Are you a prepper?

[Goshin]

I'm seeing a common theme in this thread with regard to storing food and I have to ask.....if you've got 6 months to a year's worth of food stored what the heck are you going to do with it if you have to bug out?

My personal opinion is that you should keep no more than a month supply on hand, rotate it regularly, and have a plan for how to get more should the need arise.

In many situations mobility is going to be a key factor for survival and if you've got half a ton of food and water to move you aren't going to be able to be all that mobile.

Cache supplies at likely bugout sites ahead of time.

 

[Mr.Nick]

The majority of the guys I know that have a lot of trail nights underneath their belts are fairly liberal. Especially in so far as they are typically very big proponents of federally protected wilderness and environmental protection (they want their wilderness playgrounds preserved and untouched). Point being you should not assume that many liberals don't know what they are doing in the backcountry as well.

Your Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would run away at the sight 40-50 guys who view them as enemies of the state. You would all would run...

All those clowns have is pens and ticket books anyways.

 

[ALiberalModerate]

Your Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would run away at the sight 40-50 guys who view them as enemies of the state. You would all would run...

All those clowns have is pens and ticket books anyways.

Well the above craziness aside, those of us that love the wilderness because we love spending time in the outdoors, recognize that the reason why we have water safe to fish from and untouched wilderness left, is environmental protection. I have been on backcountry fishing trips where we fished lakes that were better than a 2 day walk from the nearest road. Its an awesome experience spending time in untouched wilderness like that, the reason why it still existed and not been logged or mined or turned into another Vail with million dollar condos everywhere is that it was federally designated wilderness and thus protected and untouched. You try to change that and I think you will find a lot more citizens on the other side willing to defend it.

 

[notquiteright]

notquiteright is not in too good of shape. There is a lake here I hike into regularly to fish that is 10 miles each way. I do that and spend hours fishing and I'm in my 60s so your 30 miles a day thing sounds reasonable to me. Oh and the trail to the lake is steep and rocky, not easy hiking. Probably why the fishin is so good, keeps the guys like notquiteright out.:lol:

Sawyer, we have already exposed a dozen of your tall tales before, why don't you quit while your behind... what speed do you walk, the average pace is 3mph, you claim a rocky path so easy to say 4 hours each way. Not trying to mask your footsteps or scan for problems, do security halts to listen for trouble.

Sorry bud but I used to do this for a living, not a hobby, not carrying a fishing pole. But do weave your fanciful tales...

 

[Goshin]

Moderator's Warning:

Civility, gentlemen... address the subject, not the poster, and refrain from excessive remarks hinting at someone else being "delusional"... that is a gig...

 

[Mr.Nick]

I am not a lady. Also, you can't move 25 -30 miles a day and carry supplies with you if you don't have a lot of food. Any endurance athlete knows (and I am one), that you burn 4 calories per liter of oxygen. Trail running burns between 700 and 1000 calories per hour depending on terrain and pace. Backpacking burns between 400 and 600 calories per hour depending on terrain and pace. The higher the altitude, the less efficient your body is at obtaining energy from food and thus the greater your caloric intakes has to be in order to maintain the same level of output. If you try covering 25 miles a day, then you are looking at a net caloric burn of about 2300 calories from that, which means your caloric intake would need to be over 4000 calories a day to avoid weight loss. Keep in mind you only have about 2000 calories worth of glycogen in your body, after that you are burning nothing but body fat and that slows you down by at least 30%. So you might be able to cover 25 miles the first day, but unless you are eating a lot every day, you won't be covering that kind of distance the next day. Moreover, unless you are a very avid runner as in 50 miles a week or more on average, you will be looking at overuse injuries after just a few days of trying to cover that kind of ground.

I'm a hunter, I don't need food - know where to find it, and I don't need water either because I know where to find that. I also don't need fire that will give my position away if I had to I could eat raw fish and fresh raw meat.

Then again that would only be temporary...

 

[ALiberalModerate]

Sawyer, we have already exposed a dozen of your tall tales before, why don't you quit while your behind... what speed do you walk, the average pace is 3mph, you claim a rocky path so easy to say 4 hours each way. Not trying to mask your footsteps or scan for problems, do security halts to listen for trouble.

