How much of a prepper are you?

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How much of a prepper are you?

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Florence

Joined: 15 Mar 2025
Posts: 142

Posted: Tue Jun 10, 25 10:20 am Post subject: How much of a prepper are you?
The preppers seem to have come out again. I do hope that this will not encourage the extremes of the past. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/uk-households-urged-to-stockpile-tins-of-food-as-soon-as-possible/ar-AA1GjOCf?pc=ACTS&ei=6

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 44414
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Jun 10, 25 12:18 pm Post subject:

a bit better than that

that stuff is useful if you expect "it"to be over in a short while, and you expect it to be a single issue such as a transport strike etc

i am planning on eating the less than pleasant "visitors" while charging the coms by sunlight etc

water purification for 2000L small and light, assorted methods and uses
food mummified pig, carbs, tins, etc
i can hunt and forage (well direct other folk to do it as im too old and decrepit)

it would take days to get a brewery and still organised, etc

universal currency

capable of extreme violence, could teach a 95% win rate in a few days

preppers are mostly idiots with little strategic nous, ie pop the generator on, advertise you have a genny and fuel and probably have loads of other useful things
"i have farm animals" and the local town is starving

"i have a shotgun" can you make propellant? (dont ask, i have a bow and can make string)
etc

Last edited by dpack on Tue Jun 10, 25 3:26 pm; edited 1 time in total

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 44414
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Jun 10, 25 3:55 pm Post subject:

oh i missed a huge subject, just in case medical stuff

at the mo i have gaffer tape and whatever is around(loads of stuff)

my idea of a farm first aid kit surprised a few folk
a 45 min response time is at least 3/4 of the golden hour, so tourniquet, chest valves, field dressings celox etc seemed reasonable along with some less extreme kit and supplies that was more than a plaster and a bit of out of date savlon

chainsaw , accidental discharge , deliberate moo charge etc are all normal rural perils along with part eaten by a machine or fallen off a quad bike into rebar

eyewash bottles are good wherever you are

ditto 6 fire extinguishers of 3 types(here i just have a dry powder and intend to never use it, too messy to tidy up)

off grid first aid has included rescue stuff, serious drugs and tools etc at times, they have varied depending on the place and risks

i know enough about plants and a bit about nursing with little to make a difference etc

Florence

Joined: 15 Mar 2025
Posts: 142

Posted: Wed Jun 11, 25 1:03 pm Post subject:
All these mad articles never advise you on how to deal with a power outage. Most of the world couldn't run a camping stove or even a barbecue economically to extend the fuel usage. Still less forage for fuel (and I don't mean steal).

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 44414
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Jun 11, 25 1:50 pm Post subject:
my solar LV kit is ace, coms laptop gps lights small batteries etc for the night sight or whatever you get the picture the books are useful for educating folk, water food medicine not getting lost , make yer own "bear"traps etc, kick ass stuff( as well various bits of kit) not really prepper , tis life

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16513

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 25 7:43 am Post subject:

Having been through the rolling powercuts of the 1970s, we always made a point of being able to manage without power. We do have a solar array for power generation that we use at shows, but less needed now as we have a larger battery in our camping trailer, so could probably rig that up for comms. We have a wood burning stove with a flat top for cooking and heating and always have some candles for light. Not ideal, but at least some light. The only thing we really rely on is water and sewage, but at a pinch could probably manage with boiling rain water and digging a hole. In the woods we do have a midden to empty the chemical toilet with added sawdust and charcoal fines.

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9969
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 25 12:01 pm Post subject:

not a prepper, but turns out to be prepared in some areas:

I have lots of wood stacked, and a woodburning range that I can cook on and in and it makes hot water. Also have a woodburner for warmth in living room. Also have lots of candles.
As I like things not easily or cheaply obtained locally, I often buy in bulk eg brown basmati rice, and have some store but probably not enough. but how much is enough?
I make my own sourdough bread all the time anyway, and have lots of breadflour in
I'm reasonably knowledgable about foraging and fishing and growing own veg, and know how to save seeds.
I have a lot of fruit and veg in freezers but that wouldnt help if the power was lost. Prehaps I should buy in lots of sugar to make jam and chutney when the power goes off.......

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16513

Posted: Fri Jun 13, 25 6:46 am Post subject:

I really don't think we are going to have that sort of total power cut for a very long time. Although I think we rely too heavily on computerised systems that can potentially be hacked, the grid system is quite good. Having said that, I have cousins living in Ontario in Canada and they had an ice storm a couple of months ago. It put power out to the more rural areas for more than a week, with the electricity people working frantically to get it going again. One of our son's generation is a climber for them and he was working 16 hour days for 2 weeks to get the power going again.

Ty Gwyn

Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4632
Location: Lampeter

Posted: Fri Jun 13, 25 10:16 am Post subject:
I don`t know about that,electricity was out here for 5 days back in December with the storms bringing large numbers of tree`s down in West Wales,the worse i`ve seen since 87 and that was`nt as bad,but over the years hearing on the radio about the power cuts in the East of England,some places for weeks.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 44414
Location: yes

Posted: Fri Jun 13, 25 11:55 am Post subject:

local power can go off for assorted reasons, careful with that digger eugene! or flood/wind or substation problem etc

the grid can go down for assorted reasons and different time scales

leccy infrastructure is a prime target for overt or subtle enemy action, see ukraine, gaza etc(oh it can be done more tidily with less bangs using strands of carbon fibre and graphite dust, cleaning up after that needs more than a duster)

never assume the mains leccy will work is a wise policy
ditto water
non mains water is everywhere but usually it needs processing before use

frewen

Joined: 08 Sep 2005
Posts: 11434

Posted: Fri Jun 13, 25 5:35 pm Post subject:
I prep for a living ! Both Emergency planner and Business Continuity trained

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16513

Posted: Sat Jun 14, 25 7:54 am Post subject:

Useful Frewen, but must make you feel a bit depressed sometimes. Perhaps we are spoilt where we live as our power is underground (except for the high voltage pylon lines), so the worst we usually have is an idiot with a digger or a substation fault. I agree the grid is vulnerable, but think the only things we have that would be problematical are the fridge and freezer. Although life would be restricted and a bit uncomfortable, we could cook, heat and have some light. Water could be filtered using paper or cloth and then boiled, but sewage would need more thought and the neighbours may not like a midden hole, but they would be in the same position, so might be glad of the guidance.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 44414
Location: yes

Posted: Sat Jun 14, 25 11:01 am Post subject:

for a shed of easement, wood ashes and sawdust or similar is hygienic, low impact, etc, and once composted for a year makes good compost

dried earth will work, especially attractive to petermen who moistened and fermented it

etc

it really is not a problem in a rural setting
urban a bit more organization might be needed, chances are it would not be a problem 28 days later, most folk would have died by then

ps i would last until a little after my meds ran out, i would be looting for different meds to most folk so have a fairly high chance of success

pps if it is longish term, either recruit (and rapidly train) henchfolk or hide quietly til the violence is over
after 4 missed meals it gets messy

frewen

Joined: 08 Sep 2005
Posts: 11434

Posted: Sat Jun 14, 25 4:34 pm Post subject:
It isnâ€™t depressing as such. It is sobering though, and having a working knowledge of how to leverage your environment and know what you can do to look after yourself is never a bad thing ðŸ™‚

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