# What are you preparing for?



## guardsman79 (Feb 5, 2017)

I've been reading a lot of different post on a lot of different forums and watched various youtube vids. My question is. What are you preparing for?

Personally I don't put any stock in the doomsday stuff and definitely not zombies. Other than natural disasters (which is the main thing I prep for), the other big ones I foresee is economic collapse and civil unrest. Both of which I think is only a matter of time.


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

Pick up the bible and start reading .. that is what I am preparing for


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

The thing that scares me the most is long term, widespread loss of electrical power. For whatever reason(s). If I can be prepared for that, with all of its facets and complications, I will feel prepared for almost anything. 

I'm not there yet.


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## guardsman79 (Feb 5, 2017)

sideKahr said:


> The thing that scares me the most is long term, widespread loss of electrical power. For whatever reason(s). If I can be prepared for that, with all of its facets and complications, I will feel prepared for almost anything.
> 
> I'm not there yet.


I doubt anyone is as prepared as they think they are. To be ready for most things takes a lot of room, money, and time. Always better to try though unlike most that live in debt and day to day.


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## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

domestic rioting/looting and wanton violence - without a doubt the most probable SHTF - an initial SHTF all to itself and a likely tangent linked SHTF to just about anything imaginable ....


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

guardsman79 said:


> Other than natural disasters (which is the main thing I prep for), the other big ones I foresee is economic collapse and civil unrest. Both of which I think is only a matter of time.


Add to this Electrical grid down and war, you are there. Not if, when.


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## Survival For The Poor (Feb 11, 2017)

I first started prepping in 2010, I was worried about 2012. I thought there was at least going to be chaos in the streets if nothing else. Of course nothing happened but sometime in 2012 I lost my job and was jobless for 6 months. I couldn't get unemployment and couldn't find a decent job where I lived out in the middle of nowhere. I ended up eating through most of my food storage and I was really thankful that I had it, and I don't know what I would've done without it. I probably would've went to bed hungry most nights. I prepare for the unexpected. I can live and sleep in my Bug Out Vehicle, god forbid I ever lost my house I would have a place to sleep. I have plenty of food and water at my house and a get home bag in my vehicle. Anything can happen, anytime, anywhere.

I filmed a video about my jobless struggles at the time. Feel free to watch it.


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## AnotherSOFSurvivor (Sep 7, 2016)

Grid down and the unrest thatll follow. I need to reallocate my gun funds to getting some solar chargers and stashing away more water and chow.

sent from a paper cup and string via quantum wierdness


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

I prep cause it's the smart thing to do. Not because I'm worried about something.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

First off, don't dismiss zombies. The unprepared will roam the earth in search of food and water, etc. 
If you have what they want, they will eventually kill to get it. Maybe they won't kill and eat you like 
Zombies (the upper case Z in Zombies refers to the TV Zombie), but they will kill you. And don't 
dismiss cannibalism. Remember the Donner party, the Uruguayan rugby team who crashed in the 
mountains, the castaway Salvadoran fisherman who "may" have eaten his shipmate, etc. The bible 
talks about a time of famine in which people ate their children during the time of Solomon. 

So what do I prepare for? Anything I can think of that will cause a tremendous catastrophe. It 
could be loss of the grid due to a war or terrorist country (EMP), or a geomagnetic storm caused by 
a coronal mass ejection. An economic collapse, hell the list is too long to go into.

Am I prepared? Hell no. And yes, I do believe a doomsday scenario exists, if you don't, go ask the dinosaurs.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Weather is tops. Economics is two. The other stuff gets a bit less attention but is not ignored.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

Maine-Marine said:


> Pick up the bible and start reading .. that is what I am preparing for


EXACTLY. So should everyone else.


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

guardsman79 said:


> I doubt anyone is as prepared as they think they are.


I have to split hairs on that... I would bet that 95% of the people on this board can tell you EXACTLY where they are that. What their short falls are and where they need to add.

for instance.. I am good on food BUT need more slippy pikes and more water filters


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

sideKahr said:


> The thing that scares me the most is long term, widespread loss of electrical power. For whatever reason(s). If I can be prepared for that, with all of its facets and complications, I will feel prepared for almost anything.
> 
> I'm not there yet.


