[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Ping.

[Armedanddangerous]

During the dec 2010 snowstorm in WV, our batteries didnt last 2 days. 3 of my 4 flashlights went totally dead.

The snowstorm was mostly a surprise, so we didnt have enough food on hand.

[Marechal]

Baffled as to why, should one have to go survivalist, one would even waste the time and resources to maintain “pets”. What one would need would be dogs of the large, loyal, and appropriately vicious variety.

[maddog55]

“5. Building an arsenal: I see this all the time. Many new survivalist spend thousands on weapons and related gear, yet have only a two-week supply food and no water filter. This is stupid...”

If you have plenty of guns and ammo... food & water is easy to get !!!

[meowmeow]

#10, prepping without planning. Take the time to figure out what you need for your family and prioritize purchases. One step at a time - consistently - will save you money and headaches. Your initial plan will change over time as you get better at it. Mini-disasters likes blizzards, or everyone getting the flu are good times to assess how well you're doing.

#11, blabbing to liberal friends and family and the local paper that you are a prepper.

[JPG]

When I see a recipe posted for “Donner Party Stew” then I’ll now that it’s really hit the fan.

[El Sordo]

Eat what you store what you eat what you store what you eat what you store what you eat what you store what you eat what you store what you eat what you store what you eat what you store what you eat what you store what you eat what you store what you eat what you store what you eat what you store what you eat what you store what you eat what you store what you eat what you store what you eat what you store what you eat what you store what you eat what you store what you eat what you store what you eat what you store what you eat what you store what you eat.

[Gondring]

And then there will be the folks surrounded by a year of food boxes and ammo cases, lying there with an empty bottle of heart medication.

[stormer]

"...don’t overlook the possibility of needing to replenish your supplies, and obtaining the skills and resources needed to do that."

[GonzoGOP]

6. Relying on bugging out: I’m not a fan of the “grab a bug out bag and head for the hills survival strategy”. In most cases you’re better off staying where you are. Having a bug out bag is a good idea, just don’t make bugging out your only plan or first priority.

Depends on where you live. Here in Crook County Illinois the chances of riding out a storm aren't that good. Too close to the looties on the near West side. Most looters won't drive far to loot, especially if gas get difficult to find. So two hours from a major urban population mass is probably the closest that you would want to try to ride it out.

Of course even if you intend to bug out you need to have a plan for survival in place. You may not be able to get out due to closed, jammed roads or the sudden onset of the emergency. Civil unrest rarely gives you a lot of warning. Something sets it off and by the time you realize its time to go, get the family together and get the car packed it may be too late to go anyplace. While plan A may be to GTFO you need to be prepared to fort up for a few weeks and wait for a better opportunity to make your run.

[Kartographer]

“6. Relying on bugging out: I’m not a fan of the “grab a bug out bag and head for the hills survival strategy”. In most cases you’re better off staying where you are. Having a bug out bag is a good idea, just don’t make bugging out your only plan or first priority.”

If you don’t a prepared place(Somewhere secure and stocked)bugging out makes you a refugee and history has repetedly shown us what happens to refugees.

For those who wish you may want to download my Preparedness Manual at:

http://www.mediafire.com/?tyoktknynnl

[texmexis best]

A hunting dog is one thing I never hear about. I watch my dog hunt down in our meadow and I suspect that if we ever get into an SHTF scenario, the dog will be extremely valuable.

Dogs were built by God to hunt. I take their skills seriously.

[William Tell]

I think the author of the list is undervaluing the opportunities for barter. I'm guessing that somebody with a good store of wheat would be able to trade for salt, for example.

Ammunition will be sought by everyone who has or gets a gun and who didn't set some aside. Ammo is probably one of the best barter commodities.

Salt might be the same. Candles, matches, needles, thread, fishing hooks, bleach, antiseptics, and even alkaline batteries will be in demand. If people are surviving in place, meaning that they don't have to leave their homes and stored goods, then even in my very rural area there will be many hundreds of families within five miles who would be quite willing to trade.

The biggest threat will be the "government" accusing preppers of hoarding and demanding that committees decide who gets the goods.

One of my biggest problems will be that I am on a well and can't store a great quantity of gas for the generator to run the well. In a real emergency the generator will be run for just minutes while water containers are refilled. But when the gas runs out, more will have to be obtained.

[EdReform]

Bookmark. Thanks for posting!

[CodeToad]

#1 item most all people do: Fail to understand SHTF is not unlikely.

[ChocChipCookie]

Preparedness/Survival ping!

[FReepaholic]

...Many new survivalist fill their pantry with unfamiliar foods...

Hard to store a years supply of Lean Cuisines and Digiorno Pizzas.

[goodwithagun]

Great post! I thought about adding dried beans to my stores but then decided on canned beans. Yes, they take up more space but they are already hydrated. Water might be a premium and I don’t want to waste it on bean rehydration. Also, I added fully constituted soup for the same reason. Water is needed for condensed soup.

[RedStateRocker]

It would be nice if they knew how to use the English language. I have a hard time taking any advice from someone who doesn’t get the concept of ‘plural’

[Jane Long]

Ping.