# SHTF, so now what do you actually intend to do?



## Hatchee (Dec 6, 2017)

We live in the mountains of NC on 68 acres. We are small land owners compared to most residents in our area. While I do not consider myself to be a prepper, we do keep 30 days of food & water in stock at all times, lots of ammo, a diverse medical bag and ample gas for our generator. We have a large garden and some small game on the property.

Last weekend, I got together with some friends. One, who is a prepper, came up from Greensboro (a mid-sized city). We began discussing some SHTF scenarios when someone asked our prepper friend exactly what his plans would be if things fell apart in the city. He indicated that they will leave the city and head up to our area. And that they are prepared to survive in the woods for an extended period if necessary. We all laughed and informed him that if a real SHTF event occurs and he tried to execute that plan, the property owners in our area would have no problem shooting him for trespassing and perhaps he should rethink things.

So, that got me thinking........exactly what do you actually intend to do and where do you intend to go? Hunker down where you are with existing supplies, head to a national forest and live off the land, or do you have property where you will be relatively safe? What is your plan?


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

Well ..... if heading over to one of them government bunkers and waiting it out with the big shots is not an option, I'm gonna stay with my supplies, my preparedness preps, my guns and ammo ...... Come and take it!


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## maine_rm (Jun 24, 2017)

I will be staying here. Shooting trespassers and replenishing supplies LOL


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## AnotherSOFSurvivor (Sep 7, 2016)

There have beem numerous hypotheticals like this on here, always good to rehash I guess.

Some points
- Reaction depends event to event; other than PR/Haiti, I do not think most natural disasters are a good baseline - as civilization & relief still exist...even living in a violent area of the Bronx during the blackout in 2002/2003, stuff was tame - exodus/encampment will vary
- Even back roads will be boned w/ traffic
- Private land owners will smoke you, if you let someone on your land, you are an idiot - that was a general statement
- 30 Days will turn to 15 Days, unless youve been in some situation where you ABSOLUTELY NEEDED to converse, most humans are incapable of such - 90 Day is a better benchmark
- If you do get out of the city/burbs it better be Day 0 or before Week 3/4 or youre boned
- Everyone always forgets toilet paper, socks, basic hand tools in their preps
- Going door to door / to the mall will also get you smoked

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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

We have a motto in Texas.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

inceptor said:


> We have a motto in Texas.
> 
> View attachment 63330


Attaboy Inceptor!


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

inceptor said:


> We have a motto in Texas.
> 
> View attachment 63330


Is that a black carrot?

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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

Hatchee said:


> Last weekend, I got together with some friends. One, who is a prepper, came up from Greensboro (a mid-sized city). We began discussing some SHTF scenarios when someone asked our prepper friend exactly what his plans would be if things fell apart in the city. He indicated that they will leave the city and head up to our area. And that they are prepared to survive in the woods for an extended period if necessary. We all laughed and informed him that if a real SHTF event occurs and he tried to execute that plan, the property owners in our area would have no problem shooting him for trespassing and perhaps he should rethink things.


Pretty typical assumption of many bug out preppers that think they can just settle in on private land. They fail to realize during a crisis, they are a threat to the nearby property owners and will be taking wildlife the landowners would be harvesting. There will be a conflict and more than likely, these trespassers will end up being dinner for the buzzards.



Hatchee said:


> So, that got me thinking........exactly what do you actually intend to do and where do you intend to go? Hunker down where you are with existing supplies, head to a national forest and live off the land, or do you have property where you will be relatively safe? What is your plan?


I'm on 20 acres in a very rural part of Mississippi, surrounded by friends that are very large property owners/ranchers. I will hunker down with family & the dozen or so families on our dead end lane. Every effort will be made to become self sufficient as quickly as possible.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Sasquatch said:


> Is that a black carrot?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


Nope. But since you're from CA, you wouldn't know anyhow since all things related to that are illegal.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Stay put. Establish security. Find out what the issue or issues are and take the best route to deal with it. We will be self sufficient always been the plan. Depending on what has happened we will try to help others near by if we can. If is major and wide spread there will be others coming here.


