Preparedness for when

nuatha

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

It's one thing planning an exit from a situation or event and another altogether to envisage a life after that 'event'. No one could possibly take with them all they would need to make a new life, just those few absolute necessities to see them through the first difficult stages. Life would be very hard, dangerous and terrifying for quite some time afterwards. To make new lives from the 'ashes' of the old would be a mammoth task for all survivors. Skills, I know I've said this so many times, but skills to make the things that give security and safety are paramount, to make watertight shelter, to know what is safe to eat and just as important what isn't, how to purify water, how to make fire will need to be known so learn them NOW! The skills of civilisation will also be needed once life has settled, pottery for cups and bowls, tanning and curing for hides, spinning and weaving for cloth, animal husbandry and agriculture, brewing, hunting, mining, smelting , metalcraft and blacksmithing, weapon making, carpentry and wagon making, basketwork, herbcraft for medicines and the still room, safe food preservation techniques and many many more skills would need to be retained to make a future world liveable in any degree of comfort. The retention of words and reading and record keeping would be very important too or we descend into another age of darkness in the long run. It's an easy thing to disregard old skills in this 'instant gratification' age when anything you could possiby need can be got from a shop without having to give any thought as to how it was made, transported and ready waiting for you to buy it. No skill is too small to be retained and even something like rat catching would be invaluable wouldn't it? Keep the old skills alive, you never know when they'll be all you have!

As always, Wise Words Mrs LW.
Early in my life (around 12 or 13) I was exposed to Robert Heinlein's definition of competent.
"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."

I'm better at some than others and have added a few he didn't mention there (but has elsewhere).
I'm very tempted to turn your list into a similar guide.

Frugalsod wrote: »

Actually walking to your bug out location with a bug out weight will highlight loads of flaws in your plans. It does not even have to include bug out items, just the same weight. It will highlight how fit or unfit you are. Trying to do it in summer is fine with optimal conditions does show some flaws. Doing it in winter with the worst possible conditions will highlight a lot more potential problems.

Sods law would suggest that would be the very time you need your kit. I'd suggest living off your kit for a day or three.
I have lists going back some thirty years of kit packed for various trips and crossed off is anything which was surplus to requirements and not classed as safety kit. Whether from backpacking and climbing trips or holidays or business trips overseas. The real eyeopener was realising I could survive two weeks in the mountains in winter with what I could carry and I "needed" an overweight suitcase for a week in the states. I've never had hold luggage since when travelling on my own.

elaine241

Hello All

havent posted for a bit but still reading.

Today my son and I went to a bee keeping event to buy bee suits and some of the parafenalia associated with bee keeping! We have kept it to a minimum and bought just what was needed. Now the fun begins as we have to start bee keeping rather than just keeping an eye on them! They have come through the winter a lot stronger thanks to the addition of food before Christmas.
We are still doing the bee keeping course and have one more lecture followed by several practical sessions. I have managed to pursuade a local bee keeper to mentor us as well so we dont make too many mistakes! Onwards and upwards towards our first honey and beeswax! Apparently part of the management of the hive involves deviding them into two colonies so I can see this escalating quite quickly!

I am still learning sewing and tbh slowly getting the hang of it and more confident! I also invested in a hand sewing machine that I spotted in a CS, £40 but it was a good German made one.

With regard to bugging out as I have said before bugging in is my primary plan as we have land, own water supply, livestock, hens & ducks, fruit trees, veg patch etc etc Oh and my walls are 1.2m thick as parts of the house are 16 century with small windows and door openings easily barricaded. Also got gun cabinet with several weapons and loads of cartridges so in a SHTF situation "hell hath no greater fury than a mother protecting her young!"

We have horses that could be used as bug out methods, not the flighty TB types but good strong cobs and native bred ponies that could go bare foot if needed. I have several options to bug out, one, over the mountains which I know really well, two along the canal paths and cycles paths which I also know well, either way I could get out of dodge by several routes without going near the roads or if neccessary the local population.
Just a point no horse can be sold without a passport nowadays except maybe wild ones rounded up off the mountains. All ex racers keep their passports wether sold on for hacks, hunters or pet food . Saying that I bought one I rescued last year but soon got her passported and fixed up.

Still have to kick myself up the b*m to get all paperwork copied/scanned/cloud stored/put on flash drive. It is too much like office work so I keep putting it off! As it gives a really wet day tomorrow I may just bite the bullet!

One SHTF scenario has hit this week as I have found out my mother has been diagnosed with cancer. We are estranged and havent spoken for several years, prior to that the relationship was "strained". Again up until the diagnosis she was a very fit active 70 something. I know no one can prepare for any situation like this but I am concerned that it was a situation that I had not even thought about, how will I react if my mother falls ill or worse. Atm I am not sure what to do, I do not want to add to her stress by visiting un announced but not turning up is just as bad. I have decided to let my sister liaise for me and I will visit if my mother would like to see me. I am prepared (sort of) if she decides she does not want to see me, she can be very set in her ways. I am keeping informed of her condition and hopefully things will progress although it doesnt look good . My father , divorced from her 20 years ago, also feels unsure of what to do. They were teenage sweethearts and married for 27 years, neither have remarried and my mother still uses his name. We have decided to stick together for moral support and visit together if wanted.
The reason I have written the above is that even fractured families, who are not that close, seem to stick together when adversity strikes. Up until now I hadnt thought of my family as needed in a SHTF situation except my immediate OH and boys. Now I am faced with one it seems I have realised the value emotionally and to some extent practically of family members whom I am not that close to in "normal" day to day living.

Anyway I have rambled on again! Keep prepping and pls give me a virtual kick to get the boring paperwork done! :rotfl:

jk0

elaine241 wrote: »

Still have to kick myself up the b*m to get all paperwork copied/scanned/cloud stored/put on flash drive. It is too much like office work so I keep putting it off! As it gives a really wet day tomorrow I may just bite the bullet!

