Posted on 07/16/2010 11:33:58 AM PDT by Red in Blue PA
1. Following the wrong advice: Many new survivalist become fixated upon the advice given by others. They read the latest preparedness book or blog post and automatically assume the advice given is best them, without considering their individual needs, skill level or location. In order to be self-reliant you need to learn to think for yourself.
2. Not eating what they store: Many new survivalist fill their pantry with unfamiliar foods, thinking they will adapt their diet “when the time comes” this is nonsense. You need to learn how to prepare and use these foods now, so they become a familiar staple.
3. Relying only on their food storage: Many new survivalist think once they have their one year supply of survival foods, that’s the end. Don’t get me wrong, having a deep larder is important, just don’t overlook the possibility of needing to replenish your supplies, and obtaining the skills and resources needed to do that.
4. Not storing enough salt: Many new survivalist fail to store this staple in the quantities needed. Don’t discount the importance of salt. I suggest at least ten pounds of iodized salt per person as a minimum.
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. I love guns and gear as much as the next person – but I know food and water are more important to my survival. Sure; we need weapons to protect what we’ve put away, just don’t neglect the other stuff.
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.
7. To much stuff not enough skill: Many new survivalist believe they can be saved though buying. This fantasy has been promoted by self-serving survival gurus for years to fill their pockets with cash. Sure supplies are useful and some are needed – just don’t become dependent on stuff instead develop your skills.
8. Storing only one type of food: More than a few new survivalist have made this mistake. I can’t remember exactly where I read it, I think it was on another survival blog – but the author suggested his readers store hundreds of pounds of wheat and nothing else. While wheat is the backbone of my food storage, storing only one type of food, no matter how versatile is foolish.
9. Not taking care of pet needs: Many new survivalist fail to consider the needs of their pets. If you have pets you must plan for their needs by laying back the necessary supplies to keep them fed and healthy.
What about installing an old fashioned hand pump? I used to use one when I was a kid - the only thing you HAVE to have is some water to use if you lose prime. You would feel a lot safer...
Dang! Is that legal? : ) What is it and how much does it cost?
From my limited personal experiences, and more extensive reading of the experiences of others, I think people will eat anything if they get hungry enough. I think I'd eat maggots long before I ever indulged in human flesh, and yet there are stories out there about people being driven to cannibalism in extreme circumstances. I mention maggots more because of their medical value...they can be very useful for maggot debridement therapy. It sounds medieval, but it's probably already used more commonly in modern medicine than most people want to think about.
Is there an old fashioned manual pump that will work on a deep well?
Sure, but on the continuity scale, I’d be eating rats long before I’d look into maggots and other bugs.
I’ve seen maggots used in wound debridement in Mexico, on the central mountains. Hell, even some US doctors use leeches to reduce bruising. Sometimes after cosmetic surgery.
You could make a digester for your waste products (they use them in some third world countries) to produce methane and get a natural gas generator that can be tuned to run on the gas. However, this is very low pressure gas so accumulating and storing it would be problematic.
Alternatively, you could ferment plant waste to make alcohol and use the alcohol to run the generator. Not suggesting moonshine here as making it requires a lot of valuable inputs (sugar and grains).
However, some sort of muscle-based solution (hand cranked rotary pump) would be probably be the most easily implemented.
Whatever the solution, make it one that you can fix using on-site tools and lay in a stock of spare parts to do the repairs when needed. Maybe stock a complete replacement system as water is one resource you can’t go without for long.
My 2 cents.
” Is there an old fashioned manual pump that will work on a deep well?”
I’m not sure - the ones we’ve found work on our local wells, but, admittedly, they’re not REAL deep...
It might be a good investment to get that 6-pack and a couple of pounds of hamburger and have the local plumber over for a barbecue/skull-session - if he hasn’t already thought the problem through, he should at least give you some ideas that would be suitable to your local conditions...
Yep and they will not be easily dissuaded if they are hungry too.
That is something many people who think "I have a gun and ammo, therefore I shall take food and water from everyone else" seem to forget.
Come after what I have, you will eat lead and swallow blood, and not be supping at my table and consuming my stores.
Wood gas seems to be a good solution.
Readily available fuel without storage issues and it’s almost immediately available.
Once you have the system built, you can run your generator in less than 15 minutes.
The Barret semi-auto comes in at around $10,000 for the kit (case, Swarovski scope, rifle, magazines, etc.).
#1 item most all people do: Fail to understand SHTF is not unlikely.
Good God man, that’s funny.
Preparedness/Survival ping!
Bars of soap?
I have a piece of paper with one line printed out and placed upon my food strage items as a reminder of why I am prepping:
“The veneer of civilization is thin”
Hard to store a years supply of Lean Cuisines and Digiorno Pizzas.
What Bible are you reading? God commanded you to love your neighbor, not trade her like chattel. You may be severely disappointed at the end of your days.
ROTFLOL!
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