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

You just learned a valuable lesson on why you need to keep your mouth shut and stay low. Hopefully he doesn't go back to the big city and tell all "his" friends about you. Heck you could end up with a whole bunch of new buddies looking for a hand out or worse.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Hatchee said:


> We live in the mountains of NC on 68 acres. We are small land owners compared to most residents in our area. While I do not consider myself to be a prepper, we do keep 30 days of food & water in stock at all times, lots of ammo, a diverse medical bag and ample gas for our generator. We have a large garden and some small game on the property.
> 
> Last weekend, I got together with some friends. One, who is a prepper, came up from Greensboro (a mid-sized city). We began discussing some SHTF scenarios when someone asked our prepper friend exactly what his plans would be if things fell apart in the city. He indicated that they will leave the city and head up to our area. And that they are prepared to survive in the woods for an extended period if necessary. We all laughed and informed him that if a real SHTF event occurs and he tried to execute that plan, the property owners in our area would have no problem shooting him for trespassing and perhaps he should rethink things.
> 
> So, that got me thinking......._*.exactly what do you actually intend to do*_ and where do you intend to go? Hunker down where you are with existing supplies, head to a national forest and live off the land, or do you have property where you will be relatively safe? What is your plan?


Been sharpening plenty of Gen-U-Wine SlippyMade Pikes, silly! :vs_closedeyes:


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## Stockton (Jun 21, 2017)

Only been preparing for a few months now. I live in what I 
think is one of the worst cities in America. I think it will be
tough, but we'll still bug in. Our church has a preparedness
group. That is how I got started. Some of them have a 
bug out spot. We'd be welcomed there I'm told. Getting
there I don't know how we'd do. I mean if we had a good
early warning it'd be easy to drive. SHTF kind of means no
warning to me. So I think I hunker into this hell hole for
a while. Help the church members. When the time is 
right we band together and bug out in a large group.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

While I figure I'll probably have to stay put due to health, how many of figure you'll be able to stay 
awake, or have enough people to be awake enough of the time to not get caught with your defenses
down? Sure there are disasters that probably will allow me to stay at home and hunker down. I hope
a little subterfuge such as posting these kind of signs







around the area pointing away from me. Hopefully stealth will help, but I also know there will events
that will require me getting out of Dodge. Fortunately I do have an alternative place. Obviously trigger
points are a must for bug out. The sooner the better. Since I don't have a job to worry about, bugging 
out won't be a hand wringing decision.

BTW for you people who plan on bugging out by vehicle, have put a box of ear plugs in your car so you 
don't blow you ears out the first time you need to use your firearm?


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

Drink. 

A lot.


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

inceptor said:


> Nope. But since you're from CA, you wouldn't know anyhow since all things related to that are illegal.


What are you talking about? I gots my howitzer right here in my living room.


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## Piratesailor (Nov 9, 2012)

We have land, plenty of supplies, gardens and the capability to protect.

So staying put.


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## Coastie dad (Jan 2, 2016)

I'm going to stand in the town square in my boxer shorts and rubber boots, screaming at the sky that it's Trump's fault. I'm then going to skip all the way home, pulling a little red wagon missing one rear wheel, with a huge teddy bear in the wagon holding a sign that says, "Welcome Alien Overlords!"

When I get home, I'm closing the gate, putting the "Quarantined " signs on it, and then eating lunch. I figure anyone who knows me will have a hell of a good laugh, and anybody that doesn't won't want to.
And peace shall reign over mine kingdom.


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## morganrogue (Dec 13, 2017)

inceptor said:


> We have a motto in Texas.
> 
> View attachment 63330


This!

And also, I'll be staying put for as long as possible and if compromised or we need to leave because there are no longer resources here, then we'll go to one of our bug out locations.


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## morganrogue (Dec 13, 2017)

paraquack said:


> BTW for you people who plan on bugging out by vehicle, have put a box of ear plugs in your car so you
> don't blow you ears out the first time you need to use your firearm?


This is always a fun topic because there's really not much you can do against blowing your ear drums out whether you're in a car or walking. Pretty much, if you plan to use a firearm for defense, plan to go deaf sooner rather than later.


