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First off, this posting isn’t meant to be a troll.. I’m a big fan of this site and read here daily.

One thing I don’t understand is the whole SHTF, prepper crowd. There are a lot of people living paycheck to paycheck and spending what extra money they do have on preparation, not to mention their time. I’m not talking about having some cans of food and water in their basement in case of a short-term disaster in their area.. I’m talking about an all-out lifestyle change that revolves around being prepared for when the end of the world comes – devoting any extra money they have to medical kits and zombie killing blades and insane amounts of ammo and 50+ magazines, etc. I started to fall into that and bought a bunch of magazines and ammo, but then realized there’s such a REMOTE chance of that happening that it’s not worth worrying about too much.

Everyone plans their lives around risks, right? I wear my seatbelt because car accidents do happen fairly frequently and a seatbelt is free and easy to put on, so I see it as being worth it. I wear a helmet when I ride a motorcycle, eat healthy and exercise, etc for the same reasons. But in all honesty, what are the chances of a long-term SHTF situation? In even the most likely situation you can come up with, what is the need for 10,000 rounds of rifle ammo? Some will say trading, but how bad would things have to REALLY get if you had to resort to trading rifle ammunition? I would think that in a situation like that you may be in even more danger having a cache like that of such a valuable item. On top of that, I see posts all the time about someone having 10k rounds of rifle ammo, 30 guns, full armor and whatever else, but no Water, Food, Medical supplies, or plans for shelter, etc. Anyways that’s getting a little off topic..

My main point is, there’s probably a 1 in million chance of a real SHTF situation happening, and even much less likely that it’d be nation-wide and long term. However, that’s a VERY good chance that someday you’re going to want to retire, or need to retire, or have a medical situation that requires money. If you took the thousands of dollars you’re putting into your prepping plans and put them into your 401k, or pay down your mortgage, or put it into a mutual fund, your real life goals are much more likely to happen. Also please don’t argue that you make money on your gun/ammo purchases, because even if that’s true it’s definitely not the norm. Generally if you buy a gun and buy ammo you wont be able to sell it for a profit.. money in a mutual fund almost always has a pretty good earning.

 

So I’d like to hear what everyone thinks about this. I’ve seen similar topics come up on other gun forums and basically the crowd said the OP had to “wake up” and started naming all of the bad things happening in the world, making the point that it’s just inevitable because of all of the terrible stuff worldwide.. These things aren’t new – ask your parents (no matter how old you are) how the world was going to end when they were your age.. Nuclear holocaust, disease, war, ect has been here since the country began, but humans keep moving forward. Do you think people do this mainly for fantasy or paranoia? I think there’s a lot of propaganda that goes around in certain areas of the US and that’s always followed with doom and gloom about the future of our country.

 

With that being said, I still keep a pantry of long-lasting food, drinkable water, a few weapons and some ammo.

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Id rather have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

This is the million dollar question. How much is too much? I wonder if some of the stuff I have paid good money for is just gonna sit around and collect dust. But I have enough gear to enable me to ha

I have a stock pile of toilet paper because fuck pinecones and other shit!

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While some may look at what I do and say your a nut, that's their problem. We have ammo, guns, food, medicine and other assorted items should we need them after something happens. That something could be anything from social unrest to tornado's and hurricanes. Am I ready to survive with the roaches after nuclear war or a giant asteroid? No and I would not want to.

 

You should do what you feel is right to you. Never hurts to have something to fall back on. The hard part will be the people who do not have anything.........

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Lets be VERY BASIC about this...

 

Being PREPARED... for whatever... is NEVER a bad thing to be!!! Simple as that... 032.gif032.gif

 

Edited to add... Whether that is TEOTWAWKI... or your RETIREMENT PLAN...

 

 

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Meh..... Everybody's gotta have a hobby.

 

I prep for short term. A few days. In the event of global catastrophic disaster or epidemic, I don't want to be a survivor. I think life would be pretty shitty and bleak with death and havoc everywhere. I'll take a pass on that. But, for an ice storm or Irene type flood, it's good to have a few extra days worth of groceries and supplies. Paper products especially.

Edited by Yeoldetool
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The whole SHTF scenario is somewhat troublesome to me as always is illustrated. Personally I own a ranch that is self sustaining with plenty of H2O, game and stored dry goods and of course the usual guns and ammo. In addition due to my profession, medical supplies to treat anything short of massive trauma requiring immediate surgery. This is not my primary domicile however. What troubles me is that if this situation comes to pass it all seems geared to individualism which will not work. This mentality is short term at the best because at some point you will be over run by numbers you cannot supress that will take what you have or will need to reach out to others at some point which is inevitable.

