Food For Thought

[KAW77]

How much have you spent on guns, ammo, food, etc?

What’s my point?
I have read countless threads here and elsewhere of how much and many thousands of dollars have been spent by survivalists on the above, yet want to know how they can cheap by on their POTENTIALLY replacement shelter and sleep system. If you don’t have proper shelter and sleeping system(s) you will die regardless of how many guns and rounds you have.

Buy a NAME brand sleeping bag, and tent from any retailer who sells them.
I purchased a Marmot bag for $89 on a year end sale.
I purchased a Eureka 3 season tent for 2-3 people for $59
I have used Campmor, Massey Professional Outfitters. Sierra Trading Post, retailers among many
Do a Google search and then use their Froogle tool for pricing items

Wenger and Kmart , Walmart, White Stag brands are dollar burners, they will not hold up or protect you short or long term.
Try looking at Backpacker.com sometime for quality equipment names and reviews, wait for the current season to end and THEN buy on closeout.

[Txanne]

No amount of dollars spent will save you unless you provide enough water.

I found a Surplus store in Huntsville Tx that had Navy blankets---a bit pricy--but wool has a qulity of warmth you wont get with the [[ pretty blankets from discount stores.

Winter dehydration from trying to keep warm is as dangerous as summer heat---if not more so---it creeps up on your.

I also went to the mens dept in sporting goods and bought the haevy duty socks--pricey--7.00 a pair----keeping my feet dry and warm--became a priority---I worked out doors---in the winter.

annie

[Old_Dog]

This is not something I do in preparation for some impending disaster. I’ve been hunting, fishing, and camping all my life, and have accumulated everything I need over a lifetime. Sleeping bags, tents, camp kitchen, guns, fishing tackle, etc, etc. I already have it all, and it is time tested.

[the_grizz]

I agree you can only have so much stuff and 1 person can only carry so much stuff. Read soldiers load and the mobility of a nation.and you get what you pay for but you need to know how to use what you have. jmho

[Farmer]

Yep.

I have a North Face tent. A K-Bar knife. Kimber pistols. S&W AR15.

Good tools are expensive, but having bought cheap tools in the past, I quickly came to the realization that you can't save money when you have to buy things twice.

When you're evaluating what to buy, try to think "multi-purpose" along with "small and lightweight." This almost guarantees that you won't be able to afford what you want, but at least you're heading in the right direction.

What I did was put together my "kit" with whatever I could afford. As money has become available from time to time (birthdays, holidays, bonuses etc) I've gradually replaced bukier less efficient items with more expensive stuff.

The North Face tent was moderately expensive, and moderately heavy for a long carry. I've since bought a SilTarp which, along with some paracord, can serve very well as a shelter.

My first camp stove was a folding unit that uses a candle. The unit folds flat, but is fairly heavy and the 120-hour candle is bulky. I've since bought an Esbit "Tommy stove" which is small and lightweight and uses fuel tabs that are small and easy to carry.

Make a list of what you want to have in your kit. Assemble as much of it as you can without spending too much money. Once you put it all together and see how heavy and bulky it is, you can start replacing the biggest or heaviest items with smaller and lighter (and probably more expensive) stuff.

Even if you don't have the "ideal" kit, at least you HAVE a kit - which puts you leagues ahead of most people.

[Weezin]

Dont really think of money spent, its how we live.
A hand built log home at the end of road, in the Kenai penninsula of Alaska.
Our water comes from our own well, our camp stove is a 4 burner + oven ,propane with 150 gals
of fuel.
Down the road, about 10 minutes by foot is a great salmon creek. When the fish are in about an hour with a dipnet will keep us and several other families in salmon for a year.
A moose or two wandering up our driveway will provide us with red meat for a long time.
Yes, we garden and raise chickens. Keep a large pantry.
Guess we buged out a very long time ago and just call it home.......
.................................Dennis........... ....

[wax]

KAW- If you don’t have proper shelter and sleeping system(s) you will die regardless of how many guns and rounds you have.

Wax- Wow!
I don't want to single you out because I have heard this sort of comment from literally hundreds of people.
I am usually confused by it, as if the person in question is talking about a completely different subject than I am... and there might be a grain of truth in that.

But how to address it properly... ?

OK folks, here it goes:

It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from on planet Earth, if you are a human being your ancestors survived (not for a day or two but for a lifetime) without stores! They couldn't go down to KMart and buy a sleeping bag and yet they survived.

"Proper shelter and sleeping system" might be something you can go out and purchase in today's world but what you are buying is only a mechanism to make the object of your desure easier.
Knowledge beats a name brand sleeping bag any day!

I have stayed in manufactured tents, but I have also constructed my own out of materials at hand which put those expensive items to shame.
Getting out of the elements is about as elemental as one can get!
And man has a proven track record concerning such skills.
There is no environment on Earth in which we can not only survive but actually thrive on our wits alone and resources at hand.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with thinking about what you would like to have, but pretending that you would have no choice but to die without it is defeating the whole purpose of survivalism.

