10 Things That Every Survivalist Needs

http://daily-survival.blogspot.com ^ | 10/17/11 | Code Name Insight

[Kartographer]

I use the word "survivalist" in the most all-encompassing way, meaning that anyone who wants to/plans to survive a fairly good sized disaster falls into this category. As a survivalist, you need these ten things if you want to have a chance of coming out the other side of a disaster in a rather whole manner.

[Kartographer]

Interesting list I think the #10 "A heightened sense of awareness" goes hand and hand with not being taken unawares by 'Normalcy Bias'. When you have lived in relative peaceful law abiding no shortage of anything world all your life and are suddenly confronted by a SHTF it will be hard for many to come to grips with the fact that the world and rules they have lived with and under their entire lives do not apply.

[Kartographer]

Preppers PING!

[real saxophonist]

Are twin Detonics Combat Masters in a dual Alessi shoulder rig on the list?

[JRandomFreeper]

Can you post them here? I don't go to blogs.

/johnny

[Outlaw Woman]

Could you add me to your ping list? I’m assuming it is regarding survivalist issues?

TIA

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Bump for Morning Coffee. (Not to worry; I’ve horded a whole lot of that, LOL!)

[JRandomFreeper]

Are twin Detonics Combat Masters in a dual Alessi shoulder rig on the list?

If you have a steak knife and the proper attitude and spirit, you can get that after TSHTF. Training does help.

/johnny

[Kartographer]

I truly believe that we are heading for times which we have only seen in apocalyptic movies. AND NO I am not talking about God’s end times I am talking about times that men will make so bad that people will cry out for God to end things.

We are at least in for a fall much like that of that we are in for something like the collapse of Argentina ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yerKMQc7-w&feature=grec_index )but on a global scale. Additionally I think we will see a much more violent version. As recent events show (Flash Mobs, UK riots, etc)we have a larger entitlement minded population and a the US has a much more violent and armed population than Argentina. I see many many small business wiped out by flash mob looting, and see rape, robbery and murder for murder sake. Many of these ‘yutes’ will think no more about killing you than most people think about stepping on a roach. That will be the test of many. Most preppers I know are Christian people and they will hesitate to do what they might have to do to stop the ‘yutes’. On the other hand the ‘yutes’ won’t think twice nor lose a minute of sleep, in fact they will smile and laugh about it. Nothing is sacred to these people Just look at what happened in Rome:

http://www.euronews.net/2011/10/17/12-arrested-after-rome-riots/

Think of this quote which is one of my favorites:

“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Siege of AR-558 (#7.8)” (1998)
Quark: Let me tell you something about Hew-mons, Nephew. They’re a wonderful, friendly people, as long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working. But take away their creature comforts, deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers, put their lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time and those same friendly, intelligent, wonderful people... will become as nasty and as violent as the most bloodthirsty Klingon. You don’t believe me? Look at those faces. Look in their eyes.

Now go look at some of the videos of the riots in the UK and of some of the flash mobs here in the US and look into there eyes.

For those who are just starting or are old hands at prepping you may find my Preparedness Manual helpfull. You can download it at:

http://www.tomeaker.com/kart/preparedness1i.pdf

For those of you who haven’t started already it’s time to prepare almost past time maybe. You needed to be stocking up on food guns, ammo, basic household supplies like soap, papergoods, cleaning supplies, good sturdy clothes including extra socks, underwear and extra shoes and boots, a extra couple changes of oil and filters for your car, tools, things you buy everyday start buying two and put one up.

As the LDS say “When the emergency is upon us the time for preparedness has past.”

Or as the bible says: A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
NIV Proverbs 22:3

Lastly this for the doubters and the scoffers.

“There is no greater disaster than to underestimate danger.

Underestimation can be fatal.”

[TigersEye]

No.

[Reddy]

bfl

[JRandomFreeper]

Why doesn't the list start with what's really required for survival?

