What have you done?

[Colt 1911]

You sound well prepared and your logic seems well thought out if I do say so myself. I like the idea of bugging in if possible. It is surely better to defend a hardened base than to strike out on your own. I also agree that bugging out is best done as light as possible if you are able and willing to live off the land. Being a hunter and outdoorsman helps to no end, I think. Being able to set up camp in short order, make shelters, gather or hunt/trap food and gather/purify water is really what HAS to happen. If you have these skills, you can even get others who don;t know how to help out by delegating and showing them how to get along. You can really turn people who are liabilities into assets like this. They may come empty handed asking for help so they literally don't die. The good skills you have can keep many people alive in a DD situation.

I also agree on your ideas of what is realistic as far as crisis go. Many of us prepare for flat out ridiculous scenarios, and even more of us prepare for things that CAN happen, but are really, really, REALLY unlikely. While I think it's best to be prepared for as many things as possible, I think focusing on what's a plausible threat can help you be better prepared by focusing your efforts on likely situations and realistic approaches to surviving. I know quite a few people who have stocked up on TONS of food and water, but live in high-risk areas that they would have to abandon in the scenarios you have penned. These same people have VERY limited outdoors/survival skills and would likely be just the people I was referring to earlier. Willing, but unable. Just the kind of people that you can turn into "Survival tools" by teaching them what you know and what you/they will need to do to make it.

Ya, I think you hit the nail on the head.

 

[Krime]

@ Al, what do you suppose an "unrealistic" scenario might be? well other than Zombie-pocalipse.

 

[alabaster]

Well, I think certain things like "Pole-shifting" and others just seem to far out. We're getting called for a tremendous storm right now, but I don't see this as likely. I don't mean it's impossible, but not likely. I think you have to weigh each scenario to see if it's realistic. What's realistic to one of us may not be for others. Like folks who live in Highland County running into a band of gang members. Or people in DC getting attacked by a mountain lion. Zombies on the other hand......... Can be ANYWHERE!

 

[Clyde]

Well, I think certain things like "Pole-shifting" and others just seem to far out. We're getting called for a tremendous storm right now, but I don't see this as likely. I don't mean it's impossible, but not likely. I think you have to weigh each scenario to see if it's realistic. What's realistic to one of us may not be for others. Like folks who live in Highland County running into a band of gang members. Or people in DC getting attacked by a mountain lion. Zombies on the other hand......... Can be ANYWHERE!

From what we are hearing out here about your "Frankenstorm" it is going to pack one hell of a punch.

 

[Fordrocks1986]

From what we are hearing out here about your "Frankenstorm" it is going to pack one hell of a punch.

Yeah I hope every one is ready for it the news said its going to be bad.

 

[Clyde]

Yeah I hope every one is ready for it the news said its going to be bad.

I will take earthquakes any day over hurricanes, and tornadoes

 

[Fordrocks1986]

Lol we had a 3.9 last night where I live and not one person killed or any houses lost I'm with you on that one say no to tornados

 

[Colt 1911]

I guess we will see how people respond to this, might just give a huge wake up call to the unprepared. What about the tsunami going for Hawaii. Shits going to hit here sooner or later.

 

[Fordrocks1986]

Lol that's why I don't live on the cost I would hate to be flooded in like that remember Japan a few years ago wow that was some crazy stuff.

 

[Clyde]

I guess we will see how people respond to this, might just give a huge wake up call to the unprepared. What about the tsunami going for Hawaii. Shits going to hit here sooner or later.

Lol that's why I don't live on the cost I would hate to be flooded in like that remember Japan a few years ago wow that was some crazy stuff.

I remember thailand get hammered by that huge tsunami! That one had 230,210 – 280,000 deaths.

 

[Colt 1911]

I remember thailand get hammered by that huge tsunami! That one had 230,210 – 280,000 deaths.

It is going to be are turn soon !

 

[alabaster]

We're gonna get hit hard, but we're prepared, too. If it gets too ugly, we'll be snatching up the go bags and headin for the hills. We have a good crew within 15 miles or so all of us are DDPers, so if need be, we'll all group together to help keep things moving. If we have to bounce out, we'll prolly all be headin' out together too, so I'm not too skurred. Actually, I'm kind of excited about it. We used to throw hurricane parties in Florida. I guess it depends on how you look at things. Either you pretend nothings gonna happen and get hit in the head with it, or you know the ball is coming and you duck. I know something's gonna happen BIG during my lifetime, I just want to be ready. Times like this it's interesting to see people running out to stock up on survival gear and groceries. I'm sitting back like, 'Where the f**k yall been?"LOL......

