Wouldn't you like to be a prepper too...
 

Been watching the prepper show on Nat Geo about people prepping for both natural and man made disasters. Some are funny. Some seem bat-**** crazy. But some seem to be prepping for disasters that could actually happen. Like the idea that they have "experts" rate their survival time based on their preps.

So do you prep for earthquakes? Floods? Power outages?

How long do you prep for? Is two weeks food and water enough for your household based on your experiences in the past?

I don't really prep (at least not like these people) but would like to know the basics of what to have around and how those supplies will aid in weathering the storm (small water filtration systems, matches, batteries, weather radio, etc.)

Just think two weeks camping.
We have a bag packed with MRE's first aid kit etc. If we are going to get some weather that might cause us to have a need for prep stuff I always make sure the truck has a full tank of gas.
Weather is about the only thing we are prepped for, unless you consider the eventual collapse of society in which case it's two weeks of camping with hunting options.

I got beer, guns, and ammo.
I'm good to go.

We have some preparation for storms that might get bad. Those do not just sneak up on us. We have several days or a week of warning. We had an earthquake recently but a bad earthquake is pretty unlikely here. I don't ever worry about tsunamis or hurricanes.

Zombies are just make believe like big foot, vampires and the extraterrestrials.

Urban riots are pretty unlikely around here.

A true Apocalypse, end of the world thing is real low on my list of things to worry about.

For the preppers the worst part is going to be keeping safe from the roving mobs looking to take what they saved up.

Exactly. A Pelican posted his "bug out kit" list a while back, really good stuff but basically what you would pack for a no-kidding backwoods camping trip.

I'll add my stash with cashflyer and join up with him

1973 911T MFI Coupe, Aubergine

Steve

How much beer?:)

Make sure you let him know you are coming, Cash is one person I would not want to try and sneak up on, trust me on that one.

Hurricanes=preparation

This. At least we have plenty of warning. I'd be a little more paranoid on the prep side if I lived in earthquake country, areas that get lots of snowfall, or in a large urban area (riots and other "social issues")

I think the more important question is, How much ammo?:D
Let's just say that I will run out of one lonnng before I run out of the other.

I don't think a true prepper would want to be seen on tv, letting the gov't. and others know who he is, where he's prepping and how. I would like to have the money it takes for some of these folks to rig up their giant compounds. But I wouldn't be telling anyone at all about it, probably not even the family until it was time to use it.

In a situation where stores are closed, food is scarce, and attitudes go South, the biggest challenge will be to protect yourselves and the supplies you have.

You better be prepared to hunker down and wage war if necessary, I think letting the TV world know what you have stashed away is borderline crazy, and rather reckless.

At the VERY minimum, have 50 gallons of fresh clear water, extra food supplies (large box of rice, pasta, dried milk, and other non perishables), enough guns and ammo for each mature person in the house to hunt/defend for an extended period, heat/cooking source with fuel (campstove, BBQ grill with propane bottles) and a bug out plan in place for city residents.

Not since Y2K

Hunker down in an metropolitan area?

My backpack has been kept ready for this type of event for years even though I don't expect to have to ever use it. Although I live in a fairly rural area, people from the cities would be streaming out of them into the rural areas. It would take me a short time to be ready to move out into a more remote area to set up small camps and keep on the move while monitoring the happenings in the area and trying to avoid detection. In a complete collapse, you'd have to take what you could where and when you found it and still stay mobile. Those people constructing those elaborate survival facilities will fall victim to the hordes in no time. If you hunkered down anywhere, you'd become a target in no time.

If you camp, you have 80% ready to go. If you keep a full pantry, 90%, add some water and you are good to go.

