What bothers or frightens me the most about prepping.

[Magus]

 

[Magus]

death is not the enemy.
it is a doorway
sometimes it is a rescue

I'm stealing that.

 

[Steve_In_29]

all die? only if that is Gods Plan.

my life is not more valuable than theirs. they are still sleepwalking thru life unaware of the storm about to break on us all like most others. i pray the Lord open their eyes before its too late. for thrm to make it here and i ask Him for help to prepare some extra For them the best i can. that is Christs Way. and He does all sorts of neat little miracles all the time to make it work.

if i refuse to help oithers in need cause im pissed at them or fear sharing what i got then i have denied Christ. He has always always helped me thru my pitiful life thru every hardship, challenge, illness and heart break. i have no reason to doubt His friendship, love or help in the future.

weve got some real mind blowing hard times coming. but this life on earth is not about our surviving at any cost or the cost to others. its like a insane boot camp for the soul behind enemy lines filled with alot of crazy ad mean people. Christ helps us naviagate thru all the storms and we are to help others as a way of thanking Him.

we need to to sit down quiet sometime this week and ask His help. ask what do i need to see, what do i need to do to get ready and please help me do it. He can be your best friend, closer than a brother. were not gonna get thru this without His help.

Absent YOU stocking enough food and water for ALL those extra people, yes you will die.

This ain't the bible and God isn't sending down manna from heaven each morning.

 

[montanabill]

I have always felt I was part of the ground crew or one of the guard dogs.
It is incumbent on me to stay alive and healthy enough to educate and help others so they and theirs's can survive and thrive.
I don't need to have god prove that he has the master plan and if it doesn't go well it is my fault.
Free will and hard work can make a difference and that is honoring god.
Yes I have a brain and free will and a tiny bit of knowledge of history and that allows me to live and help certain others in a good way... Sometimes that includes storing up for the seven years of lean.

 

[Amish Heart]

Yep, seven yrs is a good thing

 

[Magus]

Absent YOU stocking enough food and water for ALL those extra people, yes you will die.

This ain't the bible and God isn't sending down manna from heaven each morning.

*Walks away whistling with a possum grin.

 

[jazzy]

Absent YOU stocking enough food and water for ALL those extra people, yes you will die.

This ain't the bible and God isn't sending down manna from heaven each morning.

This ain't the bible and God isn't sending down manna from heaven each morning.
***

you dont know my God.

im an old granny now but many years ago i was a single mom with 5 little kids. only job i ever had at that time was waiting tables. i was broke, scared, all alone and not much food in the house at all. i felt so broken, desperate and alone. did i mention i was scared?

i ws not very close to God at that time in my life. but called out to God for help - prayed for some relief while crying most the night over the mess i was in fearing id have to give in and go back to a very abusive husband i was trying to escape. didnt think i could handle much more.

the very next day in the morning there were some bags of groceries on my front porch.

im not kidding or making this up

nothing fancy, had some peanut butter, jelly, cans of tuna and pasta and sauce, bread and some other basics. it got me thru the next 2 weeks ---and BINGO i got a better job that helped me out of my poverty and fear. cant tell you how many times these little miracles happened. never did find out who did that wonderful thing.

He is real.
His love is real
im not special or holy or better than you or anyone. im pretty sure my guardian angel has repeatedly asked the good Lord for a transfer cause sometimes im just dumb or stubborn.. but God has alwasy, alwasy sent an answer or help one way or another.. did every prayer for help end the way i wanted? no--never did win lotto but i bet theres a good reason for that.

if we need help thru some hard times it requires honesty, respect andsome faith. a little humility doesnt hurt either. just cause we cant see God working in our life right now doesntmean He dont care.

you are right, i cant stock enough for 12 more people to move in when things get bad. heck the touilet paper crisis it would cause is enough to make me faint. BUT i have food to get thru a year,+, seeds and knowledge to grow more, friends' and neighbors i can trade with cause i got skills in making herbal things they all like. i know how to can and dry food, can grow things, make herbal remedies, got a hand pump on my well to share water, trade things and help others., i decided years back to learn baasic skills most forgotten about to help myself, my family, my neighbors cause it is 100% true---no man is an island. we will need others as much as they need us. i bet you got some valuable skills too.

fear is a liar. we cant let fear disctate who and what we are or will be.

can something like a meteor hit me and take me out or billgates spray my house cause he is pissed i wont go out with him or say yellowstone blows and decimates my area--yeah--could happen.--maybe. i can die.

but if i die doing my best and trying to hrelp others i can live with that --yes pun intended.

if we dont believe someone can and wants to help us when we are in need then we have closed the door to them and stopped them from helping us. people do that to God all the time, then get mad when theres no miracles we already decided cant be real.

dont give up--ask Christ to come into your life and reveal Himself. He will find a way--sometimes when and how you least expect it. i am living proof that God is full of love and kindness and has a great sense of humor.

