What have you LEARNED (good & sad) From your "PERSONAL" prepping journey.

[d_marsh]

I have learned that a large stockpile of supplies doesn't mean squat if you have to evacuate, and an evacuation plan with highly mobile supplies and a safe house is insufficient if you get locked down in one place and can't move. Plans, just like supplies, require contingencies and back up contingencies and failsafe contingencies. Two is one, one is none. And you need a hell of a lot more than two.

 

[lonewolf]

a stockpiles of supplies is finite, it will last a set amount of time and no more.
its what you do in the meantime whilst you are using those supplies that is important and will decide if you live or die.

 

[Magus]

Having several small stashes is better than one big stash.
I'm infamous for this, it used to drive my partners nuts, and then
one of them had his BOL burn down. I made a similar mistake and
an undetected water leak wrecked my food and part of my
ammo supply. containers and location are everything!

Try Knorr Dehydrated meals, in an air-tight container they last almost
twice as long!

Crisco actually has a good use, when using gallon jars to store dry goods,
smear the threads and inside of the lid, it keeps weevils out.

A file is a must-have in your BOK. drill a hole in the tang and hang your
fire starter from it! then sharpen an inch or so from the tip like a one-sided
knife. why screw up your knife on a fire starter? and the file itself makes
very fine shavings that will go up at a touch.

Tea candles are excellent fire starters. keep them in an aluminum water bottle
with strike-anywhere matches or lighters.

Carry a 15-minute road flare in your BOK, it will make enough heat to keep you
from freezing to death while it catches that wet pile of wood on fire.

A good rule of thumb is:
If you don't recognize it, don't eat it!

More eventually.

 

[ShadowWolf 13]

For me there were two important lessons learned. First, SHTF, disasters, Mother Nature, things in general can go south in a heartbeat. Your life can be absolutely turned upside down faster than you can blink your eyes. A catastrophe can happen at any moment, and you have to be prepared BEFORE it happens.

Second, "prepping" isn't a fad, or something cool to do. It is a lifestyle. You should always be thinking ahead, looking at OPSEC, staying alert. It should become a part of your being.

I 100% agree with Morgan101, also I'd like to add that you should choose your friends or folks you confide in carefully and not share anymore information then necessary as they may pretend to be your friend to your face however the second you turn your back they use things you told them in confidence against you! (Am speaking from personal experience as I've had several folks I thought were friends turn on me and has ended in some messed up situations.) furthermore I personally believe that in the event of either a natural disaster or SHTF scenario if people know your aware & prepared you've just made yourself a HVT (high value target) and unnecessarily increased your security risks.

 

[jazzy]

knife and scissor sharpeners--might be a good idea to -get a couple

 

[Aerindel]

Biggest thing is that in a LOCAL SHFT.....tons of people will ask how to help.....I didn't have a single plan that involved other people when my house was threatened by fire so I had nothing to tell them. All my plans where based on being independent.

 

[Supervisor42]

knife and scissor sharpeners--might be a good idea to -get a couple

Scissors ain't no problem for us!
Every time a pair gets misplaced, a new pair appears.
You can't open a single drawer in this house without seeing one!

 

[Magus]

knife and scissor sharpeners--might be a good idea to -get a couple

Three sizes of file, a whetstone, and an Arkansas oil stone will be the best 35$ you ever added to your kit! add in a small container of 20Wt synthetic oil and one of mineral spirits and there is little you can't sharpen! A dull knife can be worse than a dirty gun.

 

[jazzy]

Scissors ain't no problem for us!
Every time a pair gets misplaced, a new pair appears.
You can't open a single drawer in this house without seeing one!

yes, scissors are a most interesting species. they can either reproduce themselves maghically or just disappear in the black hole hidden in the kitchen.

 

[Haertig]

You can't open a single drawer in this house without seeing one!

Same here. BUT, if you use the wrong pair for the wrong task - like cutting open a package of ham with the paper cutting scissors - you're in for a whoopin'! I mean, we've got our kitchen scissors, our utility scissors, our paper scissors, our gardening scissors, our sewing scissors, our eyebrow scissors - it's all so complex it makes you want to grab a pair and start running with them!

 

[lonewolf]

Biggest thing is that in a LOCAL SHFT.....tons of people will ask how to help.....I didn't have a single plan that involved other people when my house was threatened by fire so I had nothing to tell them. All my plans where based on being independent.

not over here they wont, anything happens here and people panic. most people dont have a clue about survival and wont(survive).

 

[TexasCharm]

yes, scissors are a most interesting species. they can either reproduce themselves maghically or just disappear in the black hole <snip>

just like socks...

 

[TexasCharm]

I found there was a point in my prepping that was a completely different mindset.. like a switch. It has almost turned me into a hoarder.. lol. "What could I use this for if SHTF today?" I struggle with throwing any container away. Cans, they could have so many uses. Bags, ties, strings, straps, boxes... sticks, tree branches, weeds. lol It can definitely change the way you look ... at everything. Borders on obsession. The balance is tricky, but I've become better at it.

 

[lonewolf]

my generation had this philosophy about stuff, its called "that will come in handy".

 

[12icemaker]

My idea of survival is not based on a large stockpile of anything, it is based on living with nothing.

You must learn what you can eat in the wild, how to purify water with nothing but what you have, start a fire that is not really noticeable, build a shelter that you can be safe and protected in that is not easily detectable.

