How long could you survive?

[Aloha]

So I have been giving this a lot of thought lately.  I live in California and many of you know this an earthquake prone area of the country.  There are also wild fires and mud slide in some areas.

With all the potential natural and un natural occurrences that can happen in your city, town how long could you survive starting NOW.

All the services are no long working from electricity, gas, water, or what ever runs your home.  You only have what's in your pantry and fridge and whatever means to cook it besides those listed.

If you have a generator then fine.  Solar system with battery stored power  great. You have a propane tank, charcoal briquets, wood, coleman stove, fine.  

You wont have the ability to leave your property under any circumstances.  You property is not damaged so you have shelter but only the provisions you currently have on hand RIGHT NOW.

you cannot leave, you have what you have.


I could last about 2 weeks and possibly 4 by rationing out what I do have.  Flushing toilets would prove most difficult so the restroom visits would be very interesting to say the least.

Listen MTo I was trying to make anyone who was interested look more closely at their current situation.  I was trying to stir some ideas or jump start the ones you already have about what you want to do or have planned on doing. 

I thought it was interesting that Lynn made a thread about prepping and insanity and I believe there is a line, grey but there one.  I dont feel I'll plan for every scenario but I am better off than some.

I have water as my main "concern" as Harley is right.  Access to water is going to be vital.  I plan to have a 55 gal drum ( or 2 ) soon so I'll have water that I can hand pump in addition to the cases I have.

Now keep in mind the water needed to cook with and also clean with ( body ). 

The key word I chose was SURVIVE not make it or last.  I know most want to be comfortable but it might come down to a lot of discomfort.  I was wanting to have you  look at your situation and evaluate where you were NOW, not next week or month. 

[HarleyXJGuy]

So I have been giving this a lot of thought lately.  I live in California and many of you know this an earthquake prone area of the country.  There are also wild fires and mud slide in some areas.

With all the potential natural and un natural occurrences that can happen in your city, town how long could you survive starting NOW.

All the services are no long working from electricity, gas, water, or what ever runs your home.  You only have what's in your pantry and fridge and whatever means to cook it besides those listed.

If you have a generator then fine.  Solar system with battery stored power  great. You have a propane tank, charcoal briquets, wood, coleman stove, fine.  

You wont have the ability to leave your property under any circumstances.  You property is not damaged so you have shelter but only the provisions you currently have on hand RIGHT NOW.

you cannot leave, you have what you have.


I could last about 2 weeks and possibly 4 by rationing out what I do have.  Flushing toilets would prove most difficult so the restroom visits would be very interesting to say the least.

Listen MTo I was trying to make anyone who was interested look more closely at their current situation.  I was trying to stir some ideas or jump start the ones you already have about what you want to do or have planned on doing. 

I thought it was interesting that Lynn made a thread about prepping and insanity and I believe there is a line, grey but there one.  I dont feel I'll plan for every scenario but I am better off than some.

I have water as my main "concern" as Harley is right.  Access to water is going to be vital.  I plan to have a 55 gal drum ( or 2 ) soon so I'll have water that I can hand pump in addition to the cases I have.

Now keep in mind the water needed to cook with and also clean with ( body ). 

The key word I chose was SURVIVE not make it or last.  I know most want to be comfortable but it might come down to a lot of discomfort.  I was wanting to have you  look at your situation and evaluate where you were NOW, not next week or month.

Water to wash myself with is water I am not drinking. I will pass.

[Aloha]

When a disaster goes into the 3rd week or 6th week how are we all fairing?  Medications, addictions, tempers, monotony, and so on.  If we are able to leave our homes then like in my city and I'm sure most the supplies are so limited if there are any. 

I remember Y2K  , people in costco buying so much stuff.  Heck when the wild fires hit the water at the local markets was nearly all gone.  Face masks were all gone from every store. When Northridge Earthquake hit people got worried about after shocks and started to buy out stores of their supplies.  I mention not leaving your property because there may not be any thing on shelves anyway.   

