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Discussion: Things other than Guns & Weaponry
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Freelancer47 |
Things other than Guns & Weaponry
Aug 5 2009, 5:29 AM EDT
So, I came to the realization that I'm far more unprepared than I think. We all have been discussing things like "Guns & S**t", and there are plenty of other items that only get a brief thread for the basic necessities.We all need water. We all need food. We all need shelter. I have enough arms & munitions to hold off a siege for a few days using the proper tactics. I have a few back up plans for a "Fall-Back" scenario. Hell, I have some stuff that most people will kill for in the Z-Day Apocalypse. Here's where I'm failing: Finding good stuff now to enhance my (and others) survival. This is an issue brought to life after a serious consideration of what I have. Like I said before: I have Weaponry ranging from Ballistics's to Nunchuck's. I have food, Canned, that can last me for a while. I have Chlorine Tabs that will purify a lot of nasty water (toilet water anyone). I'm basically asking for help here. Many of you guys & gals are in "Disaster Prone" areas that have frequent Tornado's, Hurricanes, Floods, and the such. So, for the readers of this site (myself included), what are your takes on things like Water Purification, First Aid, Long-Lasting-Food and the such. Also, if the Admins & Mods wouldn't mind: can we feature this? This is a real Survival Question I have. 20 out of 20 found this valuable. Do you?
Keyword tags:
Equipment
Not Weapons Related
Nourishment
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deathseekrakodo |
1. RE: Things other than Guns & Weaponry
Aug 5 2009, 5:50 AM EDT
I second the feature request, Also, I'm going to start working on adding more to my the ~seeks~ survival corner pagelancer, you should check out the ~seeks~ survival corner>random articles>fema's are you ready? page it has a lot of good info...however basic it is 3 out of 4 found this valuable. Do you? |
thebayouboy |
2. RE: Things other than Guns & Weaponry
Aug 5 2009, 7:05 AM EDT
Pudding- calcium source, around 120 calories a pop, 18 month shelf life.One gallon of Regular Clorox Bleach can be used to treat 3,800 gallons of water. Vinegar is a good/cheap cleaning product. You can get a gallon for the price of most small bottles of name brand cleaners. 5 out of 5 found this valuable. Do you? |
Akerris |
3. RE: Things other than Guns & Weaponry
Aug 5 2009, 7:23 AM EDT
You can use iodine to decontaminate water. Won't get rid of chemical contaminants, but can help with microbial pests.
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timberrattler |
4. RE: Things othe.r than Guns & Weaponry
Aug 5 2009, 7:44 AM EDT
Freelancer47,First off I live in a rural area so what is important to me isn't important to or possible for others. 1) A water well is without a doubt the most valuable thing I have for any survival situation. For people who live in town keeping enough plastic trash cans to keep under each one of their gutter downspouts would be valuable. If my first two suggestions don't work for you a plastic tarp also would be a good thing to keep on hand for capturing rain water. Iodine as well as Clorox will purify water too. 2) Preserve food yourself. No I'm not asking you to set up a smoke house outside your apartment. Buy an electric food dehydrator. Seal that food in with a vaccum packer and date your packages with a magic marker. Things like prunes and raisins would be good to keep around. If you have a freezer place a bag or two of walnuts or pecans in and date them. A box or two of powdered milk would be good to keep around as well. Peanut butter keeps for a long time too. 3) Any form of gasoline, propane or natural gas generator is a must. An extra propane clyinder or a big bag of charcoal would come in handy for cooking food. Keeping lots of ice on hand along with a cooler would keep your refridgerated food cool if you didn't have money for a generator. Thanks for bringing this up 47. Sometimes we take our eye off the ball and look at nothing more than firearms. The most impressive arsenal of firearms don't mean jack if your dehydrated and starving. 7 out of 7 found this valuable. Do you? |
NorCal_Survivors |
5. RE: Things othe.r than Guns & Weaponry
Aug 5 2009, 8:03 AM EDT
