Am I losing it?

[Walter Zoomie]

Due to recent events, I've started having real thoughts of SHTF.

I don't really consider myself a "prepper," and the fact is that I can barely afford to live day-to-day as it is where I am in the suburbs, and I realize I'm a little late to the party.

But...I had a VERY interesting discussion with a brother-in-law, (former Army tanker), who lives in Kentucky and recently purchased 30+ acres of land out in the boonies.

We discussed SHTF and how I would like to displace to this area if necessary. He was VERY agreeable to this, and he showed me the Google Earth image of the property.

My first comment upon seeing the image was something like, "Nice! One way in, terrain easily defensible on three sides due to natural obstacles, a fresh water source, room for a shooting range, livestock, gardening, etc...

I asked him, "When can I and my family move in?"

I was mostly serious, and I'm pretty sure so was he.

Am I losing it? Do I need to quit reading/listening to right-wing material?

Or...are my spider senses, which have been extremely accurate of late, telling me something?

Your thoughts?

 

[Security122]

I don't know if a SHTF event is coming soon or even later, but wouldn't it be great to be completely self sufficient anyway? I would love to have several acres of land as described or relatives with such property and willing to let me co-op.

 

[jd4320t]

I don't know if a SHTF event is coming soon or even later, but wouldn't it be great to be completely self sufficient anyway? I would love to have several acres of land as described or relatives with such property and willing to let me co-op.

I agree.

SHTF could be many things:

job loss
ice storm
blizzard
drought
kids found Jumanji game and unleashed hell

you never know...

 

[originalhonkey]

prep. prep. prep. your past the first parts (thinking and talking about it) now move on and start getting the stuff you need to get through not matter what the shtf senario is. i dont think you are going crazy i just think that you are starting to break through all the bs and see whats going on around us. it scary times on alot of fronts. you can either prep and not need it or need it and not have prepped. its never to late to start and there are alot of cheap ways to do it. dont stop listening or looking even when you feel like its all crap. never get cought with your pants down on any front. i think your gut feelings are spot on and you should trust them. just my 3 cents.

 

[Fireaxes]

It is always good to have options. Bringing up the subject before hand is an excellent first step. As money permits, see about prepositioning some "supplies" down there with him. If something bad happens down there, he might be able to use them too.

 

[caddywhompus]

dont stop listening or looking even when you feel like its all crap. never get cought with your pants down on any front. i think your gut feelings are spot on and you should trust them. just my 3 cents.

I agree.

But don't let it get in the way of living either. It's easy to get caught up in all the doom and gloom.

 

[sparky241]

your not alone, alot of people are thinking of this very same thing. I think people are starting to realize the government isnt going to help anyone. I really comes down to you and your family taking care of each other. its about the only thing you can do. it doesnt take much really just get extra swtaples like flour,oats, rice and canned goods for starters. or just put back some water from left over 2 liter jugs.figure out ways to be self reliant.

 

[SemperFiUSMC]

Due to recent events, I've started having real thoughts of SHTF.

I don't really consider myself a "prepper," and the fact is that I can barely afford to live day-to-day as it is where I am in the suburbs, and I realize I'm a little late to the party.

But...I had a VERY interesting discussion with a brother-in-law, (former Army tanker), who lives in Kentucky and recently purchased 30+ acres of land out in the boonies.

We discussed SHTF and how I would like to displace to this area if necessary. He was VERY agreeable to this, and he showed me the Google Earth image of the property.

My first comment upon seeing the image was something like, "Nice! One way in, terrain easily defensible on three sides due to natural obstacles, a fresh water source, room for a shooting range, livestock, gardening, etc...

I asked him, "When can I and my family move in?"

I was mostly serious, and I'm pretty sure so was he.

Am I losing it? Do I need to quit reading/listening to right-wing material?

Or...are my spider senses, which have been extremely accurate of late, telling me something?

Your thoughts?

I have several properties all over the country. I have provisions prestaged at each. I have provisions to get me there. If something happens that means I can't be where I currently am I'm gone. All are rural / wilderness settings with great basic services. I have what is needed to survive at least six months in each location. If I can carry caches from place to place I can live for a couple years with absolutely no external provisioning.

No, you're not losing it. Keep reading the right wing material, but don't let it ruin the joy in your life.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Due to recent events, I've started having real thoughts of SHTF.

I don't really consider myself a "prepper," and the fact is that I can barely afford to live day-to-day as it is where I am in the suburbs, and I realize I'm a little late to the party.

But...I had a VERY interesting discussion with a brother-in-law, (former Army tanker), who lives in Kentucky and recently purchased 30+ acres of land out in the boonies.

We discussed SHTF and how I would like to displace to this area if necessary. He was VERY agreeable to this, and he showed me the Google Earth image of the property.

My first comment upon seeing the image was something like, "Nice! One way in, terrain easily defensible on three sides due to natural obstacles, a fresh water source, room for a shooting range, livestock, gardening, etc...

I asked him, "When can I and my family move in?"

I was mostly serious, and I'm pretty sure so was he.

Am I losing it? Do I need to quit reading/listening to right-wing material?

Or...are my spider senses, which have been extremely accurate of late, telling me something?

Your thoughts?

I think you need a plan for how you are going to GET FROM Indianapolis to someplace in KY in the event of any legitimate SHTF event.

How could you possibly be of significant use in doing the WORK part of prepping?

I think you'll have to spend a lot of time on the road getting an early start a lot of times that turn out to be false alarms. I think if you are serious, you need a better plan.

 

[MACHINEGUN]

If S really HTF.. you'd be lucky to make it across the city let alone to some place in Kentucky.. well, unless you have me watching your back along the way!