My father (and those who have read my story already have an understanding concerning that) often tested us. I could be placed anywhere on Earth in whatever clothes I might be wearing at the time and survive.
Why?... because I will not lay down and die.
I would like a good knife, but know how to flintnap if required.
I would like a nice Zippo lighter please... but a hardwood branch and a piece of cedar will get me by I guess.

A Mermot sleeping bag and a three season tent would be nice I guess... but pretty low on my list!
Give me a good blade and a shotgun with a handful of shells and I don't really need to ever see another human being as long as I live!
Give me a woman to stand beside me and I can restart mankind itself.

Now again, don't get me wrong, I am not bragging in any way. All of the readers here have at least a basic understanding of the skills required to survive off the land.
But what is sometimes forgotten is what you don't need.
Surviving is the hardest easy thing you will ever be forced to do.

[JAK]

Fair enough.
Newfoundland and Labrador might be a rough picnic though.
But I would sooner take my chances there than any city.

How many people think about mobility?
Being able to migrate would be handy.

[wax]

Jak- How many people think about mobility?
Being able to migrate would be handy.

Wax- Yes, this is extremely important!

I would say that I am better prepared (capable) than most to defend my current position from most expected forces after a SHTF scenerio.
I could retain my resources (with extreme prejudice) from even the largest "mob" force.

In theory, I could even defend my position from a modern police force.

I wouldn't hold for long against an organized military unit with resources.
I can negate small arms but mortors and modern artillery (while defenses could be placed) would eventually force me to relocate.

We currently have a layered approach to such an event.

We are in Southern Minnesota.
So our fallback originates here and follows a known path.

As in all things I can not be too specific but the reader can get the idea.
We have reserved secure places and resources in the following manner.
South Dakota (in the area of Leads and Deadwood)
Kansas (Riley County area)
Nevada (Elko area then down to Esmerelda County)
Belize... and don't even try it unless you have been there and secured support!

If such a contingency plan is ever required to be undertaken our situation will be better than most but highly undesirable!
We have driven the route and estimated requirements.
The fact is we would be forced to become the very thing we despise... prepared to do it of course but... well...

We would be moving fast and forced to act with extreme prejudice.
Our convoy would require at least two transport vehicles which of course requires at least two defensive and two force projection support vehicles.
It wouldn't be pretty to say the least!

[AlchemyAcres]

How many people think about mobility?
Being able to migrate would be handy.

A major part of my plan includes mobility....I just don't think it's a good idea to make ones self a target by hunkering down and trying to defend a few acres and some veggies or whatever from a buncha raving starving lunatic people...doesn't sound sensible at all.....I also don't think it's at all sensible to expect to cover many miles to escape...and the 500 to 1,000 bridges (or whatever) between here and there....which may or may not be there....C'mon that's just plan crazy to assume the route will be open...but i certainly do expect....when things get bad ...they'll get bad quickly and totally!!!! *I'll abscond to the local *areas I know...where others won't easily survive...making myself much less of a target!.


~Martin

[Kat]

I think the most important things you need to survive are good hiking boots and a good backpack that fits you properly. Also weather appropriate clothing. I just recently spent 9 months homeless and was usually out on the streets for about 17 hours a day. I had a locker I could access at night, but all day I lived out of my pack. I learned what I needed to survive outdoors for long periods of time.

If you have snow pants, boots, lined leather gloves, and a decent jacket, and a rain cape, you can sit outside in a blizzard. I often had to take my jacket off when walking in blizzards, because I got too hot under the rain cape.

In the summer I needed a bandana to keep wet on my head. Also a water bottle to keep my clothes and the bandana wet.

Wear your socks inside out. The ankle support of boots is a must even in summer.

Make sure your pants are baggy and do not chafe. Drawstring pants are best especially if your weight is not stable. Tight pants make each step more work as they offer resistance at the hip. I like my black paratrooper pants from the army/navy store best, but top quality black sweats are good too except they don't have pockets. Do not mess around with cheap sweats. They often have seams sewn with cheap threads and they chafe. Blue jeans are heavy and restricting when wet. Cotton/synthetic blends are best. They dry faster.

A smart phone is a wonderful device when systems are up. TV news, e-mail, google maps. You can recharge in some amazing places. Check street lamps and the outside of buildings. The hallways of malls often have plugs.

[Spikejerk]

After knowledge, good gear is the best insurance you can have. +1 to all the folks recommending quality gear. If you're not in a hurry for a particular item, I've found that it helps to check the following sites for deals: REI-outlet.com, Sierratradingpost.com, Sportsmansguide.com. I'm an avid camper and backpacker and I don't know how many thousands of dollars I've saved over the years on quality products. Some amazing stuff turns up on these sites. Heck, I'm just killing time right now before I run down to my local REI for the yearly clearance sale.