gasman
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Post by gasman on Feb 6, 2017 12:22:02 GMT 10
I love a good rant. Well done Grumble. I keep my prepping secret not for security reasons (I'm happy to repel boarders), but because I don't want to be associated with the whackjobs that are so often the face of prepping. It makes me cringe to be put in the same box as them. In my experience I've found the loudest voices on forums to usually be the least prepared. And the type to most often attack newbies. Case in point: a morbidly obese man, late 50's, still lives in a trailer with his mum, sum total of preps is a box of guns and some 20l plastic buckets full of 2 minute noodles and tuna, yet who presents himself as the australian guru of survivalists and denigrates almost everybody else. It is his type who cast a shadow over all of us. Think this would describe a lot of armchair preppers!!! |
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grumble
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Post by grumble on Feb 6, 2017 12:23:45 GMT 10
I love a good rant. Well done Grumble. I keep my prepping secret not for security reasons (I'm happy to repel boarders), but because I don't want to be associated with the whackjobs that are so often the face of prepping. It makes me cringe to be put in the same box as them. In my experience I've found the loudest voices on forums to usually be the least prepared. And the type to most often attack newbies. Case in point: a morbidly obese man, late 50's, still lives in a trailer with his mum, sum total of preps is a box of guns and some 20l plastic buckets full of 2 minute noodles and tuna, yet who presents himself as the australian guru of survivalists and denigrates almost everybody else. It is his type who cast a shadow over all of us. I hear you mate on keeping it low key to avoid being pigeonholed with the nut jobs
I don't mind helping people out and giving some free advice to people starting out I even keep some printed out copies of state and federal government documents where they list things you should have and how to plan for disasters I like doing that because what most people don't understand is raising awareness to prepping is partly an ideological war of changing peoples mindsets of dependence to independence so when you hand them government commissioned and issued documents that have their recommendations in them people see that as a very official advice from those that are in power and thus is acceptable to them.
Then if people want more information they come back and are now an open book to most things that are seen as helpful
Through this approach I have been able to actively encourage about 10 of my neighbouring properties to store a weeks + worth of food and supplies on top of their normal stocks given I only have 12 homes near me its not a bad result and we have now put in place active plans for certain disaster like fires , power outages and unwanted intruders detected on a neighbouring property Plus we have a very effective neighbourhood watch an old lady that is home pretty much every day has a camera that accidently faces down the main road into the area and it just happens to catch number plates whoops my point is though crime has dropped to nothing wood hookers are gone from the area and people know if you come up here you will get noticed and questioned if no one has vetted you
to me that's some prepping at its best
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mozzie101
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Post by mozzie101 on Feb 6, 2017 12:25:59 GMT 10
Thanks Mozzie I lurk more than I post but when I do I try to make it worth while
And "Worth While" it was. Keep it up mate. |
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peter1942
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Post by peter1942 on Feb 11, 2017 17:00:20 GMT 10
To me and many of my friends the word ‘prepper’ refers to a group of people who are mainly all talk and no action. We see them in the local towns with their unsuitable vehicles loaded up with their shovels and high lift jacks, their cameo gear and displaying camping type items that many of us would never own because in real life we have no use for them. It is also interesting that many of the ‘preppers’ that pass through appear to have no means of support for their survival other than what comes from the local food and hardware shops.
We live in a rural area amongst families that have been here for several generations and because of the lives that we lead and the fact that we also come from rural backgrounds we were able to fit into the community without any difficulty.
Many of us ‘life stylers’ live on the fringe of the commercial agricultural areas and we, like many of our neighbours, would know more about real life prepping than many of the contributors to this site because of the lives we lead.
Many of us that are referred to as life stylers have properties that many of your contributors would envy as we have the means of producing the majority of the electricity we use, we have the ability and the means to harvest and store our water. Most of us have land that is suitable for the collection of firewood. Many of us also have good to excellent vegetable gardens and orchards and the produce from them we are able to store via a variety of methods for future use.
We also have a preparedness level that a number of your contributors would probably envy because of the distance to the local shops and the possibility of fire, flooded roads and power outages.
