Any preppers on here or other survival minded people?

[gregthehand]

I bought my M1009 CUCV directly from the Army. I by a lot of stuff at government auctions (like back packs :) )

The pool of available and good running CUCVs is quickly starting to dry up but some are still available but they are a lot more expensive then they were when I bought mine. They are not hardened against an EMP however they lack much that would get fried. From what I understand Unimogs are hardened. However I have just heard this and haven't done my own research. For me the best way of transportation after something like a HEMP detonation or a solar flare that had the same effects is a good vehicle like a CUCV to get to your BOL (unless you live there which I'm really trying to do) and then a bicycle or horse, or both. I want to store a large amount of diesel but who knows how long that would last. I have heard talk of farmers using their soy bean crop to produce their own diesel before but haven't been able to figure out the exacts of that. Another option would be to get a vehicle that can run off of straight ethanol. That's something that someone with some know how can make on their own.

PM me for more details about where to buy military vehicles. If you are really in the market for one I know some guys that have them for sale right now.

[The Annoyed Man]

I know there is a nuclear reactor in Glen Rose and there apparently is another in Bay City near Houston according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Dag nabbit! Glen Rose was my rural fallback until I can buy my own property. A very dear friend of mine who is like a mom to me owns 115 acres on the Brazos river outside of Glen Rose.

[The Annoyed Man]

Am I in the minority who think this way?

I doubt it...

You're right about that. First off, I enjoy my comfort, and I worked hard for it. I would hate to lose it. Second, I have enough ongoing medical issues that I'm one of those who would likely die earlier rather than later. When the available supply of Verapamil, Levothyroxin, and Doxazosin runs out, I will decline and die. All things considered, I'd rather live longer.

I think it is wise to invest at least some time and effort to being prepared for a societal emergency or breakdown. I've lived through several major earthquakes, not to mention electrical blackouts (in NYC, of all places) where there was no power for almost 5 days and things got dicey. Being prepared for those kinds of things makes perfect sense.

I don't want to criticize those who have prepared for the longer term than that, or who are working on it now, because I have goals in that regard also. BUT... I think that there are some people who almost long for the kind of breakdown they are preparing for, and I think that is psychologically (and spiritually) unhealthy. We need to make sure that we dont get sucked into that kind of black hole when we consider our preparation decision-making.

Allow me to draw a parallel... As a Christian, I believe the Bible. The Bible prophesies a breakdown of society in the future. Read the book of Revelations. It is a significant enough thing in scripture that "End Times" eschatology is a whole area of biblical study. Now, I have a friend who is a good, God fearing Christian, and who has been a blessing to me in my life. He went off the deep end during the whole Y2K scare. He saw signs of the End Times in everything, and it drove his investment decisions, his purchasing decisions, his relationships, etc., etc. In his near obsession with impending doom, he forgot to live. He forgot to enjoy the moments and the days that God gave him. In other words, he forgot to Whom he owes his very existence. He forgot Who is his provider.

Being prepared is a wise thing. Living for the day when we'll need our preparations because we can't enjoy the life we already have is a waste of time. Worse yet if one is a Christian, it is a sin before God. So that has governed my approach to being prepared.

[TLynnHughes]

TAM,

I really like your posts, especially this one.

T.

[gregthehand]

Well I'm not the kind of person that wants something like we are talking about to happen. I love the AC and the creature comforts we know here in life.

We should be prepared in both our spiritual walk and the physical actions. There are many scriptures that tells us to be prepared and be ready in both.

Luke 17:26 Just as it was in the Days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of man.(27)People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given into marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. (Didnt GOD give Noah warning to prepare for the flood?)