 

[Steve_In_29]

This ain't the bible and God isn't sending down manna from heaven each morning.
***

you dont know my God.

im an old granny now but many years ago i was a single mom with 5 little kids. only job i ever had at that time was waiting tables. i was broke, scared, all alone and not much food in the house at all. i felt so broken, desperate and alone. did i mention i was scared?

i ws not very close to God at that time in my life. but called out to God for help - prayed for some relief while crying most the night over the mess i was in fearing id have to give in and go back to a very abusive husband i was trying to escape. didnt think i could handle much more.

the very next day in the morning there were some bags of groceries on my front porch.

im not kidding or making this up

nothing fancy, had some peanut butter, jelly, cans of tuna and pasta and sauce, bread and some other basics. it got me thru the next 2 weeks ---and BINGO i got a better job that helped me out of my poverty and fear. cant tell you how many times these little miracles happened. never did find out who did that wonderful thing.

He is real.
His love is real
im not special or holy or better than you or anyone. im pretty sure my guardian angel has repeatedly asked the good Lord for a transfer cause sometimes im just dumb or stubborn.. but God has alwasy, alwasy sent an answer or help one way or another.. did every prayer for help end the way i wanted? no--never did win lotto but i bet theres a good reason for that.

if we need help thru some hard times it requires honesty, respect andsome faith. a little humility doesnt hurt either. just cause we cant see God working in our life right now doesntmean He dont care.

you are right, i cant stock enough for 12 more people to move in when things get bad. heck the touilet paper crisis it would cause is enough to make me faint. BUT i have food to get thru a year,+, seeds and knowledge to grow more, friends' and neighbors i can trade with cause i got skills in making herbal things they all like. i know how to can and dry food, can grow things, make herbal remedies, got a hand pump on my well to share water, trade things and help others., i decided years back to learn baasic skills most forgotten about to help myself, my family, my neighbors cause it is 100% true---no man is an island. we will need others as much as they need us. i bet you got some valuable skills too.

fear is a liar. we cant let fear disctate who and what we are or will be.

can something like a meteor hit me and take me out or billgates spray my house cause he is pissed i wont go out with him or say yellowstone blows and decimates my area--yeah--could happen.--maybe. i can die.

but if i die doing my best and trying to hrelp others i can live with that --yes pun intended.

if we dont believe someone can and wants to help us when we are in need then we have closed the door to them and stopped them from helping us. people do that to God all the time, then get mad when theres no miracles we already decided cant be real.

dont give up--ask Christ to come into your life and reveal Himself. He will find a way--sometimes when and how you least expect it. i am living proof that God is full of love and kindness and has a great sense of humor.

I don't know about your god but my God provides me with the opportunity to prepare and not have to rely on his miracleing me what I need when I fail to do so.

My simple point was that since YOU are taking it upon yourself to be the shtf savior for your non-preparing extended family that YOU need to lay in the supplies needed to do so. And not count on the generosity of your neighbors to take up the slack.

The fact you are anticipating them coming to you means it could (and should) be prepared for. As it won't be some out of the blue unforeseeable situation when they arrive.

 

[Bluetick21]

I can't bury someone. And, cannibalism is completely out of the question. However, I have no problem feeding the alligators.

No gators in my neck of the woods. … but hogs gotta eat too

 

[Magus]

I think a few of these nailed up here and there would work wonders! NOBODY steals from or bums from BLACK PLAGUE victims!

 

[Hardcalibres]

What bothers me the most is the overall extremely low intelligence of most the 'prepping community'. It's as though people who can barely read, do math and who fall for every scam known to man....are attracted to prepping.

Which makes me wonder if I'm just as dumb as everyone else and don't know it.

Agreed.

.....but according to the Dunning Kruger Effect, the fact that you wonder about your own intelligence makes it more likely you are in the group that is much more intelligent than they would self assess.

 

[Hardcalibres]

I couldn't say it better myself.