Air (under pressure). 3 minutes, max, without it.

Water. 3 days wihtout it.

Food. 3 weeks without it.

Hope. 3 months without it.

YMMV, but that's what the training says. At least the training I took. Everything else is gravy.

I think you are just pimping a blog site.

/johnny

[TigersEye]

Hope. 3 months without it.

Nonsense. I've lived without that for years at a stretch. Highly overrated.

I don't pimp anything. It's not my blog anyway.

[Kartographer]

Yeah that’s what I am doing, you caught me. Please don’t turn me into the FR Blog Police.

Man that stuff gets sooooooo old.

What gets me is people who read post they really have no interest in so they can bitch about it.

[Newtoidaho]

Everything I learned about survival skills I learned from Mad Max and The Walking Dead!

[LadyDoc]

If the world collapses, the best way to survive is to join a community, where people know how to live simply, have a good supply of food on hand, and stick together.

That’s why I’m cynical about the “survivalist” types: they tend to be loners, or isolated families. They are all fantasy, not relying on how people actually acted in such times of the past.

Your best bet to survive is in a group that has strong ties to each other, either family or church.

If I lived in the US, I’d move to rural Utah.

Just joking, but Orson Scott Card has a couple apocolyptical novels where the LDS state of Deseret kept the peace and remained stable (and even tolerated us gentiles).... They could do it, if for no other reasons that the LDS keep alive the memory when they were on their own in the middle of nowhere and had to stick together to survive.

Similarly, here in the Philippines, the extended family would keep people alive.

My husband said when WWII hit, he and his mom (a teacher and widow) walked out of town to their farm and hid there for a couple of months...presumably we’d do the same.

Most of the ten million people in Manila would head home to their family towns and live off their family’s land, but I shudder to think what would happen if things got bad and the thugs came up the new highway...gun control is strict here...on the other hand, a machete is a frightful weapon in the wrong hands....

Probably if things got bad, someone, probably a person from one of the rich families who run the place would start a new militia/guerilla movement to keep the peace... and of course, if you needed something, everyone would trade/bribe/steal and smuggle things that are needed.

[JRandomFreeper]

I gritch about people posting trash, and begging for blog hits, and only when they post a piece of dreck, without the real basics.

Air, water, shelter, food, hope.

In that frigging order.

Any list that doesn't start with those, doesn't rate.

/johnny

[TigersEye]

I haven't seen the Walking Dead but Braveheart was good for the people skills.

(Whap!) "Arrrrr, that'll wake ye up in the marnin', laddy!"

[ari-freedom]

“That’s why I’m cynical about the “survivalist” types: they tend to be loners, or isolated families. They are all fantasy, not relying on how people actually acted in such times of the past.”

It’s sort of like LARPing

[kingu]

Original Article (no advertising)

10 Things That Every Survivalist Needs

I use the word "survivalist" in the most all-encompassing way, meaning that anyone who wants to/plans to survive a fairly good sized disaster falls into this category. As a survivalist, you need these ten things if you want to have a chance of coming out the other side of a disaster in a rather whole manner.