Set hand built traps, skin and clean any prey.

Tend to any type of medical problem with what you can find gather along the trail and grow if you can make a long term camp.

You must be able to live as a nomad, then if you don't have to do that, you can be happy about it.

 

[Pearl]

My idea of survival is not based on a large stockpile of anything, it is based on living with nothing.

You must learn what you can eat in the wild, how to purify water with nothing but what you have, start a fire that is not really noticeable, build a shelter that you can be safe and protected in that is not easily detectable.

Set hand built traps, skin and clean any prey.

Tend to any type of medical problem with what you can find gather along the trail and grow if you can make a long term camp.

You must be able to live as a nomad, then if you don't have to do that, you can be happy about it.

I totally agree!! I feel the dirty government will take your property, you'll own nothing by 2030 and be happier!

 

[forcast]

Emergency generator may be cost effective in our budgets. Whole house generators not so much . But storing gas is a problem. If the electric grid gos down for a long long time you wont be able to replace the gas. So im thinking long term having one may be useless

 

[lonewolf]

I bugged out of a city 25 years ago and now live in a low population rural area, thats as far as I am going for now.
anyone over here that thinks they can "run for the hills" and live off the land in our wet climate is deluding themselves.

 

[Magus]

I came back to "the world" right after the election, my elderly relatives needed me if things got nasty, and they well could have. I have stuff, we all do. but my frumpy old camper was loaded with everything I needed to live in the woods.

 

[Tirediron]

things like hand held mirrors are very important for when you wound your self where you can't see. trying to line up your phone in a mirror to take a picture is not easy, and I probably have a better chance at that due to what I have done for years. try taking a clear picture of the top of your head, and see what I mean. now try that when it is bleeding after you do something stupid, I mean are attacked by a ferocious "Beast"

 

[LadyLocust]

Biggest thing is that in a LOCAL SHFT.....tons of people will ask how to help.....I didn't have a single plan that involved other people when my house was threatened by fire so I had nothing to tell them. All my plans where based on being independent.

l find this a little bit ironic since the best thing you can do in any emergency is give people a task - even if it is for the sole purpose of getting rid of them (those you don't want near your property). If there are some/few who know your property/lifestyle give them a real task - again if nothing else, so you can think of the next step/action.

 

[Tirediron]

l find this a little bit ironic since the best thing you can do in any emergency is give people a task - even if it is for the sole purpose of getting rid of them (those you don't want near your property). If there are some/few who know your property/lifestyle give them a real task - again if nothing else, so you can think of the next step/action.

But if you have to redirect people, when your plan is to just handle it it eats precious time.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Emergency generator may be cost effective in our budgets. Whole house generators not so much . But storing gas is a problem. If the electric grid gos down for a long long time you wont be able to replace the gas. So im thinking long term having one may be useless

You can get several years out of gas if you treat it. I keep 300 gallons of premium non-ethonal gas and 350 gallons of off-road diesel in bulk tanks, and 1200 gallons of propane.

 

[Sourdough]

One thing that I have learned is, constant ruthless assessment of my personal prepping & survival "plan".
1962-63' First "total" reassessment and necessary changes expedited. After failed attempt to kill my father, I departed his house, and got, "Legal Emancipation" at age of 15 y/o.

1965-69' At least (3) THREE reassessments and necessary changes executed. End of 69' moved to Alaska with $146.00 in my pocket.

Many reassessments 1970-2016

2018 The last total reconfiguration of my prepping plan.

May 2024 I begin a full "Mulligan" of my prepping for the last and "Final Chapter".

All the changes worked (some better than others). Change SUCKS, the older you get the SUCKIER it gets. Failure to embrace change can be fatal.

The world (and reality) is changing ultra-high speed currently, survivors need to change faster to stay in front. Or risk getting "Run Over" by Reality.

When REALITY bites you in the ASS it hurts.

 

[Amish Heart]

How about a solar generator, Forcast
We have panels on our garage roof that charge batteries. I just grab the battery and attach an inverter to it and can plug things in to that.

 

[jazzy]

just like socks...

dang! so THATS what my socks and scissors are doing--they are co habitating together in some black hole dimension. gee i hope they dnt get too friendly and reproduce or something. scissor-sock offspring sound a little risky.

 

[Aerindel]

l find this a little bit ironic since the best thing you can do in any emergency is give people a task - even if it is for the sole purpose of getting rid of them (those you don't want near your property). If there are some/few who know your property/lifestyle give them a real task - again if nothing else, so you can think of the next step/action.

That is why its something I learned. It IS ironic.....because it was unexpected. I had friends who I hadn't talked to for ten years and who now lived 500 miles away, calling me up, telling me they where on their way to help me.

I had lots of real tasks....but it takes PLANNING to actually do something useful, and all my plans where based on what I could do by myself. I had no idea how to actually use the workforce that showed up, as I had never planned on having one.

 

[LadyLocust]

That is why its something I learned. It IS ironic.....because it was unexpected. I had friends who I hadn't talked to for ten years and who now lived 500 miles away, calling me up, telling me they where on their way to help me.

I had lots of real tasks....but it takes PLANNING to actually do something useful, and all my plans where based on what I could do by myself. I had no idea how to actually use the workforce that showed up, as I had never planned on having one.

I put love not that you didn't know what to do with the help, but that now you do know who your friends are and who you can count on in such a situation.