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

morganrogue said:


> This is always a fun topic because there's really not much you can do against blowing your ear drums out whether you're in a car or walking. Pretty much, if you plan to use a firearm for defense, plan to go deaf sooner rather than later.


Huh?
Speak up and face me so I can see your lips.


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

This one is easy...

If I am at home at the time SHTF, I'll just stay put and we'll be just fine. We are far away from a metro area and most of our neighbors (such as they are) are into self-sufficiency too.

Lately, I have had a lot of trips to the mid-Atlantic states for business. So if SHTF when I am there, getting home will be the big challenge.

I figure my first step will be to head due west and meet up with our friend Pastor Dwight. He always has some good pasta dishes cooking as well as homemade pies. From there, I'll head due south and stop off in KY to hang with our pal Juskom for a day or two. After that, I'll continue south to Slippy Lodge. I am sure I can work out a trade with Slip for some hardtack and quality bourbon and maybe a pike. After that, I'll head due west again to Big-D and meet up with our friend Inceptor and his wife. Then it will be onto the Four Corners area and hanging with my pal Deebo.

That is where things might get a little wild. Deebo is great guy and there is nobody I trust more. But when Deebo and I hang out together, things often get kind of crazy. So assuming I survive an evening or two drinking Plum Loco wine with Deebo and Mrs Deebo, it is just a hop, skip and a jump to get back to M.T. Acres.


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## Joe (Nov 1, 2016)

We live in a rural area. We will hunker down here with our stores and keep the firearms close at hand.


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

Inor said:


> This one is easy...
> 
> If I am at home at the time SHTF, I'll just stay put and we'll be just fine. We are far away from a metro area and most of our neighbors (such as they are) are into self-sufficiency too.
> 
> ...


If ya care to swing north for a bit of cool breeze on your way back to M.T.Acres...you'd be welcome at our fire anytime.


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

Hatchee said:


> ...
> So, that got me thinking........exactly what do you actually intend to do and where do you intend to go? Hunker down where you are with existing supplies, head to a national forest and live off the land, or do you have property where you will be relatively safe? What is your plan?


We're already where we'll be, and rarely outside of a few days walk back if EMP hits while down for supplies or a night in town. Good to think about these things imo; better still to enjoy life while being aware of your surroundings. Stay safe!


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## Jammer Six (Jun 2, 2017)

We're leaving.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

Plans? We are supposed to have plans? Nawwww, I am going to depend on the warm and caring benevolence of my fellow human beings. Things will be just peachy. :devil:


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## Coastie dad (Jan 2, 2016)

Prepared One said:


> Plans? We are supposed to have plans? Nawwww, I am going to depend on the warm and caring benevolence of my fellow human beings. Things will be just peachy. :devil:


Head towards Seattle. I understand there will be at least one less person there, because apparently paying higher taxes to keep it a sanctuary city doesn't help when the liberals hit the fan.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

I plan to relocate to a more secure location.
We are in a suburb neighborhood. I don't like that many people around when panic sets in, and it will.
To my knowledge, none of my close neighbors are prepared for any extended period without modern conveniences.
I personally know the people behind us, and know they have two wood burning stoves, but that's the extent of it.

So, with my new 7ft fence and double-wide gate, I plan to back the pickup into the backyard(assuming the truck still works), load up what I can of food, water, security, clothing, and any other goodies needed for an extended vacation, and head to the folks' place just out of town.
I grew up out there, and we all know the neighbors fairly well. Seems the best place to ride out the initial die off in relative safety away from the huddles and panicked masses.


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## oldgrouch (Jul 11, 2014)

I live in the mountains of East Tennessee on about 50 acres bordering a national forest (about 15 miles from Hot Springs, NC). I made an inventory of ammo the other day thousands of rounds in stock, but will continue to buy and reload. About 2 months of food and still stocking. If things REALLY turn to [email protected] I MIGHT put out toe poppers in the drive and paths to the house. I'm to remote for any strangers to have business here. Trespassers in the area will not be tolerated and most of the people up here are independent and well armed.


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## RedLion (Sep 23, 2015)

I plan on taking over a very large local food distribution center.....At least it has crossed my mind.....


