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Any survivalists/preppers/doomsdayplanners here?

Started by Captain Maltese, January 28, 2016, 09:28:58 AM

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Captain Maltese

A lot of people who plan for a future major disaster event, plan for themselves or for their very closest family. It is a natural way of thinking, of course. But if all known big bad events in the past and present proves one thing, it is that once the hammer hit we rarely get the option to stay alone. We join up with others, to be protected or to get other types of help, or we are herded into camps of some kind by the authorities. Makes it easier to feed and protect us, and also easier to control us. Pick any refugee camp in the world right now. Pick any border with emergency traffic. Pick a flooded area. Some places you are offered the chance to be rescued but can choose to stay. Other places you get neither. The fact that you might be able to eke out the troubles alone, does not mean that you will get the chance to.

For my part I am not enthusiastic about being herded. But not having a plan for a group situation feel like closing my eyes to one of the most likely outcomes. I don't like being told what to do and what not to do, especially if I don't have great trust in the people giving the orders. What I feel certain about is that I am not going to be in charge, and that there will be no voting - just people with badges and local officials and politicians who have neither trained, prepared or even thought that something like this could happen here and now they are away from their desks and offices for the first time in their career. I might, in theory, know more about how to handle an epidemic than these guys but they certainly aren't going to ask anyone for advice because they never do. And there isn't one guy in military uniform within a 1200 km radius of here who is capable of leaving their base to help anyone else.

So I am wondering, how do you guys relate to the possibility being forcibly relocated for time unknown into a camp you are not allow to leave? I am pretty sure all firearms would be confiscated on sight in any camp here in Norway, but this is a nation where only criminals carry weapons anyway, and in a nation wide hostile situation there are no one in this country capable of establishing a camp anyway. I grant you, this is a nice place in peacetime but only the naive and/or heavily medicated would think we have any actual military capabilities to create defendable camps. So being moved to a camp is for us just a nature disaster scenario anyway. I am far more worried that in a camp I would be far more likely to get infected by any biological threat, I would be in the hands of well meaning but un skilled officials, and worst of all - I would be completely unable to affect my own fate. But this is me; I would rather die alone than live in a hive of people I could not keep away from me.

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Captain Maltese

A little something, proving that also the wealthy plan for the apocalypse. And that they have no intention of letting it cramp their style.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfLE64zztRA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN8D-lVnPWA

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Captain Maltese



Here's a little something I have made a few sets of. They cost little and can fit anywhere.

Left to right:
- Half a dozen cotton pins. Handy for cleaning a wound
- rubber band, keeps those pins together
- four painkiller pills
- roll of gauze
- a pair of rubber gloves
- secondhand pill box. More watertight than many alternatives.
- half a dozen safety pins. Could come in handy, especially for securing the bandage gauze
- five small and five medium band aids

Fitting all this into the box isn't particularly hard. Nor is using a marker to make that tell tale red cross.

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Captain Maltese

I am working on a water purification kit. Something small and handy, that anyone can put together at a low price, that will try to meet as many water related challenges as possible. This is what I have thought of so far.

- drinking bottle, the type with a wide cap.
- purification pills, as described in previous posts.
- small bottle of bleach, 150-200 ml.
- dropper. I FINALLY found a store that sold them, and the price was just 3 dollars for 20.
- salt.

The idea is that all of that fits into the drinking bottle. Between the pills and the salt and the bleach this kit should be able to make many gallons of water that is drinkable, or suitable for washing with.

There are some purification systems available that claim you can drink muddy water straight from the road ditch, instantly. Their capacity seems limited though and the prices are unpleasant.

Comments anyone? Is there something that is pointless or really should be added? I am considering adding rubber gloves considering there's concentrated bleach here.

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WindVoyager

Disaster challenge: A SHTF event is about to happen. You have only a few days to prepare, it can be anything realistic, a natural disaster, WW3 and the like. The situation will last at least a two months or more, likely a lot longer

Keep in mind the power is going to go out and you will not have running water, no refrigeration or anything unless you have a generator you an run but keep in mind running a generator will draw attention and they need a lot of fuel.

Now lets make this harder, you an go only to ONE store. That's all you have time for. One store.

We live out in the country, not in the boonies but its far enough that if SFHT happened and everything was going to hell we can use the tractor to rip the road to the property up and lay some trees down across it to stop vesicles. Won't stop people.

One the food in the city runs out there will be people spreading out looking for food.