Even if you could leave your property then what?  For those who live in areas where there are farms, lakes, hunting grounds, then what?  It cannot be that easy to procure a meal that easily IMO.  I dont hunt so I dont know. 

My goal is 90 days of self reliance.       

[Aloha]

Harley, short term I agree.  Realistically I'm not talking about gallons of water.  16oz would suffice. 

[kkokkolis]

3 minutes without air
3 hours without shelter
3 days without water
3 weeks without food

That's a generalization of course. Some people can live  for 5 minutes without air and 6 or more days without water.
Our fridge is usually full but we  are fast eaters, so we should rationize what we have and it would  give us about a month. If it is allowed to eat the neighbors, then we could do it ad infinitum. Water is a problem here, we don't get much rainfall. Shelter is not a problem for 9 months out of 12, the weather is great. People survive outside in  the winter, except the worse ones we get every now and then, but the last three winters are mellow, many people don't even use heating and that's good because the financial crisis and the rise in petroleum price was a deadly combination (somebody still loves that small country that refuses to die for 4 millenia).
What about sex? I get pretty nervous after 3 days without it and don't confront me after 7 days. I guess that we'll have that because my wife will be in the house, so I  won't care about much else and we always wanted to die together because leaving the other behind would be like hell. Then we'll go as long as possible and die happy.

[Lynn LeFey]

People survive with out ANY food for over a month. It is pretty low on your survival radar, water is the issue.

You can SURVIVE. You can't get much DONE. I assume if I'm trapped on my property, there's something i need to be doing to remedy this, and manual labor is calorie intensive. I'm always shocked when i hear people doing prep supplies and not planning for food, even for a 72-hour bag. Have they never tried hiking? You 'hit the wall' prety qucik with no calorie intake.

There is water in your toilet and water heater that needs to be saved for drinking not for umm well toilet use.

All those sources are taken into consideration for my numbers.

I love animals. Dogs, cats. birds they all taste great. Survival situation, instead of wondering how I will keep them fed I wonder what they will taste like with some farva beans and a nice chianti.

We keep a stockpile of food for our cat, and she consumes minimal water. I'm not eating my cat. Ever. I'd rather turn her loose and hope for the best, slim as the odds might be.

Now, eating someone else's dog... sorry... if it comes to it...

EDIT: oh, one last thing, if you have water available, but just need to make it potable, don't forget plain chlorine bleech. Most folks have it around for laundry anyway. I also have other methods of water purification, but this is maybe one of the easiest. Sure it doesn't deal with heavy metals, and some chemical issues, but it'll kill bacteria, which is the big short-term health concern.

[Aloha]

I also would not be eating my dog either in reality.  Great point Lynn about having food for the pets.  I also factor in my little guy ( 3lb dog ) for food and water.  I wonder about the fish people?  Those aquariums needs constant pumps right?

[David]

When a disaster goes into the 3rd week or 6th week how are we all fairing?  Medications, addictions, tempers, monotony, and so on.  If we are able to leave our homes then like in my city and I'm sure most the supplies are so limited if there are any. 

I remember Y2K  , people in costco buying so much stuff.  Heck when the wild fires hit the water at the local markets was nearly all gone.  Face masks were all gone from every store. When Northridge Earthquake hit people got worried about after shocks and started to buy out stores of their supplies.  I mention not leaving your property because there may not be any thing on shelves anyway.   

Even if you could leave your property then what?  For those who live in areas where there are farms, lakes, hunting grounds, then what?  It cannot be that easy to procure a meal that easily IMO.  I dont hunt so I dont know. 

My goal is 90 days of self reliance.       

With a goal of 90 days things begin to get interesting. While the same basics apply some things may be more of a priority at times such as security, medical conditions, personal hygene, sanitation, proper waste disposale. If you dont have access to a doctor or dentist during that time what will you do if you brake a bone, get a bad infection from a cut, abscessed tooth. filling falls out, etc..   