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## SOCOM42 (Nov 9, 2012)

RedLion said:


> I plan on taking over a very large local food distribution center.....At least it has crossed my mind.....


I have thought the same thing, and have planned out what to take and I know where everything is located in the stores.

My primary targets would be dry goods, like rice, beans, flour, cooking oils,

leavening agents, stuff most looters would leave behind.

Things would have to meet certain criteria to do that,

one easy thing if things were already borderline and without a doubt collapsing,

would be to run up 5 or 10 grand on the club credit card to obtain those basic food items.

I have plenty here to carry me through, so no excessive risks will be taken.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

RedLion said:


> I plan on taking over a very large local food distribution center.....At least it has crossed my mind.....


You, and every other prepper in the area, along with every employee that gets the same idea.
Places like that, while appearing to be treasure troves, will become bloodbaths.

I won't go into the moral or ethical implications of attempting to assume ownership of such a facility. I just know it will be a dangerous venture, and I'm more likely to live longer by avoiding such plans.


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

Kauboy said:


> You, and every other prepper in the area, along with every employee that gets the same idea.
> Places like that, while appearing to be treasure troves, will become bloodbaths.
> 
> I won't go into the moral or ethical implications of attempting to assume ownership of such a facility. I just know it will be a dangerous venture, and I'm more likely to live longer by avoiding such plans.


Amen to that.

Funny, while everyone else will be headed to the stores for last minute food, and fighting the dangerous crowds, I'll be the lone guy at the local farm supply, picking up every seed available, all the animal feed & all the fertilizer I can haul.


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## warrior4 (Oct 16, 2013)

It depends on what kind of SHTF scenario we face. More than likely though I'd hunker down, stay away from the windows, keep my firearms handy, and wait it out. If things start to settle down try to get to a better location, or if they become to dangerous get to better location as well. 

Though now that I think about it, seeing if I could get a few gen-u-wine Slippy pikes wouldn't go amiss. Nothing says, "get off my lawn," quite like a skull on a Slippy pike.


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## Coastie dad (Jan 2, 2016)

If plan A fails, I'm bugging out to a hotel. (Learned that from a former member.)


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Coastie dad said:


> If plan A fails, I'm bugging out to a hotel. (Learned that from a former member.)


:vs_lol:


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

Coastie dad said:


> If plan A fails, I'm bugging out to a hotel. (Learned that from a former member.)


Here ya go! They're already set up for the end of the world and they'll leave the light on for ya.


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## OSC (Oct 21, 2017)

Coastie dad said:


> If plan A fails, I'm bugging out to a hotel. (Learned that from a former member.)


It actually makes the most sense. I would recommend Homewood Suites by Hilton; about 90 bucks in some areas and you get a boss 2 room suite with kitchen, sleeper sofa, and either 2 doubles of a King Sized bed.

Rode out Harvey in McAllen. Ate at Tony Roma's the first night and Mambo Seafood the next night. Was about to drive down into Mexico when we got the All Clear.


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## whoppo (Nov 9, 2012)

If it was a situation that warranted a departure:

1) Family communications / advisement. (10 minutes)
2) Start the "Buh-Bye" scramble (pack up the Parrot (5 minutes), load the staged totes into the truck and motor home (10 minutes).
3) Secure the home, verify remote connectivity to the security systems
4) Head out... total prep time under 30 minutes.
5) Make our way to the mountain side retirement property (~4 hours taking secondary roads, minimal bridge crossings, etc.)
6) Open the "camp" (turn on the heat, fridge, etc.)
7) Radio the mountain-side neighbors to let them know we're there
8) Put on my slippers, crack open a bottle of single-malt survival scotch, fire up the TS-2000X and listen to the mayhem.

If it's not a situation that requires departure..... never mind.


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## TGus (Sep 18, 2017)

Hatchee said:


> ... exactly what do you actually intend to do and where do you intend to go? Hunker down where you are with existing supplies, head to a national forest and live off the land, or do you have property where you will be relatively safe? What is your plan?


