Teenage driving

[Wesley]

Hi, all! I'm 16 (Turning 17 in a couple of weeks) and wanted some advice on prepping.
Obviously at my age I don't have a huge budget to work with. I'm an independent contractor so I only bring in 600 a month (Looking to increase that soon). I pretty much pay my way for everything I do/own and try to save as much as I can. Prepping on a budget, lol!
Since my parents think prepping in crazy, and I spend 70% of my day with my truck, I need to keep almost everything in it. I'm prepping for one person. Not that I wouldn't help them in a situation, but chances are when SHTF I'll be 30 miles away. My parents are the type of people that listen to radio shows talking about how things are about to blow up but never prepare. I've asked them about it and they just say "God will take care of us). I'd rather be prepared in advance and then trust God. But I'm pretty sure my parents could fare well. At least my dad could.
Because of my age I can't buy real guns. I already have one rifle pellet gun, soon to be two and I'm looking at buying a pistol to keep in my truck. It wouldn't do much for actual self defense (If someone called my bluff) but I'm thinking more for hunting small game.
I'm going to start stock piling water in my truck (4-5 gallons), a portable air compressor, matches, fire starters, blankets, a backpack full of stuff in case I need to leave etc. I'm also planning on buying a camper cover for my truck so use for shelter. Gonna deck it out and have something like this (http://www.bajataco.com/Camper1.html) Obviously all of this would be bought over the course of a few months because I cant just drop a few hundred bucks (I have the money for all of this and way more, about 1k saved but I want to keep as much saved as I can).
Also, any suggestions with food? I looked in the camping section of Walmart and the REMs were 3 bucks a pop. So at 3 meals a day it would be 90 dollars for 10 days of food. I can't afford that.

Sorry for the brick wall post. I'm just new to this and want to know everything there is to know. I'd love to hear you're advice!

 

[Gazrok]

Tell them God gave them the good sense to know what squirrels do...in the fall, you prepare for the winter. Check the young preppers forum (can't remember exact title) for some good advice.

 

[Roninsensei]

Get top ramon and add small animals and there's your easy food source. Get a pack of high protein Cliff bars.
http://www.amazon.com/Clif-Bar-Builders-Chocolate-2-4-Ounce/dp/B0015DH8AQ/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1396277436&sr=8-5&keywords=clif builder protein bars
If you can't get them in the store use link above. At 20g of protein they will keep you alive but, these are your emergency last ditch go too. Use the Top Ramon it's light cheap and gives you much needed salt. A little squirrel or bird goes a long way when made in to a soup. Gut, cut off the legs/paws, and behead the animal and add the whole thing bones and all to boiling water till its cooked then remove the meat and discard the bones, add Top Ramon and season pack to it and make the Ramon as usual. This will give you most of what you'll need to live. The fats are good for survival.
Get yourself 2 salt and pepper over under camping shakers and fill one with salt and pepper the other with granulated garlic and Lawrey's seasoning salt. With that combo you can make almost any meat edible...

 

[Wesley]

Thanks man, I'll check it out. No use with my parents, I've tried for a while. I also live on the Tennessee river so I can buy a boat in the future.

 

[Wesley]

Get top ramon and add small animals and there's your easy food source. Get a pack of high protein Cliff bars.
http://www.amazon.com/Clif-Bar-Builders-Chocolate-2-4-Ounce/dp/B0015DH8AQ/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1396277436&sr=8-5&keywords=clif builder protein bars
If you can't get them in the store use link above. At 20g of protein they will keep you alive but, these are your emergency last ditch go too. Use the Top Ramon it's light cheap and gives you much needed salt. A little squirrel or bird goes a long way when made in to a soup. Gut, cut off the legs/paws, and behead the animal and add the whole thing bones and all to boiling water till its cooked then remove the meat and discard the bones, add Top Ramon and season pack to it and make the Ramon as usual. This will give you most of what you'll need to live. The fats are good for survival.
Get yourself 2 salt and pepper over under camping shakers and fill one with salt and pepper the other with granulated garlic and Lawrey's seasoning salt. With that combo you can make almost any meat edible...
View attachment 2325

Appreciate the advice. Think Protein powder would be any good? It's pretty cheap and can provide ~150-200 calories and 20-35 grams of protein. I'll grab some ramen this week, a 5 pack is like 90 cents are a local dollar store.

