Any Preppers in the House?

Not that I plan on being one but after a somewhat long power outage last year where I lived I got the clue that maybe I need to take some precautions and make some plans for the next one.

One thing I have learned is Wise food products are shit! Bought some late last year and tried one of the meals this past week just for shits and giggles. Looked like rabbit food, tasted what rabbit food might taste like, total shit.

Anybody's 2¢ would be great!

Not that I plan on being one but after a somewhat long power outage last year where I lived I got the clue that maybe I need to take some precautions and make some plans for the next one.

One thing I have learned is Wise food products are shit! Bought some late last year and tried one of the meals this past week just for shits and giggles. Looked like rabbit food, tasted what rabbit food might taste like, total shit.

Anybody's 2¢ would be great! Originally Posted by dumars

Things may have changed a lot in the past 10 years since I stopped going camping. But, I used to enjoy hiking and camping. My experience was: the emergency/end of the world food supplies were not worth buying.

True camping food that hikers take with them can make some really fine meals.

JR

I have trouble imagining a scenario in the Midwest that would make it where you need more than a week or two of supplies.

The most overlooked thing though is actually having water. You can store it for a while if you do it right. I just know people that store ammo, dehydrated food, and bushcraft shit but don't have water. If there was a real problem that is the most likely thing that would do you in. West Virginia had that chemical spill in the river a while back, Detroit had lead, and the water utilities can only do so much without power. Plus you will die first from dehydration.


So first get a decent savings going because you will most likely need money in any type of emergency (disaster or personal). Make sure you have a couple weeks of food that won't spoil and that you can cook if there are problems. Get something to store a couple weeks of water. Then if you can swing it get a wood burning stove for winter or a generator if you want to spoil yourself (with fuel already store that you rotate to be used). Anything more is just an expensive hobby.

If you think you could actually use a gun to defend yourself, get what you are comfortable with and a few boxes of ammo and call it good.

If you want more pick up camping and hiking and getting ready will come naturally and you will actually know how to use the tools you buy.

I have trouble imagining a scenario in the Midwest that would make it where you need more than a week or two of supplies.

The most overlooked thing though is actually having water. You can store it for a while if you do it right. I just know people that store ammo, dehydrated food, and bushcraft shit but don't have water. Originally Posted by bigryan2222

The Super-Volcano Hellmouth opening up under Yellowstone and laying 36 inches of hot ash all the way to Kentucky will call for a bit more than granola bars and a box of shotgun shells, but, yeah......water.

I know guys with thousands and thousands of dollars worth of "tactcal" shit that would have to immediately go out and murder somebody with it for a $5 case of bottled water from Sam's Club when the zombies start chewing on people.

You can get real creative with your caloric and protein intake in a worst-case scenario, and firearms come in mighty handy with all that, but nobody wants to drink piss.

If you're just talking about iced up power lines in a rural area, Dumars, pick up a good kerosene heater ( I nicknamed mine 'Lil Chernobyl ) off-season at Home Depot or somewhere and just lay in some kerosene and canned shit to eat every winter just like you would buy rock salt for the driveway in the fall.

There's a nice good-sense middleground between learning to skin a deer next to the minivan in your driveway in the suburbs and slitting your wrists 'cuz your DVR won't come on anymore.

Do some searches on EMP weapons. A small crude nuke exploded 200,000 feet over the central US could knock out all electric/electronics coast to coast. No internet, No air cond., No refrigerator, No factories to rebuild, No electricity, No telephones... It could take years to recover.

Iran or N. Korea could do it with a skud missile launched from a barge off the coast.

Do some searches on EMP weapons. A small crude nuke exploded 200,000 feet over the central US could knock out all electric/electronics coast to coast. No internet, No air cond., No refrigerator, No factories to rebuild, No electricity, No telephones... It could take years to recover.

Iran or N. Korea could do it with a skud missile launched from a barge off the coast. Originally Posted by love2fishfork

Yup, he's right.

Do some searches on EMP weapons. A small crude nuke exploded 200,000 feet over the central US could knock out all electric/electronics coast to coast. No internet, No air cond., No refrigerator, No factories to rebuild, No electricity, No telephones... It could take years to recover.

Iran or N. Korea could do it with a skud missile launched from a barge off the coast. Originally Posted by love2fishfork

Everyone should read the book One Second After. It describes this exact situation. It makes you think about how prepared you would actually be. Not a pretty picture.

https://www.amazon.com/Second-After-.../dp/0765356864

Everyone should read the book One Second After. It describes this exact situation. It makes you think about how prepared you would actually be. Not a pretty picture.

https://www.amazon.com/Second-After-.../dp/0765356864 Originally Posted by mojoworkin

An opinion.

Fiction novels are good entertainment and may have a basis in fact, but are not a reliable source of accurate of information.

Do some searches on EMP weapons. A small crude nuke exploded 200,000 feet over the central US could knock out all electric/electronics coast to coast. No internet, No air cond., No refrigerator, No factories to rebuild, No electricity, No telephones... It could take years to recover.

Iran or N. Korea could do it with a skud missile launched from a barge off the coast. Originally Posted by love2fishfork

The results of emp isn't very well studied. The power grid would be hit hard, but smaller devices may not be effected. Many experts think most cars would still run fine for example and it would only effect larger items. Clearly things would get screwed up, but infrastructure could be fixed to limp things along in months . Either way though it is very unlikely in the Midwest because China needs us still and north Korea can't get a warhead here yet.

The results of emp isn't very well studied. The power grid would be hit hard, but smaller devices may not be effected. Many experts think most cars would still run fine for example and it would only effect larger items. Clearly things would get screwed up, but infrastructure could be fixed to limp things along in months . Either way though it is very unlikely in the Midwest because China needs us still and north Korea can't get a warhead here yet. Originally Posted by bigryan2222

Addendum to your comment:

EMP's are not well studied primarily because of the 1963 Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty which prohibits the testing of nuclear weapons in outer space, underwater or in the atmosphere

Nobody's cranking off a missile when you can accomplish pretty much the same thing to somebody's infrastructure with shit like stuxnet.
We did.
https://www.amazon.com/Countdown-Zer.../dp/077043617X

Sorta of already happened in 1859. Not an EMP but solar flares. Took out all telegraph lines in USA, and Europe, shocking telegraph operators. A same size direct hit these days would more or less fry the whole power grid.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_storm_of_1859

Nobody's cranking off a missile when you can accomplish pretty much the same thing to somebody's infrastructure with shit like stuxnet.
We did.
https://www.amazon.com/Countdown-Zer.../dp/077043617X Originally Posted by zeejoe

Another good book but also a fiction novel.

There is also a movie/documentary of by the same name that coincidently came out at about the same.

Can't think of the name of book right now but the author is Ted Koppel.

Pretty good read about what could happen with the electric grid.

The best food for an emergency situation is food you already know and love. Cup o' noodles, instant oatmeal, CLIF bars, jerky, trail mix, fruit cups, instant mashed potatoes, canned tuna or chicken, powdered drink mixes, etc... All are lightweight, inexpensive, and easy to prepare. I can't have commercially produced camping meals because they are full of nitrates and I kind of try to die, so I stick to what I know.