|
I have a charging cord in my car, and the radio I bought lets you connect it to your phone to charge it (20min of winding = ~10min of phone or something lol)
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2018 09:36
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 5, 2024 13:23 |
|
|
Coasterphreak posted:What I don't understand is why people never seem to have a spare phone charger and/or a cheap prepaid dumbphone as part of their kit. I realize the assumption is that in a true emergency cellular services will be disrupted for a time, but when you get stuck in the middle of a winter storm on your way home from work your best survival technique may well be to pick up the phone and call for help before you freeze to death. True - people seem to be fixated on an end of the world scenario, rather then the more likely one. I usually carry a small powerbank in my bag wherever I go - though that is more likely for making emergency dinner reservations than calling for help.
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2018 10:04
|
|
|
An old-fashioned landline that operates without power is worth many folding shovels. When a hurricane knocked power out in our city for a few days my partner and I ended up hiking to his parents place 20 blocks away to use the landline and arrange accommodation with power and running water. Cellphone service tends to go down in disasters.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2018 00:56
|
|
|
BarbarianElephant posted:An old-fashioned landline that operates without power is worth many folding shovels. When a hurricane knocked power out in our city for a few days my partner and I ended up hiking to his parents place 20 blocks away to use the landline and arrange accommodation with power and running water. Cellphone service tends to go down in disasters. True. But there's still another step you can take, if you want to keep communication even in the worst disasters: get your ham radio license and a battery-powered rig. Hams will keep talking even as the world comes to an end.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2018 03:07
|
|
|
Why get a license if the world comes to the end. Just toss it in attic. I guess to learn how to operate it?
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2018 07:34
|
|
|
It's kinda funny that in the USA you need a license to be a radio ham, but you can have as many guns as you like, no questions asked.
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2018 18:16
|
|
|
Milo and POTUS posted:Why get a license if the world comes to the end. Just toss it in attic. I guess to learn how to operate it? Even if disaster preparations were only useful in an actual apocalypse and not in lesser emergencies (earthquake, evacuation, whatever), there'd still be a good reason to follow things like licensing rules: the world hasn't ended yet and you really want to get some practice at using your equipment now, before your life depends on it. And it wouldn't do you any good to have the FCC come down on you for your unlicensed ham radio experimentation. "Under duress" is the worst possible situation to be trying to figure something out for the first time. That's true whether it's working a radio, building a fire, or field-stripping and reassembling a rifle. You might be completely stumped by something simple that you could find out in a ten-second google search, if only you'd thought to do it before the bombs fell and the Internet became a fond memory. That means practicing now, while society is functioning, but that means that regulatory agencies are still functioning too. (To be clear, no, I'm not expecting society to collapse anytime soon. But the point stands even for tiny little emergencies like a flat tire. If you'd never practiced changing a wheel, you wouldn't have known if you'd need a cheater bar to get the lugnuts off, and you'd be kind of screwed sitting there on the side of the road without one.)
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2018 18:57
|
|
|
I recently read a neat article suggesting that you make your bugout bag double as a camping/hiking bag. It's a good way to practice using the stuff in your bag, a way to get a feel for what you need and don't need, and it helps you change out the food supplies regularly. With that in mind, I'm keeping my hiking backpack packed and ready, mostly in case I feel like going for a hike on a whim, but also as a bugout. My kit consists of a sleeping bag, a hammock (with tarp, underquilt and mosquito netting), a little propane stove with a kettle, a litre bottle of water, a small packet of chlorine tablets, a collapsible water tank, a handful of granola bars, six packs of freeze dried meals, a set of woolen underwear and extra socks, a light raincoat, matches, a lighter and a firestick, a flashlight, a multitool, a small first aid kit and a length of paracord. A lot of the stuff is used regularly while hiking, while a bunch of it is more for emergencies, like the food and the chlorine. The paracord actually came in really handy last year, when my boot soles pretty much disintegrated one day into a four day hike through the mountains, and I had to tie the entire boot together on my foot. Edit: also, I have a bunch of silly "survivalist stuff" that I have picked up here and there, and that I judge light enough not to be an inconvenience; a wire saw, a set of lockpicks (they're legal to carry here), a mylar blanket and so forth. Next I want to put in a water purification thingy, and maybe a camelbak of something. Also, I tend to stick a pocket book in there. Probably there should be some more water, but I figure that there is enough water everywhere I can conceivably walk from here, as long as I have a way to purify it, so I've not made it a priority. prophet45 fucked around with this message at 01:53 on Jul 13, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2018 01:44