[Aloha]

When a disaster goes into the 3rd week or 6th week how are we all fairing?  Medications, addictions, tempers, monotony, and so on.  If we are able to leave our homes then like in my city and I'm sure most the supplies are so limited if there are any. 

I remember Y2K  , people in costco buying so much stuff.  Heck when the wild fires hit the water at the local markets was nearly all gone.  Face masks were all gone from every store. When Northridge Earthquake hit people got worried about after shocks and started to buy out stores of their supplies.  I mention not leaving your property because there may not be any thing on shelves anyway.   

Even if you could leave your property then what?  For those who live in areas where there are farms, lakes, hunting grounds, then what?  It cannot be that easy to procure a meal that easily IMO.  I dont hunt so I dont know. 

My goal is 90 days of self reliance.       

With a goal of 90 days things begin to get interesting. While the same basics apply some things may be more of a priority at times such as security, medical conditions, personal hygene, sanitation, proper waste disposale. If you dont have access to a doctor or dentist during that time what will you do if you brake a bone, get a bad infection from a cut, abscessed tooth. filling falls out, etc..   

Ding Ding Ding, you Sir are absolutely correct which is part of why I posted this thread.  Thinking about how far out you'd like to go and are comfortable with planning for.  Realistically services should be up and running in a large city like mine and all things "back to normal" pretty quick.

While hygiene in the short term is not important 14 days out it become a concern IMO.
This is why I also keep asking about addictions and fitness ( mental and physical ) and health issues.  Diabetics, mental health, dialysis, etc will be very challenging for some families.  Evacuation for many will be very difficult for some not possible.   

I am thinking thru my worst case scenario and then having a plan vs panic and fear.  I know I cannot Survive indefinitely and I have a cut off to which I'll plan for ( 90 days ).  Again to Lynns thread preparedness vs insanity, there is a line IMO and I'm personally very clear of this.

90 days is my goal and beyond that well................. eat the neighbors   

Security will be an issue when panic spreads and looter began to seek "targets" if a scenario goes past a "certain" point.  That too is planned for at my home yet again not at some military lever as some.  It'll be hard to breach my property for lightly motivated people but holding off a crowd of highly motivated well.......           
   

[HarleyXJGuy]

90 days is my goal and beyond that well................. eat the neighbors   
 

This is why I did not want to live on the Army base. Most of the people there are not very good subjects for eating.

My wife did not understand this so we ended up live on post. I hope to change her mind at some point though.

[Lynn LeFey]

On the subject of addiction and medical condition.

Addiction: The only addiction I'm aware of that I actually HAVE is to caffeine. It's not a joke, but it's also not a huge thing. 3 days of lethargy and headaches, and the worst is over. Plus, I have tea bags, which last roughly forever, and usually have the better part of a big can of coffee.

As far as medical conditions, my hubby has a very special medication he's on, called Kuvan. It's to help control phenylalanine levels caused by his PKU. Without this medication, he has a slow build-up of phe, which leads to headaches, irritability, and eventually to mental retardation and death. But that'd be over the course of years. It's actually possible at this point (our mid 40s) that we'd die of some other cause before his pku killed him.

Luckily, neither of us smoke or have alcohol issues. A number of prepper types talk about storing tobacco or booze for barter, and I have to be honest and say... maybe not the absolute worst idea. I have my doubts about being able to find people willing to trade silver or gold. I have NO doubt about being able to trade a bottle of whiskey or rum for something. My mom rolled her own cigarettes, and got cans of tobacco. I think those might store for a while. Personally, I wouldn't bother with storing tobacco, though.

As for medical prepping, for broken bones, sutures, tooth problems... well, you could have that happen on a 5 day hike, and i never packed for those. Yes, they can happen, but you can't really plan for everything, and you have to cut it off somewhere. I consider broken bones and abscess and such beyond reasonably likely. YMMV. I guess I'm thinking more of portable stuff, though. It might not be as unrealistic in a stationary home kit.