 

[Roninsensei]

The powder requires water and that can be risky. Your already using some for ramon. Lets keep the water usage to a min... Also can you get your parent to buy you a machete? Unless you have one already. It's a good survival tool...

 

[Wesley]

The powder requires water and that can be risky. Your already using some for ramon. Lets keep the water usage to a min... Also can you get your parent to buy you a machete? Unless you have one already. It's a good survival tool...

I can buy one. I have a limited budget but It's not like 5 dollars a month. I could probably go as far as 50-75 a month to initially get all the basics and then go down to 30-50 a month to pick up random items.

 

[Roninsensei]

http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Steel-97...qid=1396279012&sr=8-1&keywords=jungle+machete

This is in my opinion the best damn machete on the market. At 25 dollars you can't go wrong.

 

[Wesley]

http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Steel-97JMS-Jungle-Machete/dp/B006YBY9GA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396279012&sr=8-1&keywords=jungle machete

This is in my opinion the best damn machete on the market. At 25 dollars you can't go wrong.

I'll look into that. cheap and should do the job.

 

[Gazrok]

I'll echo Cold Steel as a company for blades. You should be able to assemble a decent bug out bag for about $50 on the cheap. Can always make upgrades later. The ramen idea is a good one. Personally, I like to have ration bars with me too. The Mainstay ones aren't bad, as long as you like lemon cookies. Check EmergencyEssentials.com for those.

 

[tntboy13]

Hey there, I'm also a teenage prepper! Like gazrok said, feel free to browse the teen prepper forum. As far as my food goes, I'm working with noodles rice and canned goods. One thing I might suggest is a life straw family filter. It says it can filter some crazy amount of water, and seems pretty small. Might just look into it.

And what kinda truck is it that you have ?

 

[jimLE]

one tactic you might try with your parents.is point out the natural disasters of your area.snow storms that'll snow you in ..rain storms.and other stuff that'll take out the electric and/or water for 3 days or more..tornados floods etc etc.

 

[alabaster]

In TN, on a limited budget, and will be far from home when SHTF... Sounds like a good candidate for survivalist prepping!

Get a couple books on surviving the wilderness and try to keep what you need to a minimum, like what would fit in a backpack, albeit a big one.

Are you keeping the stuff in the bed? You might want to research storing water before you do(If it's in plastic containers). Either way, water takes up A LOT of space and weight. If you are limited on $ and space, and aren't sure you'll be able to get to a good spot for a more permanent situation, then think long and hard about packing light and making your best use of your brain and skill set. You really don't need much if you know how to live off of God's gift in Mother Nature...

Lastly, think long and hard about "Bluffing" with a pellet gun, too. I would agree that it's better than allowing some psycho serial killer just snatch you up without any resistance, but relying on a pellet gun for "Bluffing" can lead to trouble. Not to sound demeaning, but I've heard grown men with decades of shooting experience talk about using a pump shotgun to "Scare" people off when they hear it rack... Didn't always turn out well, either..Welcome and poke around. You'll be able to find what you're looking for. I'd bet on it.

 

[Wesley]

Hey there, I'm also a teenage prepper! Like gazrok said, feel free to browse the teen prepper forum. As far as my food goes, I'm working with noodles rice and canned goods. One thing I might suggest is a life straw family filter. It says it can filter some crazy amount of water, and seems pretty small. Might just look into it.

And what kinda truck is it that you have ?

Thanks bro, I'll look into it. I want to avoid a lot of bottled waters just because plastic and alabama heat don't mix.
I drive a '96 ford ranger, 2wd extended cab, v6 3.0. It'll keep me for a couple years but my end goal is a 92-2004 F-150 with 4wd. The bed is going to be decked out for storage and a place to sleep, with a camper on top.

 

[Wesley]

In TN, on a limited budget, and will be far from home when SHTF... Sounds like a good candidate for survivalist prepping!

Get a couple books on surviving the wilderness and try to keep what you need to a minimum, like what would fit in a backpack, albeit a big one.

