April 18, 2013

HUNTING IN YOUR SURVIVAL GARDEN



I learned in one of my archaeology classes that Native Americans used to hunt in their own gardens.  It highlights the positive aspects of vermin invading gardens.  Gardens can not only provide you with vegetables, but meat if they attract it.  On the other hand, if you don't properly watch your gardens, they will get eaten.

So keep an eye on those gardens.  Be ready with your shotgun or small game rifle.  Maybe the best method would be to set up traps around your garden.  In fact, I'm quite sure that is the best method, unless they just come out in droves, to which I would suggest you get a night scope for your 22 lr rifle.


Taking this to another level, I'm very familiar with bears coming around campgrounds.  I realize that for those of us who will be surviving in bear territory, keeping food away from bears will be an issue to deal with.  Personally...I'm counting on bears coming around.  Nay, I'm hoping bears will come around.  I could use the easy 80 pounds of meat.  : D

While we're on the subject of attracting animals, consider setting up salt rocks or planting food plots for deer, elk, whatever you're trying to hunt.

(your garden will attract animals like this guy)


(80 pounds of free meat)

(deer feeding from a food plot)

April 16, 2013

WHEN THE SHTF, FIND THESE FISH AND A TARP


When the SHTF, try to get some of these fish alive, so you can raise them.  Then try to get a tarp or large containers.

Tilapia

Koi



























Goldfish

























Bluegill






















Catfish













Tilapia are the best choice.  They grow quickly and reproduce well, plus they taste good.  If you can't get them, you should be able to get some goldfish or koi.  Are there any koi ponds near you?  Pet stores almost always have goldfish.  The large ones, like Petsmart or Petco, usually have around 1,000 goldfish.

A tarp can help create a quick pond for the fish.  Dig a 2 foot deep pond that is as big as your tarp will hold. (deeper than that for bluegill or catfish)  Have it be in the sun, but you might also want to add structures or plants for shade and spawning depending on your fish type.  An actual fish pond liner is best, but in a pinch a tarp should be fine, or even a kiddie pool.

One of the best sources for sustainable food is fish that you farm.  Game will be hunted to near extinction.  Fish in rivers, lakes, and coastal areas will be over-fished.  Even small game will be well hunted and trapped.  Fish provide an excellent source of meat in post-apocalyptic times.

Most of these fish are fairly low maintenance.  They need oxygen in the water.  Normally, people use pumps.  If you don't have that luxury after the SHTF, you can take a bucket of water, shake it up, and pour it in.  Do about 10 buckets a day like that and it should be enough oxygen.  If you see them gulping at the top, then they need even more oxygen.  Having fish food is best, but you can improvise.  For example, duckweed is an excellent food that keeps growing for them to eat.  Animal droppings can be put in the water and will grow algae that fish like Tilapia will eat.  That's why plenty of people raise their chickens or rabbits near the fish pond (sometimes over the fish pond).  You also want to make sure the Ph levels are OK and the temperature is good.  Some ways to adjust temperature would be to use a light or dark lining, cover part of the pond with shade, drop in heated rocks, etc. and just see where the fish migrate too.  Tilapia and catfish like warm water.  Goldfish are hardy animals, but like fairly warm water as well.

In addition to these fish, I wouldn't be opposed to having an additional pond with minnows or mosquito fish or some other type of small fish that you can eat whole.  I think they would make good toppings for my survivalist pizzas!  :D

I'm not an expert on raising fish, so doing some additional research on this subject will be well worth your time.

April 15, 2013

SURVIVAL SAGE EXTREME SURVIVAL MANUAL: KNOWLEDGE IS POWER









1.2 MILLION PAGES OF SURVIVAL INFO!

OVER 10,000 PDF FILES!

70 SURVIVAL CATEGORIES

BOOKS, MANUALS, ARTICLES, BROCHURES, INSTRUCTIONS, ETC.



What's the most important thing in a survival situation?  
Guns?  
No.  
Seeds?  
Nope.  
Freeze dried food?  
No.  
The most important thing is KNOWLEDGE, KNOWLEDGE, KNOWLEDGE!!!

If you have all the supplies in the world, but don't know how to use them to keep you alive, what good is it?  Most people usually recommend having a survival manual, like the US Army FM 21-76.  But why stop there?  Certainly at some point you'll need to learn more than what is listed in that manual.  Why not get a survival manual that is 1,200,000 pages long that has basically any information you could ever need to have in a survival situation?  Impossible you say...think again.