The only thing I will add, is a bit of a tangent.

3. is correct.....But it is one of those things where there are pros and cons you have to balance.


A house perfectly protected from natural fuel.....is also very exposed to other things.

Thanks.

Not all trees/plants are natural fuel. Some plants are actually fire retardant/ablative.

If you put those types of trees around the edge of your lawned area, you can have the concealment that trees can provide without the fire risk. You should still space them back from your house enough so that if they come down in a storm they wont strike the dwelling.

If your place is in the middle of a big open field, surrounded by forest, bush etc, the easiest thing for any aggressor to do, is wait in cover at the treeline with a scoped rifle for you to step out your door. He can easily be so far away that your dogs, alarms etc, don't know he is there, and still within an easy shot of you.

If that surrounding tree line is a few hundred yards or more away, then we are getting beyond the capability of most......and if you have those fire retardant trees closer to your dwelling, then you have concealment for your day to day activities, making a shot difficult. Your own close tree line is where you can look out from. Modern tech like drones can make 24/7 short handed area surveillance more achievable. That is why, at every opportunity, I push people to get into drones.

It also means any random person, walking a line through the woods, with no idea you are there, only has to hit the edge of your clearing to find you, rather than stumbling on your actual place.

That is a good point in many places that are somewhat population dense.......but if you pick somewhere with low enough population density, the effort and resources to stomp around looking for people gets bad enough to be not worthwhile (or at least less worthwhile). If the land is steep, that balance tips even further against the roamers. The location you pick for your land, needs to take those factors very much into account.

Most preppers should be looking for somewhere to live that has <3 people per square mile......but alas, most live in much more densely populated places than that.

 

[Haertig]

I think a few of these nailed up here and there would work wonders! NOBODY steals from or bums from BLACK PLAGUE victims!

That's a great idea!

 

[Aerindel]

If that surrounding tree line is a few hundred yards or more away, then we are getting beyond the capability of most..

I did the math once on how much property you would have to own to have a buffer further than 50% of the effective range of common rifles....I don't have the numbers anymore....but it was significant....1000 acres perhaps?

You should still space them back from your house enough so that if they come down in a storm they wont strike the dwelling.

Conversely.....trees are a lot more likely to come down in the open. I had a 100 year wind storm this summer, caused a lot of damage in the area, and I had a couple trees come down....but they were ones at the edge of a clearing. People out in the open got the worst damage.

I'm not saying there are no advantages to cleared land....just that it's not solely advantages.

Modern tech like drones can make 24/7 short handed area surveillance more achievable. That is why, at every opportunity, I push people to get into drones.

Indeed. I do have some significant reservations about how useful drones will be in many types of serious disasters. I know that its the kind of thing where I might do once a day for the first week of SHTF before I get tired of spending the time.

Again, I don't have the math in front of me, but to have a significantly cleared area, you are looking at thousands of feet of perimeter to check. To do a good job, you could spend a good chunk of time doing just one drone patrol. Of course this doesn't matter if you have enough people to have that be someones job throughout the day, running overwatch for the rest of your crew.

The conclusion I've come to before, is that one of the first decisions you have to make when bugging in, is if you are considering yourself as the biggest threat in your AO, with the manpower, etc to dominate it, or if you are more like the Sherwood raiders, hiding out from that big threat.

I know with my capabilities, I'm best digging in and hiding.

 

[Hardcalibres]

I did the math once on how much property you would have to own to have a buffer further than 50% of the effective range of common rifles....I don't have the numbers anymore....but it was significant....1000 acres perhaps?

I balance that against the conversations when we discuss long range shooting......and many people state (and indeed argue aggressively) that in their AO, they can't see very far so they don't practice shooting more than a 100 yards (which is probably the max distance at their local range). Most hunters in many places have a 30-06 that they have never shot beyond 100 yards.

In my case the buffer is on my land......but in a severe crisis, it would not matter whose land the buffer was.....as long as the land is either friendly or neutral in the conflict. The buffer might be government land.

Topography can limit the size of the buffer.....but topo can work for or against you......depending upon land form and where you put the dwelling.

 

[montanabill]

montana and wyoming have around 6 people per square mile and alaska is around .8 people per square mile......
Deceptive since montana and wyoming have large areas with no people and other areas with small cities...and roads into a lot of the wide open spaces.
Alaska has sparse population per square mile with a few large cities and vast areas of roadless area...