|
|
|
As someone who grew up in the 70s and 80s and went through a serious survivalist phase, I've come to realize that the fears and scenarios these preparations are usually based on are narrow and implausible. The compelling logic of "it's better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it" is actually not particularly reflective of real survival situations. If you read about real situations in which people have overcome major challenges that threatened their lives, most of the time those people have almost nothing, and their determination to live and get home is what helped the most. The outdoorsmen I have met and respect the most are the least dependent on gear, and can make do with almost anything. That's not to say that having things doesn't make it easier, but we shouldn't obsess too much about not being prepared if we don't have the most tactical mylar blankets. It is our attitude that is the most important. If long term survival is a high priority, move to a small community and learn how to grow food, learn to live on a modest income, and buy less stuff. Don't plan to become a refugee as you flee to 'the woods' along with everyone else who didn't have a good plan. If you live in a city, stop watching venezuelan riots on CNN and realize that in bad disasters people actually tend to pull together. For every Katrina horror story, there were 500 stories of communities coming together to assist and rebuild. These stories never hit the news because they're not sexy and dangerous. Get to know your neighbors in a positive way and be a helpful neighbor yourself. Store supplies and gear, but with the purpose of not being a drain on the emergency systems and having the ability to assist others in need. Be able to defend yourself and others, but sometimes a smile and a helping hand is all it takes. Other advice ITT is good, if you are building an emergency bag. Camp with it many times: try to camp with as little as possible, camp with everything you can think of. Try it for yourself and see what works for you.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2018 22:14
|
|
|
So, I have recently switched from acidentally prepping (by maintaining a travel emergency kit, emergency travel kit and buying staples in bulk) to actually planning for some plausible disasters. Buying just an emergency radio, a gas cooker and a bit of extra stored water now has me prepped for a 2 week utilities failure which is the local government recommendation. They actually state that there should be enough margin in this that you should share with your less prepared neighbors. One thing I thought about was, that I would be using my pressure cooker to cook most of my food. The fuel and water saving should make it optimal, especially when you don't have to transport it. I am quite confused as to why pressure cooker don't gain more attention with the prepper community. Is it just because of the unrealistic focus on bugging out on foot, or are there other reasons? If I ever decided to seriously prepare to bug out on my own power, the first thing I would buy is probably a good bicycle. There are no places in my region, that are reachable withing 3 days of walking, that can't be reached with half a day of cycling plus half a day of walking. Even if I moved to a place where cycling might be not optimal, I still would invest in a more specialized conveyance, like skies or a boat. Is that just the American hatred of bicycles at play, or are there some good reasons to ignore those? Both bicycles and pressure cookers are not harder to maintain then guns, and the replacement parts are no harder to store or produce then cartridges. So it can't be a maintenance problem.
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2018 11:43
|
|
|
Bikes are for kids and hippy liberals in america. That's basically it.
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2018 13:22
|
|
|
tonberrytoby posted:**** The real answer probably is you don't see peddle bikes in zombie movies... but more seriously, I suppose the big advantage of cars are that they double as shelter (for weather preppers) and you're less vulnerable in them (for civil unrest preppers). And maybe the assumption that you'll be able to find/steal a bike easier than to find/steal car. I also suppose most people focusing on foot travel are the 3rd group, death camp preppers e.g., people who take the whole 'Trump is litteraly Hitler' stuff seriously. They'll need to assume the roads are monitored/patrolled. Just guesses... gaj70 fucked around with this message at 17:44 on Aug 16, 2018 |
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2018 16:30
|
|
|
I think bikes are definitely a good idea to have around and would even seem to appeal to Doomsday Preppers because they're silent and easy to hide, but I don't think they typical crowd that preps is partial to bicycles. Re: Trump/Hitler, I cannot believe how his presidency hasn't gotten some preppers geared up, considering how many people seemed to get into some extreme stuff under the belief that Obama was about to turn fascist any second now
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2018 02:46
|
|
|
two candles, a buttplug and a can of mace
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2018 08:50
|
|
|
Professor Shark posted:Re: Trump/Hitler, I cannot believe how his presidency hasn't gotten some preppers geared up, considering how many people seemed to get into some extreme stuff under the belief that Obama was about to turn fascist any second now This really surprises you?