Introducing SURVIVAL SAGE.  Survival Sage is a microsd card packed with 30GB of survival information.    It amounts to about 1.2 million pages of survival information from over 10,000 pdf files.  The microSD memory card is smaller than the size of a dime, so it is very portable.  Imagine trying to carry all the books with the same amount of inormation--you would need a semi truck!  Many computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, and ereaders can accept a microsd card.  Just stick it in an electronic device of your choice and look up whatever it is that you need to learn to survive.  It allows you to learn on the fly a lot of the things you will need to know.  

Survival Sage has all you need to SURVIVE, THRIVE, and REVIVE society.  It has a lot of the basic survival information, such as starting fires, building shelters, and setting traps.  Then it contains a lot of the intermediate level survival information you will need, such as making soap, aquaponics, and various irrigation systems.  But with this little memory card, you'll seriously have the info you need to move beyond merely survival--you'll be able to rebuild civilization!  You'll learn things like, energy production, goldsmithing, and establishing radio communication networks.

Having an electronic library like this really is the most logical approach to survival knowledge.  You can't possibly store all this information in your brain.  Even if you could, what if you die?  Who can teach others?  Books get heavy and can burn easily and degrade.  Libraries that store this information will burn to the ground or their books will be used for toilet paper.  Some servers with this digital information will survive, but it will be decades before we can tap into that info once again.  The best method is to have Survival Sage (and just in case, a few important hard copy books and printouts).  I suppose you'll also want to keep it stored in a faraday cage just in case.

If you couple the Survival Sage survival manual with an ereader that uses low battery power, such as a Nook Simple Touch, or a Kobo, and an electricity source, such as foldable solar panels, you will have a light weight, small package that is easily worth its weight in gold.  This combination will become your very own Survival Sage.

You can get it at survivalsage.com  The microSD card by itself is about $80.  You can also get a DVD option with the same files for a little cheaper.


You'll be so ninja after the apocalypse that you'll be able to establish a colony like this in no time...


April 13, 2013

CHOOSING A BUGOUT LOCATION



My advice for a bugout location doesn't start with what you should look for, rather, it starts with what you should avoid.  When chaos reigns, knowing what to avoid is more important than knowing what to look for.

Let's start with the obvious.  If it's a natural disaster like a tsunami or volcano eruption, get out of the way of its path.  OK, you already knew that.

Avoid people.  In the first day or two as the collapse of society is happening, people still won't be inherently dangerous to you, unless you are fighting with them over resources.  But it won't take evil-inclined people too long to start seeing that 1 plus 1 equals 2 and that it is soon going to be every man for himself and the only way to survive will be to steal and kill.  People will begin to do this.  Increasingly you will need to avoid people.  At first, it will be individual thieves.  Later, gangs, warlords, and drug cartels will be the ones to watch out for.  You will need to avoid other people as much as possible.  This means leaving cities, suburbs, towns, even rural areas that can be reached from roads.  If you really want to be safe, go to the uninhabited wilderness.  That way, you don't have to worry about people breaking into your home.  You don't have to worry about people stealing your stuff.  You don't have to worry about turning away the starving masses.  You don't have to worry about keeping as quiet and keeping such a low profile.  It's just less worry.  You can focus on providing and surviving.


Avoid nuclear reactors.  Nuclear power plants might melt down if they no longer have electricity and people to man them.  You will get a Fukushima situation in about 100 different locations all over the US.  You don't want to be within 50 miles of them in any direction, 100 miles downwind of them, or using the same body of water as them, so mark those areas off on the map and don't go there.

Avoid large bodies of water and upstream of any large city.  When water stops running to people's homes, most people will do the first thing they think of, which is to go to a nearby river or lake they are familiar with. Can you think of the local lake that everybody goes to in the summer?  Good.  Now don't go there.  Are you listening Las Vegas?  Don't go to Lake Mead!!