Sorry bud but I used to do this for a living, not a hobby, not carrying a fishing pole. But do weave your fanciful tales...

I have backpacked and been a runner and trail runner and cyclist most of my adult life. I am in as good of shape as you could possibly be. I have never averaged more than 3 to 4 mph backpacking. In difficult terrain like the Wind River Range, I do good to get close to 3 mph. Thats going non-stop. Get over 10,000 feet and throw in steep terrain and you will do good to ever average over 3 mph. Hell, my road running pace in most races averages between 6 minutes per mile and 6:45 per mile depending on the length of the race, but I don't think I have ever done a trail race on technical terrain and averaged better than 8:00 minutes a mile or so with most of them 9:00 minutes a mile or more.

 

[ALiberalModerate]

I'm a hunter, I don't need food - know where to find it, and I don't need water either because I know where to find that. I also don't need fire that will give my position away if I had to I could eat raw fish and fresh raw meat.

Then again that would only be temporary...

You have obviously never had Giardia then. Pick that little protozoan up out of a mountain stream and you will be laid up the next day and be able to sh*t through a coffee filter.

 

[Mr.Nick]

You have obviously never had Giardia then. Pick that little protozoan up out of a mountain stream and you will be laid up the next day and be able to sh*t through a coffee filter.

I'm from the Wisconsin/Illinois border Ma'am.

I know the Midwest.

I also have a ham radio engineering experience and can contact numerous countries via car battery (+other sources).... depends on the weather.

 

[notquiteright]

NO, the Chinese where successful because the majority of China was unarmed (much like Cambodia and Korea) and nothing more than farmers, it's apparent you know absolutely NOTHING about Korea so I'm not even going to go into a brief history there. 90% of "patriots" are ex-military, ex-police or highly trained individuals who know their land and their wilderness and where to find clean water to drink and food to eat off the land. The majority of patriots are ex-military.....It's kinda like the Mujahedin (analogy) just on US soil.

I picked this one of the string of crazy... I love the hobbyist proclaiming himself even better than...name the TV persona (but when I mention the TV preppers why TV personas are stupid :roll: ) I have heard sooo many internet woodsmen proclaim their hobbyist skills but bottom line is it is theoretical, no one stalked them, how does the weekend hiker know he has mad skills if he is never tested????

Where do you get all these numbers you toss around, 5 million 'patriots'? 90% mil or police or best of all 'highly trained' hobbyists...

Then ya crank the crazy up to 12 and have some insane armed march on DC- do you REALLY think that would happen/be allowed???

Now you are spinning around China in some odd fashion. My point was if numbers counted the Chinese would have won the Korean war. A point you dodged- if numbers win the African tribes, quite war-like, would have pushed the Europeans out.

Now first you say Patriots are going to win in 2 months and next thing it is hiding in the woods. Can't win while hiding, and FYI hiding ain't what it used to be back in whatever novel you are reading. These days most 'fear the gubmint' guys think drones are coming for them. Seriously dude, it'sa video game for the operators. You are nothing more than the world's most expensive play station to them.

But do entertain your fantasies, for all the huffing and puffing 'patriots' do the bottom line is they are smart enough to stay home. For ALL the ranting about King Obama, and Tyrant this n that, well seems to me that line has been crossed, but of course the 'patriots' just draw another line... :roll:

 

[Goshin]

I remember when I first took up backpacking, that was almost 20 years ago.

The first really stunning thing was finding that I couldn't carry as much as I thought I could... and that after a few miles, every pound felt like a lead anvil.

I was accustomed to running around in the woods, had been doing that since I was a kid... but there's a world of difference between that and carrying everything you need on your back.

When I was in top shape, I might have been able to hike 25 miles in a day... on flat ground, with good footing, and zero load, along with water stops and somewhere to eat meals.

With a loaded backpack in difficult terrain, no. I quickly found out how heavily load and terrain can limit movement after a couple of weekend hikes fell victim to over estimating avg travel speed.

5 miles on flat land with no load can be an hour or so. 5 miles in the mountains with a backpack can take all day on steep trails. Summer or winter makes a difference too.