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2018 08:53
|
|
|
Professor Shark posted:Re: Trump/Hitler, I cannot believe how his presidency hasn't gotten some preppers geared up, considering how many people seemed to get into some extreme stuff under the belief that Obama was about to turn fascist any second now For all Trump's (many MANY) faults, he has yet to say anything that drives up the price of ammo. (Obama, in addition to simply being a Democrat, occasionally said things like "mass shootings are bad", which resulted in ammo price spikes because the Kenyan Muslim was about to blah blah BAN something something HILLARY something TAKE YOUR GUNS.) It's really as simple as that. I say this as a quasi-prepper and a gun owner. gently caress, I've even gone on a three-day mock-bugout camping/hiking trip that we all pretended was a rehearsal for an evacuation. The only thing I ever heard my fellow campers complain about re:Obama was his anti-gun sentiment. In every other respect (e.g. gay people) they were perfectly sophisticated suburbanites. There's a very stong sentiment (one I share) to think of guns just like computers -- you can get the parts and build whatever you want, but until you actually harm someone in an illegal way, there's nothing to complain about.
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2018 10:27
|
|
|
Professor Shark posted:Re: Trump/Hitler, I cannot believe how his presidency hasn't gotten some preppers geared up, considering how many people seemed to get into some extreme stuff under the belief that Obama was about to turn fascist any second now The deep-left (the Trump is literally Hitler crowd) are the occupy wall street types. They're the ones waiting for FEMA to come by in a fan boat after being warned to leave before the flooding starts. They don't have an extra can of tuna in the fridge to eat lunch tomorrow if for some reason the grocery store has to open a few hours late.
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2018 08:01
|
|
|
I'm pretty left leaning, especially by American standards, but yeah I understand that most Preppers are pretty far right Anyway, here is a really dumb Zombie Apocalypse Bike:  I think that if you stripped it of the dumb crossbow, bone saw (?), and tomahawk that it could actually be pretty useful. Here is the less dumb version:  Light, doesn't need fuel to function, and has enough room to store a bag.
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2018 19:03
|
|
|
Bikes require well-maintained, smooth roads to be useful. They also require replacement tires and parts. Great if the "apocalypse" is hyper-inflation or running out of fuel reserves. Not so great with the destruction of civilization.
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2018 19:52
|
|
|
photomikey posted:I don't think I'm going to phrase this right, but basically it goes the other direction. The preppers are deep right wing folks. So when the deep right wing guy takes power, prepper-ism doesn't increase because the prepper base is at ease. I agree with both of these statements. I've lurked on some survivalist boards over the years and it was all "that drat muslim" and "I only vote republican" and whatever else. I personally am political party fluid. But never the less, I'm interested in this survival stuff, just because I always have been. Ironically enough, I haven't really lurked on any of those boards since just before the 2016 election........
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2018 20:29
|
|
|
BarbarianElephant posted:Bikes require well-maintained, smooth roads to be useful. They also require replacement tires and parts. Great if the "apocalypse" is hyper-inflation or running out of fuel reserves. Not so great with the destruction of civilization. I think it's more of an emergency thing, not a long term solution to an actual apocalypse.
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2018 20:32
|
|
|
Professor Shark posted:
Without fuel, it's a bicycle that weighs 132 pounds and looks uncomfortable as hell to ride. Just look at the bowlegged stance you need to pedal this thing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRJi-8tIdOQ&t=30s (It doesn't help that the guy has his seat about four inches too low. He's looking at knee injuries if he keeps that up.)
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2018 21:00
|
|
|
lol poo poo that looks terrible I guess a regular mountain bike would be better
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2018 21:14
|
|
|
the only useful bike is a donkey
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2018 02:00
|
|
|
BarbarianElephant posted:Bikes require well-maintained, smooth roads to be useful. They also require replacement tires and parts. Great if the "apocalypse" is hyper-inflation or running out of fuel reserves. Not so great with the destruction of civilization. There is a book I love, "the jungle is neutral", which are the memoirs of a British commando operating in Malaysia during the second world war. One of the greatest passages details how he and a few comrades would try to get to the coast by bike on badly maintained jungle roads at night. Certainly there were some hiccups, and at one point he and two others were engaged in a firefight with s Japanese patrol while the last guy was changing a busted tire, but the point is, despite crappy roads and worse bikes, they were still considered very much useful.
|
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2018 19:57
|
|
|
Lol yeah they were moving poo poo down the ho chi minh trail on bikes*. Anything sturdier than a road bike will probably be fine even on broken asphalt *Although they were basically walking them with hundreds of pounds of cargo
|
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2018 20:09
|
|
|
It looks like a lot of companies specialize in making packs that'll allow for lots of cargo: Give it all a camo paint job and it'd fit right in with Prepper stuff.
|
|
#
?