Avoid Mexican border states.  Police forces will dissolve.  The military and national guard will stick around for a while, but they will dissolve too.  All of government will basically dissolve.  What are the largest organizations in North America that will be able to maintain some level of continuity?  Drug cartels and gangs.  They steal and kill to thrive right now.  Imagine how strong they will get once they don't have border security and police forces standing in their way?  They will be unstoppable.  However, they will be hindered by lack of communication just like the rest of us, but believe me, they will thrive in chaos.  They will spill over the border and loot the border states.  It will be very easy for them.  The best thing will be to avoid them for 3-8 years and let their resources run out.  Hopefully, they will have infighting and get weak once they can no longer live off of supplies.  But I think some of the leaders of drug cartels are smart enough to know that they will need to establish agriculture to continue to survive.  Anyways, the point being, avoid them by staying clear of border states if possible.

Avoid downwind of cities.  When society collapses, there won't be any firefighters to put out fires.  With all the rioting, looting, cooking over open fires, and heating by fires, you can bet that most cities will burn.  Skies will turn red and ash will rain down a hundred miles away.  It won't be good for crops.  I suppose the best thing you could do is cover your crops with plastic sheeting and dust off the sheeting every morning so the sun can get through.  Ultimately, it will be best to avoid it as much as possible.

Avoid natural disaster areas.  I guess this is almost impossible anywhere in the US.  There is some type of natural disaster anywhere, so you can probably ignore this warning, but just keep in mind, you will no longer have tornado warnings or weather men telling you that a hurricane is coming in your direction, etc.  Just be prepared.

Now, here's what to look for.

A small water source that is available year round.  A private well is best.  A small pond or creek is next best.

An area where you can grow food.  Take a look at the grow zones (hardiness zones) and give it some thought.  Consider if you will need to setup a greenhouse.

An area where you can raise fish.  Having a system of aquaponics or aquaculture is one of the best ways to have a renewable food source.  Make sure you have the right fish for the temperature of the area.  If you need to make the water cooler, put it in the shade.  If you need to make the water warmer, put it in the sun, use black lining, or add hot rocks as necessary.

An area where you can raise animals.

An area where you can hunt and trap.  Think about what kinds of game live in a given area.  Everybody will be thinking deer and wild hog, so don't be afraid to get a little more exotic, like alligator or coyote.

An area where you can fish.  If you're not able to fish farm, you can always just fish.  Be careful not to kill off the population by over fishing, of course if others are fishing the same body of water, it will be their fault as much as yours, if not more.

An area that doesn't have a lot of pests.  Living in our homes, we don't always realize how great a thing it is to not be bothered by bugs all the time.  If you bugout and essentially camp out in the wilderness long term, you need to consider this possibility.  It sucks being bothered by bugs all day and all night 24/7.  However, I guess it's a situation where you have to choose one or the other--the bugs or the cold.  Honestly, they both suck.

An area that has good defenses.  Think about an area tactically.  Does the layout of an area allow you to defend your position well?

Finally, you want to live in an area that is not very visible to the outside, but has great outward visibility.  Often, this ideal is hard to find.  It is possible though.  If you are in a flat visible region, you might consider digging in and lowering your campground.  This will keep your whole camp area invisible, but you will still have lookout points at the edges where you can see everything around.  Another good location might be to dig in at the top of a hill.  It would have great defenses, great outward visibility, but getting water from a position like that would be difficult and might cause you to expose yourself.  I can think of a couple of good natural locations that have the best of both worlds when it comes to visibility.  One is in Nebraska, and one is in Florida.





The Sand Hills of Nebraska (satellite image above) has thousands of rolling hills.  It's a really good place to hide, while at the same time have a good amount of visibility around you.  If you were to bugout to this location, you wouldn't want to build your shelter and have your fires on the tops of the hills for everyone to see.  You want to be low so you are hidden.  But don't situate yourself in a valley/gully.  Situate yourself in a solitary pocket like the ones the arrows are pointing to.  You'll be able to maintain a low profile, yet have good outward visibility.


In this picture, we're looking at Big Cypress National Preserve in southwest Florida.  The land is flat, but we're looking at a system of open grasslands and pockets of trees and bushes.  It's not a perfect location, but it's pretty good.  What you would want to do in a situation like this is situate yourself in a pocket of trees, so that you are hidden from anyone around, but you will have good visibility looking out at anybody or anything wandering in the area.  

When it comes to visibility, if you have to settle for a location, like in the picture of the cabin at the top of this article (low profile, but also low outward visibility) it's important to find a location that is as rural as possible and you will likely be OK.

Good luck hunting for a bug out location!!