On my day to day EDC, I am strongly considering beefing up my first aid to include treating a gunshot wound, particularly if I decide to start concealed carry. If I'm willing to put a hole in someone, I think I ought to be ready to TREAT that wound. Accidents happen. Also, self DEFENSE is just that. It's not 'smurf you, you deserve to die.' Again, YMMV.

[David]

I think the 90 day goal is a good realistic goal. 6 months to a year planning is not a bad idea for certain type disasters but you run into storage and security issues. In a longer term situation unless you are very wealthy and can hire your own private army your going to be killed and all your stuff will be taken. A person cant prepare for every thing as Lynn noted so if you have friends you trust and can network with this can help cover some bases you might not be able to do your self.   

[Lynn LeFey]

In a longer term situation unless you are very wealthy and can hire your own private army your going to be killed and all your stuff will be taken.

I've heard this a LOT and don't agree with it. Wolves don't go pick a fight that gets half their pack killed. They go for easy targets.

Any serious resistance is going to drive away all but the most desperate/crazy folks. Put yourself in the shoes of the forces trying to take out an entrenched defender. Do YOU want to be the nameless thug that is first through the door to catch that 12-gauge blast in the gut?

Better just to find an easier target.

If you disagree, feel free to set this up on a paintball course. 2 or three people defending a 'house' that they get to set up beforehand. See if you can get a team in there without a lot of guys 'dying', then ask yourself if that was reality, who would be stupid enough to try it, especially for a completely unknown reward.

Again, my opinion, but I think a LOT of people don't think through the whole 'I could die doing this' reality. Pistols aren't that lethal right now LARGELY because there is good medical service. In a SHTF scenario, you might even survive an initial encounter, only to die a week later from sepsis. From a .22. To the little toe.

And... I'm sorry, I really can't imagine big gangs of folks willing to do this. And even if such a gang formed, they'd get taken out (or rapidly reduced) pretty quickly.

Again, my opinion. And again, I'm thinking of where I live. Various locations might have different parameters. I live in a 'Castle Doctrine' state. It's legal for me, at this very moment, to use lethal force on a home invader.

This is another of the areas where I think preppers SUPER over-prepare, in firepower. I see guys talking about carrying seven 30-round magazines for an AR-15 ON THEIR PERSON. I somehow don't think any realistic scenario would ever use that much ammo. Like, over the course of a months-long problem, let alone for a few days. People talk about having 1000 rounds for their primary firearm. Okay... I guess they assume this is 'Red Dawn', and they're 'Wolverines'. How about maybe a pellet rifle for small game instead? 1000 rounds for that? Sure. 1000 rounds of 22lr? Sure, why not. 1000 rounds for a rifle? Uhhh...

I personally think most actual hostile engagements would require somewhere in the 2 +/- 1 shot range. And those would be very few and very far between at most. Statistics I can find seem to support this.

Not that I have an opinion on this or anything...

But plan according to your own perceived situations.

[MadPlumbarian]

Hmm, interesting subject.. Well in some ways were set, but in others kinda screwed,

   water wise, hmm, I'd say screwed although there is a fire hydrant like right outside and well I have pipe wrenches?
   Electric, err, screwed again, both the fridge, second freezer and stove wouldn't work so I loose everything,
   gas, well then I loose heat, now I do have a small propane heater, and also grill, so it depends on if I could get any propane?
   As for food well, I guess I loose all in the fridge and freezers, but I got an entire closet full..