Aug 25, 2018 12:34
|
|
|
Yes, a bikepacking bike like that would be great for prepping. I would probably focus on maintainability over lightwightness and areo, and grab an old fashioned luggage rack instead one of those modern areo ones. So, just as side question: I have ridden perfectly normal city bikes over roads that haven't been maintained since ww2. I would expect that by the time roads degrade enough to be useless for cycling, I am dead or am part of a group that is rebuilding civilization. So is there a scenario where you are frozen for over 50 years but are allowed to keep you bug out gear. While still killing enough people that there is no new society building dirt roads even after that time. What exactly are you guys prepping for here? Anybody get the feeling that prepping is mostly an outlet for the gear warriors from camping, hiking and so on. The kind of people that buys ultra expensive Mt. Everest capable gear for his yearly summer camping trip to the local hill.
|
|
#
?
Aug 25, 2018 13:23
|
|
|
I think most of it is for people who fear or secretly want Real Life Fortnite and prepping is just early access to Gold Crates
|
|
#
?
Aug 25, 2018 14:48
|
|
|
tonberrytoby posted:**** I suppose we might go through a long period of pre-modern geopolitics e.g., battling city-states, local warlords, bandits, pirates, etc. That is, today's geopolitical situation was literally the work of generations. That said, I still don't think there's a great scenario for survival bikes. Even in an end-of-civilization scenario, you'd probably want to turtle at your secret bat cave. And, for the others, 4x4's are no-brainers. edit: maybe you are living in a northern state and, post apocalypse, need to get somewhere warmer before winter?? gaj70 fucked around with this message at 17:19 on Aug 27, 2018 |
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2018 17:04
|
|
|
My point is that a bicycle has a lot of advantages over a car or going on foot. A car would be better in most situations, if you already have one. I do agree there. But if the streets are too clogged to move by car, or you run out of gas, a bike is much better then continuing on foot. Even for the batcave scenario: The most fragile parts of your bike (inner tubes) have 3 times the shelf life of gasoline.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2018 18:04
|
|
|
Upthread a bit but if you're carrying quickclot, you should probably also have a tourniquet or two. The NAR Combat Application Tourniquet is probably the simplest to use, and easy to use one-handed. The SOF-T W I hear is better for two-handed or buddy use. I have all CATs in my larger blowout kits, but I carry a pack of quickclot gauze and a TK4L in a wallet size pouch in my back pocket pretty much everywhere. The TK4L is a little harder to apply, especially one handed, but it's very compact and works in a pinch, and can double as a pressure dressing. Similarly, the SWAT-T is compact and can play double duty. Also, don't buy tourniquets off Amazon, especially CATs. Lot of airsoft-grade CATs out there and you don't want to find out when you're cranking on the windlass and it snaps and you or your buddy bleeds out. I'll post my kits when I get near them.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2018 18:49
|
|
|
  This is an Aptus Design Group Low Visibility Aid Kit (LVAK). Pre-populated, it comes with a CAT, Quickclot gauze, regular gauze, and a twin pack of HyFin vented chest seals. Also has a spot for a decompression needle, but that's beyond my training. The LVAK itself is a stretchy material that will stick to the hook part of Velcro (hook part right next to that red pull tab), and can double as a compression bandage. I have it stretched over my passenger visor in my car, but it can also be worn on a bicep, ankle, inside waistband, etc. Pretty sweet piece of kit, only thing I think it's really missing is a spot for trauma shears, but I could probably use the needle spot for that. Boo boo kit is in the trunk for less time-critical injury.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2018 18:59
|
|
|
MazeOfTzeentch posted:Upthread a bit but if you're carrying quickclot, you should probably also have a tourniquet or two. The NAR Combat Application Tourniquet is probably the simplest to use, and easy to use one-handed. The SOF-T W I hear is better for two-handed or buddy use. I have all CATs in my larger blowout kits, but I carry a pack of quickclot gauze and a TK4L in a wallet size pouch in my back pocket pretty much everywhere. The TK4L is a little harder to apply, especially one handed, but it's very compact and works in a pinch, and can double as a pressure dressing. Similarly, the SWAT-T is compact and can play double duty. MazeOfTzeentch posted:
You're the King of the Thread now, tell us more Also include your best painted Warhammer guy
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2018 23:35
|
|
|
Professor Shark posted:
gently caress that poo poo. Ditch the useful cargo containers and wrap that whole bitch in paracord. Instant "survival bike".