April 11, 2013

IDEAS FOR POST-APOCALYPTIC ENERGY IN YOUR BUGOUT LOCATION



If society collapses (shtf, teotwawki, apocalypse) the grid will go down, so most people will not have electricity. However, it doesn't mean electricity goes away and can never be brought back. Here's some ideas for electricity in a post-apocalyptic world.

SOLAR PANELS

These are a great option. They have no moving parts. They work for around 30 years. They make no noise. They can be placed low to the ground and won't attract attention. There are small solar panels that can be plugged directly into electronics to charge them, but the larger ones will need an inverter to change the electrical current into AC. If society collapses and you don't have solar panels, you can snag some from highway lights and call boxes. :D Just be 100% sure society has collapsed and isn't coming back.






MICRO HYDRO POWER

If you will be living near a fast moving stream that has a good slope, this is one of the best options for you. There are these mini hydro-electric power generators that you can buy. Just connect a pipe with fast flowing water and you're in business. I believe these little things can create a huge amount of energy in almost no time. Be careful though, they are noisy and can attract attention. They also have to be placed near water, which gives it an even higher chance of being discovered by others. A possible way to get around this is to dig a trench with a pipe or hose running off the stream at an angle. Run it maybe 500 feet down stream at an angle and by then, you can have it 125 feet away from the stream. I would also find some kind of box or enclosed space in which to put it so it quiets the generator. And then, I might only run it in the middle of the night or really early in the morning when people are less likely to be out and about.






WINDMILLS

An obvious renewable energy source. You can buy a kit for it or build your own. The only problem with these is they will attract attention. The bigger and higher these are, the more they scream, "Hey everybody! People over here have electricty!" That's not good attention.






CYCLE POWERED

You can hook up a bicycle pedaling structure to generate electricity. The pro is you can get energy anytime. You don't have to wait for wind or sun. The con is it requires burning calories and takes up your time.






THERMO-ELECTRIC

Heat can be directly converted into electricity. Not many people are aware of this process because it's not the most efficient process of generating electricity and there aren't too many applications for it in the real world. However, for a prepper this is a great way to generate electricity. You will have a fire almost every day, so you might as well generate electricity from it. There is an item called a Biolite Stove. It's a good choice.






WOOD GASIFICATION TO GENERATOR (or alcohol still)

If you are OK with making a lot of noise using a generator (I never would be OK with making a lot of noise in a post-apocalypse society), a wood gasification process is a good opportunity for electricity. The process of heating up wood to extreme temperatures, creates a gas that you can use to run the generator. Alternatively, you can set up an alcohol still and use that as fuel for the generator. I'm not sure which is the best quality for a generator.







HAND CRANK ELECTRICITY

Similar to cycle powered, you can crank your way to power with this option. Usually, I see this in small applications, such as emergency radios or flashlights. Larger cranks exist, I just haven't seen them many places.






STORING THAT ENERGY WITH A BATTERY PACK

You also want to store that energy in batteries somehow. I've been considering getting a Duracell PowerSource 1800. Do some research and figure out what you will need for your situation and also be aware of the AC DC situation.



Did I miss anything?

April 6, 2013

THE SHTF AND YOU DIDN'T PREPARE...HERE'S WHAT TO DO



Even if you did prepare, you might still want to do this.

1. FILL THE BATH AND LARGE CONTAINERS WITH WATER

2. CONTACT YOUR LOVED ONES AND ESTABLISH A PLAN.  TELL THEM TO FOLLOW THESE STEPS AS WELL.

3. GET GAS

4. HIT THE ATM

5. GET FOOD AND SUPPLIES

6. TRY TO GET A TRAILER OR MOVING TRUCK

7. PRESERVE ALL YOUR FOOD

8. FIND A PLACE ON THE MAP TO BUG OUT

9. PACK EVERYTHING YOU THINK YOU'LL NEED

10. LEAVE


Extended description:

1. FILL THE BATH AND LARGE CONTAINERS WITH WATER

Water is your most valuable resource.  You want to make sure you have some to start with.  Water could stop pumping at any moment.  Fill the bathtub and all large containers, even trash cans.

Assuming electricity is still working, you can do these next steps...

Grab all your money, some jewelry, and possible barter items before you leave the house.