 

[Clyde]

It is going to be are turn soon !

One reason I do not live in any Orange County City with the word "Beach" in its name. Way to risky.
Places like Lido Island and Balboa Island are screwed by either a tsunami or an 8 point quake. The liquefaction will flatten the area.

 

[Clyde]

We're gonna get hit hard, but we're prepared, too. If it gets too ugly, we'll be snatching up the go bags and headin for the hills. We have a good crew within 15 miles or so all of us are DDPers, so if need be, we'll all group together to help keep things moving. If we have to bounce out, we'll prolly all be headin' out together too, so I'm not too skurred. Actually, I'm kind of excited about it. We used to throw hurricane parties in Florida. I guess it depends on how you look at things. Either you pretend nothings gonna happen and get hit in the head with it, or you know the ball is coming and you duck. I know something's gonna happen BIG during my lifetime, I just want to be ready. Times like this it's interesting to see people running out to stock up on survival gear and groceries. I'm sitting back like, 'Where the f**k yall been?"LOL......

I agree. I have a feeling that the San Andreas fault will pop before long, or there will be on hell of an off shore quake that generates a serious tsunami. I just found out my sister-in-law is in Phily, PA on business. IS she prepared? I highly doubt it, at least that is the feeling I get from talking to my wife about it. Her sister said the store shelves were empty today. My response to that was "No Shit?!?!?" (Said sarcastically). I am always amazed at how many people wait until the last minute to prepare, even when given a weeks notice of impending danger. I know there is a quake in my future. I am pretty well set! I only have a couple more things to get and I will be golden. Of course one of those things is about $500.00. No, it isn't a gun.... shocking isn't it!

 

[booter360]

The only thing i really need to step up on is more food storage. And more bullets always more bullets!! LOL

 

[alabaster]

I'm guessing it's a good piece of body armor.....

Yeah, I agree on the last minute thing, too. I swear when Sandy was blowing through, my wife and I looked at each other and just smiled. We looked at the dogs and had an overwhelming sense of peace. Knowing we didn't need to go to the store at all for anything was a HUGE relief. When we saw all the stuff up north about people needing everything from gas to transpo to food, we just thought, "WTF?" Why were those people still there?! I was thinking even if I had no where to go that I would have bugged out instead of leaving my wife and dogs in the path of doom and destruction. We would have headed out of the DD area like we did in Florida when a hurri would blow in. We always had what we needed to survive, most important of all was the mindset to KNOW we needed to do something BEFORE it hit. Waiting till the lat minute is like running your debt up until you hit the limit and saying "Oh sh*t! We're gonna fall off the cliff! We better get a credit increse(Or raise the debt ceiling)!!" Some people never cease to amaze me.

We had a sermon today about being generous. I really think that is the way God wants us to be. I think it is in all our best interest to be that way. I don't think that someone's lack of concern should mean that we need to do ourselves in to save their unprepared a**es. I can understand some people, like my folks or my wife's mom needing help because they drive themselves broke NOW trying to help everyone else. In a DDP situation, they will NEED help and not from a lack of concern but from having given all they could when things weren't a crisis for them. Helping others in crisis now makes me feel indebted to people like that in a situation like Sandy. Sitting on your hands your whole life wondering why no one has come to rescue you just means, IMO, that you are part of the herd that needs thinning out.....