Our local range here in montana has a 500 yard range that gets used quite a lot. Even my low end AR with a cheap scope can put holes in things at 500 yards.

My policy is low key and low signature.....for the first while of things falling apart no smoke up the chimney and no excessive movement outside..... but always watchful and ready to fill those pre dug six foot holes,

 

[montanabill]

"Modern tech like drones can make 24/7 short handed area surveillance more achievable. That is why, at every opportunity, I push people to get into drones."
Hardcalibers....any links for a good reasonably priced drone setup for hard times....I am afraid my DJI will be unusable after two weeks.

right now I can go vertical over my place and see a lot, sure would be nice to continue that process.

 

[Hardcalibres]

"Modern tech like drones can make 24/7 short handed area surveillance more achievable. That is why, at every opportunity, I push people to get into drones."
Hardcalibers....any links for a good reasonably priced drone setup for hard times....I am afraid my DJI will be unusable after two weeks.

What will make your DJI unusable?

Note that GPS access is only one way......so the GPS system wont change your drone or receive anything from it.

I have four DJIs......and I let them access the web once.....when I buy them and activate them as a product.....after that, no more web access.

If you don't let them get web access, they cant spy on you......they cant be deactivated.......they cant receive software updates that change how you can use them.

There are downsides to that....but none as bad as it being deactivated.

I have Powerfilm Solar flexible/foldable panels that can recharge my drones out in the field.

A 60W panel will charge batteries about as fast as the mains.

 

[montanabill]

Thankyou for the info on the DJI's. Time to look at another drone and spare batteries....Plenty of solar power available in small qantities.. Do you run night vision or thermal and if so have you got a link?
I have some cheap infrared for around the house but a all seeing eye in the sky would be nice..

 

[Hardcalibres]

Thankyou for the info on the DJI's. Time to look at another drone and spare batteries....Plenty of solar power available in small qantities.. Do you run night vision or thermal and if so have you got a link?
I have some cheap infrared for around the house but a all seeing eye in the sky would be nice..

I have a Mavic 3T.

https://enterprise.dji.com/mavic-3-enterprise

It is an amazing piece of equipment.

At around $5K it is expensive.....except that you would pay that for a handheld thermal with similar specs. That makes a flying version of the same thermal viewer, with such long range and endurance, surprising good value for money.

3Ts are used a lot for search and rescue work.

That is the market they are pitched at.

 

[jazzy]

I don't know about your god but my God provides me with the opportunity to prepare and not have to rely on his miracleing me what I need when I fail to do so.

My simple point was that since YOU are taking it upon yourself to be the shtf savior for your non-preparing extended family that YOU need to lay in the supplies needed to do so. And not count on the generosity of your neighbors to take up the slack.

The fact you are anticipating them coming to you means it could (and should) be prepared for. As it won't be some out of the blue unforeseeable situation when they arrive.

i totally agree about the need to prepare as best one can. i believe in it and ask the Lord what do i need to pay attention to, what do i need to take care of. i never said or hinted i sit on my a*ss and expoect anyone to do for me. i pray my family can make it here, they are pretty far away in other states.

over 24+ yrs ago i had a series of God dreams showing me certain events, collapse, struggles, warnings what to do, watch for and to trust Him. some have come to pass and i see us on the brink of the trigger event that will start the dominoes falling. i live my talk. changed my life to be where and do what I was shown. im in a safe rural location with a few acres with very good neighbors who all help one another, got gardens, greenhouse, well pump, chickens, dogs, off grid, wood heat, heirloom seeds--it is not fancy at all. but i am doing what i was shown would be necessary to het thru hard times.. think 1800s.

if my family all make it here it will be a miracle, Gods will. and being in Gods Will HE will make sure we get thru the storms. if God brings another and tells me to take them in i will--cause that is exactly what the Christ taught us to do.

if we live in fear we cant ever have or do enough then we never will. we got to do the best we can with what we have, ask God for guidance every day and He takes care of the gaps.

 

[Magus]

That's a great idea!

be sure to write "BLACK PLAGUE" on the chicken coop and barn in big whitewash letters!
make it look rushed.

 

[Mountain trapper]

I did the math once on how much property you would have to own to have a buffer further than 50% of the effective range of common rifles....I don't have the numbers anymore....but it was significant....1000 acres perhaps?

Conversely.....trees are a lot more likely to come down in the open. I had a 100 year wind storm this summer, caused a lot of damage in the area, and I had a couple trees come down....but they were ones at the edge of a clearing. People out in the open got the worst damage.