Seems to me that you should plan on staying at home as long as possible, -unless bugging-out can only be accomplished safely earlier. If you need to bug out, you should already have a location to go to, whether that be another house you own, a friend's house, or public land where you've already found a good location and laid in a cache. You can't expect to wander around a forest at the last minute and find a good bug-out location there.

I'm planning to stay at home with adequate defenses in the Boston suburbs for as long as possible. My plan is to organize my community for services and defense. If I have to leave without a car, I've found 2 good locations in a public forest within a short hiking distance; (One of those locations has a cache). I also have 3 relatives who own houses we can get to within 2 hours. If I can use my car to bug out, I've built a big sturdy roof rack I can carry a lot in. I have a family summer home on Cape Cod I can use, and I have 2 other bug-out locations within 80 miles in the White Mountains; (One of them has a cache). That might seem like a bit of over-kill, but I like to have as many options as possible.


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

Is it an EMP, an alien invasion, financial collapse, black lives matter take over, or the antichrist showing up...

different events will require different actions


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## tonybluegoat (Sep 5, 2018)

whoppo said:


> If it was a situation that warranted a departure:
> 
> 1) Family communications / advisement. (10 minutes)
> 2) Start the "Buh-Bye" scramble (pack up the Parrot (5 minutes), load the staged totes into the truck and motor home (10 minutes).
> ...


excellent answer... 5 pages of mostly quips.... one or two actual responses. You are the most prepared in this thread, imho.


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## Jammer Six (Jun 2, 2017)

Sasquatch said:


> Is that a black carrot?


I think it's a cannon barrel.

From the Alamo.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Jammer Six said:


> I think it's a cannon barrel.
> 
> From the Alamo.


Not from the Alamo. It's from Gonzales.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gonzales


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## Jammer Six (Jun 2, 2017)

From that article: The cannon's fate is disputed. It may have been buried and rediscovered in 1936, or it may have been seized by Mexican troops after the Battle of the Alamo.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

That wasn't the point.

Come and take it was the response the citizens of Gonzales made when Colonel Ugartechea wanted the cannon back. He decided the citizens didn't need to protect themselves anymore. They thought otherwise.


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## Jammer Six (Jun 2, 2017)

Okay.

From up here in Seattle, it looks like this: He wanted the cannon, they gave some uppity answer, so he overran the Alamo.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

It was the opening of the Texas revolution.

That uppity answer was enough to run him off. And it wasn't him that took the Alamo, it was Santa Ana. A few surrendered to Santa Ana and he had them executed. 

What happened at the Alamo was enough to convince many who were on the fence to join the fight and gain independence.


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## ilmostrog (Nov 10, 2016)

Chances are I will be at work when shit goes sideways. 

1. Work my way home. Currently my office is less than two miles from my house. 
2. Collect kids from school or after school activities 
3. Head home and bunker in. 
4. Lots of water soureces but food will be tough when our stores run out. We currently have about 3-4 months worth 

If things are real bad and Seattle becomes unsafe one possible scenario is we pack up what we can and head down to TX where my folks live on 55 acres. My sister, brother in law and 23 year old nephew will be there so more mouths to feed but also more people to work together. This is truly a last ditch, must get out of dodge scenario as it is a five day drive under the best circumstances. I keep enough gas to make it about 900 miles but that isn’t going to be enough. 

Someone here posted that history (balkans specifically) shows that people who attempt long journeys end up dead. I would love some more information on that. Intuitively it makes sense but would like some data. 


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## Jammer Six (Jun 2, 2017)

We're going to London. Where the lights are still on, credit cards still work and the coffee is still hot.

We'll be back when you have all the higglety-pigglety straightened out.


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## RJAMES (Dec 23, 2016)

SOCOM42 said:


> I have thought the same thing, and have planned out what to take and I know where everything is located in the stores.
> 
> My primary targets would be dry goods, like rice, beans, flour, cooking oils,
> 
> ...


 So you intend to loot? LOL Taking stuff after an event without finding and paying the owner is wrong isn't it>?

I think using what is available after an emergency to save life and limb is OK and am just poking fun at you.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

RJAMES said:


> So you intend to loot? LOL Taking stuff after an event without finding and paying the owner is wrong isn't it>?
> 
> I think using what is available after an emergency to save life and limb is OK and am just poking fun at you.