2. CONTACT YOUR LOVED ONES AND ESTABLISH A PLAN.  TELL THEM TO FOLLOW THESE STEPS AS WELL.

On your way out the door to the gas station, call and explain to them what is happening and what is going to happen.  Tell them to follow these steps and if you are going to meet up with them, arrange plans for that.  Also, give them a fail-safe backup plan in case the meet-up plans don't work out.  For example, you can tell them that you will leave directions to your bug out location above the mirror in the front bathroom of your house.

3. GET GAS

You'll need gas to get to your bug out destination and do miscellaneous driving.  It won't be at the stations much longer.  Fill up your vehicle and fill up extra gas cans.  Get at least as much as you'll need to get to your destination.  If electricity and the pumps are not working, see if you can somehow work out a deal with the station owner to manually get gas.  You've got cash, some jewelry, and barter items to work with.

4. HIT THE ATM

Hopefully, there will still be enough faith in the Dollar that you can still buy stuff.  Get as much cash as you possibly can.  If electricity is out, see if you can go inside and get money from the teller.  Or, if things haven't gotten really crazy yet and you are ahead of the curve in terms of predicting the future, just go in and close out the account and get all your cash.  Keep it hidden and safe.

5. GET FOOD AND SUPPLIES

Go to these stores or similar ones:
Target/Walmart
Sporting Goods/Gun Store/Bait & Tackle
Grocery Store/Costco
Nursery
Home Depot/Lowes
Military Surplus
Pet Store
Other


I have put these stores in order of importance, but if certain ones are closer to you than others, you can adjust your route.  If you split up, you can get more stuff faster.  Also, if the people are already in a frenzy, consider going to smaller alternatives to these stores, like K-Mart or Ace Hardware.  If looting is already happening and you are 100% absolutely sure that society is going to collapse and will not come back, then join the party and try not to tick anyone off.  If you make a mistake about your prediction, just return the stuff later or pay for it.  Get the items in the Mad Rush Shopping List.

6. TRY TO GET A TRAILER OR MOVING TRUCK

You will want to bring more stuff with you than can fit in the back of your truck/car.  You will be leaving and never coming back, so take everything that will help in your upcoming lifestyle.  A close contained trailer is best (like uHaul) but get whatever you can find.  While you are at it, you might as well try to get a moving truck if they will still rent one out to you.  Maybe you can trade for one.  Give them one of your cars for their truck.  You will have better luck with a private business where the owner is on site rather than a franchise like UHaul.  However, I wouldn't be comfortable with a moving truck as my only vehicle.  I would be comfortable having it as one of my vehicles, but then I also have to think about gas mileage.  So, get a trailer or a moving truck.  Since it's fairly important, I would spend up to 6 hours trying to secure one.  If you don't get one and you know you will have to make multiple trips to get your gear to your bug out location, you can make a couple shuttle trips from your house to a secret location outside of town.  Then make the shuttle trips from that secret location to your bug out location.

7. PRESERVE ALL YOUR FOOD

Nationwide anarchy and riots won't start at the snap of a finger.  It will take a little time for things to get dangerous.  As long as your neighborhood and the streets along your bug out route are fairly safe, you can use that time to prepare for your exodus.  I wouldn't spend too many days in this phase though, maybe 2-3.  Preserve all your food.  Make jerky with all your meat.  You oven should be at 180 degrees round the clock.  Be canning food in jars at the same time.  If you have a dehydrator, use it.  If you have even more food to preserve, you can try to dry it over a fire or in a solar dehydrator.  If you still have more food, freeze it and try to keep it cold until you get to your bug out destination and then put it in a trash bag in cold water.  You want to have all food preserved within 48 hours.

8. FIND A PLACE ON THE MAP TO BUG OUT

Cities and even small towns will be dangerous, because starving people will do anything possible to stay alive, including stealing from you and killing you.  It's best to go to an uninhabited location that can sustain you.  Get away from roads.  Don't go to large bodies of water.  Choose small bodies of water to avoid people.  If possible, choose a campsite that is hidden, but at the same time offers good visibility of surrounding areas.  For more information on this, read Choosing a Bug Out Location.

9. PACK EVERYTHING YOU THINK YOU'LL NEED

Pack accordingly.  You're new lifestyle will be very different.  You may not have electricity.  When supplies run out, they will run out indefinitely.  Take items and replacement items that will last a loooong time.  Think sustainability.  The list I've provided is a good one.