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2018 00:41
|
|
|
When I'm actively around guns, usually at the range informally target shooting, or at an action shooting match of some sort, I try to have this nearby or on my person: It's a Blue Force Gear Trauma Kit Now pouch, with a Blue Force Gear Tourniquet Now fed through the top side PALS webbing. Yank on the keeper side and it comes right out, but is held securely by the elastic otherwise. To open it up you grab that big 'ol tab (with a ball bearing inside for maximum tactility  ) and pull upwards and it disgorges the innards with a quickness, completely separating from the inner pouch and unfolding open to reveal all the trauma aid goodness. Inside it's basically what's in the LVAK but a bit more. From left to right: Quickclot Combat Gauze, Z-fold Trauma Shears, Bound Tree Medical store brand Nitrile Exam Gloves, 2 pair Hyfin Vent Chest Seals, 2 pack Israeli Bandage (compression bandage) CAT Tourniquet, one inside, one outside for faster access. Sterile Gauze, Z-fold On recommendation of an EMT friend of mine, I'm likely going to be getting another pack of gauze, and maybe some vet-wrap for improvised splinting Things that were recommended by my instructor at the trauma aid class I took, but un-recommended by said EMT friend: Naso-pharyngeal airway (NPA) and lubricant for it. He recommended that from a legal standpoint, a NPA fell under too invasive to be covered by good samaritan laws unless you had formal training and certification. Note this whole kit is rather heavily built around gunshot trauma to a single person, and individual portability, because for me, I'm most likely to see (and have the training to provide initial treatment) that particular category of serious injury, given my hobbies. To the fat dude who is gonna keel over from a heart attack after running 15 yards in the stage, sorry, can't help there. Boo boos are handled by the booboo kit in the range boxes provided to each bay. Did I mention that all of this stuff, save for the pouches when bought individually is all Flex Spending Account Eligible? Including that pre-populated LVAK. I had a huge surplus this year and dumped most of it into these kits. 3-day/Go bag/Bugout/whatever bags? I haven't really bothered with them. Probably should get a simple shelter-in-place kit together though. As far as warhams, all I've got are Battlefleet Gothic models, and none of them I've painted myself 
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2018 03:33
|
|
|
MazeOfTzeentch posted:When I'm actively around guns, usually at the range informally target shooting, or at an action shooting match of some sort, I try to have this nearby or on my person: Nice. My First Aid kit is something I've been considering upgrading, since there are better ones out there for not too much more than my current, bare bones one. wesleywillis posted:gently caress that poo poo. Ditch the useful cargo containers and wrap that whole bitch in paracord. Instant "survival bike". Haha yeah, while everything I've read suggests that cordage is very important, the Prepper community tends to take it to the extreme and paracords everything. I read an online exchange where someone suggested that most Preppers only needed enough paracord to tie a noose to end themselves after a few days in the woods. Someone else replied they could do that with enough for a cute bracelet as well, so at least a few might have a sense of humor about it. Anyway, my latest purchase was a knife upgrade (not my picture):  Smith & Wesson Homeland Security Knife This will replace my father's old dive knife, which is unnecessarily heavy and has not enough plain blade. This one has a tacti-silly name, but the reviews are good and I found it on sale for a good price at a store that I have a giftcard for. Edit: I will post mine when I get it and wrap it completely in paracord with fish-hooks, rabbit wire, and firestarter inserted. Edit Edit: Those holes are definitely meant for paracord, aren't they? drat, I just got myself closer to hitting Cliche Prepper Bingo. Professor Shark fucked around with this message at 14:34 on Aug 28, 2018 |
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2018 14:27
|
|
|
I ended up not buying that knife, at least for now. I bought a snorkeling set instead, which has been a lot of fun. I think I'll take the ~$30 I would have spent on the S&W and put it towards a Gerber Strongarm or BK7 or something instead.
|
|
#
?
Sep 5, 2018 21:04
|
|
|
FWIW, I like my Strongarm quite a bit.
|
|
#
?
Sep 5, 2018 22:29
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 5, 2024 13:23 |
|
|
legitimate question, do any of you have animal husbandry skills? i'm not mocking anyone, survivalists are fascinating to me and i like talking to them
|
|
#
?
Sep 5, 2018 22:43
|
|