At that point I think it would be called scavenging. I think that its admirable that once things go really bad, that you will wait for help rather than scavenge. FEMA will be johnny on the spot.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Maine-Marine said:


> Is it an EMP, an alien invasion, financial collapse, black lives matter take over, or the antichrist showing up...
> 
> different events will require different actions


How true. Being versatile on what to worry about is mighty special. lol. Noticed nobody mentioned the threat of being attacked by a mob of blood thirsty zombie liberals. Or is that perhaps covered under the Black Lies Matter take over or alien invasion scenario?


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

bigwheel said:


> How true. Being versatile on what to worry about is mighty special. lol. Noticed nobody mentioned the threat of being attacked by a mob of blood thirsty zombie liberals.


Do you realize that liberals have been getting weapons training???


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Hey now thats not very nice. All newbies to the shooting hobby should start on cap guns and then graduated bb guns..pellet guns...22s on up the chain. It might take years before they are ready shoot a big old loud army gun.


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## ekim (Dec 28, 2012)

bigwheel said:


> Hey now thats not very nice. All newbies to the shooting hobby should start on cap guns and then graduated bb guns..pellet guns...22s on up the chain. It might take years before they are ready shoot a big old loud army gun.


Why waste the time and ammo, they won't make it anyhow! They will just leach from others that are productive and use up resources that working people need.


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## Tango2X (Jul 7, 2016)

So, the friend who was visiting, does he have property in your area?
Does he just plan to come there unannounced?
If he has a place there, shooting him would be bad form!


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## MisterMills357 (Apr 15, 2015)

I am going to stay put, and if the sitrep lasts, and lasts; I think that I will raid some warehouses; I might get killed, and I might not, and that is my plan.


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## tonybluegoat (Sep 5, 2018)

I commented earlier but didn't answer. My answer:

I already live at my BOL. So I would stay put. I would start coordinating with the neighbors about what their plans are, and say I'm going to do the same as them. I would let my neighbors take the lead as much as practical, better to be a follower whenever practical. No need to stand out. I have good relations with all of them. My brother lives 500' down the dirt road, so I have someone to watch my back. I'm not completely alone in the neighborhood.

As the situation got worse I would start asking my neighbors if they had any extra food. I would offer to barter things that are of no use for food or fuel. I would make sure they thought I was as ill prepared as the were. Except my brother and sister-in-law... they know we have food for them too.

We all live on a private dirt road, so it would be easy to set up security from Townies trying to move out to the country if it came to that. 

My neighbors know I have solar, so I would offer to charge their devices (if there is still cell service or they had rechargeable batteries). I would offer my tractor for use to help people adapt, plow, etc. but try to conserve diesel as we go. I would consider the tractor a shared resource. The more we can plow, plant and set up defense the better. My neighbors have horses, cows, chickens, etc. So they wouldn't be in too much trouble. They also have family.... So I think we would have less pressure from our neighbors than we think. I could break free a 5 lb bag of sugar from time to time to trade for beef.

Mostly I would make sure my family all acted as hungry as everyone else is. We have food for a year and plenty of water collection but I would try not to look like we have any more resources than anyone else.

That's if I was home (on the homestead).

I often travel to Dallas (2 hours away) and Austin (3 hours away). How to get home from there depends. I drive a prius, so I can get home from either on half a tank of gas. I always keep cash in my car, so I can pay cash if the pumps work but the financial (debit card) system is down. 

If there's an EMP that takes car travel off the block, or martial law type road blocks then it gets more complicated. If the cargo trains are running then I know which trains to hop from Austin to get to within 3 miles of my farm, and I know where they either park or slow down. So I could hike to a train hopping location and then hop a cargo train. Many car types cannot be ridden but some can. Tanker cars have platforms on each end. Flats that hold containers can be ridden... Flats with sides can be ridden without being seen. Open top gravel cars can be climbed into and can be ridden without being seen. Trains go 50 mph, so the trip from Austin will take 4 hours. That's very iffy, because in a collapse the trains would probably stop or just be military in nature. But it's a thought. If I thought the roads were unsafe and had to walk home I would use the train tracks.

