Future plans

[milltech]

If SHTF's the next year or so have any of you changed plans?

I think it will be a double dip recession, of course I grew up poor so I have'nt really noticed much.

Track the dow jones industrial average back to 1929, you will see the "W"

 

[Eddie]

Changed plans in terms of how we are prepping or changed plans as to what sort of SHTF scenarios we think are likely?

 

[shibumiseeker]

I'm not really sure what you are asking?

We are always prepared for SHTF, if it happens it happens and we will deal with it best we can. I don't sit up nights worrying about what might happen, too busy living my life to waste it hunkering down.

 

[ReSSurrected]

Changed plans in terms of how we are prepping or changed plans as to what sort of SHTF scenarios we think are likely?

I'd say the two go hand in hand to certain extent.

 

[Eddie]

I would say that recent events have me thinking more about hyperinflation. Back in the 80's everything was nuclear war/earthquake/asteroid impact, now we have the threat of global pandemic, economic collapse and poison medicine made in China. It's like Shibumeseeker said above we each make the best preps that we can and hope for a little luck.

 

[milltech]

Just saying I guess for my part, did I stock pile enough ammo for hunting if things get worse?

Was wondering if you guy's thought on the same line.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

I have ramped up my efforts a bit, but try to be a good scout and prepare for ANYTHING. It can come in any form at any time usually unexpectedly. Right now though, we have a great advantage. We see it coming and know without any doubt it is coming, there just isn't a schedule of events for us to mark on the calendar.

 

[Eddie]

Just saying I guess for my part, did I stock pile enough ammo for hunting if things get worse?

Was wondering if you guy's thought on the same line.

The problem with planning on hunting for a prep is that loads of people will likely go poaching in SHTF as soon as food gets scarce. Things will get hunted out pretty quickly. You might ration some bullet money towards extra food. Depending on your situation look at what you can raise or grow yourself.

If you have money and storage capacity look at foods that have a long shelf life. If you don't, look at ways to get food that the average guy won't think of. Study up on edible plants. Learn how to fish and trap.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Just saying I guess for my part, did I stock pile enough ammo for hunting if things get worse?

Was wondering if you guy's thought on the same line.

Nope. If things get so bad that hunting becomes necessary I have enough ammo to kill every critter for a ten mile radius for several years.

If people get very desperate for food, large game will be gone within a year. A few thousand rounds of .22lr will see you through small game for the rest of your life if you don't trap.

Me, I absolutely do not see a large scale societal collapse, nor it it part of my preps. To be sure if it happens I have enough skills and supplies that the rest of the world could disappear and I wouldn't know it for six months except INGO would be rather more quiet.

IF, and that's a BIG IF, US society collapses the odds are that it will be a slow slide over several years and then a gradual recovery. What happened in Russia after the breakup of the USSR is an excellent example. The US is not Balkanized enough to suffer what happened in Bosnia except on small scales in isolated pockets.

It's one thing to keep an eye out for problems, it's quite another to be hunkered down behind your ammo fort waiting for it to happen, meanwhile missing the richness that can be found by getting out and living. When the Millenium bug was a big uncertainty, I increased my normal stocking levels for consumables somewhat, but didn't spend excessive time worrying about what might happen.

 

[clt46910]

I have had ammo and guns taken care of for a long time now.

I am working on food and common spare parts for my vehicles, chainsaws and lawn mowers.

More propane tanks for my back up heaters for the house.

Starting to look at planting a garden. I am not much of a gardener, but think it is time I started learning more about it. I have been planting things in the woods for years playing around with that. Works out but not sure it would give me the output I might want at a later if things go bad.

 

[Eddie]

Nope. If things get so bad that hunting becomes necessary I have enough ammo to kill every critter for a ten mile radius for several years.

If people get very desperate for food, large game will be gone within a year. A few thousand rounds of .22lr will see you through small game for the rest of your life if you don't trap.

Me, I absolutely do not see a large scale societal collapse, nor it it part of my preps. To be sure if it happens I have enough skills and supplies that the rest of the world could disappear and I wouldn't know it for six months except INGO would be rather more quiet.

IF, and that's a BIG IF, US society collapses the odds are that it will be a slow slide over several years and then a gradual recovery. What happened in Russia after the breakup of the USSR is an excellent example. The US is not Balkanized enough to suffer what happened in Bosnia except on small scales in isolated pockets.

It's one thing to keep an eye out for problems, it's quite another to be hunkered down behind your ammo fort waiting for it to happen, meanwhile missing the richness that can be found by getting out and living. When the Millenium bug was a big uncertainty, I increased my normal stocking levels for consumables somewhat, but didn't spend excessive time worrying about what might happen.