The best way to approach this is by banding with your neighbors and community to sustain a civilized way of life and of course screw the govt.and all the PC liberal progressive BS because that shit is instantly out the window! You will be instantly in the 1770's and the constitutional rule of law will rule. A security contingent and a structure to distribute food, water,etc will need to be immediately established with no one being able to control any one commodity. Criminals dealt with very harshly before political correctness and the real helping of your fellow man will be the only way this situation can be dealt with. The hollywood mad max BS is a pipe dream.

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Good to be prepared, fine... but wouldn't you judge someone that prepared for a Mars invasion by buying as much tin foil as they could afford and spreading it all over their property? What's different from their arguement and yours...? It's the likelyhood of that happening. There's a 99.999% chance people your age are going to be able to retire at some point in their lives.. a 0.0001% chance of a long-term SHTF situation happening.. a 0.00000000001% chance of aliens from mars taking over. Do we prepare for all of these equally, or do we put our financial situation first because it's much more likely to happen? It's too easy to say "being prepared is never a bad thing" because it depends on what you're preparing for, and how likely it is to happen.

Before someone jumps all over me, those are not totally accurrate odds of the above things happening.

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Good to be prepared, fine... but wouldn't you judge someone that prepared for a Mars invasion by buying as much tin foil as they could afford and spreading it all over their property? What's different from their arguement and yours...? It's the likelyhood of that happening. There's a 99.999% chance people your age are going to be able to retire at some point in their lives.. a 0.0001% chance of a long-term SHTF situation happening.. a 0.00000000001% chance of aliens from mars taking over. Do we prepare for all of these equally, or do we put our financial situation first because it's much more likely to happen? It's too easy to say "being prepared is never a bad thing" because it depends on what you're preparing for, and how likely it is to happen.

Before someone jumps all over me, those are not totally accurrate odds of the above things happening.

 

Well here is the problem, say you prepare for a pandemic and have all of the stuff you need not to get sick and then the Chinese invade or EMP the US. Half of the stuff you have maybe useless. Picking just one thing to prepare for is not smart in my book. Nor is spending your retirement to build a bunker.

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I see nothing wrong if you have stuff to prepare for emergencies that come up quite often in your area, ie. those living in hurricane prone areas, here in the NE where snow could exceed the normally snow fall etc... every fall I stock up on store can foods, not warehouses full, but enough where it will suffice for a a couple of days , then I consume them when winter is over

 

but, if you're spending your waking hours and tons of money preparing for "end of world scenarios", then to me you have serious mental issues that need to be addressed. still, it keeps the people that sell this stuff happy and laughing all the way to the bank, and they are one of the biggest scare mongers out there to peddle their "stuff".

Edited by Matthew Hopkins
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Every household should have a reasonable response plan for potential disasters. Just keeping your kitchen stocked with a weeks worth of food and having a response plan for possible disasters in your area like flood, tornado, power outage etc. should do. Having a $100,000 dollar bunker in the mountains for a 2012 armageddon is a bit excessive.

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I feel a realistic analysis of what an emergency may constitute for you and your family and then implementing an emergency plan in moderation along those lines is certainly reasonable. This may only include stocking up a few days of meds\food\water\heat and have a communication plan for reconnecting with family among other things. Others may consider adding a generator and fuel. For others it may be an off road vehicle and place in the mountains. Even within the past two years my parents were without power and basic amenities in their area for nearly 2 weeks due to an act of nature and they live just outside of a major city. Some part of it is hobby\fun. No I don't think zombies are a real threat, but does it make target practice more fun? - you bet! Some may think that others get carried away but people have that right.

 

It makes sense to connect with neighbors along these lines. I think I am going to become better friends with U.S Praetorian. big_smile.gif

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Every household should have a reasonable response plan for potential disasters. Just keeping your kitchen stocked with a weeks worth of food and having a response plan for possible disasters in your area like flood, tornado, power outage etc. should do..

Today because of the a-hole's policies this is viewed as terrorist activity and even storing rain water will put you on these commies radar. They gotta go........

 

 

 

It makes sense to connect with neighbors along these lines. I think I am going to become better friends with U.S Praetorian. big_smile.gif

Come to Texas and you have a deal!