As for cooking, how do you plan on doing it?

I personally have a pair of small steel  folding stoves that can burn pretty much anything. Fuel cans, paper, leaves, stick, twigs , gel fuels and more and an a smoker\BBQ cross but since the smoke and smell will draw attention, I won't be using it much once the masses began to look for food. The small folding stoves give off very little to no smoke and use very little fuel.

What about water?

I have a deep well on the property but with out power the pump won't work. It may be possible for me to hook it up to solar power to get it to work but I also have  a near by lake and a creek. On top of that I have a water catchment system so I'm not worried about water. Keeping people away from our water supply is a worry and we will have to set up patrols.

That and we do have poultry but again someone who is hungry and desperate will do stupid things to get to food. We also have a massive garden that includes grains but nothing is even remotely ready and it will be some time before anything is.

As for the store, I'd head right for Sam's. I"m going to focus on food at the moment and going from the top of my head I'd get



6 white corn masa mix 50 lb bag

6 self rising yellow corn meal 25 lb

6 self rising flour 25lb

6 corn grits, yellow 25 lb

6 corn starch

6 baking powder

6 instant dry yeast

6 all purpose flour 25 lb

6 baking soda

2 Ghirardelli Majestic Cocoa Powder (2 lb.)

8 Jasmine Rice (25 lb.)

6 Mashed Potatoes (3.24 lbs.)

6 Hashbrown Potatoes (33 oz.)

8 dried  Pinto Beans (12 lbs.)

8 dried Black Beans (12 lbs.)

noodles, assorted

5 picked jalapeno slices

2 raw honey

6 vinegar, jug

5 extra virgin olive  oil

8 canned black beans, case

8 Canned green beans, case

8 canned whole corn, case

8 canned diced tomatoes , case

8 Canned stewed tomatoes, case

8 Canned backed beans, case

8 canned salmon, case

8 sardines, case

8 chunk chicken, case

8 canned sweet peas, case

8 baked beans, case

8 refried beans, case

8 mined garlic

8 pink salt

seasonings

Jerky

Green tea

English Breakfast tea

Gatorade

I would also throw in a lot of potatoes , they are easy to keep and can be planted.


Captain Maltese

Interesting one, Windvoyager. It doesn't apply to every kind of place and population I think; there would literally have to be alien flying iarcraft zipping around shooting buildings into flames and waving tentacles before most Norwegians would consider looting stores. We would probably go binge shopping with a major emergency ahead though. For my part I would be focusing on bags of rice, bags of macaroni, bags of groats (is that a common word?), stuff that would give a lot of meals per volume and per packaging unit and not require cold storage. But I already have a lot of canned goods at the cabin which is my alpha retreat option. I am more concerned that your average modern grocery store doesn't really have any on-site storage beyond what are in their shelves. A lot of items would be gone within a couple of hours. For instance I would want to buy some extra painkiller but they only sell them to you one box (20 pills) per day, as per law. I doubt the store has has much as 20 boxes in stock on any given day. And most of the big-sized items Windvoyager describes like beans are only available in 1-2 pound size packaging here. Heh. Also I am thinking like someone who never bakes. I doubt I'd even think of flour and yeast until it was too late.

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Oniya

#181
Quote from: Captain Maltese on April 21, 2018, 08:41:22 AM
bags of groats (is that a common word?)

Oats for porridge, if I remember?  It was in a nursery rhyme/riddle I used to know...

As I went through the garden gap,
Who should I meet but Dick Red-cap!
A stick in his hand, a stone in his throat,
If you'll tell me this riddle, I'll give you a groat.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
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WindVoyager

Don't have goats here. Will have to see if Red Mill makes them. Any thing not common or super processed food is hard to find unless you look online or to to expensive specialty stores.

I personally can not stand oatmeal. But I do love grits and that seven grain hot cereal Red Mill makes.

It sadly doesn't take much for most people here to start the looting. Not much at all. And the thing is they tend to steal useless electronics first! No one thinks to steal things like food until latter.

QuoteI am more concerned that your average modern grocery store doesn't really have any on-site storage beyond what are in their shelves. A lot of items would be gone within a couple of hours.

The local stores would be all cleared out in a matter of hours. I've seen it happen every time natural disaster rolls through and people rather sit around and wait until the disaster is upon them to do anything.

Quote. And most of the big-sized items Windvoyager describes like beans are only available in 1-2 pound size packaging here.

