have a really hard time- a couple or small family will be hard pressed, possible to do but not practical for those that don’t really know how to do it.
It sucks. Badly.
Parts of it were good. Some parts almost killed me.
You have the right of it. It's really hard.
/johnny
“I would suggest a bug out place that is very difficult to find, a place that regular people would not try to get to...”
I live in town in a place exactly like you wrote above. If you had the address, you couldn’t find it because nunerous people have tried and still miss it. No regular people try to get here because they don’t know it exists. It’s just a strange placement that happened and it’s an optical illusion so that a brain passes by where it is.
I didn’t buy this place because of that, it didn’t cross my mind, in fact it was a bother because I’d have to watch closely to get here myself and I still do or I’d pass it up. So, I think it was a God thing that put me in this spot in town close to everything I need, yet being hidden.
He doesn’t mean literally “Rice and Beans” but he is using it as an example of something that someone could stock up on without being familiar with it, and suddenly learning that they are allergic to it, or don’t like it, or are totally unprepared for the gastric reaction to suddenly switching to a diet heavy with ground wheat, or beans, or lentils.
Personally I am very, very much into rice and beans and wheat for long term survival, it fits my budget, and the shelf life fits my budget also, I love MREs but I can’t afford them, and I don’t want to think in relatively short terms of 10 years of shelf life (budget again).
Wheat and beans and rice are the basis of real food, it is better to have to “forage” and scrounge, and hunt, for meat and greens, than it is to have an occasional rabbit or apple, and desperately need big bowls of real, filling, food, that can’t be found easily.
Those staples require water, and lots of cooking time though, and dietary adjustments for most.
Pressure cookers and canning helps cut down on fuel use when cooking the beans for instance, you can cook them while canning them, which means all that fuel gathering and effort, gives you leftovers that you can put up on the shelf without refrigeration.
followed by the sharp report of the .308 from the hide...
Growing up in East Texas, my body will not be shocked at all with pinto beans in a SHTF situation - I grew up on them. We had many farms in our family, and I think the only veggie I ate out of a store-bought can was early peas. All other veggies came from Mason jars.
/johnny
That sounds pretty good.
Got your link and enjoyed the read. Thanks, hope to see the next issue.
/johnny
To satisfy my curosity, I went looking for the guy tonight using Google. (Have a new laptop so I lost all my bookmarks a few months ago when old one crashed.)
He’s still cool as all get out. He started posting on a forum back in 2009 or thereabouts and I kept up with what he was doing. If you are interested I can send you a link via the pm feature.
The guy isn’t some loony anti government person, but you know with the way the CIA, FBI, ATF and such like are reading everything that gets posted here, I’d hate to post the link in the open forum and put a target on his back, kwim?
He’s sort of a throwback to a different time. Retired early enough and in good enough health to get some things done.
To me it means several things.
First is just because something stores a long time don’t store it if you don’t eat it! Store what you eat and eat what you store.
A good example of this is those 1 month, 3 month, 1 year and so on food kits (this pertains to MRE’s as well)that are so popular.If you never tried them how do you know you will eat them. Lets say the kit comes with 10 different dinners a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i and j. Now you like a, b and f. You find c, g, j and h are tolerable, but d and i are horrible and h you wouldn’t feed to your dog. That means you will hold out on those three and someday you could find yourself with only food you can’t STAND! 30% of your food storage is almost UNLESS!
There’s also something called food fatigue it’s were you have the exact same thing every day for weeks on end soon you have to make yourself eat and before long much of what you prepare goes uneaten. JRandomFreeper is more knowledgeable on this as he has seen it happen. Same with your stores oatmeal for breakfast, spam and flat bread for lunch and rice and beans for supper day in and day out will get old so store as much variety as you can, spices, gravies and additives to dress up those staples are a MUST!
The second thing is food and guns aren’t enough in themselves. Lots of food and guns won’t get you through. The most valuable thing is knowledge. You have to know what to do with what you have you need to have a plan a, b and c. Also the longer the situation last the lower morale gets. People stop being sharp and nerves become frayed remember moral of your group is important.
Lastly man does not live by bread alone all the guns gadgets and food in the world won’t get you as far as Faith alone will. Trust in God and keep the Faith.
You might find this article useful:
http://thesurvivalmom.com/2011/11/20/8-morale-boosters-for-any-worst-case-scenario/
I had occasions where the purchases of large volumes of canned goods or freeze dried food elicited questions. Saying, “None of your business” could elicit concern or cause others to remember the purchase as suspicious. So I mention my husband the scout master (true) or daughter in American Heritage Girls (true) and upcoming camp-outs. Others assume the volume of food is for the kids. It is, if just mine.
But I do not discuss prepping or stockpiling. Some of the food does go for the troop and donations to the food bank. But the true preps are hidden away. The kids are taught as age appropriate that this is for emergencies, just like saving money to the bank.
The hard part is balancing education with “shut up!” to children.
Agreed. The problem with trying to maintain the community is that many voted for socialism, and thus would feel entitled to a prepper’s stuff.
Invest in a like-minded community. Those who also prep. A doctor who accepts cash. Other home schooling parents or private schooling parents who would home school with you if schools are shut down or unreasonable (like hailing Obama each morning). A religious community that will support you and aid you in down times. But not everyone in the vicinity is part of the obligation to be helped.
Since 04/09/2012
God.... Is there a way to mute the Prepper Peoople NOOOOOBS?????
Enjoy them while they are young. They grow up too quickly.
/johnny
As near as I can figure, I am a 10th generation Floridian. I know one branch goes back well into the 1700s and all in this same county.
I was born on a subsistence farm but we moved to Panama City when I was four. I guess we were a bit like the Clampets without the money. We grew a vegetable garden in the city limits and also raised and butchered a hog.
It has been too long and I am too old to go back to farming but I would plant a garden.
I am fortunate in one way. I have a large variety of fruit and nut trees on my property. During the Summer I have a huge grape orchard plus plums, apples, and Japanese persimmons which are really good. The persimmons and 12 pecan trees produce in the fall. The only thing I have during the Winter are satsumas.
I couldn’t live on the fruit alone but they sure would help.
Actually the pecans, grapes and pears produce more than I could eat while they are in season.
“Think about it, how would a family of four, or five, or six stand up a competent 7 X 365 X 24 X 360 degree watch?”
Those of us who have trouble sleeping take extra hours ;)
And you do what you have to. Working in the Garden, take 2 of the dogs that worship the ground you walk on, tie them out where they can watch, and warn. One growl, and you drop the rake and grab the shotgun which (if you’re smart) is right by you.
Would it be simple? No, would it be hard? Yes. But, you will do what you have to do to protect, and feed your family. Our Ancestors did it, and we can too. Some of my Ancestors scalped others of my Ancestors ;)
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