Differences of Rural vs. Urban Prepping

[Otterbatcat]

If you're really gonna ride out stuff in the boonies, buy all the stuff you can to keep some kind of vehicle operating. Extra oil and air filters/fuel filters....on hand. You will need to maintain that ride. Oil also has a stored useful shelf life, rotate that as well....even the synthetic blends, or full syns. Get spare parts for the vehicle you plan to keep running.....serpentine belt, vacuum/water/power steering pumps etc. Even if it's from a wrecking yard, it's better than one that stopped working.

Think of these things just as much as you do about guns, ammo and water, etc.etc.

 

[bigpaul]

the vehicle thing is very debateable, post SHTF roads will deteriorate very quickly without anyone to maintain them, potholes will damage your vehicle, trees will come down in storms, ditches will flood and weeds/shrubs and other natural material will soon make roads impassable.
commercial fuel is only available whilst there is still electric to pump it and any personal stocks are limited, like lots of other stuff post SHTF its finite, when its gone its gone for good.
we should be prepared to use other non motor forms of mobility, horses, ponies, donkeys, mules, bicycles and walking if all else fails.

 

[brandx]

Gazork, I agree, water is and can be the key difference, I am very fortunate to be located in a rural area. I do have my own well and septic.

My shallow well is down 21 feet and my deep well 65 feet, water for me is very simple, old time wind mill or hand pitcher pump or hand pump jack, No electric needed!

I plan on having a shallow well in my safe room/ root cellar, with a little hand pump. The cylinder that pumps the water is down below in the water and every time you stoke the pump handle you move a metal rod inside a cylinder with leather cups that pulls the water up the pipe, ( not well casing ) to the hand pump. Very simplistic old time design and still works fine today. Yes it has its draw backs, but in a time of no power, you will always have drinking and wash water.

Not saying it can't happen, but it would be pretty tough to contaminate that ground water. It would take some catastrophic activity to stir the ground formation up and make it unsafe to drink. Then there would be all kinds of filters etc. after that to keep it safe to drink.

I have hand dug shallow wells for years and always enjoyed playing with them and the free water they can produce.

Ii have a cistern and a hand dug well on the property, not used in years but full of water and a reservoir adjoining. It is only accessed for fishing and in a rural area. Unless there is some sort of contaminant introduced I doubt I will ever have any water problems.

 

[brandx]

If you're really gonna ride out stuff in the boonies, buy all the stuff you can to keep some kind of vehicle operating. Extra oil and air filters/fuel filters....on hand. You will need to maintain that ride. Oil also has a stored useful shelf life, rotate that as well....even the synthetic blends, or full syns. Get spare parts for the vehicle you plan to keep running.....serpentine belt, vacuum/water/power steering pumps etc. Even if it's from a wrecking yard, it's better than one that stopped working.

Think of these things just as much as you do about guns, ammo and water, etc.etc.

Extra tires and a way to put them on. My grandfather had to find tires on the black market during WW2. Hopefully there won't be much traveling going on if you are in your bug in location. Maybe have to go somewhere to buy feed or trade.

 

[brandx]

the vehicle thing is very debateable, post SHTF roads will deteriorate very quickly without anyone to maintain them, potholes will damage your vehicle, trees will come down in storms, ditches will flood and weeds/shrubs and other natural material will soon make roads impassable.
commercial fuel is only available whilst there is still electric to pump it and any personal stocks are limited, like lots of other stuff post SHTF its finite, when its gone its gone for good.
we should be prepared to use other non motor forms of mobility, horses, ponies, donkeys, mules, bicycles and walking if all else fails.

I read that donkeys are good guard animals for your goats and sheep. Could be a pack animal.

 

[bigpaul]

geese are better as guard animals. donkeys have been used as pack animals for over 2,000 years.

 

[brandx]

Yeah, at first there is barely anyone ever passing by, and so your sense of danger dulls, it happens to soldiers in combat situations too, they get complacent when nothing happens for a long time.

As soon as the early leavers from the city got out, and after the food runs out in the urban areas, yeah they'll come there on mass, on foot if they have to, anything not to starve to death.

Well, getting a network going with your neighbors is essential but if you're really located in a rural place, it can mean there is maybe 5-6 houses near each other in several miles either way. Farmers also tend to be stubborn, none of them will want to leave their homes, they'd all rather have the rest come to theirs.