That's why I love Coco and Sam's. They are warehouse stores. They sell everything in large amounts for not much. I do the majority of the baking in our group so I tend to keep a lot of staples on hand at all times.

Captain Maltese

Oatmeal and groats are probably the same thing - in general. But even in my small local stores I can probably find 30 different products based on them, from fairly pure outmeal to porridge base to musli mixes to meal replacement bars. There's even a couple of yoghurt-and-oatmeal breakfast packages. Frankly I used to avoid oatmeal products like the plague until fairly recently but I have come around, especially after I found a porridge mix with vanilla powder and raisins which I now eat every day. Oatmeal can be eaten hot or cold, with water or with milk, cooked or just with hot water, salted or sweetened, it can be added to soups and stews, or be used for cookies or bread or homemade bars  - very versatile. It is a very cheap product, and low on weight - important if you are on foot. It is filling for a hungry stomach. And then there are the nutriental value: carbs to keep the machinery running, fiber to slow down the burn, and actual vitamins. It stores well too.

The only downside I can think of is that it tastes boring in its simplest form, and requires dry storage - but a ziplock plastic bag deals with the latter.

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Captain Maltese

I haz a Water Straw(TM). I was surprised to be given one as a gift recently. At first glance it seems remarkably like a Life Straw, which I have at least heard of.



I am pretty sure this is a knockoff version of the Life one, and the somewhat terse instructions also indicates that not the world's biggest branding budget has been involved here. But it seems like a pretty straightforward product. You place the lower end into whatever water is at hand, suck water in and it passes the filter then arrives at your mouth. Testing mine I found that this resulting water taste like I had sucked it through an entire watering hose but I guess that will pass. Or at least, I will rather drink plasticky water than filthy water.

This being a knockoff I am not even going to guess how long this filter will last; there's no way to inspect the inside and I guess it depends on how bad the water is that is being filtered. It is nice that there's a little rubber lid or cup for both ends attached by a rubber string but it's not a lot more important than the carbine hook which is also a bit pointless. To me. I can't imagine who goes around with equipment dangling off their belt/pack, but then I say the same about canteens and flashlights.

All in all, this is a nifty little gizmo. If you are in a situation and place where you can't be guaranteed clean water, like in a flood or volcano outbreak or whatever else Fate throws at you, then this could be very handy indeed. I doubt it will deal with plagues and Legionaire Disease and other heavy issues but it handily beats draining mud water through your socks.

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Oniya

One thing that I've used caribiners for is to keep a needed piece of equipment at the 'top' of a bag (inside, not dangling).  Sometimes a zip-tie extension is needed to get an extra 'joint' in the connection, but having your water bottle/filter straw/flashlight where you don't have to rummage for it is pretty handy. 
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Captain Maltese

Quote from: Oniya on June 07, 2018, 02:23:16 PM
One thing that I've used caribiners for is to keep a needed piece of equipment at the 'top' of a bag (inside, not dangling).  Sometimes a zip-tie extension is needed to get an extra 'joint' in the connection, but having your water bottle/filter straw/flashlight where you don't have to rummage for it is pretty handy.

That is an interesting point. The bigger backpacks can get pretty stuffed.

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Captain Maltese



Among the lesser known German 19th century inventions is the Göffel, also known as a spork. This handy little combination tool could be found in the pack of every German soldier in both world wars. The handle folds one way and locks the other, and the whole contraption weighs next to nothing.



Modern day sporks are even simpler, and made of even lighter metal or simply plastic in variable quality.



An interesting variation is the Australian military version which combines a spoon with a can opener; FRED. Officially this is short for "Field Ration Eating Device" but unofficially it is the "Fucking Ridiculous Eating Device". Considering the spoon is the size of a finger nail the nickname might not be entirely undeserved.

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Captain Maltese

https://www.outsideonline.com/1928656/most-influential-gear-all-time

Quote
The Most Influential Gear of All Time.We’ve scoured the gear archives and the history of sport across continents and eras to compile our first attempt at an authoritative list of the 100 most important outdoor inventions ever.

High quality article looking into all sorts of groundbreaking field gear. A long but great read.

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Captain Maltese

There's a big hurricane coming, once again, and I don't like what little I am hearing. I'm hoping someone with a more direct connection to American news will make a proper, continuously updated thread for Florence. The facts reaching me so far through various channels is that 1.7 million people are being evacuated and that military the forces are moving vulnerable assets like aircrafts and strengthening their presence on bases with low manpower.