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Every household should have a reasonable response plan for potential disasters. Just keeping your kitchen stocked with a weeks worth of food and having a response plan for possible disasters in your area like flood, tornado, power outage etc. should do..

Today because of the a-hole's policies this is viewed as terrorist activity and even storing rain water will put you on these commies radar. They gotta go........

 

What I'd like to know is, how do they know how much stuff I have? I have enough that I usually donate to the local food shelf, of the things that I don't use. The A-holes don't have a fucking clue. I only need so many pounds of dried beans, for crying out loud.

 

That reminds me.... I need to make soup and bean pies. greedy.gif

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I am prepared enough for the area where I live. There is enough protected wildlife areas around my immediate location to have food that doesn't need to be stored for years. Enough reservoirs within several hundred yards to have no fear of water shortage. Enough bullets and guns to be safe in this liberal gun-hating zone, and enough family around to make a formidable community if people want to attack. I don't doomsday prep. I just prefer a large amount of range fun and keep it stocked at all times for the what-ifs. To each his own, though.

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I am also evaluating the long term pep thing. I have always been prepared for the short term.

 

I recently bought a new fire arm ( that I don't need). Showed it to my dad he said another one.

 

You never know America could get rough with all the debt soon.

 

He responded by saying, World War 1 the USA is still here, World War 2 the USA is still here, World War 3 the USA will still be here.

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He responded by saying, World War 1 the USA is still here, World War 2 the USA is still here, World War 3 the USA will still be here.

He is right about WW 1&2, but after recent events I think a WW 3 will be fought in a whole different type of way. I hope that we come out of that as we did before but with Iran moving towards nukes and the entire middle east giving us the finger, we may not come out so untouched next time

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Every household should have a reasonable response plan for potential disasters. Just keeping your kitchen stocked with a weeks worth of food and having a response plan for possible disasters in your area like flood, tornado, power outage etc. should do..

Today because of the a-hole's policies this is viewed as terrorist activity and even storing rain water will put you on these commies radar. They gotta go........

 

What I'd like to know is, how do they know how much stuff I have? I have enough that I usually donate to the local food shelf, of the things that I don't use. The A-holes don't have a fucking clue. I only need so many pounds of dried beans, for crying out loud.

 

That reminds me.... I need to make soup and bean pies. greedy.gif

I thought is was just stockpiling ammo and flying "don't tread on me" flags they didn't like. FEMA recommends storing 2 weeks of food. http://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/f&web.pdf

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Fear mongering... Some people get sucked into the worst case doom and gloom scenarios and obsess over them. You could prep excessively for anything and not be any better off in a SHTF situation. If it gets that bad, someone else is probably just going to kill you and take what you have. Constantly thinking about this stuff makes for a stressed out, scared, and likely shortened life.

 

My prepping goes as far as a month or so worth of non perishable food, basic med kits, ammo, firearms. I keep flashlights and extra batteries. Candles and such. Don't most people? Keeping a couple thousand rounds of each caliber isn't crazy. We've all see ammo prices shoot up and supply drop. I like to shoot and 1k rounds is a few good range trips.

 

Some people do seem to need that "tacticool wheelbarrow" for when they're running off into the woods to be a survivor. Lol!

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I prep for short term stuff. Snow knocks out power for a few days, flooding, stuff like that. My goal is to always have a months worth of supplies but enough for 6 months just in case, i have close family near by as well. This basically means food, blankets, batteries, tp, towels, water, heating source for food/water/self, weapons and ammo.

 

As far as having 10k rounds of ammo, i do that but not because of any shtf. I remember buying x39 for something like $60 per 500 rounds. Now its over a $100. So basically i slowly stock up so i can shoot cheap years down the road. I dont buy 2k at a time, cant afford that (unless its 5.45) but a hundred or two at a time.

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I try and stock up on pretty much everything that we use, from food and ammo to paper products, medications, etc. If I could afford to buy 20 cases of MRE's and buckets of SHTF food, I would, simply because I HATE needing something and not having it. While I certainly HOPE that the SHTF doesn't happen, just watching the various world governments is enough to send shivers down my spine, especially the stuff going on in the Middle East, then you have the Israel situation that we may get dragged into real soon. The economy is in the tank and our government can't fix it and we need to just realize that and play out our lives as far away from the political scene as we can. I was raised on a farm and we raised pretty much all the stuff we ate and hunted and fished for the rest. Mom put up 100 quarts each of green beans, corn, peas, carrots, strawberries, made pickles, etc. Things were a lot simpler then because we made them simple. People freak out now just because they are worried about losing all their conveniences.