In saying this there are some in the community that have moved here from large urban areas for the life style but who never seem to manage to ‘fit in’ with the locals. These are the ones who when the power goes out do not have a generator for back up, have the big 4x4 vehicles that are totally unsuited for their needs but are a ‘must’ for when it rains and in many instances they do a lot of talk about prepping, surviving and the end of the world but never seem to get around to having a sustainable type lifestyle. A number of these last between three to five years before the call of suburbia and better phone reception calls them back.
On web sites such as this there are frequently blogs about water straws, expensive knives that are totally unsuited for general day to day use, bug out vehicles that appear to be owned by people who have not yet got their block of land, lists of tools and other items that in reality will never be used.
I do not see many blogs on prepper the sites about food production, the tools required, seed varieties and the saving of the same and yet food production should take up more space on sites such as this in preference to a lot of the other unnecessary posts that really have no value or concern to most of us in the real world.
I follow a number of blog sites such as this and have on this site made about 100 posts. Most of which I believe are related to my own experiences.
For those of you who have read my posts you will know that on more than one occasion I have said: If you are not already living and leading a lifestyle whereby you believe that you would have a good chance of survival in a SHTF situation, you, like many others will end as one of those unprepared people that many of you seem to despise. Or words to that effect.
The reality is that most of us will never experience a situation whereby the leaving of our homes would be necessary but for us our level of preparedness is part and parcel of the sustainable life style that we chose to live.
Last but not least, owning your own land is a must regardless where that may be and it should be the number one item on every bodies list. Once the land has been purchased then think about what you need to set up and maintain the lifestyle you are dreaming of. We started off in a caravan many years ago and although not for every one I would, if we had to do it over again. Shipping containers, sheds and many other building can be, and are being used by many people in rural areas to help them get set up on their rural blocks. And I say good luck to them all!
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mozzie101
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Post by mozzie101 on Feb 12, 2017 10:48:14 GMT 10
To me and many of my friends the word ‘prepper’ refers to a group of people who are mainly all talk and no action. We see them in the local towns with their unsuitable vehicles loaded up with their shovels and high lift jacks, their cameo gear and displaying camping type items that many of us would never own because in real life we have no use for them. It is also interesting that many of the ‘preppers’ that pass through appear to have no means of support for their survival other than what comes from the local food and hardware shops. We live in a rural area amongst families that have been here for several generations and because of the lives that we lead and the fact that we also come from rural backgrounds we were able to fit into the community without any difficulty. Many of us ‘life stylers’ live on the fringe of the commercial agricultural areas and we, like many of our neighbours, would know more about real life prepping than many of the contributors to this site because of the lives we lead. Many of us that are referred to as life stylers have properties that many of your contributors would envy as we have the means of producing the majority of the electricity we use, we have the ability and the means to harvest and store our water. Most of us have land that is suitable for the collection of firewood. Many of us also have good to excellent vegetable gardens and orchards and the produce from them we are able to store via a variety of methods for future use. We also have a preparedness level that a number of your contributors would probably envy because of the distance to the local shops and the possibility of fire, flooded roads and power outages. In saying this there are some in the community that have moved here from large urban areas for the life style but who never seem to manage to ‘fit in’ with the locals. These are the ones who when the power goes out do not have a generator for back up, have the big 4x4 vehicles that are totally unsuited for their needs but are a ‘must’ for when it rains and in many instances they do a lot of talk about prepping, surviving and the end of the world but never seem to get around to having a sustainable type lifestyle. A number of these last between three to five years before the call of suburbia and better phone reception calls them back. On web sites such as this there are frequently blogs about water straws, expensive knives that are totally unsuited for general day to day use, bug out vehicles that appear to be owned by people who have not yet got their block of land, lists of tools and other items that in reality will never be used. I do not see many blogs on prepper the sites about food production, the tools required, seed varieties and the saving of the same and yet food production should take up more space on sites such as this in preference to a lot of the other unnecessary posts that really have no value or concern to most of us in the real world. I follow a number of blog sites such as this and have on this site made about 100 posts. Most of which I believe are related to