Matthew 25:1 (This is reference to be spiritually and physically ready).
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
(1)At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. (2)Five of them were foolish and five were wise. (3)The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. (4)The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. (5)The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
(6)At midnight the cry rang out: Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!
(7)Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. (8)The foolish ones said to the wise, Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.
(9) No, they replied, there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.
10)But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

So in my eyes God puts things in front of us that lead us to preparation. Maybe it's an unexpected amount of income like a bonus. Do I go out and buy a generator, maybe some ammo, or extra stored food? Or do I go out and buy a new TV? Maybe I save it our invest in some silver or gold bullion. Or just stick the cash in my safe. How many of us have said in a time of need "Dang it I knew I should have just bought this/saved but I wanted (insert blank)". It may not be the end of the world but it's the emergency right then. How many people just sixty-five plus years ago during the beginning of WWII didn't head the warnings given to them and instead just hoped that somehow they would be OK. In my opinion God provides for us but one of the ways he does so is to give us warnings and inspirations so that we know to prepare for ourselves.

To those who only feel the need to prep for a short duration be it a few weeks or a few months I'd say they'll probably be fine. More than likely if something happens that will be it. If I was a betting man I'd bet that a short amount of supplies is all I would need. However I just feel that nothing can go wrong with me prepping for the long run. The worst case scenario is that I wind up with some land, animals, old trucks, guns and ammo, and I'm self sufficient. I wanted that even before I learned about HEMPs, financial break downs, etc. When my food supplies get near their expiration I take them and donate them to my churches pantry. They in turn feed people who's deification has already hit the ventilation. I don't see a problem with that.

Just my .02 cents.

[Oldgringo]

Is it just me or is this thread breaching forum rules?

11. Off-topic posts/threads: Since they tend to cause the most problems for other boards, our "off-topic" sub-forum is not an "anything goes" area. Absolutely no discussions of religion, immigration/border security, abortion, race matters, or any other hot-button political issues. (Gun-related political issues can be discussed in other areas.)

[WildBill]

Is it just me or is this thread breaching forum rules?

11. Off-topic posts/threads: Since they tend to cause the most problems for other boards, our "off-topic" sub-forum is not an "anything goes" area. Absolutely no discussions of religion, immigration/border security, abortion, race matters, or any other hot-button political issues. (Gun-related political issues can be discussed in other areas.)

I think they are discussing scripture, not religion.

[KC5AV]

Is it just me or is this thread breaching forum rules?

11. Off-topic posts/threads: Since they tend to cause the most problems for other boards, our "off-topic" sub-forum is not an "anything goes" area. Absolutely no discussions of religion, immigration/border security, abortion, race matters, or any other hot-button political issues. (Gun-related political issues can be discussed in other areas.)

I think they are discussing scripture, not religion.

A VERY significant distinction.

[Oldgringo]

Is it just me or is this thread breaching forum rules?

11. Off-topic posts/threads: Since they tend to cause the most problems for other boards, our "off-topic" sub-forum is not an "anything goes" area. Absolutely no discussions of religion, immigration/border security, abortion, race matters, or any other hot-button political issues. (Gun-related political issues can be discussed in other areas.)

I think they are discussing scripture, not religion.

A VERY significant distinction.

I reckon it is just me.

Thanks for the clarification/s.

[Divided Attention]

TAM,

[jordanmills]

I reckon I can't see myself living in hurricane country without being a little prepared. Never know when one will hop into the gulf, and that's all it takes to clear store shelves. Might as well save myself the trouble and have stuff on hand now. Besides, most of "prepping" isn't collecting stuff, it's collecting knowledge and experience. I'm a kind of do it myself guy, so I guess that puts me in the right spot again.

[PRO]

I applied for my CHL because I was preparing for the need to protect my family and self. In that respect perhaps we are all preppers. Many people can go through their entire lives and never have a need to protect themselves. I’m just of the thought that I’d rather have a CHL and not need it than need it and not have it.

My food stores are in part due to my buying in bulk to save money and in part because I can all the vegetables that I grow in my garden. The dehydrator was for the backpacking and camping trips but I also like jerky and fruit chips, (crispy onions are my fav).

I have a water bladder for the bath tub from the Red Cross that I bought after the Flood at Canyon Lake in 2002. Our well water turned rusty and I decided it was a prudent investment.

I have bug out bags and a small tool box in all of my vehicles as well as water, spare oil and a tire repair kit.

My family knows that if something happens that will prevent us from getting home or home has become unsafe, we are to meet at another predetermined location and we all have the number of an out of state relative.