I found an easy way to do this. Go to your email provider's website and log into your web mail account. However, don't start Outlook on your computer. Create a folder separate from your inbox.

Scan your documents into JPEG's or pdfs, then right click them and select 'Send to'. Put in your own email address, and send them. Then when the item appears, move the item from your inbox to the new folder.

Mine are still where I put them a year ago.

nuatha

elaine241 wrote: »

Still have to kick myself up the b*m to get all paperwork copied/scanned/cloud stored/put on flash drive. It is too much like office work so I keep putting it off! As it gives a really wet day tomorrow I may just bite the bullet!

One SHTF scenario has hit this week as I have found out my mother has been diagnosed with cancer. We are estranged and havent spoken for several years, prior to that the relationship was "strained". Again up until the diagnosis she was a very fit active 70 something. I know no one can prepare for any situation like this but I am concerned that it was a situation that I had not even thought about, how will I react if my mother falls ill or worse. Atm I am not sure what to do, I do not want to add to her stress by visiting un announced but not turning up is just as bad. I have decided to let my sister liaise for me and I will visit if my mother would like to see me. I am prepared (sort of) if she decides she does not want to see me, she can be very set in her ways. I am keeping informed of her condition and hopefully things will progress although it doesnt look good . My father , divorced from her 20 years ago, also feels unsure of what to do. They were teenage sweethearts and married for 27 years, neither have remarried and my mother still uses his name. We have decided to stick together for moral support and visit together if wanted.
The reason I have written the above is that even fractured families, who are not that close, seem to stick together when adversity strikes. Up until now I hadnt thought of my family as needed in a SHTF situation except my immediate OH and boys. Now I am faced with one it seems I have realised the value emotionally and to some extent practically of family members whom I am not that close to in "normal" day to day living.

Anyway I have rambled on again! Keep prepping and pls give me a virtual kick to get the boring paperwork done! :rotfl:

If I was in your situation then I would not consider bugging out as a priority - you've got the escape routes worked out if you need them - and if you need them a lot of us are paddle-less in a brown foetid creek.

It is "office" work, but it is useful office work.

I'm sorry to hear about your mother, that can't be easy, but it sounds like you have a doable plan. Fingers crossed things work out well.

I have no plans to involve my bloodkin in any preps - they made that choice more than a decade ago.

Frugalsod

nuatha wrote: »

Sods law would suggest that would be the very time you need your kit. I'd suggest living off your kit for a day or three.
I have lists going back some thirty years of kit packed for various trips and crossed off is anything which was surplus to requirements and not classed as safety kit. Whether from backpacking and climbing trips or holidays or business trips overseas. The real eyeopener was realising I could survive two weeks in the mountains in winter with what I could carry and I "needed" an overweight suitcase for a week in the states. I've never had hold luggage since when travelling on my own.

Very true, though My suggestion of simply walking with the weight would show peoples fitness or rather their lack of fitness. You could do it with full kit and live off it for several days but most people would still need to discover their first weakness and that is their basic level of health. Also for most people learning these skills in the safety of a garden for several days would be less frightening than jumping in at the deep end. By doing it with some weight be it rocks from the beach you could abandon these should your walk be too tough. The last thing that you want to dump is your survival kit on a training walk.

[Deleted User]

I'd add being a strong and supportive caring human being in the first place to the skills needed to survive, never losing your sense of humour no matter how daunting life becomes, never being more important in your own estimation than the meanest of your fellow survivors, maintaining a positive outlook on whatever situation you find yourselves in and never standing back and letting someone else do badly what you could well.

greenbee

nuatha wrote: »

I live in the North East, the choice is hills or water (and some of the water goes vertical)
Now, if I lived in the fens avoiding hills would be easy.

Yes, but there are green men, wind, marsh lights and mosquitoes...

nuatha wrote: »

I've never had hold luggage since when travelling on my own.

My work suitcase (which is currently seeing my happily through a 10-day multi-city business trip with some stuff still unworn) is small enough to go as cabin baggage on some flights. But I ALWAYS put it in the hold. If your bag in on the plane, they can't take off without you, and believe me, they REALLY don't want to have to unpack the hold :cool:

(That, and by the time I've dragged my belongings round 4 or 5 client sites during the day, the last thing I want to do is drag it through security and round the airport... waiting times for baggage, with a few notable exceptions are generally pretty short now - having said that, keep your fingers crossed for me on Monday and Tuesday!).

[Deleted User]

Home Bargains are stocking camping stoves for £9-99, and 4x gas cartridges for £3-99.

GreyQueen

An option for weight-training with a pack would be to use water bottles. I litre = 1 kilo, of course, and if you found yourself in a position where you couldn't carry on, you could drain out the water and carry home the empties. There's a very steep hill near me in the city where you can often see people training by running up and down with weighted packs (some of them are military types) as it's an excellent workout. One of my pals bikes home up that hill every day after work, it's excellent for cardio.

We don't have rocks in my neck of the woods, although there are some huge flint cobbles on my allotment. Regs say you're not allowed to remove them so I spend the growing seasons chucking them from one area to another as they get in the way. One got one caught up among the potatoes as I was harvesting (in my defence it was potato-shaped, smooth and beige ) which amused me no end. That was the year of the effing huge potatoes (copyright Mr Random Passing Youth).

One think I recall from packing heavy weights is that it makes one mile feel more like three, subjectively. But it's a lot easier to carry weight on your back than hanging off your arms.

[Deleted User]

GreyQueen wrote: »

There's a very steep hill near me in the city where you can often see people training by running up and down with weighted packs (some of them are military types) as it's an excellent workout.

Possibly training for Selection.