Musings on Survivalism

LOL, ExMislTech! I don't know why people assume Okies are idiots. Connie Cheung got an education when she made her condescending little remarks after the Murrah Building incident. I've been all over this country but there's no place like home. All the best people (such as yourself) are here. (I'm pulling your leg, saltdog)

Very good points you made there too.

@alreadygone:
"deep fried braveheart". I love it!

Thanks to all for the contributions. Sounds like there are some quality folk out there already living the life and doing what's necessary for the days ahead.

Best of luck to us all.

[edit on 31-7-2010 by whitewave]

Whitewave,

You win this years
Nobel Survival Award,
and if there isn't one their
then ought to be. Yes, the #1
rule of survival "Maintain a positive
attitude. We can get through this, we
will live." You nailed it in your OP straight
off, and then your follow through is just rich
with that real experience, I've actually seen this, vibe.


David Grouchy


[edit on 31-7-2010 by davidgrouchy]

reply to post by davidgrouchy


Why, thank you sir.

*Obama bow*

Just got back from a summer of roughing it.

Thistles, Briar Patches, and Hawthorn trees around a retreat will discourage any casual visitor from investigating much farther. If you've got the time, my advice is to start planting them soon! The best camo is nature herself. Drop nets can be put over campsites and similarly camoflauged, with holes cut to allow light to filter in on gardens. If 90% of a shelter is underground, then you have a winsome survival nest. Make sure cover is thick enough to prevent IR traces. Junkpiles will attract attention, especially for survivors seeking building materials. It's far better to cover your tracks and make a site look as natural as possible.

I think alot of guys are walter mitty types- they escape the tedium with visions
of being a mad max character.. beats visions of the road type character, which is
a more likely scenario. no tina turner? dang..
i dont think i'll need half a dozen guns and 1000's of rds..a simple old shotgun
should do. i did get 100 rds of buckshot. i did stockpile some rice beans oats nuts
honey and some canned goods etc. i visit goodwill alot and have found useful gear
there for cheap..so- nothing elaborate -but the boy scout in me feels better.
i've lived in the snow and cold- the desert- jungle- not in the best shape at
55, i got hit with shingles and nerve damage-fibromyalgia-
which will certainly challenge your will to live. i dont think
dyin is such a terrible thing. i'm kinda just sticking around out of curiosity.





[edit on 20-8-2010 by p51mustang]

reply to post by Northwarden


Good point about the prickly perimeters. I've mentioned that in other threads and it just seems common sense and self-evident to me to build or plant a natural looking security system.

Nettles are effective and a good herbal as well. Makes a lovely smell and a delightful tea that is good for you. MUCH care is required to reap the benefits of them though as they just seem to reach out and bite you even if you're being careful.

They're an excellent perimeter. Unless, of course, there's a forest fire.



p51mustang:
Glad you're sticking around for a while. We need teachers too. And some stable personalities to balance out the mad max types.

[edit on 23-8-2010 by whitewave]

Love your take on things, whitewave. And your writing.
It's just reinforced a conclusion I've been coming to.
I realised there are a ton of things I don't know how to do, including bushcraft.
So I plan to remedy that.
Knowledge is the one thing we can always take with us.
Knowledge could make you a valuable commodity to others - even if you are not 100% fit and somewhat past your sell by date
And yes, that knowledge (and mindset) needs to be passed to the kids too.

Great thread! I totally agree with your philosophy, and you gave me a few more things to think about as I wander down this path of preparedness. I especially appreciate that you and the others participating in this thread are attempting to provide sound advice, and not talking about how many guns and how much ammunition they have. I have nothing against guns and ammunition (I have plenty myself), but being well armed does not mean you are going to survive anything. Thanks again to all of you.

reply to post by Mannie159


There are a lot of survival situations that you just CAN'T shoot your way out of. Floods, hurricanes, mud slides, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc. Other people are the real threat in most survival situations and you might need guns to survive encounters with them but guns probably won't help much when you're being swept down a raging torrent of water sweeping over your neighborhood.

I know quite a few people who are already away from their fellow man and they still have to deal with survival issues. Some require firearms, other don't. Right tool for the right job, imho.

Awesome thread.
I've said many of the same things in many of my posts, just not as in depth.

I did a thread a while back in which I implied similar sentiments, Thread

but your points are dead on.

I feel that most "survivalists" haven't really considered the reality of all the things that can go wrong when/if the worst were to happen.
More than likely, imo, the "worst" won't happen, but milder versions of SHTF happen all the time, winter storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, power outages, etc.

Like Wildbob said, in the event of SHTF, my primary plan is to stay home, and live relatively the same life I lived the day before.

reply to post by tovenar


I think that you came pretty close to describing me, do-it-yourself-er, subtype flannel dad.
Let's see:

No camo or weapons, but usually more than 2 children present.

Check, except the more than 2 kids.

In the home, look for "decor" such as lanterns, as well as "tools" in bathrooms and cellars that include crank flashlights and radios, crowbars and small shovels, camps saws, etc.

Check, having tools and emergency equipment in the cellar is a bad thing?

Check for modified fireplaces, complex backyard grills and "camping equipment" that seems to be in near constant use.

No complex grill, but yes, I modified my fireplace to serve as a wood burning stove. Keeps us all quite toasty when the temperature outside begins with "minus". My sons and I do quite a bit of camping, also.

Large gardens with composters, large woodpiles, and a busy kitchens are other halmarks. Also, note the frequency of homemade gifts, especially canned or baked goods, given at social occasions.

Garden? Check. Woodpile? Well, what do you think I'd be burning in my stove? I'm proud to say I have well over 15 cord of oak and maple stacked, thank you.