My mind set is that if you have enough food and ability to get water and shelter and medical for 12 months (and have the ability self sustain)... you can weather any storm (environmental, financial, or biblical) better then 90% of other people - - - which will give you a chance of survival

as I have said before... worse case for others is a major event in the middle of winter


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## SOCOM42 (Nov 9, 2012)

Prepared? 

I have apx 950 square feet of warehousing and shelves filled with over three decades of prepping.

There are some minor things I could get but will not cause a crisis without.

As stated before, I can close the doors and live here for five years without anything from the outside.

The food storage is measured in tons like the ammunition.

Up to 90 gallons of coleman fuel now for lanterns and stoves.

If needed, the wood stove will provide heat and cooking ability, this is the fallback after all fuel supplies are exhausted..

Water, well, lake in front river in back for SHTF.

Enough standing wood to last a lifetime and two years worth prepped at anytime.

More than enough of the meds we take to last years, all in freezer.


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

I have to admit, my overall temperament is not optimistic. I have lots of ammunition salted away, and be honest as to why.

There will come a time, a month or a year into TEOTWAWKI makes no difference, when the bulk of the population will start running out of clean water, food and/or meds. I might be one of them.

Let's surmise that my wife needs her meds, and I know that a family of ten people that have a bottle and won't share.

I can watch my wife die or ten people. Guess which one I'll pick?


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Faith prepares my soul
We prepare first for minor events witch we can not avoid. Minor power outages lasting 3-7 days. Weather events that will disrupt our normal life and restrict our movements.
After that larger Natural disasters, major storms, floods ,fire ect. Ones that could effect a much larger area and cause us to be self reliant for extend periods. 
Civil disturbances that spread from the city and threaten our security. Our goal is to ride it out as long as it takes. After that we prepare for all out SHTF.
Events that what ever the cause force us to withdraw from most or all contact with those not of our mind set. Some thing like this maybe short term or it may last a life time . We hope to be around to be part of the rebuilding of life as we know it.
Our goal from day one was to be ready to depend on no help from the government, not relay on others even if we may choose to work with them on tasks we agree with.
Our first prep was and will always be Security. If you can not protect it the rest is a waste of time. Events in line one and two we will likely have the resources to help others. We will do so up until it is clear we must lock the gate. May we all pray the worst if ever gets is line one.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

We are prepping for when the commie liberals manage to reignite the War of Northern Aggression all over again another time. We stock ammo and beanie weenies.


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

This is why I think we'll have to form communes. No one man can do it all.

For example, I can cast bullets, sharpen anything, and work on small engines. My wife has needed skills, as well. I can see joining a doctor and his entourage because I can fix, repair or build just about anything he will need.

Without some level of joint cooperation, desperate people will go scavenging. And like Gene Pitney sang, _"When two men go out to face each other, only one returns..."_

Several years ago Bo Gritz tried to start a closed, self sufficient commune, and everyone thought he was nuts. If you study his life, he probably was a bit left of center, but the overall idea was good. The problem is establishing such a mini-society before it's needed.


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## SOCOM42 (Nov 9, 2012)

QUOTE=bigwheel;1025057]We are prepping for when the commie liberals manage to reignite the War of Northern Aggression all over again another time. We stock ammo and beanie weenies.[/QUOTE]

BW, you have talked about the beanie weenies for quite a while.

Last summer I looked for them in several different stores I shop at, never saw any.

Two weeks ago they appeared on the shelves of the super Walmart, based on you dribble, I bought a dozen cans.

Have not tried any yet, will soon, If any good, I will get a bunch.

Oh, it is not going to be a war of northern aggression, It will be a war of extermination of the heathen commie bastards vs us, the right.

As far as ammo goes, got plenty, could use more 9MM.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

SOCOM42 said:


> QUOTE=bigwheel;1025057]We are prepping for when the commie liberals manage to reignite the War of Northern Aggression all over again another time. We stock ammo and beanie weenies.