10. LEAVE

Unless danger is imminent, you will probably spend a couple days preparing and packing.  Double check and brain storm to make sure you've got everything you'll need.  Now take the leap of faith and do it.  The longer you stay, the more likely you are to encounter danger.  Ambushes and traps could be established on the roads within a week, so leave quickly.  Tell a neighbor they can use any of the stuff you left behind.  They might be grateful for the water you left in the bathtub.

April 4, 2013

MAD RUSH SHOPPING LIST IF THE SHTF



If the SHTF and you don't have everything you need, you can use this shopping list as a guide for the most important items you need to get if society is about to collapse.  Some of these items you might only be able to buy online prior, which makes it all the more important to prepare beforehand.  Make the dash out to stores ASAP as if your life depended on it, because it might.  These are listed in order of most important items first.  You would want these items if you are bugging out to the wilderness.  Clothing, medications, female, infant, and elderly items are not included, so adjust appropriately.


[See my updated list of survival items]

all purpose survival knife
fire starter
hunting rifle with suppressor, scope, and night vision scope (converter?)
ammo
sleeping bag
mess kit (first method for water purification)
assorted seeds (something to grow for every season if possible, also sprouts(alfalfa, soy, mung), asparagus, and medicinal plants)
emergency radio (crank powered, first source of electricity)
survival sage
buckets with air tight lids, food grade
big ole first aid kit (make sure it has sutures , quick clot, lots of reusable bandages, antiseptic, and latex gloves)
shovel
rat traps
toothbrushes
large backpack
big tarps (at least 3: water proof shelter, fish pond-black tarp if cold area [pond liner], rain catchment)
paracord
axe
water bottle (stainless steel)
dry packaged meals
binder with hard copies of most important survival info, including color pictures of edibles in wild in your area and how to prepare
large water filter with extra filters (second method for water purification)
gun cleaning kit
knife sharpening kit with honing oil
topo maps
baking soda
mylar ziplock bags all sizes heavy duty
oxygen absorber packs
grill/racks for cooking/dehydrating (first method of food preservation)
cloth towels
compass
BioLite HomeStove (second source of electricity)
cooking set (spatula, tongs, ladel, knives, etc)
sewing kit
LED flashlight/lantern (handcranked)
multi-tool
camouflaged infrared perimeter alarm system
dental repair kit
gorilla tape camouflaged
hand gun with suppressor and holster
ammo for that
ghillie suit
spotting scope with tripod (or binoculars)
rechargeable batteries assorted
battery recharger
walkie talkies
bleach (third method of water purification)
soap
MP3 player
headphones
metal mirror
dwarf fruit trees
toothpaste
horse with all its gear
tilapia (live, or best type of fish possible)
butt load of wheat or other grains
hand operated grain mill
cooking oil
multi-vitamins
mosquito net
mason jars
Tattler reusable jar lids and gaskets
pressure cooker/canner (second method of food preservation)
aspirin
pens
printer paper
reading glasses
glass viles
wood stove
work gloves
heavy duty aluminum foil
doctor's toolbag
cutting board
dental floss
go away kits
outdoors cook set
dentist's tools
petroleum jelly
saw with extra blades
chickenwire
rabbits
small backpack
razors (some prefer to go with old school blades, save space and money, but requires more skill)
low power laptop packed with software/movies/music/games/podcasts/family photos/etc
patch kit for plastic/tarp
spare fabrics (cotton, denim, leather, etc)
hand auger drill--water well set
plates (deep ones to hold soup/stew/cereal as well)
radio antenna extension
utensils
emergency blanket
family canopy with screen and magnet closure
camouflage netting for vehicle, campground, outposts, hunting, etc.
salt
toilet paper (yellow pages or tightly bound industrial rolls)
insect mesh hat
camp shower
poncho heavy duty
fertilizer
fishing net
kick butt tool set including some large tools like bolt cutter
nails
protractor
vinyl floor roll
goats
earthworms
gas cans
cot with matt
FRS energy drink powder
ham radio with antenna long extension
solar panels charger (3rd source of electricity)
Duracell Powerpack 600 (or bigger)
sugar
deodorant
headlamp light (I like the ones with night vision)
greenhouse
bear pepper spray
small water container or water jug for faucet (10-50 gallons)
metal chests with pad lock and bells (or bear cannisters) (waterproof before burial)
felt markers
hooks
fishing string
game call or game scent (whatever's best for your situation)
small water filter
field dressing/butcher knife set
deck of cards
eye glass repair kit
vaccum sealer with spare parts
chair (chaise lounger)
washboard (or a hand spinning kind)
condoms for barter
tea
shampoo
sledgehammer
wedge
brown spray paint can
two man tent
shotgun (with suppressor)
shotgun shells
comb/brush
wash basin
trash cans with bells and locking mechanism or some kind of clamp to shut it
green spray paint cans
game call or game scent (whatever you didn't choose for the previous item)
garbage bags heavy duty
thermometer
filet knife
solar oven
bulletproof vest
helmet (maybe balistics kind with visor)
sun block
tweezers
small woodwind instrument
dustmasks
various size plastic containers for liquids and solids, tupperware, bottles, pitchers, squeeze, pour
jewelry
snare wire
ph, ammonia, and nitrate testing kit
LED floodlights
sinkers
survey meter (like geiger counter)
Potasium Iodide tablet (or Potasium Iodate)
cable ties
laser printer with extra cartridges
game cart/rescue cart (monowalker)
large lantern (hand crank style)
chicken bullion
digital camera
watering can
dark grey spray paint can
machete
large containers for water/food/composting with the siphon and wrench
boresighter
range finder
scissors
carabiners locking
black electrical tape
oxygen monitor
rope
pulley set
fish trap
pipe bomb materials
lighters
industrial strength glue
bunjee cords
camo face paint
nail clippers
garden/farm tools set
scale set
processing table (table with sinks, or large tupperware bowl for a sink)
bushcraft knife
block wire mesh gabions “hescos”
22lr rifle
22lr ammo
crovel extreme
family pictures
night vision goggles
vacuum sealed yeast
moth balls
ethyl alcohol
spice rack

