Re: November Preps

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CarterPelon wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:21 pm My better half and I went through our go bags earlier this week and made a few additions. I don't expect to see full societal collapse or anything, but I think it's fairly likely that the worst of 2020 is yet to come.
My wife and I agree that there is a high probability of interrupted infrastructure. So that's the impetus for our plans.
Never smile too big, the gods may mistake it for hubris.

Re: November Preps

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Having some level of emergency preparedness for disaster just makes sense. Live in an earthquake zone, prep a kit. Same for areas subject to wildfires, blizzards, tornadoes, hurricanes, blah blah blah.

For the past 210 days, I've been prepping more than usual. Stocking up on extra rations, water; rotating all the stock, bolstering home security, adding to the ammo stockpile. Since the pandemic, I've even focused on soaps, gloves, hand sanitizers, back-up masks, and mask filters. Little by little. When I can. When I can afford. When supplies are available.

All it took was a week of panicked shoppers and a terribly inefficient just-in-time supply chain to wake me to the fragility of what we take for granted every day. Not that I was ever so naive to think there'd always be plenty of everything. No. I've been prepping for a couple years. But the pandemic did bring my prepping blind spots to the fore.

And, as things have evolved -or rather, devolved these past few months, I admit, I've found myself in a few dark places that leave me bracing. All signs point to a vortex of awful. No one wants that (expect maybe blood thirsty sociopaths) and I am hopeful that we can collectively pull ourselves back from the brink, but I'm not one to take a chance on oh, everything will be fine! because, seriously, it might not. It may not come to the level of burned out buildings, neighbor turned against neighbor, gun fights in the streets, but it's not going to be pretty.

And this thinking, this prepping... it's not born of wild conspiracies. It's based on fact. It's based in reality. It's based on what's happening right now and the very real threats we're all facing. And that's the rub. Perception of threat can be a totally subjective experience.

It feels like it's going to be a very dark and dreary winter indeed.

Prepping gets a bad rep. I think many see it as the result of an overly active amygdala and a hypersensitivity to perceived threat. I personally view prepping as something born of hope, as odd as that sounds. Prepping is built on the foundation of hope that we can get passed the rough times. It's hope for the future.

Re: November Preps

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CarterPelon wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:21 pm My better half and I went through our go bags earlier this week and made a few additions. I don't expect to see full societal collapse or anything, but I think it's fairly likely that the worst of 2020 is yet to come.
Same. We went through our bags this past week. Fortunately, it's also that time of year when I swap the warm weather gear for the cold weather gear and focus on winterizing the vehicles.

I agree, I think the worst is yet to come.

It's always darkest before the dawn. <--- that's my silver linings/whistling in the dark

Re: November Preps

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I had a hard-knock lesson on preparedness when our small valley made international news in 2013 during a thousand-year rain event. Small mountain community transported to the 16th century overnight and cut off for days from all communication, resupply or aid. We literally were providing medical care by candle light in the gymnasium after the scrounged fuel ran out.

IMO most people prepare for the wrong things. LGC is a gun community so of course we're aware and conscientious about that portion of our preparedness. But natural disasters, supply shortages and utility interruption are way more likely than the Walking Dead, red-hat version :D .

Have backup sanitary water, as well as the means to make more. Propane lasts a LONG time and has lots of uses. Have non-perishable food, but don't fall for the pallet of MREs adverts. GET IN SHAPE to a reasonable level. Have important meds, robust first-aid supplies, and the training to use them. Plan for lighting, cooking, shelter/heating, and sanitation. Mostly: have a plan! We didn't have a genny, so we had to eat everything in the fridges first. No problem, we cooked for the whole neighborhood with the brewery burners and propane while others were cooking on fires and rocks. If you have a chest freezer for game or the like, then yeah you'll need a genny to preserve it. But a good full freezer will stay cold for a good amount of time if it's kept on the full side and you're not opening it al the time. Hell we had several kegs still cold when we evacced on day 5 or 6 (though a lot less full than when we started!).

While things were tense here and folks were definitely rolling armed, it was mostly very civil and we all came together in an amazing way. Some folks got all militant when they announced that the Town was being closed (everyone had to leave and not return for unknown period of time) things got a little dicey, but we all were under a great deal of stress and in the end everyone put shoulders to the wheel and helped each other out. Honestly is was the recovery in the following years that has been the most divisive, but the guns stayed in the safes for that part :clap: .
Groovin' and jivin' and diggin' the skin I'm in

Lyons, CO

Re: November Preps

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wings wrote: Fri Oct 16, 2020 5:17 pm :thumbup: Voice of experience!

I was reminded I need to get gas for the genny this morning. Whole bunch of power outages across the area. Not sure what was up with that.
There's a family a couple doors down has a three year old. We're just going to give her a Coke and hook jumper cables to her as she runs around.

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: November Preps

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CDFingers wrote: Fri Oct 16, 2020 5:31 pm
wings wrote: Fri Oct 16, 2020 5:17 pm :thumbup: Voice of experience!

I was reminded I need to get gas for the genny this morning. Whole bunch of power outages across the area. Not sure what was up with that.
There's a family a couple doors down has a three year old. We're just going to give her a Coke and hook jumper cables to her as she runs around.

