That comment is out of line.

In a SHTF moment, I'm with whoever isn't trying to rape and pillage me purely b/c of a sign in my front yard. I do own weapons, and I am not afraid to defend myself and my family.

As far as who I voted for, I don't think there's ever been any confusion about that. I've always leaned left...

@ 9.5 mpg I would get 931 miles away. Add in the 25 gals from the garage that's another 237.5 miles for a total of 1168.5 miles before I have to worry about snipers and they had better be really good, because I am.

As to refilling, I have a small high pressure gas pump that I can power off the motorhome and lower it down into a gas stations tanks for all the fuel I need.

Don't blame others for stating the obvious. In a SHTF moment, if you cannot defend it, it doesn't matter how much crap you have stored or in you backpack...regardless of your politics.

Obviously, anyone looking to loot would start where they were most likely not to get shot.

I plan on staying in my house. 300 meters from a huge fresh water lake. Plenty of ammo on hand. Solid F-150 at the ready. If it hits the fan here, I plan on dispensing with the protestant niceties, and rounding up as many sorority girls dressed up as gold(AG) as possible. All part of my global repopulation program.

I will take copper, then.

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Maybe you could get the government to give you a little grant ($300m) to study that.

I have one that i use as a survival bag and also as a fishing kit that i use when i have to walk to fishing locations.

i took a long time looking at bags trying to decide what would work best...looked at range bags like those from 5.11. Ultimately i went with an Osprey Manta 30 backpack in an effort to keep it compact, light, well organized and hi-tech...check em out

i wont go through my whole list of stuff but i will say that i love my Spyderco Paramilitary 2 knife and Maratac AA and AAA flashlights and i always have a headlamp with me. Checkout out CountyComm for some useful, fun and affordable items

as for what is "absolutely essential" i think the answer has to be hand gun and ammo

It's interesting the direction this has gone. It seems by far most are relying on guns to get them through and apocalyptic situation. I don't expect we would ever see a situation like some of those that exist in the Middle East, parts of Africa. But as we have seen in this country it could take several weeks for the government to respond and or be able to get things up and running. Such as Katrina the snow storms of two years ago and now the fall out from Sandy in areas.

What I was looking for is how are you prepared if you needed to rely only your self for say a period of two weeks at your home no power, no running water the food stores are empty destroyed,you could not get to them or they could not be resupplied.

In another situation what if you were in a vehicle that some how became immobile?

BTW- for all the gun toter's that are going to shoot the s**t out of everything that moves near the perimeter of their residence in an apocalyptic situation. The firing of a gun by all accounts is the worst thing you could do. The more stealthy you are the more likely you ar to survive. The firing of a gun will alert everyone around you that you are trying to protect something. Especially food/water. Those that are desperate will quickly over run you. You should be on the sidelines watching looking for opportunities. Pellet guns, bows/crossbows and trapping devices should be used to hunt small game for food. Do not keep all or a large amount of your stores your house in an apocalyptic situation. They should be kept in air/water tight containers and hidden in strategic areas away from the house. Not one spot but several. So if one is found you can go to another. When retrieving supplies it should be done under the cover of darkness to help from being detected and only take what you need for that or one additional meal.

Any way Hydrorocket has a nice B-O-B and the kind of info I was looking for. I like the squeeze filter. I am going to have to look into one. The lack of water has always been my main focus in a Ditch bag. How to make or purify water followed by fire, first aid, shelter and food.

Keep em coming. Some good info being posted.

A friend and I were just discussing how disruptive a major solar event or terrorist with an EMP device would be.

Protection/defenses, food water, shelter would be paramount to survival for the first few weeks, after that skills such as hunting, fishing, farming, diplomacy...

Sorry your thread went in a direction that you did not intend...but in all seriousness; weapons are a critical part of any type of disaster prep. Even localized ones. There is significant looting in the path of Sandy already...and look what happened after Katrina. In both cases most of the infrastructure of the nation was untouched. Imagine if it was a statewide or national disaster.

Per the noise from a gun...Bad people/animals tend to travel in packs. If you are protecting your family from a half dozen armed folks...a gun is the only way you have a chance. Your archery kit and pocketknife just will not hack it except for hunting. You cannot reload a crossbow quickly enough and you would be overrun. Even the difference between a single shot and a semi-auto would be deadly. That is why they were developed, to provide superiority in a firefight. Obviously in the big city, a gunfight would draw a lot of attention...that is why you would immediately relocate before it became zombie apocalypse using whatever weaponry required to do so. Personally my plan would be to blow a couple of bridges behind me if things are really bad. Out in the country, the population that would be attracted by gunfire is small because few are within earshot.

I have been in places overseas where people were desperate and society collapsed. Police, fire, etc bugged out first to protect their families. There is no one to help you. You watch your family get killed or raped and everything you have is taken...or you protect them. It is not a lot different than the current crop of zombie films/tv shows. People are just as bad, but move faster and are better organized and much more ruthless.

Honestly. I could go a long time. I have propane, food stored. Beans, rice, pasta, canned food, MREs, unlimited water. Lady next door has a well and I have a creek next to me. I have water filters. Lanterns, batteries, flashlights. I can use my bow to quietly kill a deer or resident goose. My guns are for the unprepared. I have pain killers stored. The best firearm would be a silenced ,22. My brother has one. Here it is so illegal.

Soooo that comment is out of line however when Fintstone makes almost the exact comment its just fine?

Consistancy is a good thing in life... suggest that you work on that!

Friend of mine and I are relying on distance. We have a good sized ranch about an hours drive from where we live that is in the absolute middle of no-where. Closest small town is 15 mlies away, otherwise there is not anything around. No electricity, we use solar, wind and generators for power. Has a 1000 foot well with a 2000 gallon water tank and pump. Even has a concrete bomb shelter that was built way back in the 1960's that is stocked with food and whatever should be needed in case the brown material hits the fan.

This is not a place where groups of people would be walking... or at least walking for long. Rattlesnakes, scorpions and packs of wild dogs take care of that.

Great thread. Lots of solid ideas and thoughts.

I have been thinking I should have some extra gas in the garage for lot of these reasons. How long will it stay stable? Should I add one of the stabilizers folks up north put in their tanks for winter storage?

Joe, He lives in the village of the Obama voters...

Statistically they say that u are more at risk from somebody you know than don't know. My ditch kit is a P car and a full tank of gas:)

Again you have to think about regional differences and familiarity with the environment. I live in the country, there are some major advantages to this, Just think Mayberry. It is known by most around here that I am armed to the teeth, not that I am an apocalyptic lunatic but it is a hobby, just like my guitars. I also know what neighbors are the same type.........birds of a feather. Should I need to defend myself and my property, it is going to be from an outsider and I doubt there will be many people following the sounds to get what I am trying to keep. It is also very likely that should the country get to that point my little neighborhood will band together to protect each other. Every man for themselves attitude is not likely to happen here.
I also collect knives and swords, so if stealth is required I have that too.

I keep a bag for SHTF events or if I'm flying and have some kind of mechanical problem and have to go down in the middle of nowhere. It serves the same purpose and is kept handy in the plane along with full fuel.