 

[ALiberalModerate]

I'm from the Wisconsin/Illinois border Ma'am.

I know the Midwest.

I also have a ham radio engineering experience and can contact numerous countries via car battery (+other sources).... depends on the weather.

You got mostly farms, fields, and broken woodlands around you then. You ever spent much time in some real wilderness? A place like the Boundary Waters, Wyoming, Montana, or even parts of Arkansas? I mean its a different deal then. You drink out of a clear mountain stream and you end up a couple of days later doubled over with Giardia. In the high country the sky can be nice and blue and in the 60s out, then in a matter of minutes a storm can blow in and its pouring hail on you or even snowing in July. I am not saying you haven't spent any time in the wilderness, just wondering.

Also, you mentioned fishing earlier. If I was going to try to live off the land for any length of time, unless I was just in the high country where there is only trout, I would be limblining, banklining, and if I had a canoe, trotlining. For one you would average much more fish that way (channels, blues, and if you had live bait flatheads), but you also would not have to attend it the whole time. Set your hooks just at dark and run them at daylight. In the south and most of the midwest, set enough hooks out and you could have more channels than you could ever eat for the warmer months of the year (or damn near year round in the south).

 

[Mr.Nick]

You got mostly farms, fields, and broken woodlands around you then. You ever spent much time in some real wilderness? A place like the Boundary Waters, Wyoming, Montana, or even parts of Arkansas? I mean its a different deal then. You drink out of a clear mountain stream and you end up a couple of days later doubled over with Giardia. In the high country the sky can be nice and blue and in the 60s out, then in a matter of minutes a storm can blow in and its pouring hail on you or even snowing in July. I am not saying you haven't spent any time in the wilderness, just wondering.

Also, you mentioned fishing earlier. If I was going to try to live off the land for any length of time, unless I was just in the high country where there is only trout, I would be limblining, banklining, and if I had a canoe, trotlining. For one you would average much more fish that way (channels, blues, and if you had live bait flatheads), but you also would not have to attend it the whole time. Set your hooks just at dark and run them at daylight. In the south and most of the midwest, set enough hooks out and you could have more channels than you could ever eat for the warmer months of the year (or damn near year round in the south).

You're assuming I'm the hunted when I'm the hunter.

You don't think that 3 million of us wont get together?

Who the **** will stop us?

In short the US fighting Patriots would be like the US fighting China.

 

[ALiberalModerate]

I remember when I first took up backpacking, that was almost 20 years ago.

The first really stunning thing was finding that I couldn't carry as much as I thought I could... and that after a few miles, every pound felt like a lead anvil.

I was accustomed to running around in the woods, had been doing that since I was a kid... but there's a world of difference between that and carrying everything you need on your back.

When I was in top shape, I might have been able to hike 25 miles in a day... on flat ground, with good footing, and zero load, along with water stops and somewhere to eat meals.

With a loaded backpack in difficult terrain, no. I quickly found out how heavily load and terrain can limit movement after a couple of weekend hikes fell victim to over estimating avg travel speed.

5 miles on flat land with no load can be an hour or so. 5 miles in the mountains with a backpack can take all day on steep trails. Summer or winter makes a difference too.

Its fun getting out there but its hard. On most of the backpacking trips I have done in the high country I have averaged losing a pound a day or so no matter how much food I can carry with me.

 

[Mr.Nick]

Well the above craziness aside, those of us that love the wilderness because we love spending time in the outdoors, recognize that the reason why we have water safe to fish from and untouched wilderness left, is environmental protection. I have been on backcountry fishing trips where we fished lakes that were better than a 2 day walk from the nearest road. Its an awesome experience spending time in untouched wilderness like that, the reason why it still existed and not been logged or mined or turned into another Vail with million dollar condos everywhere is that it was federally designated wilderness and thus protected and untouched. You try to change that and I think you will find a lot more citizens on the other side willing to defend it.

Really? well I'm well versed at purifying water but that isn't the plan

THe plan is to seek higher ground, if the governments threaten an EMP the reactors blow, military bases will be taken and the government is at our mercy.