Skills are good. KNOWING HOW is better than "having". This is presently both my greatest asset ('cuz I know how to do a bunch of stuff) and my greatest concern ('cuz there is so much I realize I need to learn)Things high on my list to learn, and experiment with (where possible) to make sure I know: 1) Farming/gardening in general. 2) Canning and food preservation 3) Emergency medical skill/knowledge 4) Reloading ammo 5) Need to relearn EVERYTHING I've forgotten from 7th/8th grade shop classes. 6) Welding & sheet metal fabrication 7) Carpentry 8) More in depth understanding of engine and auto repair 9) Practical chemistry 6 out of 7 found this valuable. Do you? |
Littlejon126 |
6. RE: Things other than Guns & Weaponry
Aug 5 2009, 8:04 AM EDT
| Post edited: Aug 5 2009, 8:09 AM EDT
"Also, if the Admins & Mods wouldn't mind: can we feature this? This is a real Survival Question I have."Done. I agree, we all get a little bit of myopia because the zombie movies tend to ignore that people need food and water, and its often taken for granted that shelter is just as important. We all know the rules of threes - 3 minutes without breathable air, 3 hours without shelter from the most harsh elements, 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food. It also helps give perspective on what needs to be addressed, and in what order it should be attended. Remember, zombie survival could always get more complicated - Let's say that the structure you were residing in collapsed; breathable air could become a concern. Zombie survival combines all of the different survival scenarios into one - which is why the Zombie Squad here in STL is so big; they prepare for all disasters. 2 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you? |
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Littlejon126 |
7. RE: Things other than Guns & Weaponry
Aug 5 2009, 8:31 AM EDT
Honestly, I think that people need to practice the skills that are starting to become forgotten due to convenience. The grocery store has made life damned easy; people used to make their own butter, jellies/jam/preserves, people smoked their own meats, grew many of their own vegetables. These are skills that are largely becoming forgotten to people living in first world countries - and sadly, its stuff that was being done less than a century ago.In my opinion, if you're a hunter or fisherman and have the space, you should construct an old-school smokehouse. It's surprisingly easy to do and much less expensive than having your meat processed by a butcher. I've been trying to talk one of my buddies into letting me build a smoker in his back yard because it's perfect for it, but it appears that I'll have to wait until I've got my own place. 3 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you? |
ironhand |
8. RE: Things other than Guns & Weaponry
Aug 5 2009, 8:43 AM EDT
"So, I came to the realization that I'm far more unprepared than I think. We all have been discussing things like "Guns & S**t", and there are plenty of other items that only get a brief thread for the basic necessities.LOL! Freelancer and Littlejon beat me to this. I've been kicking around having a thread with non-firearm related issues. Now we have it. Good work Freelancer! 2 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you? |
Carnack |
9. RE: Things other than Guns & Weaponry
Aug 5 2009, 8:50 AM EDT
| Post edited: Aug 5 2009, 8:52 AM EDT
"So, I came to the realization that I'm far more unprepared than I think. We all have been discussing things like "Guns & S**t", and there are plenty of other items that only get a brief thread for the basic necessities.Here we're a big proponent of canning...everything. Our stores are filled to burting and we can make jerky out of the massive amount of game we catch. To me the biggest deal for ALL groups is one thing. Space. You can have lots of food and water but cram 5 people into a small space and you'll murder each other. *edit* Here meaning where I live. Do you find this valuable? |
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ironhand |
10. RE: Things other than Guns & Weaponry
Aug 5 2009, 8:51 AM EDT
Water - You can buy water treatments, use bleach or other, but best way to purify water is to boil it. It's simple, easy and the 100% way to kill bacteria. Do you find this valuable? |
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Carnack |
11. RE: Things other than Guns & Weaponry
Aug 5 2009, 8:54 AM EDT
"Water -And fire (which amazingly can boil water) can be a pick-me-up. It can make you feel a little less miserable. Do you find this valuable? |
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Littlejon126 |
12. RE: Things other than Guns & Weaponry
Aug 5 2009, 8:57 AM EDT
Coffee... probably not good for starving people but a good emotional bolster, that's for sure.