It's not the end of the world, but the forecasts are saying that shit could be hitting the fan on unprecedented levels. The best suggestion I have heard so far, if you are anywhere near the projected paths, is that now could be a good time to give blood.

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Captain Maltese

Our kind Elliquiy staff has dedicated a thread to the Hurricane Florence here. Information about events and local resources should be posted there.

Meanwhile more general but potentially useful tips can be posted here if anyone wants to share; if anything it might keep the official thread less cluttered.

-------

Looks like we are talking more of a flooding scenario than a hurricane right now. Less stuff flying in the air but more damage on the ground. Roads, rivers and other waterways filling up. Drinking water, electricity, cell phone networks will likely fail for a while. Transport and commerce will more or less come to a halt. For a while. We've seen this kind of thing before. Since authorities have been faster to evacuate citizens this time there'll be hopefully few people hurt.

If you are evacuated:
- get some hand sanitizer and use it frequently. Evac centers are not hygienic.
- bring a roll of toilet paper.

If you might get caught up in the floods:
- get a whistle. Basic one dollar, plastic whistle. It wil be heard further than your voice and you can blow it a lot longer and more frequently than you can shout.
- avoid tap water once the floodings start. Even if the pumps still work the integrity of the big underground pipes might not. At least cook it before you drink it if you have no other alternatives.
- check that the batteries in your flashlight are still fine.

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Arhys

I'm into long distance cycling, trekking, and wilderness camping so there is some cross over. I do a lot of the things doomsday preppers do with canning and preserving vegetables, always making sure I have fire supplies at hand, things like that. I don't store much because I live in a city so quarters are tight.

What I really notice though is how I am educating my son. I fully expect his world to turn to utter shit, and want him to know self defense, basic engineering and water management like running  pumps, making nets, etc. I am lucky to live in a place that would be one of my top locations to try and survive the Big Whatever, but I want him to grow up knowing he can head off into the mountains wherever and make it.

WindVoyager

Witht he way things are going I won't be surprised at all if things go to shit before the year is out. Most people will not be prepared at all. Then again most people don't even have enough food for more then a few days and pretend disasters can't affect them or ignore it until its too late and they rush to the store, fight the crowd, and largely load up on junk food and stuff they don't need.

A major peeve of mine is all the youtube and arm chair 'preppers' who buy expensive gear and don't know how to use it, buy food and hoard it and don't rotate it or even eat most the things they hoard. They always talk about calories this and calories that but they neglect that protein and fats are very important and push food that is very low on nutrition.

Captain Maltese

Arhys: One of the oldest, viking era 'wise words' translate to something like this:
Betre byrdi du ber 'kje i bakken enn mannavit mykje. "Lighter load you do not carry, that lots of knowledge." Teaching practical knowledge to the next generation is literally priceless. I learned most of what I know of outdoor fieldcraft while still a kid.

---

Wildvoyager: Most of my gear does not have a recognisable brand name, and the people online that I normally discuss this topic with do not seem to put much importance on it. I think perhaps the youtube bunch is different because they earn money on promoting specific products? I'll admit I stick to just one forum for this stuff.

---

A few days ago the Norwegian government issued a list for what every household should contain in case there is an emergency. Its contents are of the obvious type; food, batteries, water etc. The unusual thing is that the list was issued at all; the last time was in the 1970s. Sweden issued a similar list a few months ago; it was the first time for them since WW2. Interesting. Do they know something we don't?

---

The next item on my list is to start looking into a solar panel solution for a limited number of appliances like light and recharging of electronic appliances. I have no experience with this type of gear whatsoever and would like to hear what others have managed in this area so far.

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Love And Submission

I don't understand survivalism or wanting to live through doomsday. Life is great.  It's fun but it's fun and enjoyable because of all the amenities that I have right now. If after the apocalypse, I have to live like a 1400s British peasant  I'd rather just die.

What is there to live for after the apocalypse? Most of my reasons for living would not exist in a post-apocalyptic world so why should I go through the effort of trying to survive? It just seems futile to me.

I guess if you had kids, It'd be different but I have no interest in rebuilding society myself. That seems like a monumentally difficult task with very little upside.

I like backpacking and working with my hands but if that was necessary for my survival, I'd be fine with giving up.

Eating out of tin cans and distilling rainwater just seems really tedious and deeply unpleasant.


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