Now, back a few years we lost everything except water, for a entire week, we pretty much pitched tent in our bedroom and living room, closed off the rest of the place in order to keep where we were sleeping and living warm off of the propane heater, had a small camp propane stove to cook everything off of and also just went outside on the big grill, since it was in the middle of winter, we took plastic tubs (shoebox size)and packed them with snow and stuck them in the fridge and freezer to keep them cool, the other freezer was outside so that staid cold, besides that froze our butts of in order to go to the can! But other then that we were ok, unless we would have ran out of propane, now if our water heater and stove/oven was propane, well that would have made it really nice! JR

[JBW1]

I think its good for everyone in your family to have they're own 72hr bag, and know what to do, like the red cross even recommends., It doesn't have to be some dramatic era we have to prepare for. House fire, mandatory evacuations for natural disasters, etc... any amount of preparedness is better than depending on someone else. And I'm pretty sure the majority here would agree in being prepared, or you all wouldn't be carrying your favorite MT. its awesome to see the thoughts and plans from others around the world.

[JBW1]

Here in NM we are lucky to not have many natural disasters, but Forrest fires with the drought here has been the biggest threat. There are old dormant volcanoes throughout our state, so, what should I prep for lava

[Lynn LeFey]

Around here, the thought of Lava and forrest fire is far from our minds.

We get Tornados, though. And Earthquakes are possible. Ice storms are pretty much a 3-times-per-winter occurrence, that that really does a number on power lines.

If I wanted to be really crazy, then Nuclear attack on St. Louis, or the Yellowstone supercaldera. I'm not prepping for either.

Zombies, though... I plan for zombies. Due to watching too many horror movies as a kid. 

[JBW1]

I don't know, I've seen some of those people on that bathsalt drug, very zomiesque. And meth addicts look like the undead.
I always wanted to hang out with 'BUB' when I was a kid haha..... SAY HELLO AUNT ALISHA

[David]

In a longer term situation unless you are very wealthy and can hire your own private army your going to be killed and all your stuff will be taken.

I've heard this a LOT and don't agree with it. Wolves don't go pick a fight that gets half their pack killed. They go for easy targets.

Any serious resistance is going to drive away all but the most desperate/crazy folks. Put yourself in the shoes of the forces trying to take out an entrenched defender. Do YOU want to be the nameless thug that is first through the door to catch that 12-gauge blast in the gut?

Better just to find an easier target.

If you disagree, feel free to set this up on a paintball course. 2 or three people defending a 'house' that they get to set up beforehand. See if you can get a team in there without a lot of guys 'dying', then ask yourself if that was reality, who would be stupid enough to try it, especially for a completely unknown reward.

Again, my opinion, but I think a LOT of people don't think through the whole 'I could die doing this' reality. Pistols aren't that lethal right now LARGELY because there is good medical service. In a SHTF scenario, you might even survive an initial encounter, only to die a week later from sepsis. From a .22. To the little toe.

And... I'm sorry, I really can't imagine big gangs of folks willing to do this. And even if such a gang formed, they'd get taken out (or rapidly reduced) pretty quickly.

Again, my opinion. And again, I'm thinking of where I live. Various locations might have different parameters. I live in a 'Castle Doctrine' state. It's legal for me, at this very moment, to use lethal force on a home invader.

This is another of the areas where I think preppers SUPER over-prepare, in firepower. I see guys talking about carrying seven 30-round magazines for an AR-15 ON THEIR PERSON. I somehow don't think any realistic scenario would ever use that much ammo. Like, over the course of a months-long problem, let alone for a few days. People talk about having 1000 rounds for their primary firearm. Okay... I guess they assume this is 'Red Dawn', and they're 'Wolverines'. How about maybe a pellet rifle for small game instead? 1000 rounds for that? Sure. 1000 rounds of 22lr? Sure, why not. 1000 rounds for a rifle? Uhhh...

I personally think most actual hostile engagements would require somewhere in the 2 +/- 1 shot range. And those would be very few and very far between at most. Statistics I can find seem to support this.

Not that I have an opinion on this or anything...

But plan according to your own perceived situations.

