Emergency Survival Kit

Me | May 18, 2010 | Me

[goodwithagun]

I posted a similar message a couple of months ago, and we generated quite a few great ideas for stocking up on certain things in case of a major emergency. We have been stocking up on non-perishables and medical supplies. Next will be emergency equipment: flashlights, batteries, candles, soap, tp, trash bags. Any suggestions?

[Red in Blue PA]

Everyone knows what you meant, so this will be my last post to you.

[Red in Blue PA]

Forgot to add one thing. If you cannot see what you meant then it is not surprising you claim that I made ad hominem attacks (when I did nothing of the sort), yet in the same post you say “Wait...do you even have a job...?”

For the record, I do not. But I do have some class. Something you are clearly lacking.

Good day.

[appalachian_dweller]

You are correct. When (not if) the food supply is cut, wild game will disappear quickly.

There WILL be chaos and a lot of rotting corpses.

Those that survive will do so with the help of armed and ready friends and neighbors.

I speak with my neighbors about how we will defend our area.

[PA Engineer]

Those that survive will do so with the help of armed and ready friends and neighbors.

I speak with my neighbors about how we will defend our area.

Here is something that may be very helpful for perimeter defense.

[VirginiaMom]

Thank you for taking the time to format and post this. I appreciate it very much and have copied to print out.

[ExSoldier]

Bookmark

I'm also looking for something I once saw that the army was using in Vietnam and have seen advertised elsewhere. Seismic alarm systems. Battery operated, limited area and linked. Bury sensors and those sensors are linked to a central receiving unit. If somebody walks over or near a sensor an alarm (silent or not) will sound or show at the receiver and detail area where triggered. Ever hear of that?

I like the shotgun alarm. I have seen similar rigs that are hooked to a tear gas canister. I think you can get some of this stuff from SHOMER-TEC Along with some other neat devices and chemicals.

[ExSoldier]

I agree with you but would like to inject one tiny caveat. I was taught the doctrine of TRADE UP by some folks who inhabit the dark side of the armed forces. Good people, the real patriots who prowl and growl deep behind enemy lines. If you have a knife you can GET a pistol. Then you can GET a rifle. Then you can GET a tank or whatever you want. And yes it means EXACTLY what you say it means. When I use it, I'm referring to a declared enemy combatant, not a person that is a law abiding American citizen that I swore to protect and defend (along with our Constitution)when I took the oath to become a US Army Officer so long ago and to which I will always hold true. It may apply to a tyranical government if one ever really rears it's head in a serious fashion. That hasn't happened ... yet. I pray it never does. Still, I'm a sheepdog through and through.

[ExSoldier]

When (not if) the food supply is cut, wild game will disappear quickly.

Agreed. That is when it will be come necessary to start trapping birds and fish. If you want to survive, it is necessary to expend fewer calorie in gathering food than you actually consume. It would also be a good idea to start raising rabbits before disaster knocks on the nation's collective door. Also start a small vegetable garden. I live in Coral Gables, a suburb of Miami. We are starting a garden and we'll grow both fruit and veggies. I may even plant a few rows of corn. It's just an exercise for now. I'm hoping and praying that I'll be able to move out of the area before it all tumbles down and re-establish my family in a region less vulnerable. Really want to move out of Hurricane Alley, too.

[ExSoldier]

You're very welcome, ma'am.

[magslinger]

Plain old chlorine bleach. Not the lemon scented kind. Bleach bottles with a tablespoon of bleach left are good containers to store drinking water in.

[Redcitizen]

self ping for later read

[archy]

Any and all suggestions welcomed!

Go here. You'll find the answers to many of the questions and thoughts in this thread there, and it's worth checking daily when poissible, weekly when not.

Question: How long will seeds last if I vacuum seal them?

Depends on a couple of things, including what kind of seeds.

[archy]

Joe - I would add two other essentials to your rifle and water:

3) folding knife
4) machete

Red: take up hunting.

Highly reccomended: tape or otherwise attach a smaller sheath with a 10-inch or so medium cut mill bastard file to your machete sheath to keep the edge maintained. And add a pair of work gloves- leather or cotton depending on your local climate, for wear when yiou'tre working with the brush cutter.

A guy whacking away with amachete can be heard for well over a mile when the conditions are right [or wrong, depending on your point of view) though tghat does not lessen the usefulness of the tool when it's needed; it's just another consideration worth keeping in mind.

And is also a good reason why a good bowsaw is a worthy addition to your list of useful pioneer tools. Which is actually a good suggestion for another list/thread.

[archy]

Emergency Survival Kit

For your consideration: The Top 100 things that disappear from the stores in an emergency

[Tench_Coxe]

Might want to throw in one of those magnesium fire starter blocks (shave magnesium and then run a knife down the flint to generate sparks). You can pick them up at Walmart.

[Ramius]

Yah. Got one. There’s lots of additional stuff I’ve tossed in the bag that aren’t necessarily on the list yet. It’s been a couple of years since I updated the bag. Maybe it’s about time to review it again.

[sig226]

One of the reasons to have two knives, like a machete and a folder, is because you can use one of them as a hone for the other. You’ll need to maintain the blades daily because a hone won’t affect a rounded edge, but the knives will stay sharp if the hone is used for maintenance. Besides that, plenty of natural and artificial stones can serve as sharpeners.

We are trying to carry the bare minimum of stuff. :)

[sig226]

I don’t know how much of that is directly attributable to financial causes. Conservation of wildlife was an infant science at the time (now it’s a spoiled brat child.) Small farms on large scales deforested much of the continent and contributed to the loss of wildlife populations when farmers killed animals that tried to eat their crops. Factory farming is the bugaboo of the greenie movement, but it actually produces more food in less space than independent farming. Many of those empty farms reverted to forest.

I don’t know how much of effect hunting would have on herds of deer, bear, and duck. I suppose if people get hungry enough, they’ll eat the garbage fed geese that rule the parks in the northeast. Might be a good thing. :)

[joseph20]

Good points. I was appealing to precisely that line of thinking in my first post on this thread.

The idea is that with water and a rifle+ammo one can acquire all other necessary supplies from hunting, abandoned stores, abandoned goods, et cetera. Obviously this is not ideal, but it represents a form of survival for individuals who choose not to be involved in "prepper communities" and individuals who choose not to build up and maintain proper emergency survival gear.

Despite the ridiculous accusations from a couple "prepper" regulars on this thread, I would of course try my best to avoid any other humans in a SHTF scenario. My plan has always been to stick with myself and my own as best as possible.

[ExSoldier]

I hate to say this but for long term survival the only guys that will make it are the preppers. Anybody who thinks they're going to wander into the deep mountains and play Jeremiah Johnson is in for a rude and lethal surprise. A fully equipped (prepped?) SF "A-TEAM" might could do it, but even they would have to develop a patrol base from which to operate eventually and that requires defensive PREPS, too. When supplies (preps) run low and you start losing weight or dehydrating or the weather eventually overtakes you and hypothermia sets in, you're going to run out of options. Plus the more you move, the more likely you will become injured from just an accident like Hatchet Jack in that same movie. Also the more you move the less you'll know the area and the dangers from both two and four legged critters as well as dangerous terrain (cliffs, rock slide areas, etc) and the more likely you'll run into folks who do and are ready to resupply from you. Remember, if you die first, somebody will be along to split up your gear.