# Surburban prepping #1



## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

The numbers of city dwellers here are growing. Up until recently we were a serious minority. I will bug out if I have to but my intent is to stay put. Any place I could/would go is a long way off. We face an entirely different situation than the others here who are either living in a rural area or small town.

I am a city boy, born and raised. I grew up in the inner city and know the mentality. Yeah, I got out but only to the burbs. I have tried twice to get rural and found roadblocks. But that's another story. I have been prepping since the early 90's and have made a ton of mistakes along the way. All of my mistakes were money wasted on stuff that got thrown out but I learned valuable lessons.

In an urban/suburban area, just like every place else, you need food, water, shelter and a way to protect what you have. Smitty901 used to say to a lot of people here, if you can't defend what you have then all you're doing is holding stuff for other people. That wasn't a direct quote but close enough. Truer words were never spoken. I intend to touch on many subjects that the urbanite/suburbanite will need to know to survive. Do I know it all, heaven forbid, no. But between me and others here who have been doing this a long time, we will help you get better at it. The intent here is to help you survive whatever we face.

One of the first things I recommend for everything is the KISS method. Keep it as simple as possible. The second thing I recommend is don't try to do too much at once, start slowly. Everyone had to start somewhere and supplies were built over time.


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

Great idea for a thread @inceptor I have been thinking of doing one like it but just too lazy I guess. I live in the burbs myself so I will try to throw out as much knowledge as I can to help out anyone just beginning to prep.

My first piece of advice, find water sources. Look around your area for lakes, pools, creeks, water towers or any place else that you could get water. Also remember, if things get bad enough you WILL have to compete for those water sources.

Oh...and for anyone that may not know, the "KISS" in the KISS method stands for *K*eep *I*t *S*imple *S*tupid.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Food is one of the major concerns of the city dweller. We all run down to the local grocery store when we run out. As you pick things up, buy a little extra. As you do, your stock pile will grow quicker than you would think. A great side effect of this, my wife calls the inceptor store. Whenever we run out of something in the kitchen, we hit the supply shelf. Then we add the item we grabbed to the shopping list to be replaced. Consider buying bulk at Sam’s, Costco, Winco or whatever you have in your area. Some are already buying bulk and storing it in mylar bags. Great idea but don’t try to do too much at once until you have the system worked out. 

A Foodsaver is something handy to have. I started off with a cheap one from Walmart but we realized how well it works and how much money it has saved us that we upgraded and bought a better one at Costco. This will store grits, oats, rice or just about anything you use on a semi-regular basis and help keep it longer. We have found that using Foodsaver also helps freezer items last much longer. This question has been asked before but it can’t be said enough. A FOODSAVER WILL NOT WORK WELL ON MYLAR BAGS! A regular old clothes iron works great (get a cheap one or a used one). OP6 found a sealer on ebay I might try but I bought an iron at the local thrift shop and that’s what I use with a metal bar to seal the bag. 

Some are buying long term storage items also. Dehydrated and freeze-dried works well for up to 25 years. These are also useful items to have but go slowly. Many of these businesses have smaller versions of what they have in #10 cans and buckets. Try it before you buy a large amount. You will be grateful later when you actually have to use the stuff. Some things taste different after being dehydrated or freeze-dried. A book I bought that has been a tremendous help to us is “Store this, not that”. It’s an easy book to find.

But something to think about. Learn to feed yourself. I’ll touch on this shortly.


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## Oddcaliber (Feb 17, 2014)

I'm also stuck in the burbs but I keep prepping anyway. Got water,food,weapons and ammo and the most important piece of gear is my brain. GF thinks I'm nuts but on more than one occasion my preps came in handy.


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

I'm a suburban dweller, too. My plan is to bug in. We'll bolt the doors, lock and load, go quiet, and not show any lights at night. One concern I have is that cooking food will attract hungry zombies who have survived the initial water-deprivation die off. So we prep a lot of canned food that can be eaten cold. Our sanitation requirements will also be taken care of without having to go outside. Eventually the neighborhood will empty out if we don't have a firestorm. It won't be pretty.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Oddcaliber said:


> I'm also stuck in the burbs but I keep prepping anyway. Got water,food,weapons and ammo and the most important piece of gear is my brain. GF thinks I'm nuts but on more than one occasion my preps came in handy.


It took forever to get my wife on board. She still doesn't believe things could HTF but I have shown her the benefits of what I'm doing. Instead of running to the store now when we need something right away, I just go take it off the self. She really likes that now. Also now if we forget to replenish she is really disappointed because she's now used to having most everything handy.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

sideKahr said:


> I'm a suburban dweller, too. My plan is to bug in. We'll bolt the doors, lock and load, go quiet, and not show any lights at night. One concern I have is that cooking food will attract hungry zombies who have survived the initial water-deprivation die off. So we prep a lot of canned food that can be eaten cold. Our sanitation requirements will also be taken care of without having to go outside. Eventually the neighborhood will empty out if we don't have a firestorm. It won't be pretty.