I dont disagree with alot of would you've said. But in a long term situation such as a major power grid shut down all the easy targets, all the game, livestock will proably be gone in short order. Most stores will be quickly emptied and remain so for some time. Some questions one needs to ask themself. Can I and my family stand guard 24 7. Have you hardened your properity so it is not easily breached. Do you have the will to defend your family and properity. I know a lot of very heavily armed people and most of them will run when the red flag flies and the bullets are aimed at them. Most people are not trained to fight. They think they are a warrior because they own a firearm. They are decieved  about their own capabilities.
Any way I not concerned about most of these type situations where I live. I trying to help people think about their own place and how they can make it through any situation whether it be short or long term.

[JBW1]

Keep some chickens around, the eat bugs, you can have a sustainable food source

[HarleyXJGuy]

In a longer term situation unless you are very wealthy and can hire your own private army your going to be killed and all your stuff will be taken.

I've heard this a LOT and don't agree with it. Wolves don't go pick a fight that gets half their pack killed. They go for easy targets.

Any serious resistance is going to drive away all but the most desperate/crazy folks. Put yourself in the shoes of the forces trying to take out an entrenched defender. Do YOU want to be the nameless thug that is first through the door to catch that 12-gauge blast in the gut?

Better just to find an easier target.

If you disagree, feel free to set this up on a paintball course. 2 or three people defending a 'house' that they get to set up beforehand. See if you can get a team in there without a lot of guys 'dying', then ask yourself if that was reality, who would be stupid enough to try it, especially for a completely unknown reward.

Again, my opinion, but I think a LOT of people don't think through the whole 'I could die doing this' reality. Pistols aren't that lethal right now LARGELY because there is good medical service. In a SHTF scenario, you might even survive an initial encounter, only to die a week later from sepsis. From a .22. To the little toe.

And... I'm sorry, I really can't imagine big gangs of folks willing to do this. And even if such a gang formed, they'd get taken out (or rapidly reduced) pretty quickly.

Again, my opinion. And again, I'm thinking of where I live. Various locations might have different parameters. I live in a 'Castle Doctrine' state. It's legal for me, at this very moment, to use lethal force on a home invader.

This is another of the areas where I think preppers SUPER over-prepare, in firepower. I see guys talking about carrying seven 30-round magazines for an AR-15 ON THEIR PERSON. I somehow don't think any realistic scenario would ever use that much ammo. Like, over the course of a months-long problem, let alone for a few days. People talk about having 1000 rounds for their primary firearm. Okay... I guess they assume this is 'Red Dawn', and they're 'Wolverines'. How about maybe a pellet rifle for small game instead? 1000 rounds for that? Sure. 1000 rounds of 22lr? Sure, why not. 1000 rounds for a rifle? Uhhh...

I personally think most actual hostile engagements would require somewhere in the 2 +/- 1 shot range. And those would be very few and very far between at most. Statistics I can find seem to support this.

Not that I have an opinion on this or anything...

But plan according to your own perceived situations.

The amount of casualties we estimate for an assault against a entrenched enemy in a MOUT situation is 50% for a highly trained military force with the best equipment money can buy. I agree with Lynn that there are few if any groups of thieves/scavengers who would be willing to accept them kind of losses.

As far as having a lot of ammo I have to point out that not only is ammo good for shooting but in a end of the world zombie type situation it will be one of the best barter items you could have. In that vein more is better. How much to carry though seems to be carried away by some folks.

Better served to save some of the space for food and water.

[JBW1]

As far as having a lot of ammo I have to point out that not only is ammo good for shooting but in a end of the world zombie type situation it will be one of the best barter items you could have. In that vein more is better. How much to carry though seems to be carried away by some folks.

Better served to save some of the space for food and water.



Harley, we dont have to wait for that, I know a lot of guys that would trade you a goat and there oldest daughter for some bricks of 22 long and mag haha

[HarleyXJGuy]

Harley, we dont have to wait for that, I know a lot of guys that would trade you a goat and there oldest daughter for some bricks of 22 long and mag haha

Deal!