I personally have a longer list than this, but I just wanted to list the top 200 or so items.

April 2, 2013

THINK LIKE A SNIPER BEHIND ENEMY LINES AFTER SOCIETY COLLAPSES



I don't have a military background, but I know enough about the military to know that sniper teams have some of the best training for a situation where the SHTF and society collapses. If you want to survive in a collapsed society, it behooves you to think like a sniper behind enemy lines.

BEHIND ENEMY LINES

You have to assume that the threat is all around you--360 degrees. It is every man or woman for himself. Assume that every person wants to take what you have.


CONCEALMENT

Because you are behind enemy lines, so to speak, you want to stay as concealed as possible. You don't want to deal with beggars. You don't want to deal with mobs. You don't want to deal with warlords. If you stay concealed, you can avoid all of that. Hide your position. Choose a location where people will not find you. Establish some kind of lookout system or security surveillance so you know when people are coming. Camouflage your campground. Use camo netting, hunting blinds, or just have your base underground. When you go out, wear a ghillie suit if it's not too hot.

DON'T COMPROMISE YOUR POSITION

Don't invite strangers into your campground, so they know where you are. Don't tell people you come across where you live. Don't make loud noises in your camp. Don't have loud animals in your camp. Be careful of people spotting your fires or smoke. Add suppressors to your guns. Even when you are hunting, use a rifle with a suppressor, so there is no noise. You don't want people to know that there is a person out there who just shot a gun and maybe that person was hunting and now has some food.

RECONNAISSANCE

A big aspect of a sniper team's mission is to collect information on the enemy as well as any other people of interest. In a post-apocalyptic world, finding out about the people around you will be extremely beneficial. You want to know who the friendly and not-so-friendly people are. You want to know who is surviving the legitimate, self-sufficient way and who is surviving by stealing and killing. So spy on your neighbors. Take notes on them. How many people are there? Is it men, women, children? What are there approximate ages? Do they have weapons? Are they growing crops? Take pictures of them to show to the rest of your group and mark on the map where they are staying, or where you saw them.

MARKSMANSHIP

If it comes down to it, you obviously want to be a good shot. Snipers are the best. You should strive to become the best you can be as well. In rare circumstances, if it agrees with your conscience, and it's the right thing to do, you might have to drop targets. For example, bad guys violently stole from you, kidnapped someone, or killed one of your group in an unjust and unprovoked manner. (Remember, society has collapsed. There's no military. There's no law enforcement. There's no government. There's no law. And it's not coming back.) You would do the rest of the peaceful survivors a favor if you took them out. One shot, one kill.

So there you have it. Think and act like a sniper behind enemy lines, and you will do well.