Comfort and Survival Gear

I’m sure I’m well ahead of the curve but there’s always room to learn more.

Maybe the dollar collapses, maybe it doesn’t. One thing is for sure, prices are still going up.
What are things that would come in handy if we get into a Venezuela type of situation. (I doubt it will be exactly like that, but it never hurts to be prepared.)
The other thing is all this extreme weather and blackouts.

I think a lot of us (at least on here) have the basics. A way to cook with fire, water purification, warm clothes.
Tell me something I might not be thinking about. Maybe some of you have lived off grid, in the bush, or actually through a collapse.
What did you wish you would have had, or stocked up on?

I would say something that is probably overlooked is to have plenty of salt and pepper and a variety of seasonings for food. Yes, a person could survive on plain food, but a little seasoning goes a long way to making it more enjoyable. Who says a person has to do without flavor just because it's the end of the world?

a reply to: TrulyColorBlind

and beer. Never forget beer.

originally posted by: TrulyColorBlind
I would say something that is probably overlooked is to have plenty of salt and pepper and a variety of seasonings for food. Yes, a person could survive on plain food, but a little seasoning goes a long way to making it more enjoyable. Who says a person has to do without flavor just because it's the end of the world?

Good tip!
I had read a major mistake of new preppers is lack of seasoning, and also prepping stuff they don't like to eat.
In addition to salt, sugar is something that people in all hard times craved.

a reply to: JAGStorm

lots of a@@ wipein's. remember the so called pandemic? plus leaves and catalogs don't do a adequate job and they suck.

a reply to: TrulyColorBlind
This one here. I have small a spices/kitchen pouch for that, contains oil, vinegar, big glass tubes full of salt, sugar, pepper, smaller glass tubes for chili, curry and whatever else. There is nothing better than to spice up your meals, wherever you are.

And something many people don´t think about is maybe binoculars. It really can be of advantage to see what is in front of you or in your back.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Scented Soap or the knowledge to make soap and essential oils...

On a second thought

Knowledge about the basic craftsmanships will be very high value once Google is gone...
How to turn natural resources into something useful, ropes, leather, paper, metallurgy, and of course chemistry and physics for scented soap

On a third thought, pencil and paper, to be artsy with and to share the knowledge of scented soap

Salt, definitely. I have thought about that. It'd take me a trip of several days to the coast with pack animals to get a good load of salt. Don't care to do that. Sounds dangerous.

Also, tobacco and alcohol for trade. I don't smoke, don't drink. But people who do will consider that stuff to be valuable. Loose tobacco for pipes and rolling might be best. Can be stored in airtight vacuum packages. This will be better than gold or silver for small trades.

Ammunition, too. 22L cartridges, more tha anything, maybe. And maybe 12G or 4.10G shotgun shells.

Speaking of silver for small trades, I think that 1 oz. silver coins are a great idea. People holler about gold, but an ounce of gold is worth several hundred dollars. Hard to exchangre for goods. An ounce of sliver would be much more easily fungible for small exchanges. That is, if people give a rat's a$$ about stuff like silver at that point. I don't look at precious metals as an investment, but rather as a store of fungible wealth.

Aside from the most obivous, that's all I can think of. Maybe beans. Lots of beans.

ETA 1: Simple first aid stuff. l commonly use as a topical treatment a mostly forgotten compound known as Gentian Violet. I find it excellent for treating scratches, scrapes, and small wounds. Hydrogen Peroxide that l apply with a small syringe. The syringe allows for it to be applied directly to the wound with a small amount of pressure, and allows one to use a economically minimal quantity of the solution.


ETA 2: Guitar strnigs. Or whatever instrument you play, if you play one. Seriously, having access to some good entertainment like music would be a big plus!

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a reply to: DerBeobachter

You'll need more than a "big glass tube." I am accumulating kilos of salt. Salt is critical. We use unrefined sea salt for personal consumption as well as livestock. Even for just personal use, you're gonna want a large amount of it.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I understand the concept of stocking stuff you like to eat, but then again l fnid that hunger is the best seasoning. One must balance the desire to eat tasty foods with the need to eat healthy, nutrtious and calorie dense foods.

Even now, we depend on beans for much of our nutrtional intake. We like beans, but we like to have them seasoned up. When bacon, sausage, chorizo, spices, etc. get scarce, plain ol' beans with a pinch of salt are still nutritious. And when you are hungry, they taste damn good!

Keep that in mind. When supplies are low and the supply chain is either temporarily or permanantly in a state of dysfunction, one will at some point lose the inclination to be picky and will eat to survive. Or that person will die.

I would recommend against scented soaps and have a good stash of scent eliminator soaps like those that are used for hunting.
Also clothing detergent without brighteners and NIR Compliant Camouflage to evade night vision
Lots of wet wipes if you will be going into the woods for days

originally posted by: BernnieJGato
a reply to: JAGStorm

lots of a@@ wipein's. remember the so called pandemic? plus leaves and catalogs don't do a adequate job and they suck.