This is a female goat correct?

[David]

Better served to save some of the space for food and water.

Wise advise!

[JBW1]

Harley, we dont have to wait for that, I know a lot of guys that would trade you a goat and there oldest daughter for some bricks of 22 long and mag haha

Deal!

This is a female goat correct?

No, Its a male but he can make it wethered haha.

[Aloha]

My 90 day plan takes into account a few extra mouths if need be, possibly friends and other family as well.  I have 4 in my immediate family and my roommate has 2.  I am not too worried about anyone attacking my home but it's something that's considered but not to any great extent.  I believe an extreme show of force would repel most would be attackers anyway.  The more motivated ones would move on to easier targets once any loses were suffered.  There is a large gang presence here in California but I don't see them taking over the city with our large military presence.   

Again, realistically the services in the city will recover pretty quickly seeing how we have gone thru some natural occurrences pretty recently already.  I have a cut off of what I'm prepared to do and prepare for but have tried to build in for a longer term ordeal. 

I don't have any addiction other than MTs  so all is good with me.  I don't take any med nor do my kids.  I don't smoke or drink at all and while sweets are my one indulgence that wont be an issue.

I also believe coffee, smokes, and booze in a long term scenario would trade very well.  I don't see myself getting into that particular mindset of storing however. 

I'm pretty much of the belief that all services will return and I'll wait it out at home if I am able.  I will have enough to take care of my family and a few others if need be and be able IF need be to make a statement to would be looters to move along. 

 

       

[Lynn LeFey]

As far as having a lot of ammo I have to point out that not only is ammo good for shooting but in a end of the world zombie type situation it will be one of the best barter items you could have.

But, see, this goes back to the line between preparedness and insanity.

Preparing for the end of the world scenarios seems pretty insane.

I always wonder why those 'preparing for the end of the world' types aren't stocking up on bicycles and shovels and stuff like that. Just not as 'sexy' I guess.

There's a guy called Engineer775 on youtube who DOES seem to think this way, but most prepper folks are not so well rounded.

I've contemplated getting a 55 gallon plastic drum to put in our basement. We have a drain in the floor, so flushing, cleaning and refill would be a fairly straightforward deal, and a utility sink with a threaded spigot would mean using a hose to fill the drum would be easy. Maybe I'll look into that. That'd be about 20 extra days worth of water storage.

[Aloha]

As far as having a lot of ammo I have to point out that not only is ammo good for shooting but in a end of the world zombie type situation it will be one of the best barter items you could have.

But, see, this goes back to the line between preparedness and insanity.

Preparing for the end of the world scenarios seems pretty insane.

I always wonder why those 'preparing for the end of the world' types aren't stocking up on bicycles and shovels and stuff like that. Just not as 'sexy' I guess.

There's a guy called Engineer775 on youtube who DOES seem to think this way, but most prepper folks are not so well rounded.

I've contemplated getting a 55 gallon plastic drum to put in our basement. We have a drain in the floor, so flushing, cleaning and refill would be a fairly straightforward deal, and a utility sink with a threaded spigot would mean using a hose to fill the drum would be easy. Maybe I'll look into that. That'd be about 20 extra days worth of water storage.

Love it and yes not expensive at all to do.  My plan as well. 

[David]

A suggestion for those who think they would like to stock up on some food but dont have money to go out and say buy a months worth of food. Who does, I dont. I got a tool habit to support after all.    But if you buy a little extra every time you go to the store You'll be surprised how fast it will add up.     

[Aloha]

A suggestion for those who think they would like to stock up on some food but dont have money to go out and say buy a months worth of food. Who does, I dont. I got a tool habit to support after all.    But if you buy a little extra every time you go to the store You'll be surprised how fast it will add up.     

Excellent advice.

I buy one days meal when I go grocery shopping.  Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner and a case of water.