BW, you have talked about the beanie weenies for quite a while.

Last summer I looked for them in several different stores I shop at, never saw any.

Two weeks ago they appeared on the shelves of the super Walmart, based on you dribble, I bought a dozen cans.

Have not tried any yet, will soon, If any good, I will get a bunch.

Oh, it is not going to be a war of northern aggression, It will be a war of extermination of the heathen commie bastards vs us, the right.

As far as ammo goes, got plenty, could use more 9MM.[/QUOTE]

*Socum, I am with bigwheel on the beanie weinees. My money is on you buy a bunch more.

* Note I edited and bolded my comment since the quote did not post correctly.


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## Coastie dad (Jan 2, 2016)

Unlike Socom, I have to measure my food stores in pounds. But now, it's in hundreds of pounds. We haven't been prepping for 3 decades, but I feel we've made good headway in the last year or so. I'm just about always ready for a weather issue, or a grid down. A month or so without electric would be an inconvenience at worst, even in winter.
But it's the things they make movies and books about I have in my mind, toward the back. Not the end of world stuff, but wars, economic collapse, etc. Real stuff that happens all the time, and will eventually make another debut here.


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## Notold63 (Sep 18, 2016)

I prep because I think that society is much more fragile then most people believe. The loss of electricity due to whatever reason, social unrest (not so unlikely considering what's happening now), economic collapse, volcanoes,zombies, asteroids, whatever. The point is that there may come a time when you and your family will have to rely on yourselves and it is best to be prepared.


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## OrneryOldBat (Feb 10, 2017)

This is question #1. How do you effectively prep if you don't know what for. 

Core is easy - personal disasters like extended unemployment or disability. Serious savings and a well-stocked larder. Great Recession tested and approved!

Next - local disaster like oil train or refinery explosion, nuke plant incident, etc. but no wide-spread civil unrest. BOB achievement unlocked! 

The last few years, the scenario I thought most likely - pandemic, martial law, grid up/down. My money's been on a flu variant, something out of China or maybe the Spanish Lady back for an encore tour. IMO it pure luck that we dodged Ebola. It's relatively hard to contract, but the response was badly bungled in the US. My prep is SIP constrained by renting. I've got good neighbors (except that one who'd sell you for a pack of smokes), and we have a strong sense of community, good mayor, LEO, but I'm thinking about buying a steel door - rental or no.

Now not sure, but I think it's going to be ugly. I thought it would feel safer after Trump's win, but the natives are restless. If I could head out for parts less populated, I'd be on the road by the weekend. Going to continue beefing up my home defenses, buy guns, increase my grab-n-go supplies, keep looking for affordable land, and get off my ass - Winter and a desk job are not a good combo, you can't run for it if you can't run.


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## TG (Jul 28, 2014)

After living through a major SHTF, I'm prepping for simple and ordinary ice storms


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## NKAWTG (Feb 14, 2017)

I'm a generalist, in that if you look at most scenarios they will usually have a common theme; No food, No electricity, disease, etc.
Underlying all of that is the need to protect your family and supplies so include weapons and training in the mix.
Is it necessary to go full chemsuite, or build a fallout shelter?
Maybe, but what are the odds.
Super volcano or asteroid? If I survive the event, I'm back to square one Food, shelter, etc.


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## RJAMES (Dec 23, 2016)

I agree with the OP figure out likely natural disasters for your area and prep for those first . Then work on civil unrest and finally economic collapse. 

Not sure you can prep for a war unless you live in an agricultural area away from main transportation routes. There you an plan a garden and put up foods . 

I spent the last couple weeks reading books written by people who survived WWII in Poland. Pretty rough even for non-Jewish families and of course for them it was deadly. Seems the only people that somewhat had an easy time was people out in rural areas away form transportation routes. The ones living in the mountains or farmers who could grow their own food. But wars are all about luck, being in a rural area you are less likely to be a target . Seems like most fighting is in a town or city, along a major road , rail, canal, port or airfield. Food distribution is disrupted so being able to have food close or grow your own is vital.


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