1. An emergency fund. Cash works wonders in most disasters. It can get you a ride out of town, fill up your gas tank, get you some food, buy you an airline ticket to a better place, etc. To do: get your emergency fund together now. I used to recommend $1000 but now I have upped it to $5000.
2. Basic survival skills. No matter where you are, can you get/make/barter for/steal/hijack/or otherwise acquire: water, food, clothing, shelter, medication? To do: if there were a disaster tomorrow, where would you get water (the most vital of necessities in a disaster), food (second most important), clothing (pretty vital), a place to shelter from the elements (ditto), and critical medication? Make a plan for this and an a back up plan as well.
3. Material goods. This can be important for your survival comfort (on the other hand, in many disasters you are often left with what you are wearing on your back and no more, anyway...). Once you come through the initial disaster, some basic material good will come in handy. Do you have: a BOB? Basic camping supplies (even if you live in the middle of a city)? Firearms? Booze (actually useful in multiple ways after a disaster)? Tools? To do: start to acquire a small collection of each of these items.
4. Knowledge. The good thing about knowledge is that once you learn something it is yours to keep. You can't lose/have stolen/have confiscated the things that are in your head. To do: read widely. And conduct experiments as necessary. Reading/studying/practicing should encompass: camping and survival, basic medical care, navigation, how to drive anything that moves, how to grow/forage for/hunt for/fish for your own food, how to process said food, how to make your own electricity, how to make your own medicines, how to defend your home and your person, etc.
5. Friends. No man is an island and in a crisis situation, some extra pairs of hands will come in mighty handy. Obviously you should still prepare on your own but cultivating a group of people who could band together to help each other before/during/after a disaster is quite useful. To do: help others with general things and expect them to help you in return. This is the fastest way to see who you can count on in an emergency (if they won't help you with simple, everyday tasks, how useful with they be in a disaster?). The more you have in common with said people, the better (ie: those you hunt with, fish with, camp with, participate in shooting/exercising/other survival-related events with, the better).
6. A prepared home. Did you know that most common survival situation you are statistically likely to encounter is common, every day disasters like a house fire, domestic violence event, health crisis, etc. To do: while it is great to practice with your handy dandy night vision goggles on a scheduled recon mission of the city park, you actually will be better served to spend some time at home getting your home prepared (all safety items should be in place--fire extinguisher, smoke detector, etc), your people prepared (if there are internal issues in the home that could lead to a dangerous situation such as domestic violence, that needs to be rectified ASAP), and your health prepared (exercise and eat right and you may have a chance of hauling your ass out of a crisis on your own. If you don't do this you will most likely be left behind hoping someone will come along to save you).
7. Advanced survival skills. This is where things get fun. Anyone can forage for food but how many people can go out and bring back a gourmet salad (something like this). Anyone can construct a rudimentary shelter during a storm but how many people can make this? Anyone can point and fire a weapon (well, almost anyone) but how many people have this kind of training? (note: I don't know anything about this particular school, they just had a nifty list of skills to use as an example). To do: get as many practical, advanced, survival skills under your belt as possible.
8. People skills. Oddly enough, much of survival isn't like you see in action films with the hero single-handedly walking into a situation and fighting his way through a gauntlet of gunfire, physical violence, and high-speed chases. Much of survival has to do with people skills. Can you talk your way into getting help as quickly as possible? Can you size up a person's intent quickly and accurately? Can you talk your way out of a brawl before it starts and diffuse a tense situation? Can you be a physical threat if necessary? Can you lead a team, especially under high stress conditions? To do: brush up on your people skills (if necessary, use books, classes, and actual practice to get this done).
9. Get the hell out of dodge skills. Sometimes you can do nothing but flee if you want to save your skin and live to fight another day. To do: plan multiple evacuation routes from your home and work, have the means to evacuate if necessary (everything from a car that works, plenty of gas, a place to stay far away from your home, etc), have a BOB or at the last a small "go bag" that you always carry with you, have the foresight to leave BEFORE it becomes impossible to do so (don't even get me started on those people who hang around home until a hurricane is minutes away before they call 911 for help, never mind that the news has been telling them to evacuate for DAYS).
10. A heightened sense of awareness. Again, much of survival is just being aware of whatever situation you happen to be in. If you live in an earthquake zone, you should know this and be prepared for such an event. If you are heading down to a seedy bar, you should not be surprised if a fight breaks out and someone pulls a gun (why would you want to be there anyway?). If you are in a public building, you shouldn't have to wonder where the emergency exits are if the fire alarm goes off, you should already have ascertained this information as a matter of habit. To do: actually practice being more aware of your surroundings/situation.

[ari-freedom]

Hope? But we already have Obama.