I'm located in a rural location too when I'm not in Uni. It rocks but in my case I got few people living near. the ones who do all help each other out ofc. its part of our culture. they'd even go to the other side of the country or the neighboring country to pick you up if you need it. That's something that happens in smaller places most of all something you are likely privy too as well. but I doubt any of them would come over to my place if SHTF regardless of what I have. They love their homes and lands

Everyone here pretty much stays in their own little world. I imagine a lot of family coming here because it is off the beaten path, I have resources and it is easy to heat. I would say that multiple generations would gather in one place if things got very bad. My folks have a lot of stuff but no alternative heat, food store at home for 3 months, live on a two laner. The younger generation is totally unprepared and I am sure will show up with kids. Good reason to have extra blankets, soap and whatever for basic needs.

 

[brandx]

geese are better as guard animals. donkeys have been used as pack animals for over 2,000 years.

Geese are great watch animals and so are guineas, but donkeys can guard and be kept in the same pasture with goats to fend off predators, especially coyotes and dogs, which donkeys will kick at or chase away.

 

[Maverick]

Ii have a cistern and a hand dug well on the property, not used in years but full of water and a reservoir adjoining. It is only accessed for fishing and in a rural area. Unless there is some sort of contaminant introduced I doubt I will ever have any water problems.

I have good water resources here, I got hit with a drought two years ago that put in to question my long term plan, we have heavy fire seasons here were a lot of surface water was contaminated by the fire forcing us to rely on the deep wells and given we also use the deep wells for fighting fires we had to cut our garden in half and meter our water usage to lesson the burden on the pumps. We never have had water issues with our surface water in the 40 years having the property until two years ago, luckily we are out of drought now.

I would never say “I doubt I will ever have a any water problems” [emoji6]

 

[DrHenley]

How deep were your "deep wells"? There's "deep" and then there's DEEP.

 

[Maverick]

How deep were your "deep wells"? There's "deep" and then there's DEEP.

2 almost 300’ and 1 180’

 

[DrHenley]

We went DEEP - 1600'. Long story, but we didn't have to pay much of the cost. There is not much competition for that aquifer and it's artisian, so yes, we should never have water problems.

 

[bigpaul]

Geese are great watch animals and so are guineas, but donkeys can guard and be kept in the same pasture with goats to fend off predators, especially coyotes and dogs, which donkeys will kick at or chase away.

no coyotes here, we have foxes.

 

[Maverick]

We went DEEP - 1600'. Long story, but we didn't have to pay much of the cost. There is not much competition for that aquifer and it's artisian, so yes, we should never have water problems.

Now 1600’ is deep!

 

[brandx]

no coyotes here, we have foxes.

foxes here too, they love to eat fowl. I love to watch them out in the pasture but don't want them up by the house. They can eat all the mice they want out there.

 

[brandx]

I have good water resources here, I got hit with a drought two years ago that put in to question my long term plan, we have heavy fire seasons here were a lot of surface water was contaminated by the fire forcing us to rely on the deep wells and given we also use the deep wells for fighting fires we had to cut our garden in half and meter our water usage to lesson the burden on the pumps. We never have had water issues with our surface water in the 40 years having the property until two years ago, luckily we are out of drought now.

I would never say “I doubt I will ever have a any water problems” [emoji6]

I didn't say never would, but we don't have droughts, fires, floods, no earthquakes, no hurricanes, but on occasion will have a severe thunderstorm that doesn't last long, I think a tornado sighted every few years in this part of the state. Honestly it is a pretty safe place considering where some people live. The reservoir is 129 acres of water and down the road there is another one in walking distance with 42 more acres of water and dozens of watering holes on 3000 acres of forest land. I don't worry about water much at this point. I worry about being able to afford things that I can't make at home.
I do have a question though, how do you contaminate water with fire? Not being sassy just want to know. thanks

 

[bigpaul]

foxes here too, they love to eat fowl. I love to watch them out in the pasture but don't want them up by the house. They can eat all the mice they want out there.

I was talking to a farmer last Monday, he was having trouble with a fox that was after his ducks, he has 13 but only 9 are layers. he said he let the dogs loose and that usually frightens it off...until the next time.

 

[brandx]

I would watch a fox come down the drive, take a left and go over to the neighbors and in a bit he would return the same way whilst carrying a duck. Needless to say, they no longer have any.

 

[bigpaul]

in this country foxes are classed as vermin.

 

[brandx]

in this country foxes are classed as vermin.

Attractive vermin but vermin none the less. I agree.