G

I was watching one of those shows for a few mins before I had to shake my head and change the Chanel and those people don't think stuff through very well.
One guy had a rig to close off his windows, it had a 2X4 on the inside of the house with a piece of all thread running through it and outward to hold the 3/4 plywood tight against the window.
Works great if you are trying to get in with a baseball bat, which he was proud to demonstrate. Now if I wanted in, one blast from a 12ga at point blank range, with some OObuck where the allthread is and I am inside.
They just don't think

What astounds me is the amount of cash and time these people drop on their 'solution' - Best d@mn thing they could do is convert all that effort into cash, store it safely in the ground for future access. ..................................that along with a large caliber gun and plenty of ammo is the real preppers way to go.

Cash? Maybe gold.

I live in an area where I would be effed. Too many people. Roads would gridlock.

A .22 would be a better survival tool. A silenced one would be the best. I Gould feed a family from my neighborhood wildlife. But again I would be overrun by people.

I'm ready for an earthquake. All out social collapse, not so much. I could go a month easy if people didn't kill me.

Cash? You mean paper printed with the full faith and credit of the government?

I live on a small Peninsula that juts out from a series of Peninsula's. All of my neighbors are very self sufficient in one way or another. There is one prepper in the mix, a really good guy from Cali who I let hunt on my farm.

My basic life-style supports survival...we have a ginormous garden, can, fish (live on the Potomac - food on the fin), hunt, etc. There is an abundance of trees for heat, we keep over 100 gallons of gas and diesel on hand all the time to drive generators for our well, etc. The basics are covered for years.

I kept a bug-out plan in place for hurricanes, but I am well and truly f'ed if I ever had to bug out under duress.

We all are.

So, I'll stay.

Why yes - printed paper!!! Our FIAT system has been working 'great' since the early 70's and all the other countries 'believe' in it.......soooooooooooooooo................our govt tells us all the time that paper is better-er.

Lets face it, in the unlikely event of an all out collapse, anyone living near an urban area is effed. You can see small examples of this with natural disasters like Katrina, it doesn't take long for people to start acting like animals. I would try to get the hell out of town and out to my inlaw's farm in central KS. The fewer people the better.

As far as prepping for "real" natural disasters go, FEMA has a publication for disaster prep:

http://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/f&web.pdf

I like to keep around a months supply of food for each member of the extended family. Rice placed in Tupperware containers is a good backup food source and is relatively cheap. A few dozen cans of tuna, beans, some pasta, and you are good to go.

Water can be stored in a few 5 or 10 gal camping water containers. Two quarts a day per person (1 gal =2 days supply). If I was really prepared I would get one of the portable water filters from Cabelas and have a few rainwater collection containers hooked up to the gutters and downspouts.

Cooking can be either outside or at the fireplace if there is no natural gas.

First aid kits along with a few other otc remedies and medicines for most normal things that happen (asprin, Advil or Tylenol, benadryl, epi pen, etc)

Good batteries in the emergency radio (Midland XT511 Emergency Crank Radio) along with the flashlights.

Two 10 gal gas cans with stabil added. I like to place stabil mixed gas in the chainsaw and snowblower and run it for a few minutes to get the old gas out. I don't let the gas sit for too long (3 mos) before I swap it out for fresh.

Some form of generator (installed whole house or portable) with enough gas to run for a few days. Our generator is whole house and runs off natural gas. It turns on and off automatically.

That is about it for most local disasters that have happened around here. We are rural enough that we can hunker down and not be overrun by the unwashed masses...;)

I'd love to stash gold but not at todays prices. As for prepping I'm likewise ready to go camping but don't think we'll need to.

I saw this one episode where the guy was at least 50 lbs overweight. He was fully prepped for any kind of disaster, but completely unprepared for his upcoming stroke.

People need to look at relative risks and prepare accordingly :)

Was that the one with the music producer in Nashville with the creepy "Free Candy" style van?:D

I have two ponds full of fish..a flowing creek...free range chickens that provide more eggs than we can eat...plenty of guns and ammo...and 8 acres to grow things that backs up to national forest and plenty of wildlife....but most importantly, good common sense and a higher than average skill set. My family would be fine.

Naw. I think that I would side with the actuaries. More like to be affected by much more common events. I'd put my energy into joy.

Diverdan

Made me spit milk out ma nose!!:D