If I'm in Dallas and there is no car transport then I would hike to the Trinity river (it runs through town basically), find a boat or canoe to steal and take the river home. That would take longer.. I have canoed extensively in US, Canada and Alaska, so I am very experienced. The longest canoe trip I've taken was 10 days. At 4 mph it would take a few days to make the trip. But I think it would be much safer than trying to walk on the interstate with all the other refugees. I could be wrong. The river comes to within 5 miles of my homestead. I have mapped the route. 

If cars work but it's a really dangerous road situation (bands or whatever) then I would try to travel in a group; or drive between 3 and 5 am. It's hard to stay up that late, no matter who you are. It's the time of night when everyone is asleep, even highway robbers. So it's the safest time to slip by. Try to travel on a full moon with the lights off. It's amazing how much you can see in total darkness once your eyes adjust.

Once on the farm life is pretty straightforward... I already cycle my food preps into my daily meals, so food wouldn't even change that much. We would have to cut water use back, but we probably wouldn't have a water heater or clothes washer anyway, so that's easy enough. I have 550 gallons of closed storage, another 500 gallons of open storage (but not a pond), then we have the pond itself. 

I try to keep the big propane tank at least half full all that time. That's plenty to cook for a year. We have a wood burning stove with blower for heat. The only thing that would suck is the Summer heat in Texas. I really want to put together a minimal off grid option for my solar panels... enough to run a window ac unit in 1 room 8 hours out of 24, so I can sleep in comfort during the summer. I have a generator and can store about 200 gallons of gas, but I generally only have about 40-50 on hand... and even 200 gallons isn't that much for a long term disaster. it wouldn't last that long with a generator. I also keep some diesel... I can count on having at least 50 gallons, maybe more. Modern fuel doesn't store well. With some modifications diesel engines can run on pure mineral oil. From what I understand all transmission transformers are full of pure mineral oil (for cooling). So we could collect mineral oil once the diesel runs out and work as a group to figure out how to convert the tractor over.

So my next project is collecting what I need to convert my grid-tie solar to off-grid. I don't have to use it, but it would be nice to have. I wonder how long batteries store if you DON'T use them. I have 3.5 kw of solar but I would need to get off grid inverter, charge controller and batteries. Even without batteries my solar will provide 1.5 kw of power when the sun is shining. It has a special bypass option that most inverters don't have... not enough to run a window AC though. For that I would need to use the entire 3.5kw to charge a battery bank.

Then it's time to break out the old school homesteading and prepper books and start doing projects. Now that I think about that I need to buy some hand saws. I only have circular saws. I do have a hand drill, however, with wood working bits. I also have axes and even hewing axes for squaring off logs. So it would be interesting. I might want to do some "drill and wood peg" projects and see how they go. or just stockpile nails. That would be easier.

Medicine.. have it.. antibiotics, anti-flu, pain, anti-diarrhea, anti-nausea, etc. I have an extensive medical kit that can handle most things.

If it's a nuclear bomb thing we might have some issue. I don't have a well. I have a "sand point" well. But that's still basically surface water. So radioactive rain doesn't really help. I do keep iodine salt and iodine tablets. We live the the safest zone between two major cities (houston and dallas) but out of the primary wind flows of each. We would be as safe as is practical. The problem would be water collection, however.

As long as the sun is shining we can grow additional food. The area has a secondary economy based on small local auctions, so the local food and goods economy would still work. 

I think we can make it at least a year... this assumes at least some rain. If we go 6 months with no rain then we're screwed. Everything will dry up - ponds, creeks, sand point well, etc. The Trinity river is 5 miles away, perhaps we could make the hike every few days to stay alive. That's what we would do, get a neighborhood group with security together, gather up the wagons and walk to the river. Fill the buckets and jugs then walk back as a group. That would work.

Unscented bleach is a pretty straightforward way to make water drinkable, as is boiling. I keep 5 gallons of bleach on hand. We have an entire forest of wood.

Hunting is possible, but I think everyone will be doing it and the area will get hunted out in no time. Fishing is similar. Put 100 people in a small local lake every day and see how long the fish last.