 

[savageagle]

gun legislation is crap in Cal. I carried a Taures 9 for years on my seat and by law the clip with ammo had to be out of immediate reach, glovebox. Never had a problem in the few times I was stopped. It made me sick to my stomach in January when the open carry was changed by the current ### in Cal's capital. Handguns locked in a case with not one bullet and ammo in another locked case? Thats crap and the sherriffs and Fish & game I work around all say the same thing. They tell me up here where I live there are no laws and tell me to carry it so that I feel safe. Ya right, until in my case I was stopped by an HP who was sent here from somewhere else. He walked up to the window and as always I told him i had a gun on the seat. He immediatly pulled his weapon on me. He was shaking and I told him, dude, put that away, your going to shoot me. He had me concerned and put me through the ringer, on the ground face down, handcuffed and put in the back of his car. When his backup arrived I was relieved to see some familiar faces. It was two sherriffs I have known for over 5 years and have been on many calls with. After 20 minutes or so they had convinced him everything was good and I was released without any citation. The sherriffs were laughing and saying I was lucky that they showed up because this rooky HP, and very young just out of the academy had it in his head that I was a fake fireman wearing a fake firecap and that my county EMT patches were also fake.
In California it has always been to remove the rights of the right ones and make it more right for the wrong ones.
In my prepping of tactical gear I have a tactical bag with bino's, excellent night vision, a powerful stun gun, GPS (the 1st to go out the window), a digital camera, A very powerful tactical cree LED flashlight @ 1250 lumens and a Laser Genetics ND-5 by BSA Optics. It's a green laser pointer handheld device made of aircraft aluminium. It's green with a verified distance of at least 14 miles and the beam can be adjusted from 5mm to 35mm+. I drove to a hilltop 14 miles away and my son used a standard flahlight to signal his location then I pointed the laser at his location and by radio he verfied that he could see the beam from where I was all the way to where he was and it lit up the inside of his truck. This is supposed to be used as a signal device and is used by some USCG in some areas. I have used it so far with my nightvision to see further than the nightvisions illumination will project but I have to be discreet with this as to not give myself away. The GPS will most likely not be used and should be destroyed and same with cell phones.
I have many other items like a wire saw, compact shovel, light sticks, knives, fire starters, compass and many many more. I carry a first responder bag in my truck which will be taken with me if I have to bugout. Soon I will be creating 2 different caches of food and supplies at classified locations. They have already been scouted and are difficult to get to. I have to use 50' of rope to get to it from below or reppel 70' down to it from above. It's definately not on a path anyone would think to travel.
Much more to do and think about and I come up with some crazy "what if's". It helps to realize what crazy things others might think of.

 

[alabaster]

DAMN! That copper sucked! I have had numerous similar situations here, even though we're 100% legal to OC or CC. I've had tehm run me and then come back "Are you carrying a gun!? You didn't tell me that, and you HAVE to tell me when you hand me your license! You better tell me that next time! It's for YOUR safety!", to which I kindly replied, "There is no law that I have to tell you I'm carrying a gun. I don't see what your worry is anyways. I'm legal and there's no reason for you to assume I would do something hostile." I got stopped and yelled at once with my wife when we were scouting the B'derberg group meeting in NoVA and the cops were pissed I had 3 or 4 pistols with almost 200rds of ammo on me. I told that cop, "Be cool man, I'm not gonna shoot you." He got SSSOOOOO pissed. I don't see what the big deal was, other than the assumption that I would have won in a gunfight, but that's an opinion for 1, and 2, it was not gonna happen by my choice. I thank God I live in a state that gives us such....... No, take that back. A state that recognizes we have such freedoms. Our violence is on a downswing for yet another year and I think cops start to realize it after a wile. If you're legally packing then they know you're probably not a crook.

BTW, I got a new pack a couple weeks ago. It looks like I will be able to pack almost everything into this bag with only the water purification and medical supplies in the other pac for my wife to carry. I wish I could find a way to get my dogs to carry small packs, too. Not to use them as mules, per se but to carry their own food/lifestraw and medical goods. Hmmmmm. Maybe I'm on to something here. I think I'm going to see if I can make one of their harnesses into a pack. If I can take a small enough pack and have it stitched to the harness I bet it would work. Mischa, < dog can carry a TON of weight. She's sturdy as f**k. Roxy is getting a little old though and will likely need some help. I got her though. No way am I not looking out for my dogs if DD hits.