 

[Steve]

When ((not if) the SHTF, only the ones who have prepped for it will get thru the 1st 30 days, let alone any longer. You're in a good area to hook up with a few good people and enjoy the "strength in numbers" theory. You need to start doing that now. Remember, trust and confidence are earned, not given. Once you've become part of a support group, your odds of surviving a SHTF situation will increase dramaticly. Such a group could be the ticket to your surviving the 1st 30 days so that you can get to KY for a long term situation.

 

[redpitbull44]

I want to add in the 7 P's here: Proper Previous Planning Prevents **** Poor Performance.

What that means to me is having enough provisions to last at least 6 months. (I'd like it to be 5 years)
My basic list includes:

• water
• food (including seeds, livestock, and food for animals)
• medical supplies (including prescription drugs, contact lens supplies, etc)
• personal hygiene items
• clothing
• vehicle maintenance supplies
• fuel (for generators, vehicles, and home heat source, be it LP, wood, coal, etc)
• ammo (and components if you so desire)

If you have a well, incorporate a storage tank, pond, and filtration system into your water system, as water is your #1 concern in a survival situation. Given enough space you can grow your own food, and store the things that aren't cost effective to make.
Medical supplies for the most part keep for a long time, thus you should have a first aid kit you use for the everyday cuts and scrapes, and another set of medical supplies you do not touch. Antibacterial soap alone goes a long way toward keeping you healthy, and the women in your life are going to need feminine supplies, at the very least.
Vehicle maintenance should include enough oil for 2 oil changes, 2 oil filters, basic tune up supplies (spark plugs, plug wires, distributor cap and rotor) an engine air filter, fuses, universal joints, transmission fluid, etc. And the tools to do said maintenance. Also, if you have the space and time, you can make your own fuel, be it bio-diesel, or ethanol.
Ammo is at your discretion, but I feel like 1000 rounds for each rifle, 500 for each handgun and shotgun is what I need to have.
On a lot of these things, you can do a First In, First Out type of inventory to ensure things don't go out of date.
I also believe in having systems. My homestead is a system, one in which my vehicles are a part, my vehicles are a system, one in which my ruck sack is a part, and my rucksack has subsystems, thus allowing me to survive out of each individually. If I get run off my land, my vehicle can support me for 14 days, if I have to abandon it, my ruck can support me for about the same.

Don't fool yourself into thinking I am a rich guy here, and understand the above is a PLAN, not a full reality yet, but making wise decisions along the way will make it easier to survive when the going gets rough.

One thing I did not touch on is bartering items, be it money, silver and gold, tobacco, alcohol, etc, because that is something you really have to follow your gut on I think.

 

[mattkellyind]

Id rather have a room full of food ammo and supplies sit and rot than get caught with my pants down. Better to have 100 rolls of teepee beside the toilet than get stranded with none!!!

 

[thompbarn]

Fuel is the hard one. Gas only lasts so long, due to the ethanol. How long will aviation gas last? LP?

 

[68Wiskey]

There are lots of good points in the posts above. I came across a couple good books. "Just in Case - How to be self-Sufficient when the unexpected happens", "Ragnar's Urban Survival". The latter is focused on being in the middle of a conflict but the philosophy is sound. The other is just good old common sense.

The first, easiest and best thing you can do is put together a "Bug-Out-Bag". You can put one together on the cheap. Then work on one for each family member. Once you have that done you can slowly build up a stockpile of "Beans, Bullets, and Band-aids". Having a BOB will ease your mind a bit by knowing that you have a leg up if SHTF. IMHO.

 

[wrigleycub]

I think china is about to throw sht through the fan with these clowns deflating the value of our money they currently own. Good luck I hope it never happens. The upside with the price of commodities rising at an eye popping rate, plantable land, livestock, and piece of mind is priceless regardless if anything does or does not happen.

 

[redpitbull44]

Aviation gas is GREAT. AFAIK from what I've read (on pirate4x4.com) it doesn't have ethanol in it, and is leaded, which, contrary to popular belief (ala left wing rhetoric), is GOOD for fuel systems.
<-- = Diesel Mechanic

Diesel will keep for roughly 2 years if properly treated, gas, if treated with Stabil, will keep for about half that. LP is a matter of having extra bulk tanks, and having them filled and disguised inside sheds or underground. Gas evaporates and looses much of it's combustibility. Diesel oxidizes and can grow algae if not stored in a full sealed container, in a cool place, with as little air as possible in the container. Non-blended diesel has been known to keep for 10 years. Also, filtering BEFORE it goes from the can to the tank helps too.

Compression combustion (diesel) engines can run on well filtered used automatic transmission fluid, light oils, kerosene, propane, and a host of other fuels.

 

[Lynn Smith]

The best advice is to prep for the most likely (ice storm/tornado), then go down the list to the least likely (Zombie apocalypse).

Two websites that I always recommend for starting out are:

HURRICANE KATRINA
Lessons learned from a hurricane Katrina survivor

SURVIVING IN ARGENTINA
A man who lived through and still dealing with the Argentine economic collapse

Those two sites will have you going in the right direction.

 

[irishfan]

The information on Ferfal's site is great and the Katrina stuff is good as well. A lot of information will depend on your surrounding area and would be a big difference if you lived near a large river or lake compared to farm country in the middle of nowhere. I currently live in a small to medium sized town surrounded by farms so it would make a difference from some others who live in Indy and surrounding areas.

 

[Kelevra TAR-21]

I've been trying to warn people around me. Family, friends and classmates that anytime the communist take over a country, millions starve to death and others are out right murdered.

stalin- 20 to 30 million (see Holodomor)

mao- 50 to 70 million dead

pol pot- 2.5 to 3 million dead

the list is longer than this. Trust me "The United States" is no different. The communist have taken over and starvation is coming. Just ask good ole bill ayres who said 25 million middle class Americans have to be killed before they can take complete control.