 @sideKahr you are correct, it won't be pretty. I think it's ok to plan for you and yours alone but I think what you will find is some neighbors who will band together. Don't forget, there is strength in numbers. I think also that's why God keeps me here, not to lead but to help. I can honestly tell you I know 2 of my neighbors but not very well at all. The others not at all. This is suburbia and most keep to themselves. Including yours truly. I still have the inner city mentality where I keep most things close to the chest. Even my wife doesn't know a fair amount of what we have. Things will change. People will change. Some will die early on. Some will die trying to take from others. But some will make it. And those will most likely band together. You can't be on guard 24/7. That's were the numbers will help. AND you will rebuild your community.


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

Oddcaliber said:


> I'm also stuck in the burbs but I keep prepping anyway. Got water,food,weapons and ammo and the most important piece of gear is my brain. GF thinks I'm nuts but on more than one occasion my preps came in handy.


Just think of it as depositing quarters. When some real SHTF situation happens your GF will look at you and know it's not...


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

Yes, @inceptor, we will be inviting some family, if they can get here, and at least one like-minded, well-armed neighbor, so we will have a small group. There is safety in numbers, I agree.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Sasquatch said:


> Just think of it as depositing quarters. When some real SHTF situation happens your GF will look at you and know it's not...
> 
> View attachment 22985


Damn, the first thing that happened was I could hear the noise it made. Now I can't get it out of my head.


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## Bigfoot63 (Aug 11, 2016)

We live rural, and we plan to rendezvous with family. But we also keep in touch with like minded friends. My advice is knowledge... You can carry a hell of lot more of it than supplies. You definitely need supplies but I don't get too attached to them. Camping and survival skills go a long way once the dust settles and the herds have been thinned.


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## AnotherSOFSurvivor (Sep 7, 2016)

When I taught military stuff (firearms, combatives, radio courses), and even when I teach people how to shoot, cook, or anything worth teaching I always tell them: Mindset. Skillset. Toolset.

Just like buying a Ferrari doesn't make you a F1 Driver, a pair of Jordans don't make your LeBron James and a Daniel Defense does not make you a CIF/SMU guy, having stockpiles won't save you if you do not get into the proper mindset and hold simple truths self-evident:
- Evil people are already out there killing, raping and stealing - now take away Law Enforcement, Infrastructure and Civil Instability - it will get that much worse
- You will eventually have to defend yourself - killing another person is not an honorable thing, and it is not fun, trust me
- You will never be the most prepared/ready - there is always areas to work on

Past that is Skillset - learn how to use that new medkit you bought, or how to swing that axe properly or how to siphon gas/purify water, start a fire...etc, you get the point. Get in the zone, then learn you something.

If you plan on staying put, which I think is smart if you have to get on a major highway or through a city center, don't want to get caught in that mess, then you need to identify some things:
- Sources of water, any streams/lakes/ponds/water fountains or pools near you that you can grab water from to purify and drink? 
- Avenues of approach, the looters/rapers/killers will eventually make it to you - whether it is in a day, or in a few weeks (if you're still there) - can you make chokepoints, LDZs - or are there ones you should avoid. 
- Where can you get other supplies from - medical, mechanical, electrical, food - can you get to the closest store on foot? Can you carry the stuff, safely and efficiently in a hurry?
- How are you going to secure yourself? Do you have a strongpoint in your house, do you have materials/know how to fortify areas or make a hasty defense?
- Have your mode of transport stocked and ready to go at a moments notice - Johnny Badguy isn't to going to put your eventual sodomy on hold while you pack your bags

Linking with like-minded people and forming a society of sorts is definitely good, but you all have to be on the same page. Old people, small kids, animals and otherwise mentally/physically unprepared people will drag you down and get you killed/hurt. It may be cool to talk shop with a neighbor but now he brings over his 1-year old, his infirm mother, his overweight girlfriend - they're wasting resources and are a liability. I have a kid, they're a handful under perfect circumstances, I wouldn't want to put anyone else at risk with having to take care of a kid - and I wouldn't put myself in that position to be responsible for them.

Know your exit, I have topo maps and hard copies of the Google Maps overlay to Get outta Dodge, not just one, but multiple. There will invetiably be d-bags descending upon you, as well as out on the road, on top of burnt out cars and broken structures - so plan for that, because you WILL have to leave at one point or another. 

If you haven't already look into ways to purify water, forage for food (hunt, wild edible plants), I have a rinky-dink home garden, but I'd extend that to hydroponics maybe, at least have a portable setup to drag with me when I Houdini my way out of the area.

I can't stress training enough. Know how to maintain your weapon, know how to maintain your household, your vehicle, condition your mind and your body and remember: Mindset, Skillset, Toolset


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Excellent Post SOF!



AnotherSOFSurvivor said:


> When I taught military stuff (firearms, combatives, radio courses), and even when I teach people how to shoot, cook, or anything worth teaching I always tell them: Mindset. Skillset. Toolset.
> 
> Just like buying a Ferrari doesn't make you a F1 Driver, a pair of Jordans don't make your LeBron James and a Daniel Defense does not make you a CIF/SMU guy, having stockpiles won't save you if you do not get into the proper mindset and hold simple truths self-evident:
> - Evil people are already out there killing, raping and stealing - now take away Law Enforcement, Infrastructure and Civil Instability - it will get that much worse
> ...


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## rthomp77 (Mar 30, 2015)

Great idea for a thread inceptor. I'm in the same boat as you, a strong want/need to get my family into a rural area, but cannot seem to get there right now. Suburban living is my option right now and I 100% welcome ideas and knowledge from anybody that has been doing this longer than me.


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