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We prep. Not for one reason, but because it is smart to be able to take care of the family in any emergency. The government won't be ablt to do it. They have proved that time and time again. See the price of food spiking? Hear about the tax hike we may face soon? Hear about all the crap going on in the world around us as other governements fail to provide social services that their citizens have come to rely upon and demand?

 

We also balance prepping with doing what everyone else does. I hunt because I enjoy it, and it's hard to beet what nature provides. I can food because I can do it with out preservatives you get in commercial canned goods. We go back packing for fun. We renovate our home to make it nice and hopefully increase resale when the day comes. We go on vacation a couple of times a year to someplace we have never been before. We volunteer time and money to our community as members of Lions Club, and Blue Lodge.

 

So, not everyone that preps. focuses solely on prepping. If I'm crazy for looking out for my family then I guess I'm whole hog nuts.

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History is rife with failed civilizations and Nations that crumbled. That being said, the possibility of this happening here in a given lifetime is remote. Temporary breakdowns do happen, no doubt about it. A few days can be an awful long time for the unprepared.

 

Due to the volatile metals market and the increasingly uncertain political climate, the cost of firearms, ammunition, and ammunition components has rapidly escalated, over the last 20 years especially. I see stockpiling these materials as a very good investment. When I retire, I have no urge to buy at the price of that day, considering inflation and all. I prefer to buy ahead, while prices are much lower and I am working. Not when I am living on a fixed income.

 

This is part of my retirement plan. smile.png

Edited by 1mile50
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Lets not forget about the destruction of our dollar either.

 

I prep to take care of myself and those I love should the need arise. I guess I'm nuts since I choose to protect and rely on myself rather than look to big brother to do it for me.

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This is the million dollar question. How much is too much? I wonder if some of the stuff I have paid good money for is just gonna sit around and collect dust. But I have enough gear to enable me to have a fighting chance against gangs of looters or rogue regime forces, which I believe are the most likely threat.

 

I think the most likely scenario for SHTF will be related to what happened in Greece and Spain over the government austerity measures just this past week. IF things got that tight here can you imagine the chaos the government dependents would cause if the tap runs dry for them? Think the Rodney King riots in every major population center country wide!

 

That's what I am preparing for, not for any "Falling Skies" alien invasion or post nuclear conflict.

 

If the SHTF comes, it will be our own Government or citizens that bring it on the rest of us...

Edited by Jpanzer
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Society is typically within 72 hours away from dissolving into primitive survival that is driven by instincts of kill or be killed.

 

Most people in the U.S. have never come close to being hungry and unable to obtain food or water for a period over 24 hours.

 

If that changes for a prolonged period beyond 48 hours, especially in a populace place, then we will see civilized people killing each other for basic components of survival like food, water, clothing, medicine and heat (dipshits that have already devolved in our culture will initially be looting electronics, designer fashions and other worthless crap initially).

 

It could be a power or grid outage or other energy crisis, a terrorist attack, a government takeover of the U.S. (monetarily, economically, militarily, etc.), a disease, a natural disaster, or a foreign invasion that starts it.

 

 

History has shown the great empires eventually implode with corruption and greed after the people become lazy and complacent. I hope that the U.S. has not come to that, but will not be surprised to see our eagle fall in my lifetime just as the Roman eagle fell when it became too corrupt to sustain itself.

 

nothing_to_say.gif

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I don't like the confused survivalist fanatics myself. Go to the survivalist forums (actually, you shouldn't) check each topic and you'll find that the firearms is the most popular. That is actually quite pathetic.

It is however, a good to have some food, water, first aid and even a firearm. The skills part is a good hobby, you can learn a lot of great things.

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Go to the survivalist forums (actually, you shouldn't)

True guess who else goes there??

 

It is however, a good to have some food, water, first aid and even a firearm. The skills part is a good hobby, you can learn a lot of great things.

Also very true. 98% of people mostly urbanites, think a gun will save them when in reality it is only a tool to facilitate a function. Skills like obtaining water, shelter and food (snares and trapping) trump having a gun. Even a gun against man in the country doesn't guarantee sheet! I have seen many, many city slickers that only shoot once a year miss unbelievable easy game shots on unsuspecting animals. When the sun goes down and you can't see your hand in front of your face and you are miles from the CP they need a A&M bonfire or they're crying "fo momma". To actually hunt an animal is a talent not possessed by many and these type skills have to be practiced.

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