CDFingers
Gummy worms. Sugar boost lasts even longer and is easily renewed.
To be vintage it must be older than me!
The next gun I buy will be the next to last gun I ever buy. PROMISE!
jim

Re: November Preps

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Emergency non-perishable food, H2O filtration system, solar chargers for the electronic necessities, emergency medical supplies, a couple tanks of propane and of course TP live in the travel trailer at all times, which is always ready to be hooked up and out of here in 5 minutes. Full tank of gas in the vehicles, parked nose-to-the-street always. Other than that, there's the reloading cabinet with enough stuff to keep us rolling our own for quite a while in case it even comes to some sort of hunt-to-survive situation. I'm more worried about wildfire than I am a societal collapse, but I live in a fairly rural area, not a city...
Crow
Minute Of Average

Re: November Preps

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I am prepping for post election trouble, but it mostly resembles my normal hurricane season prep. I've stocked up on canned and dry food, including cat food and cat litter (I even bought some mouse traps so I can try to feed the cats even if the food runs out). I bought a bunch of first aid supplies that I had really been needing anyway. I've got 8 gallons of bottled water, 6 gallons of gas as well as a full tank in the truck. As for ammo, I already had about 4500 rounds of various calibers, so I feel fine on that. I'd probably be dead before I went through even 1000 rounds if there were real fights.

Mostly I just plan to hunker down and stay out of sight if things go bad. 300 pound, 51 year old women are not made for fighting wars.
106+ recreational uses of firearms
1 defensive use
0 people injured
0 people killed

Re: November Preps

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We just got in a handy little pump that fits the tops of 5ga water bottles. We also have a light filter system we can set up. Getting in more astronaut food hopefully. Probably not going to be able to swing a generator or solar system before Nov but we've got a thingy to charge small electronics. I would still like to get more 12g in but I don't know that I see it happening.
Never smile too big, the gods may mistake it for hubris.

Re: November Preps

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Elmo wrote: Sat Oct 17, 2020 10:54 pm The fun thing about having ice cream as part of your emergency food stash is, if you lose power you have to eat it all.
I know, man.

My deterrent is my front yard sign: "Have you heard about our Lord and Savior The Great God Decimal? Advance and be Measured."

I don't even get Jehovah's Witnesses.

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: November Preps

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We have water set aside for hurricane season. We have non ethanol gas in the garage and vehicles generally tanked. We also are not planning on going anywhere though. It’s an election and I seriously doubt there will be any mass unrest in my county and city.
Image
Image

"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!" Loquacious of many. Texas Chapter Chief Cat Herder.

Re: November Preps

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SpaceRanger42 wrote: Sun Oct 18, 2020 5:03 am We just got in a handy little pump that fits the tops of 5ga water bottles. We also have a light filter system we can set up. Getting in more astronaut food hopefully. Probably not going to be able to swing a generator or solar system before Nov but we've got a thingy to charge small electronics. I would still like to get more 12g in but I don't know that I see it happening.
Dry goods (rice, beans) are always a good bet. The freeze-dried food is especially worth it for longer-term strategies, but watch the price gouging, it's gotten really out-of-hand, despite reporting several vendors. Demand is really high, obvs.

I put Mountain House on my Amazon List to monitor it and the 14-day supply has been sold out since the early days of the pandemic. Crazy. Benefit is, it has (I think) a 10 year shelf life.
AMZ wrote: SOS Food Labs, Inc. 185000825
S.O.S. Rations Emergency 3600 Calorie Food bar
3 Day/ 72 Hour Package with 5 Year Shelf Life
5" Height, 2" Wide, 4.5" Length
USD $9.50/ea

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075TXP1P5/
↑ Good for BOBs if you plan for 3 days. Get 2 packs/person to stretch to a week.
AMZ wrote: Mountain House Classic Bucket
Freeze Dried Backpacking & Camping Food
24 Servings
USD $99.39/ea
↑ OOF! The price has skyrocketed. Good for hunkering down. 1-2 meals per day is better than nothing.


IF you can swing it, here's a quick solution to your solar problem:
AMZ wrote:
Anker PowerCore 26800 Portable Charger
26800mAh External Battery
Dual Input Port and Double-Speed Recharging
3 USB Ports
USD $59.99
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JIWQPMW
↑ Great for BOBs (1/person). Do a full initial charge from a wall outlet while you can. Maintains charge for MONTHS. I've charged my phone from 20 or 30% to 100% at least five times while camping recently, maybe more. There might even be better models available.
RYNO TUFF SOLAR CHARGER
INTEGRATED BATTERY
USD $59.00
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MB83DCJ/
I've used this portable array to charge my Anker PowerCore. It works well, but even when using the included clips, it gets incredibly hot to the touch.

Re: November Preps

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My November preps include an overwhelming desire to be done with this election cycle and on to dealing with the consequences, whichever way it goes. And rain dances. Lots of rain dances. I'll be much happier when the rains come and I can unpack all the suitcases and boxes of "my precious" sitting in the living room in case of fire bug outery.

Re: November Preps

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featureless wrote: Tue Oct 20, 2020 4:11 pm My November preps include an overwhelming desire to be done with this election cycle and on to dealing with the consequences, whichever way it goes.
Yeah, agreed. I'm done with 2020. Someone, please, just hit the FFWD button and let's move on.
featureless wrote: And rain dances. Lots of rain dances. I'll be much happier when the rains come and I can unpack all the suitcases and boxes of "my precious" sitting in the living room in case of fire bug outery.
See what 2020 has done to me? Now I'm not sure if I'm reading too much into that... I could reply a few different ways, one more obscure than the others:
(1) Q: Featureless, what do you hear?
(2) Let it rain™?
(3) Make it rain!
(4) Ah! You're on the left coast.
(5) Huh?

:think:

Re: November Preps

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Outpost716 wrote: Tue Oct 20, 2020 6:21 pm
CDFingers wrote: Tue Oct 20, 2020 4:03 pm I saw a limping turkey in the next block yesterday. He's not there today. Hmm.

CDFingers
Yesterday, upon the stair, I met a bird who wasn't there...?
He wasn't there again today.
He's the main course, as they say.

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

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