 

[Colt 1911]

DAMN! That copper sucked! I have had numerous similar situations here, even though we're 100% legal to OC or CC. I've had tehm run me and then come back "Are you carrying a gun!? You didn't tell me that, and you HAVE to tell me when you hand me your license! You better tell me that next time! It's for YOUR safety!", to which I kindly replied, "There is no law that I have to tell you I'm carrying a gun. I don't see what your worry is anyways. I'm legal and there's no reason for you to assume I would do something hostile." I got stopped and yelled at once with my wife when we were scouting the B'derberg group meeting in NoVA and the cops were pissed I had 3 or 4 pistols with almost 200rds of ammo on me. I told that cop, "Be cool man, I'm not gonna shoot you." He got SSSOOOOO pissed. I don't see what the big deal was, other than the assumption that I would have won in a gunfight, but that's an opinion for 1, and 2, it was not gonna happen by my choice. I thank God I live in a state that gives us such....... No, take that back. A state that recognizes we have such freedoms. Our violence is on a downswing for yet another year and I think cops start to realize it after a wile. If you're legally packing then they know you're probably not a crook.

BTW, I got a new pack a couple weeks ago. It looks like I will be able to pack almost everything into this bag with only the water purification and medical supplies in the other pac for my wife to carry. I wish I could find a way to get my dogs to carry small packs, too. Not to use them as mules, per se but to carry their own food/lifestraw and medical goods. Hmmmmm. Maybe I'm on to something here. I think I'm going to see if I can make one of their harnesses into a pack. If I can take a small enough pack and have it stitched to the harness I bet it would work. Mischa, < dog can carry a TON of weight. She's sturdy as f**k. Roxy is getting a little old though and will likely need some help. I got her though. No way am I not looking out for my dogs if DD hits.

They have dog packs at REI

 

[Clyde]

gun legislation is crap in Cal. I carried a Taures 9 for years on my seat and by law the clip with ammo had to be out of immediate reach, glovebox. Never had a problem in the few times I was stopped. It made me sick to my stomach in January when the open carry was changed by the current ### in Cal's capital. Handguns locked in a case with not one bullet and ammo in another locked case? Thats crap and the sherriffs and Fish & game I work around all say the same thing. They tell me up here where I live there are no laws and tell me to carry it so that I feel safe. Ya right, until in my case I was stopped by an HP who was sent here from somewhere else. He walked up to the window and as always I told him i had a gun on the seat. He immediatly pulled his weapon on me. He was shaking and I told him, dude, put that away, your going to shoot me. He had me concerned and put me through the ringer, on the ground face down, handcuffed and put in the back of his car. When his backup arrived I was relieved to see some familiar faces. It was two sherriffs I have known for over 5 years and have been on many calls with. After 20 minutes or so they had convinced him everything was good and I was released without any citation. The sherriffs were laughing and saying I was lucky that they showed up because this rooky HP, and very young just out of the academy had it in his head that I was a fake fireman wearing a fake firecap and that my county EMT patches were also fake.
In California it has always been to remove the rights of the right ones and make it more right for the wrong ones.
In my prepping of tactical gear I have a tactical bag with bino's, excellent night vision, a powerful stun gun, GPS (the 1st to go out the window), a digital camera, A very powerful tactical cree LED flashlight @ 1250 lumens and a Laser Genetics ND-5 by BSA Optics. It's a green laser pointer handheld device made of aircraft aluminium. It's green with a verified distance of at least 14 miles and the beam can be adjusted from 5mm to 35mm+. I drove to a hilltop 14 miles away and my son used a standard flahlight to signal his location then I pointed the laser at his location and by radio he verfied that he could see the beam from where I was all the way to where he was and it lit up the inside of his truck. This is supposed to be used as a signal device and is used by some USCG in some areas. I have used it so far with my nightvision to see further than the nightvisions illumination will project but I have to be discreet with this as to not give myself away. The GPS will most likely not be used and should be destroyed and same with cell phones.
I have many other items like a wire saw, compact shovel, light sticks, knives, fire starters, compass and many many more. I carry a first responder bag in my truck which will be taken with me if I have to bugout. Soon I will be creating 2 different caches of food and supplies at classified locations. They have already been scouted and are difficult to get to. I have to use 50' of rope to get to it from below or reppel 70' down to it from above. It's definately not on a path anyone would think to travel.
Much more to do and think about and I come up with some crazy "what if's". It helps to realize what crazy things others might think of.

Yeah January 1, 2013 no longer will it be leagl to open carry either an unloaded rifle or handgun! got to love that moron governor here the liberals resurrected from from the 1970's, jerry "moonbeam" brown.