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Carnack |
13. RE: Things other than Guns & Weaponry
Aug 5 2009, 8:58 AM EDT
Hard candy can give you a boost of energy. Not much. But it can always be good somewhere.
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LWJ2009 |
14. RE: Things other than Guns & Weaponry
Aug 5 2009, 9:04 AM EDT
Knowing how to read a map and use a compass, alot of people just think the plugger will work forever. The ability to dig/tow a vehicle out in a blizzard is also useful. I know in the winter time we always have at least two weeks of food in the house, not counting my other provisions. Taking the time to learn every nook and cranny of your area is a great idea. Do you find this valuable? |
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ironhand |
15. RE: Things other than Guns & Weaponry
Aug 5 2009, 9:11 AM EDT
"Coffee... probably not good for starving people but a good emotional bolster, that's for sure."hell, yeah. coffee or tea. I use coffee singles in everything I pack. Tea bags in a ziploc are good to go too. Either are a huge emotional boost whether first thing in the morning or just a warm up on a cool day. Do you find this valuable? |
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ironhand |
16. RE: Things other than Guns & Weaponry
Aug 5 2009, 9:14 AM EDT
"Water -oh, I forgot.... To boil water, you'll need a can or pot. An empty coffee can or soup can will work and are free as apposed to buying a mess kit or kitchen pot. I pack an empty 1 lb coffee can or Chunky soup can in everything too. Part of "Basic 4" items http://www.zombiesurvivalwiki.com/page/Basic+4+Survival+Kit Do you find this valuable? |
kyallroad |
17. RE: Things other than Guns & Weaponry
Aug 5 2009, 9:40 AM EDT
Since our ice storm this year I've been working on getting my home more independent of the grid for at least a couple of weeks. To this end we have purchased a gasoline generator. *At this point I will digress, a generator is only so good as your ability to get the electricity into the house in a useful way. This means no tangle of extension cords running in a window but rather powering the breaker box in such a way that you can walk from room to room and turn on lights and have a running refrigerator. It is also only as useful as the supply of gasoline on hand. Most generators only run for about 8 hours on a tank of fuel and require something like a gallon an hour to run. We keep 20 gallons in the shed (with fuel sta-bil) but I need to get a better bulk storage tank, I would like to have a 500 gallon tank but costs and logistics ore working against me here. Also at this point i should admit that my house is pretty large, many people won't have the space for a store room dedicated to dry goods and ammo, but that is something else I am working on. Whenever I shop now I buy an extra 20-40 dollars worth of dry or canned goods and put them down in the store room (remember to rotate your stock up to the kitchen). Because we like it we moved to a lake community so there is an endless supply of water, a well stock population of fish and deer wandering through the yard every day. At the moment we have a small RV (selling soon and probably buying a larger/older one) but I am attracted to the fully self contained world it represents. Taking ones BOL on the road and staying mobile. All of this isn't to boast about what we've got but to help others think about what might be required to set up and use equipment which may help them survive a short term emergency (2-4 weeks before things either calm down or things have truly gone to hell and we pull out plan B) Do you find this valuable? |
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kyallroad |
18. RE: Things other than Guns & Weaponry
Aug 5 2009, 9:50 AM EDT
Something else to have and know how to use would be tools.Mechanics tools for repairing ones vehicle. Chainsaws and axes for felling trees, getting firewood, clearing a path, etc... Carpentry tools to barricade doors and windows. A smattering of other tools and skills to keep the toilets flushing and the lights on without calling professional help. Sort or related to tools would be first aid/medical supplies. Have a supply on hand and know how to use them. I was an army medic but most people can sign up for a first responder class, or even better EMT school. It helps ones feeling confident in an emergency if you know what to do and how to respond. Do you find this valuable? |
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ironhand |
19. RE: Things other than Guns & Weaponry
Aug 5 2009, 9:56 AM EDT
oh, kyallroad made me remember with his RV comment....When I was in AL during Opal, I realized that if I had to evac, the best way would be to get a U-haul. Then I could turn it into an "RV" of my own (of sorts) if I needed to. Post Z-day, this is very viable idea as then you won't have to return it....LOL! Do you find this valuable? |