IMO, the precautions I’ve taken are just common sense. Now if something really bad happens, I do not want to watch my family slowly starve to death because I didn’t plan ahead. I don’t want anything to happen as I like my life and comforts the way they are but I’m not going to give up on my family if it does.

[The Annoyed Man]

To those who only feel the need to prep for a short duration be it a few weeks or a few months I'd say they'll probably be fine. More than likely if something happens that will be it. If I was a betting man I'd bet that a short amount of supplies is all I would need. However I just feel that nothing can go wrong with me prepping for the long run. The worst case scenario is that I wind up with some land, animals, old trucks, guns and ammo, and I'm self sufficient. I wanted that even before I learned about HEMPs, financial break downs, etc. When my food supplies get near their expiration I take them and donate them to my churches pantry. They in turn feed people who's deification has already hit the ventilation. I don't see a problem with that.

Just my .02 cents.

I agree with this sentiment. Like I said, there is great wisdom in being able to be self-sufficient if necessary; and I am somewhat envious that you seem to be further along the curve than I am. The issue for me is whether or not one's preparations are an obsession with a longing for everything to go to pot, or simply an ongoing activity with goals and milestones, as an investment just in case.

One of my goals, once I've purchased my piece of land, is to have the capability to live completely off the grid if necessary. Songwriter Jackson Brown actually lives that way. He's connected to the grid, but he doesn't live off it. He uses less energy than he makes, and he sells his extra energy production to the grid. He's also water self-sufficient. And, I think he makes his own biodiesel too. For me, it isn't driven so much by a need to be prepared for a doomsday scenario as it is a desire to be self-sufficient by choice, not by necessity. But either way, I'm dependent on God.

[The Annoyed Man]

Is it just me or is this thread breaching forum rules?

11. Off-topic posts/threads: Since they tend to cause the most problems for other boards, our "off-topic" sub-forum is not an "anything goes" area. Absolutely no discussions of religion, immigration/border security, abortion, race matters, or any other hot-button political issues. (Gun-related political issues can be discussed in other areas.)

I think they are discussing scripture, not religion.

A VERY significant distinction.

I reckon it is just me.

Thanks for the clarification/s.

Sigh... I wasn't discussing religion. I was giving an example, from my own life, of someone I knew whose motivations for preparation were based on a faith based apocalyptic expectation for the near future, and how his obsession prevented him from enjoying the moment. But it was just one example. I've met non-religious people who also have an apocalyptic for the future, and whose obsession prevents them from enjoying today. Either the faith based or the secular version is unhealthy.

I then went on to talk about my own motivations, which are also partly faith based. You, of course, are free to have other motivations, and it would not bother me in the least; nor would I feel it necessary to comment on it. I'm not proselytizing, nor am I disparaging some other religion. But I am a person with a deep and abiding faith, and it is the filter through which I view the world. I can no more pretend to be a secular person than I can teach a pig to fly. If I am not free, in your view, to calmly and without proselytizing explain my motivations without it being misunderstood as proselytizing and being called on it whenever I do, then I don't see any point to posting at all. This is not the first time you've criticized me for being honest about my faith, which is important to me, and frankly, it's off-putting. You could try relaxing just a little bit about it, and it wouldn't hurt you in the least.

I'm done here.

[Abraham]

Somewhere back in this discussion, a mention was made regarding being prepared to a certain degree, but less than apocalyptic grade...

I am.

I agree with TAM.

Being prepared to a reasonable degree (my words) makes sense to me.

After Ike, (I learned my lesson) I now own a large portable generator, wired throughout the house by a professional with a transfer switch, extra gasoline containers, some dehydrated food laid in, etc, etc.

Going to extremes (again, my words) could be made into a good hobby of sorts, if the endeavor doesn't make one vaguely hope for the worst to come about.

I don't think anyone's mentioned this, but there's a contingent who believe that 2012 will be the end for mankind make me slowly shake my head.

As a kid, I recall folks who carried sandwich boards declaring the end of the world. When it didn't happen, the same people assured us that yes, they were wrong in their prediction, but next time, yessiree, it'll really be the end.

Yeah, sure.