If I have to choose, due to space or money, between food and toilet paper, I'm going with food. If you ain't eating, you won't need toilet paper, anyway.

Out at the ranch, I regularly use corn cobs and finish up with bung roll or some other kind of paper, perhaps with a bit of water if it's at hand. I've used leaves, sticks and rocks. But, then, perhaps I've not lived a typical western lifestyle.

Humanity has only had nicely scented rolls of pretty white paper to wipe our bung holes for less than 200 years. Before that, we all got along just fine otherwise and can do it again if necessary. My priorty is more focused on what goes into than what comes out of.

ETA: I stumbled upon a forum discussion once (don't remember where) that was initiated with the question of what people would stock up on if they new that supply chains would collapse tomorrow. I was shocked by how many people said TOILET PAPER!!!!!

Seriously? That's what matters most to so many. Like I said, if you didn't stock up on nutrous, calorie dense food, you will not need toilet paper. If you ain't eatin', you ain't poopin'. And you can't make a soup out of toilet paper.
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a reply to: DerBeobachter

And something many people don´t think about is maybe binoculars.

That is an excellent suggestion!

a reply to: incoserv

ETA: I stumbled upon a forum discussion once (don't remember where) that was initiated with the question of what people would stock up on if they new that supply chains would collapse tomorrow. I was shocked by how many people said TOILET PAPER!!!!!

That's because many people have no clue what it means to live outside the US, let alone their state.

That's exactly what I'm talking about, we are so used to our comforts we forget how bad things can get quick.
Both my parents grew up with lack of electricity, food and basics so I learned a lot from them. Even so I am totally guilty of living a very cushy life and I know there are things I'm not thinking of.

The reality is that is may not matter if people are forced to leave their homes...

a reply to: incoserv

ETA 2: Guitar strnigs. Or whatever instrument you play, if you play one. Seriously, having access to some good entertainment like music would be a big plus!

This is something I read about. If we have extended periods without electricity bordom sets in quickly.

Learning to forrage on local edible wild plants is a must. We get many where I live. Soon, we'll have pigweed sprouting everywhere. Young, tender pigweed makes and incredibly tasty pot of greens. Ranchers and farmers hate it, spray it, kill it. Here, we eat it! You can even find wild edible plants in an urban area if you know how and where to look.

I'm blessed to live in an area where there is edible stuff growing in the wild almost all year round. The selection may not be to one's culinary delight, but it beats all hell out of starvation.

Really, more than any materal goods, knowledge is the most valuable resource that you can accumulate now. In an extended emergency, supplies may run out. Knowledge accumulated from both study and experience will never leave you, but will serve you in most any situation in which you may find yourself!

Learn now while you don't need to.
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Chili powder, garlic powder, tabasco sauce, olive oil, black pepper, vodka, pga, wine. Wool blankets, fishing gear, casting net, plastic tarps. A couple of good knifes, a good axe, the weapons of your choice.

A small still would be nice. You can always barter if you have alcohol.

Some kind of powdered drink mixes. Stored water, or filtered water, gets ‘flat’, could even get funky. Some kind of flavoring will make it more palatable! Powdered will last longer than liquid, which could freeze, depending on where you are.

A big tub, or tote & a plunger to wash clothes by hand. Clothesline. If you have some way to wring it out, that saves your wrists too. Some people plan on using the scrub buckets that have the wringers.

Tarps. For possible storm damage. To keep things out of sight. Block off a room to keep it warmer. Cover firewood. So many possible uses!

WOQ

a reply to: JAGStorm

Excellent thread JAG.

I will likely add other things as I think of them. Right off the top of my head, my Bride and me brought three #10 cans of heirloom seeds with us 30 years ago when we moved from the U.S. to the Caribbean. We are always working from one can and ordering others. We opened the first can 15 years after we moved here, and all the seeds were viable. I have no relationship with readymaderesources, other than that of a well-satisfied customer.

We haven't had to buy cucumbers or tomatoes for six months thanks to my Mother, who apparently even grows things in her sleep. She has always had a garden, and I've made her a plethora of screened-in raised beds. We get the #10 cans of Heirloom seeds from ReadyMadeResources. I'm sure there are other places. The open-pollinated seeds reproduce from the plants exactly like the previous fruit/vegetable.

From a different source, I am still trying to get Arabica coffee to grow. It's a process. Scarify the seeds, then put them in a peat pot next to the TV controller, so you can watch them dilligently for the next six months.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Guitar strings also great for animal snares in the wild. NOT good for domestic traps where your own animals might get snared.

We have a lot of feral chickens around us, so I've made several chicken traps. They are tasty, with no antibiotics and no growth hormone. No fat also, just pure chickeny goodness.

Along those lines, fishhooks and line, fasteners, sinkers, bobbers, yoyo handline, etc.