I'm not saying there are no advantages to cleared land....just that it's not solely advantages.




Indeed. I do have some significant reservations about how useful drones will be in many types of serious disasters. I know that its the kind of thing where I might do once a day for the first week of SHTF before I get tired of spending the time.

Again, I don't have the math in front of me, but to have a significantly cleared area, you are looking at thousands of feet of perimeter to check. To do a good job, you could spend a good chunk of time doing just one drone patrol. Of course this doesn't matter if you have enough people to have that be someones job throughout the day, running overwatch for the rest of your crew.

The conclusion I've come to before, is that one of the first decisions you have to make when bugging in, is if you are considering yourself as the biggest threat in your AO, with the manpower, etc to dominate it, or if you are more like the Sherwood raiders, hiding out from that big threat.

I know with my capabilities, I'm best digging in and hiding.

I guess I have a fair buffer on my place. I can shoot a high powered rifle in any direction I want and not hit another house or another private property. I built our house near the top of a small valley surrounded by timber and a ridge on 3 sides, which is then surrounded by open meadows.
I have several hill tops where I can see for miles in every direction, and not see another house.

 

[Aerindel]

What will make your DJI unusable?

Note that GPS access is only one way......so the GPS system wont change your drone or receive anything from it.

I have four DJIs......and I let them access the web once.....when I buy them and activate them as a product.....after that, no more web access.

If you don't let them get web access, they cant spy on you......they cant be deactivated.......they cant receive software updates that change how you can use them.

There are downsides to that....but none as bad as it being deactivated.

I have Powerfilm Solar flexible/foldable panels that can recharge my drones out in the field.

A 60W panel will charge batteries about as fast as the mains.

If not allowed to get regular web access, they stop flying after a period of time, so its not as simple as just not letting them access the web,

This MIGHT just now be changing, last week they announced they will no longer prevent flying in Geofenced areas, and the reason they became unusable in the past, was to force updated geofencing.

That aside, GPS can be turned off with a push of a button. I expect the civilian GPS network to be turned off in any major scenario. Although drones CAN fly without it, they fly much more poorly and cannot be flown at night, over water or in clouds.

I love my mini 3, but I just don't count on it for any regular work in SHTF. It has more in common with a cellphone, than aircraft and without the appropriate networks loses at lot of its functionality.

 

[Hardcalibres]

If not allowed to get regular web access, they stop flying after a period of time, so its not as simple as just not letting them access the web,

This MIGHT just now be changing, last week they announced they will no longer prevent flying in Geofenced areas, and the reason they became unusable in the past, was to force updated geofencing.

That aside, GPS can be turned off with a push of a button. I expect the civilian GPS network to be turned off in any major scenario. Although drones CAN fly without it, they fly much more poorly and cannot be flown at night, over water or in clouds.

I love my mini 3, but I just don't count on it for any regular work in SHTF. It has more in common with a cellphone, than aircraft and without the appropriate networks loses at lot of its functionality.

The last aircraft I had that insisted upon updates was probably my first Mavic.

The Mavic 2 and Mavic 3T haven't done that.......so yes I think you are right and that has changed. I think that drones more aimed at professional use, seem to have less software issues.

My experiences with early DJIs were much more glitchy......and most of those glitches were about the software installed on the phone/tablet being used as the controller interface.

The Mavic 3T uses a dedicated controller......and that seems much more robust.

We may well see what sort of emergencies involve the GPS system being shut down........but I have already used drones in less severe emergencies and they added value.

Ukraine has shown that even with GPS jamming, there is usually a work around for drones.....including their use in the dark.

In the sort of places we are all located, it may be that jamming of GPS might be more common than a permanent shutdown.

The 3T is great for looking for feral hogs.

 

[Aerindel]

We may well see what sort of emergencies involve the GPS system being shut down........but I have already used drones in less severe emergencies and they added value.

Same. After that windstorm I mentioned, I was able to quickly find there a tree had fallen on our power line, and so I was able to tell the linemen exactly where the problem was. I think drones are great tools. I just don't think they robust tools. I won't put myself in a position where a drone is the only way to solve a major problem, just as I use my cellphone all the time, but I don't have anything survival related that I can ONLY use from my cellphone.

Ukraine has shown that even with GPS jamming, there is usually a work around for drones.....including their use in the dark.

Indeed. However, those are purpose built for that environment.