On another note, I don't believe I have ever given canned or baked goods for a social occasion.
I have given them to family, friends, and neighbors for the heck of it, and they have given plenty to me as well. The old lady down the street pays me in canned preserves and warm biscuits every time I plow her snow, and they're delicious!
For what it's worth, she's a mean old bitty, and yells at you as you're doing her snow, however, between myself and a few other guys, she hasn't lifted a shovel in years.
Do many people like her? That's immaterial. She still needs to get down her driveway, get to market.
And the community all chips in to make she she can do just that.

Vehicles usually have "tools" and "travel" bags that have obviously been in the vehicle for a long time.

Duh! You ever seen a northern winter? This is right off of the Wisconsin DMV site. Survival kit for auto

Lots of flannel and workboots, with "hobbies" like hunting, fishing and gardening that markeably reduce grocery bills.

Flannel is tremendously warm, and durable.
Those are my hobbies because the finest dining and hottest nightclub scene is far, far, away.
I can hunt and fish out my back door.

Hunting may be done with a bow

Or rifle. Or Shotgun.
What would you suggest for hunting?

Probably has guns in the trunk or behind the pickup seat,

See above.

Often sells firewood by roadside on weekends.

My wood has more value to me in the back, however, being unemployed, I have considered it.
Do you know what 15-18 cord (not face cord, but full cord) of seasoned, split oak and maple is worth?

They often look like hippies, but have center-right politics.

My hair is getting a bit long, and I haven't shaved for a while, so, check.
Politics? That's my business.

You have just described, give or take, every male in my community.

I didn't realize I was country folk, til now.

I just realized this an older thread. No idea how I missed it. Again, great thread.

Thanks oaktree. I think most survivalists tend toward the more self-reliant lifestyles. As such, it tends to give us a certain "look" (longer hair, more casual/flannel apparel, etc.). The look goes with the daily activities of canning, hunting, fixing your own car, and all the other self-reliant activities survivalists lean toward. Lots of books, lots of tools, lots of bailing wire and stuff that "might come in handy someday".

To be honest, at this point, I'd probably go live with a family friend on his ranch. I'd be more than willing to help out and do my share of chores to survive, and he's probably more prepared (just as a necessity from living rurally) than anyone I can think of. The wife and I could help around the ranch with the livestock, etc. (and with defense, of course).

He's even got a bunkhouse and a saloon he built, so we'd probably have a little commune going, for mutual benefit and protection.

reply to post by Gazrok



Those kinds of situations are ideal if you can get them. If I had such an option, Gazrock, I'd be there already.
As ExMislTech says, "Good luck to all of the good people".

reply to post by Oaktree

Oaktree, I give you a and a star for shoveling that old lady out!

When it comes to post-apocalyptic buying I've always opted for both "survival" and "make-do" modes. I have bugout supplies that are essentials for survival mode primarily AND self-sustaining supplies for "reduced means" living. No one can say for sure which mode we are likely to encounter but my best guess (personal opinion only here) is that we will initially and gradually have fewer resources available to us as we spiral further into recession. Like Argentina. People will probably behave themselves for a while until they realize that they just can't get what they need anymore and then it will turn ugly leading to survival mode.

Already houses of the well-to-do are being burned in Cape Cod (heard on Glen Beck this morning) by those less wealthy. A class warfare is beginning and it will progress until anyone who doesn't look anorexic will be considered "too well fed" and worthy of robbing/killing.

I stock up on supplies that will help with self-reliance (canning goods, food seeds, etc.) but the trick will be to recognize when it's time to leave all those things behind and save yourself. As a female I don't kid myself into believing that women's lib will survive for even 15 minutes were we to go into survival mode. Women will become property and old women will become useless/expendable. I don't plan on becoming cannon fodder and so I learn as much as I can and train myself in as many survival techniques as I can in order to possibly barter knowledge for food and shelter.

People these days don't know how to do anything and expect all their wants and needs to just drop into their outstretched hands. When that doesn't occur and they begin to kill one another for resources, those that know how to produce more of anything will become valued. I don't expect we will be valued as long as there are still resources to rob-hence the need for survival mode until they do become ready.

Security is paramount. Without the means to protect what you have then you're just stocking up now for those who refuse to stock up and will later take from you all that you failed to secure.

Nice thread by the OP. There is one thing that I would add however. It is true that survival is difficult and the land isn't always so generous as to live off of it easily. However, indiginous people did just that. I began reading and trying some of the methods of indiginous peoples food obtaining a preparation methods a few years ago. It is very suprising how much the land actually does offer. Some of the things are very simple, like using soaked acorns (white oaks preferrably) ground into flour or roasted, and others are a bit more energy consuming, like digging up a burdock root, stripping it, and making "burdock mashed taters". Probably, as far as food goes, knowledge of local flora, and knowledge of preservation and preparation methods is just as important as stocking up on beans and rice. Many of the same principles can be applied to medicine and other facets of everyday life. Native americans lived here thousands of years ago and though it was certainly difficult, it wasn't impossible.

Good point, trouthash. Another point about the indigenous peoples and how they lived is that there were herds of buffalo plentiful enough that hunting could be done by stampeding them off a cliff and just smoke-preserving what you wanted, leaving the rest to rot. That is no longer an option.

They also had small tribes which were groups of close-knit people (usually mostly blood relatives) and raised in a subsistence lifestyle. Our generation has been raised in front of a digital screen (playstation, computer, tv), drinking swill and eating pretzels. We don't know who our next door neighbors are and we have few skills that would serve us well in a survival situation.

Yes, it all CAN be done but fortune favors the properly prepared. Skills, knowledge and experience are what anyone professing to be a survivalist should strive for. Also, if you know a particular wild edible grows in your area, try to order some of those heirloom seeds for storage. There are non-GMO wild weeds and edibles available online. (Mountainroseherbs comes to mind).