The last few months has seen renewed interest in "prepping". Some of it comes with the realization that Mother Nature can be a fickle bitch. Some of the interest comes from the Left as they realize that the Government cannot solve every problem.
People who are new to this path are vulnerable to certain misconceptions. I want to share my perceptions about the high-runners.
Misconception #1: "Preparedness is a hobby I can turn on-and-off'
The rapid change in speed or direction of events cannot be anticipated. Chaos can be unleashed in the blink-of-an-eye. Sometimes God gives us hints. Sometimes He does not.
The seasoned prepper realizes that catastrophe is a come-as-you are dance. Consequently, most of us ALWAYS wear practical walking shoes/boots when we are outside of our house and we load our pockets with items we might find useful. Futhermore, if we are outside, we are wearing clothing that will protect us from the climate. My target is to be able to walk a minimum of three miles or to spend an hour outside regardless of the weather. Your goals will depend on your location*.
Misconception #2: "I have a backpack..."
This is what the shooters call The Magic Talisman fallacy. "I have a gun and that makes me invulnerable".
OK, you have a backpack. Have you used every item in it several times? Have you used those items in inclement weather? Can you start a fire in the snow with that little stick-thingy? Are your emergency foods something you can actually stomach? Will your water purification system actually handle water from a mud-puddle?
Referring back to Misconception #1, what are the odds that you will be able to get to your backpack when the balloon goes up? Is it in the trunk of your vehicle or in a closet at home?
Have you considered that wearing a backpack will make you a prime target in many places?
Misconception #3: "I will rise to the occasion..."
Col Jeff Cooper once wrote "In times of crisis we do not rise to the occasion. Rather, we regress to the highest level of skill that we have mastered."
Hunting guides "out west" hate clients who show up with shiny new guns without a single scratch on them. They cringe when that gun is an enormous Boomen-Cannon magnum that was recently written up in the latest gun magazine. Those clients flinch and miss and wound and make excuses and write bad reviews.
Hunting guides "out west" are delighted when the client opens up his gun case and pulls out a rifle that has clearly seen much, loving use at the range and in the field. It is far more likely that that tool will be a natural extension of the hunter's body and can be rapidly and accurately deployed than the shiny Boomen-Cannon.
Summary
Be prepared for the SHTF at all times. Have the physical capability and the "gear" to walk three miles (or some reasonable distance) every time you walk out the door even if all you plan to do is to clip the dog to his run.
Footwear are your first point of failure. Maybe you can walk three miles in flip-flops or Crocs. I can't, at least not in my environment. Ergo, I don't wear either of them outside.
Wear clothing with lots of pockets. Carry a pocket knife, a BIC lighter, a wallet with a few bandages and $40 in mixed bills. Other possible must-carry items: Your smartphone, a light and a means-of-defense.
If you start collecting gear, USE IT! Ideally, you need to use it shortly after you acquire it so you don't end up in the "stack it high" fortress filled with stuff you cannot use.
Using your gear will also disabuse you of certain fantasies. For example, you might think that you will be able to survive in the woods for three weeks and cut a 30 mile path to Maryland through the brush with a machete. An overnight in your back-yard and clearing a 10' long row of thorny-scrub with a machete might make you adjust your plans.
---To be continued---
*Southern Belle spent a semester in Europe. It was the summer angry Greeks were rioting and burning down banks. To humor me, she charted out several walking routes that bypassed the center of the city and started carrying a few items in her student backpack should she need to leave the bus and hoof-it.
Buy it, try it and get a spare or three if you think a trusted neighbor might need one. Good neighbor stuff.
ReplyDeleteA short firestick is really hard to use. The cheap Harbor Freight magnesium block and sparker is pretty much useless when I tried out three of them (Cheap with coupons but worthless).
I keep a folding bicycle in my trunk, I do ride it every few months to make sure the tires and gears are still good. WHY?
Well, from studying recent history there is a fairly short period between lights out (people gathering in anger) and such and real trouble.
When it looks sketchy driving is fast IF there is a reasonable path. But official roadblocks and unofficial mob hazards might make that a bad idea.
With a bicycle I can make a path as easily as walking but much faster.
A folding bicycle I can travel many times the distance I can walk. I've bicycle camped cross country lifting it over fences and walking it through narrow brush trails.
For a modest price a citizen folder can have non-pneumatic tires so glass and trash isn't a tire problem.
I moved to a safe area in the country and rarely venture into 'town'... I've become complacent and only carry when running into the city now. A quick trip to MY grocery store is safe as can be, I'd never need it there....
ReplyDeleteSome days I remember to carry, but not all.
That's me as well. Don't plan on where you will go - be there already. And it's an area where it may be assumed everyone is armed with Trump flags all around.
DeleteBig city riots act as alarms. When they go down, I up my carry-with-me prep. Low likelihood of sudden natural disaster and prepped for those.
In the much more likely event of a natural problem, I've found this book helpful. There are others I'm sure.
"Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family"
Good food for thought. In my opinion:
DeleteFirst prep - have you accepted the gift of salvation? Does anything temporal really matter if not?
Anything else should be framed in the 'threes" seen around the internet - evaluate the need/threat in those intervals, evaluate the responses and resources needed, and if you can sustain the alert levels necessary for those threats. Examples in each listed, something to think about; you don't survive the particular level, the others don't matter. Remember that electicity and other utilities are not likely to survive SHTF. Won't get into first aid and the other number of rabbit holes we can go down...
3 seconds - fight or flight
3 minutes - breathing, for example
3 hours - tactical threats (all kinds ofpredators - an always threat)
3 days - water, hygiene, shelter, fatigue
3 weeks - food (lack thereof)
3 months - FOOD!
-RB in flyover country
Just remembered a 'fun' test if your family can put up with it: unannouced - turn OFF the main breaker to your house, shut off water and gas supply - live for 24 hours or 48 hours or a week in those conditions, no cell phones or chargers. Resolve to get through it without relying on modern conveniences. Remember that the 'predator threat' won't necessarily be there during that exercise; take notes, lessons learned, and plan accordingly.
DeleteMy biggest weak spot in "prepping" is my lack of backup power.....
ReplyDeletePeople also need to ask themselves ahead of time "What can I do, what will I do?"
We were watching on TV mobs attack drivers in cars and I asked my wife: "What could you do and what would you do?"
She said "I don't know"...............
The mindset and knowledge is more important than things. Know how stuff works and what effects you need....one can cook up amazing meals with basic ingredients if you know how, and can be bothered to make the effort. Boy scouts used to be about those base skills and failing safely under supervision. Now....
ReplyDeleteStefqn v.
Good post. Viewing Youtube vidoes watching others accomplish tasks does not give you experience. They only teach the steps needed.
ReplyDeleteMy latest EDC carry item - an ordinary zip lock bag. And when I walk the dog - a vegetable 'mesh' produce bag. Allows me to collect aluminum cans along the way, yet squashes flat in a pants pocket.