See they destroy communications - nuclear melt down - Take all non armed military bases in areas and hold them - hold all assets (water supply) - it be easy.

If a nun can grab Uranium well.......

The only ethical part is where to put dissenters..... I'd put you on a decommissioned battleship and let you float,

 

[grip]

Twenty years ago I never thought of emergency supplies, nor had I needed any for the previous 3 decades. Then Y2K came as "the end of the world" according to the News Media. I prepped for that and felt like a fool afterwards. Still have a water filtering system.

Then we had fires that ran us out of our home and burned up the whole state. Couple years later the hurricanes were coming 5 a year for 2004-05. It's not whacko to be marginally prepared for interruptions in supplies, caused by natural disasters.

If you can travel to another area or state you're better off, but that's not always an option. Hopefully, you'll never need to use any emergency measures.

 

[sawyerloggingon]

I have backpacked and been a runner and trail runner and cyclist most of my adult life. I am in as good of shape as you could possibly be. I have never averaged more than 3 to 4 mph backpacking. In difficult terrain like the Wind River Range, I do good to get close to 3 mph. Thats going non-stop. Get over 10,000 feet and throw in steep terrain and you will do good to ever average over 3 mph. Hell, my road running pace in most races averages between 6 minutes per mile and 6:45 per mile depending on the length of the race, but I don't think I have ever done a trail race on technical terrain and averaged better than 8:00 minutes a mile or so with most of them 9:00 minutes a mile or more.

That is very good pace carrying 40 plus lbs in a back pack. When I go fishing I carry a small Camelback with a few essentials and my fishing gear, 10 lbs tops. You can cover ground like that.

 

[tech30528]

Prepping is a matter of degrees, and even but the most ardent would say they are not really preppers. There is always that other guy a step or three ahead of you who is the crazy one.

We hear a lot about bug out bags and that being your first step. I disagree. I think the get home bag is where you start. Supplies you keep in your car such as a change of clothes, a few bottles of water, a first aid kit, maybe a box of granola bars and you are on your way. If you are at home and you have to leave in a hurry your stuff is already in the car, and that is where most will go first.

 

[sawyerloggingon]

Prepping is a matter of degrees, and even but the most ardent would say they are not really preppers. There is always that other guy a step or three ahead of you who is the crazy one.

We hear a lot about bug out bags and that being your first step. I disagree. I think the get home bag is where you start. Supplies you keep in your car such as a change of clothes, a few bottles of water, a first aid kit, maybe a box of granola bars and you are on your way. If you are at home and you have to leave in a hurry your stuff is already in the car, and that is where most will go first.

I have lots of rice stocked up, it is a lot of food per 10lb bag.

 

[vesper]

I'm not a prepper. I have enough on hand to see me and my family through a month. I find those who would take to backpacking into the "wild' rather odd during a melt down for wouldn't it be more practical to keep your vehicle with a full tank more advantageous that way at least you could drive as far as possible away of any devastation and when you run out of gas, your vehicle would still be a means of shelter. Right? And if you have an SUV you have the option of strapping on your bicycles as another means of transportation. They also allow you the room to pack up what accommodations you have at home to aid in your journey like sleeping bags, LDS lanterns, food, water, propane tanks etc.

 

[tech30528]

I'm not a prepper. I have enough on hand to see me and my family through a month. I find those who would take to backpacking into the "wild' rather odd during a melt down for wouldn't it be more practical to keep your vehicle with a full tank more advantageous that way at least you could drive as far as possible away of any devastation and when you run out of gas, your vehicle would still be a means of shelter. Right? And if you have an SUV you have the option of strapping on your bicycles as another means of transportation. They also allow you the room to pack up what accommodations you have at home to aid in your journey like sleeping bags, LDS lanterns, food, water, propane tanks etc.

Kind of the way I see it too. In our CERN group we have a lot of classes available to us, one of them is fire making. I don't go to those. I buy Bic lihgters 30 at a time and they are everywhere. There will be plenty of time for rubbing sticks together if you no longer have a job to go to. My thought is that if things get ugly I still want to be able to live my life as close to normal as possible. So we can make enough power to run the water heater, the laundry machines, the dishwasher, all that. We're on a deep well. This spring's project is to build a wood gas generator to run the genny so we have endless fuel. We have food stored, but it's stuff we normally eat, not buckets of powdered preservatives. Honestly, do you think you need stuff that lasts 25 years? What do you suppose it is made of to last that long? Or for that matter how do you think your body is going to react to a diet of beans and rice if that is not what you normally eat?