A portion of my Y2K prep was to plant tobacco. We have a pretty good winemaking operation and the ability to distill so I figured I would be the only guy on the block selling booze and smokes when the dust cleared.

 

[shibumiseeker]

A portion of my Y2K prep was to plant tobacco. We have a pretty good winemaking operation and the ability to distill so I figured I would be the only guy on the block selling booze and smokes when the dust cleared.

*heh* Drinking away perfectly good motor fuel!

I've never been sure if having smokes as a barter item was a good thing or a bad thing. Someone who would go away if turned down for food might not if turned down for nicotine when they are three days into withdrawl...

 

[Eddie]

*heh* Drinking away perfectly good motor fuel!

I've never been sure if having smokes as a barter item was a good thing or a bad thing. Someone who would go away if turned down for food might not if turned down for nicotine when they are three days into withdrawl...

Depends, my best still has the capability to crank out almost pure ethanol. (Although I would never actually test it being the law abiding citizen that I am.)

I know what you mean about the smokes, could be more harm than good but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Depends, my best still has the capability to crank out almost pure ethanol. (Although I would never actually test it being the law abiding citizen that I am.)

I know what you mean about the smokes, could be more harm than good but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Probably on the balance it'd be a good thing

I did research on ethanol as a motor fuel when I was in HS. I (well, not me personally, my school sponsored it) had an ATF permit to produce up to 2000 100 proof-gallons (1000 gallons of 200 proof) a year, which had to be denatured. I had 55 gallon drums of mash fermenting in the garage and 3 different stills I made as my designs improved. I even had my own strain of yeast I bred for very high alcohol tolerance for maximum conversion efficiency. My final iteration was a continuous production system using vacuum distillation to keep the mash at the optimal temperature for the yeast. As long as I fed it sugar it would produce alcohol. I had converted a generator and a motorcycle to run on ethanol.

I was the only 17 year old kid with as much access to 190 proof alcohol as I could have wanted. I think that is why I don't drink now, ethanol smell makes me think "fuel and solvent" not "tasty libation."

 

[Eddie]

Probably on the balance it'd be a good thing

I did research on ethanol as a motor fuel when I was in HS. I (well, not me personally, my school sponsored it) had an ATF permit to produce up to 2000 100 proof-gallons (1000 gallons of 200 proof) a year, which had to be denatured. I had 55 gallon drums of mash fermenting in the garage and 3 different stills I made as my designs improved. I even had my own strain of yeast I bred for very high alcohol tolerance for maximum conversion efficiency. My final iteration was a continuous production system using vacuum distillation to keep the mash at the optimal temperature for the yeast. As long as I fed it sugar it would produce alcohol. I had converted a generator and a motorcycle to run on ethanol.

I was the only 17 year old kid with as much access to 190 proof alcohol as I could have wanted. I think that is why I don't drink now, ethanol smell makes me think "fuel and solvent" not "tasty libation."

I had always played with old fashioned copper tubing and galvanized buckets. Due to an unusual twist of fate I came into possession of a roughly a semi-truck load of glassware and other chemistry equipment. I made some generous donations that stocked the local high schools for years and the wife (a chemistry teacher) built a still for me out of glassware and set it up with a lab quality heater. (in theory) It will turn homemade wine into stuff that needs cut with rum to be drinkable.

I never got into drinking the hard stuff though, wine and beer are fine for me but I've never enjoyed the distilled beverages.

 

[longbow]

My next upgrades at the house-when funds are ready.....

-rainwater collection
-above ground water storage and a jockey pump
-propane heat, cooking and water heating
-tri fuel generator

 

[shibumiseeker]

I had always played with old fashioned copper tubing and galvanized buckets. Due to an unusual twist of fate I came into possession of a roughly a semi-truck load of glassware and other chemistry equipment. I made some generous donations that stocked the local high schools for years and the wife (a chemistry teacher) built a still for me out of glassware and set it up with a lab quality heater. (in theory) It will turn homemade wine into stuff that needs cut with rum to be drinkable.

When a friend left her lab at IU for greener pastures in her field she left me her entire collection of glassware. Several thousand dollars worth of glassware, most with ground glass connectors. I also lucked into 3 2.5' long condensors with ground glass connectors when a local winery shut down, picked them up for $15@. I suspect that if I were to drink I'd be making my own given how easy it is both for fermented product as well as distilled (not that I would do that...). Right now it's all sitting carefully packed away in the event the world ends and I need to do chemical synthesis.