Are you keeping the stuff in the bed? You might want to research storing water before you do(If it's in plastic containers). Either way, water takes up A LOT of space and weight. If you are limited on $ and space, and aren't sure you'll be able to get to a good spot for a more permanent situation, then think long and hard about packing light and making your best use of your brain and skill set. You really don't need much if you know how to live off of God's gift in Mother Nature...

Lastly, think long and hard about "Bluffing" with a pellet gun, too. I would agree that it's better than allowing some psycho serial killer just snatch you up without any resistance, but relying on a pellet gun for "Bluffing" can lead to trouble. Not to sound demeaning, but I've heard grown men with decades of shooting experience talk about using a pump shotgun to "Scare" people off when they hear it rack... Didn't always turn out well, either..Welcome and poke around. You'll be able to find what you're looking for. I'd bet on it.

Read OP, I have a link for what I want to do with the bed for storage.
I think you misread my post. I wouldn't use the gun to bluff unless I knew for a fact that I was going to be attacked and it was a last resort. Even then, with a c02 pellet gun that's semi automatic, blasted 15 or 20 rounds into someones torso would do damage. Maybe buy me enough time to book it.
Thanks for the advice on the books as well, too. Maybe when I move out I can buy some bug out land haha.

 

[Potter County Man]

Stay within your budget and the law.
Do not worry about having guns right now, and when you are old enough to purchase a gun, buy a shotgun. I am not sure about the laws in your state, but in my state there is no laws prohibiting a teenager from having a shotgun in their vehicle.

Start by taking a hunters safety course and get yourself a hunting license.
A hunting license is a permit to go afield with a firearm - which gives you a legitimate reason for having a firearm in your vehicle..

Side arms in my state requires a permit to carry and a person under the age of 18 cannot buy a firearm and cannot buy a pistol until they are 21 I think.. I think if a person has a clean criminal record they can obtain a pistol permit at the age of 18.

Spend your money wisely.
Buy yourself a extreme foul weather - US ARMY surplus sleeping bag.
Buy yourself a pop up tent.
Buy yourself a camp stove.
Buy yourself a fishing pole and fishing equipment.
Buy yourself a good hiking boot.
Buy yourself a good pair of winter boots.
Buy yourself a cold weather hunting coat and pants.
Buy yourself some thermal socks.

Stock up on items such as C - Rations and a canteen.
Find a good quality programmable scanner ( Bearcat BCT 996 XT ) and a mobile Larsen dual band mag mount antenna - NMO 2/70 is preferred, and start monitoring the scanner frequencies available at your location...

You can get about the same capabilities as the Bearcat scanner from a Kenwood TM v-710A amateur radio - at half the cost.
You would be required to get a amateur radio license if you desired to transmit, but it is legal for use as a monitor without a license.

That would be your next cheapest prep - to get a amateur radio license and learn how to operate your transceiver. A book to study from is about $40 and the license exam is as cheap as free to about $15 for a ARRL license session.

Wireless communications is the key to being prepared for what might come next and being prepared for the worst.
The amateur license can lead to a career in communications or electronics or even a college scholarship - if you so desire.

 

[alabaster]

Wesley, I may have misunderstood and I apologize if I did mistake what you were saying. I still would be inclined to NOT bluff with a gun, but if it's your last stand, then try any and everything you can to cause damage and increase the space between you and an attacker. I'm not sure how likely you are to have an attacker there versus having a natural disaster that you would need to deal with... Still, I see you're point in prepping for as much as you can.

Potter County Man has some solid ideas too, IMHO. I live a little closer to DC than I would like, so they don't like people carrying hunting firearms in vehicles during off-season, and I'm not sure about carrying a firearm as a minor, but staying within the law is logic no one can argue with.
I mentioned "Survivalist Prepping" because I was thinking of being far from home with limited storage capability. I still stand by the idea of getting by with as little as possible. The longer you can go with less kit, the better off you'll be in almost ANY situation. In that case, whatever kit you DO have is a blessing. When we were kids my Dad taught us an old saying from the Boy Scouts- "Be prepared".. It's a great idea, and one I think is often misunderstood. Being prepared is a VERY general idea, and prepping mind and body is a leg up on most folks these days.