Communication I'm not that interested in. I have a ham radio license and a 50' antennae tower but I've never bought a radio. Maybe I'll get a cheap one and stick it in a closet. But you really have to practice with that stuff.

For barter I have a moonshine still and plenty of experience using it. Whoever wants to bring me corn for mash can be my partner.

That's year one. By year too we would probably get things better organized.


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## tonybluegoat (Sep 5, 2018)

MisterMills357 said:


> I am going to stay put, and if the sitrep lasts, and lasts; I think that I will raid some warehouses; I might get killed, and I might not, and that is my plan.


Put a unit together and you'll probably outlast us all. The most prepared people for a disaster are

1) homeless people - they already know how to survive on nothing and how to get what they need.
2) Gang Bangers - They already have the organization, mindset and resources required to take whatever they need for as long as they need.

Anyone who is young could just join the Army. I guarantee in a SHTF situation they will be recruiting.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

tonybluegoat said:


> Put a unit together and you'll probably outlast us all. The most prepared people for a disaster are
> 
> 1) homeless people - they already know how to survive on nothing and how to get what they need.
> 2) Gang Bangers - They already have the organization, mindset and resources required to take whatever they need for as long as they need.
> ...


Damn if that ain't true.


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## Jammer Six (Jun 2, 2017)

Gang bangers aren't gang bangers because they respect organization. They're the last people I'd trust. They've already demonstrated that they absolutely reject any type of organization except superior force.

You'd never sleep again.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

He didn't say to trust either of them.

Besides, I thought you supported MS-13. After all, aren't they part of the immigration you support? Sanctuary cities are for them too.


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## Jammer Six (Jun 2, 2017)

Sleep is trust.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Jammer Six said:


> Gang bangers aren't gang bangers because they respect organization. They're the last people I'd trust. They've already demonstrated that they absolutely reject any type of organization except superior force.
> 
> You'd never sleep again.


City dwelling gang bangers are absolutely terrified of the woods/wilderness. Tell them they'll get tied to a tree with honey plastered on them, or get fed to the pigs. Had problems with those types in the past........


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## ilmostrog (Nov 10, 2016)

inceptor said:


> Do you realize that liberals have been getting weapons training???


I have a funny story. I played rugby for 20 years. Played for some really good teams and some not so much. One of the clubs was a great bunch of guys and a little scrappy. Our "old boy" squad (have to be over 35) one Saturday had a match against a team that was a gay team. They were newish to rugby and billed themselves as a club for gay men. They showed up and every single one of them were big and fit and fast but you know what? They were soft, really soft. It was actually kinda sad, we weren't that great of a side but we took them apart because they didn't really want to hit. Not saying all gay men are soft but it stuck with me. The difference between how fit and strong they looked and what they were really made of when it was time.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

ilmostrog said:


> I have a funny story. I played rugby for 20 years. Played for some really good teams and some not so much. One of the clubs was a great bunch of guys and a little scrappy. Our "old boy" squad (have to be over 35) one Saturday had a match against a team that was a gay team. They were newish to rugby and billed themselves as a club for gay men. They showed up and every single one of them were big and fit and fast but you know what? They were soft, really soft. It was actually kinda sad, we weren't that great of a side but we took them apart because they didn't really want to hit. Not saying all gay men are soft but it stuck with me. The difference between how fit and strong they looked and what they were really made of when it was time.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Waaaayyyyy back in the day when I was a biker, there was a bar downtown called the Kismet Lounge. It was a gay bar. We would go occasionally just for the fun of it. I'll tell you though there were a few rough looking folks, both male and female that I would have had to keep an eye on if things got ugly. They mostly ignored us and that didn't happen.


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## tonybluegoat (Sep 5, 2018)

Jammer Six said:


> Gang bangers aren't gang bangers because they respect organization. They're the last people I'd trust. They've already demonstrated that they absolutely reject any type of organization except superior force.
> 
> You'd never sleep again.


I'm not saying to join a gang. I'm saying that gang bangers already have what they need to survive. I'm not saying they are nice. I'm saying the already have the mindset, organization and experience to do what they have to do to survive.

But you already knew that.


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