I have a class this afternoon on a less savory subject, sanitation. One of the biggest killers after the food problem will be disease from improper sanitation. We'll be learning about composting toilets, and how to keep from comtaminating you water source. We've already been over how to build a water filter with sawdust, sand and charcoal or wood ash. As for filters you can buy, there is no single best. The best thing to do is have several. I have a pump filter with my hiking gear, a pass thru filter that attaches to a bottle or Camelback, 2 Pur pitchers and the one in the fridge for ice and water.

 

[tech30528]

Something to keep in mind if you are like many people who think they will just jump in the car and head for the country. Those of us in the country have already thought of that. There are about 28,000 people in our county here in the mountains, the next biggest city a half hour south of us has about 35,000. If even a portion of them tried to come here our resources would be wiped out in a hurry. There are already plans in place in such a case to close the roads. While a few would find their way around them, the majority would be turned back, by force if necessary. Should there be a disaster of that scale people would protect their families and supplies to death. They would literally have to. The best things you can have BEFORE a disaster like that is training and lots of friends.

But a disaster of that scale is not very likely at all. Much more likely is an event like the two snowstorms we had last month, or tornadoes or wildfires. Those we train for. Disasters that would lead to mass migration are considered to be a who different level and people get strange in those situtations.

 

[beerftw]

I am kind of a prepper I guess. My full time home would be considered a bug out location to most preppers and I do have lots of ammo stocked up. I keep enough gas, propane oil etc to run my home for 6 months at least. I have food stores to last probably a year and I have a plan to divert a stream down the road to my land that would wash it out in short order. I'm not all about being a prepper all the time but it just makes sense to me to have enough resources to take care of yourself for a year or so if s*** hits fan. Anyone else in here consider themselves a prepper of any degree?

i prepar for disaster,but whether im a prepper or not depends on personal definition.

i like to have a couple weeks food and water handy,as well as a bug out bag,which has more food,a sleeping bag,a knife and can opener etc.my belief is that you should be prepared for disaster.fema takes their sweet time helping,and store shelves clear out quick.so a bminimum one week food and water,plus other supplies i see as essential,and im not talking abut zombie apocalypse,i mean just hurricanes tornadoes earthquakes etc.

 

[beerftw]

I'm not a prepper. I have enough on hand to see me and my family through a month. I find those who would take to backpacking into the "wild' rather odd during a melt down for wouldn't it be more practical to keep your vehicle with a full tank more advantageous that way at least you could drive as far as possible away of any devastation and when you run out of gas, your vehicle would still be a means of shelter. Right? And if you have an SUV you have the option of strapping on your bicycles as another means of transportation. They also allow you the room to pack up what accommodations you have at home to aid in your journey like sleeping bags, LDS lanterns, food, water, propane tanks etc.

well if you have a months worth of food,you are a prepper,since you prepared.


as far as backpacking goes,you never know,you might live in a flood plane,with a surprise storm knocking out all roads,but a backpacker might be able to hike to higher ground,and wait out the floods.option b is a super mega 4x4,but for the average person,buying such a vehicle for a once in a lifetime flood is rediculous,they oulkd rather hike towards high ground and camp it out a few days.

 

[beerftw]

what a prepper should have at minimum

bugout bag-3 days of food,sleep system,personal hygeine and 3 days water.this bag is designed for if you need to leave in a hurry.


inhouse-3 days food minimum,recomended atleat 1 week food and water.never know when mother nature will screw you,and fema takes their sweet ass time.


sleep system,can be anything from a slepping bag to just blankets,remember survival,less you carry the better,you arent planning on a 1 year camping trip,your planning for emergency.


generator-if you can afford one,not essential.


candles-duh!------dot forget matches!!1


plan-most importan-if disaster striukes and you dont have a cellar,where to go and how is essential