my own experiences. For those of you who have read my posts you will know that on more than one occasion I have said: If you are not already living and leading a lifestyle whereby you believe that you would have a good chance of survival in a SHTF situation, you, like many others will end as one of those unprepared people that many of you seem to despise. Or words to that effect. The reality is that most of us will never experience a situation whereby the leaving of our homes would be necessary but for us our level of preparedness is part and parcel of the sustainable life style that we chose to live. Last but not least, owning your own land is a must regardless where that may be and it should be the number one item on every bodies list. Once the land has been purchased then think about what you need to set up and maintain the lifestyle you are dreaming of. We started off in a caravan many years ago and although not for every one I would, if we had to do it over again. Shipping containers, sheds and many other building can be, and are being used by many people in rural areas to help them get set up on their rural blocks. And I say good luck to them all! Nice post Peter1942. Well written. Pretty much hits the nail on the head from my point of view. |
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Post by graynomad on Feb 12, 2017 14:05:06 GMT 10
the means of producing the majority of the electricity we use, Check. the ability and the means to harvest and store our water. Check. land that is suitable for the collection of firewood. Check. good to excellent vegetable gardens and orchards and the produce from them we are able to store via a variety of methods for future use. Chec...ooo, I knew there was something I forgot. Actually I didn't forget, it's just that we are in a VERY dry area so growing much is hard. And also we both have brown thumbs, just about everything we touch dies. But we do have a neighbour not far away who is the opposite, to the point of running a market garden and selling the produce. Hopefully he is crap at something I'm good at and we can come to some arrangement. |
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remnantprep
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People do not exist for the sake of governments!
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Post by remnantprep on Feb 12, 2017 15:00:39 GMT 10
Peter1942, while it is great you are so prepared, maybe you need to understand that not everyone is preparing for exactly the same types of events. Many are trying to do the best they can with what finances and space is available to them, if it means they are able to set aside enough to endure being flooded in for a couple of weeks or facing a job loss for a few months then that is great. We are not all preparing for a total apocalyptic event. Coming on this forum with such a condescending attitude to our members, many who are just starting out and trying to learn a few things, is not doing you any favours. Why not try and be helpful and give members constructive advise seeing as you seem to know so much about it all.
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gasman
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Post by gasman on Feb 12, 2017 15:36:52 GMT 10
Self sufficiency in food and energy is hard and very very time consuming-very hard to do when your working full time
We dabble in it and love growing our own veggies and fruit, breeding chickens and pigs for eggs and meat and the odd cow and hunted deer
While nowhere near self sufficient I believe the infrastructure is there to ramp up production if shtf and we were no longer working and had extra hands to help
It's still damn good fun even if the world doesn't end🙂
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mozzie101
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Post by mozzie101 on Feb 12, 2017 16:38:22 GMT 10
Peter1942, while it is great you are so prepared, maybe you need to understand that not everyone is preparing for exactly the same types of events. Many are trying to do the best they can with what finances and space is available to them, if it means they are able to set aside enough to endure being flooded in for a couple of weeks or facing a job loss for a few months then that is great. We are not all preparing for a total apocalyptic event. Coming on this forum with such a condescending attitude to our members, many who are just starting out and trying to learn a few things, is not doing you any favours. Why not try and be helpful and give members constructive advise seeing as you seem to know so much about it all. Rem, I personally didn't take Peter1942's post as condescending. I think he has some good and valid points and I have just read a good portion of his 100 odd posts. I don't agree with all his idea's but we all know about having an opinion. Every has one  . Whilst this topic has gone off topic which is the norm for forums. I think if someone is overtly out there for me and I don't want to read any more of what they are saying. I hit the ignore button. That's what it is for right? |
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remnantprep
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People do not exist for the sake of governments!
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Post by remnantprep on Feb 12, 2017 17:01:13 GMT 10
My post is very much on topic as we are talking about reasons people shy away from being prepared. When someone who is very prepared and is set up as very self sufficient comes along and tells people things like
"would know more about real life prepping than many of the contributors to this site because of the lives we lead.
Many of us that are referred to as life stylers have properties that many of your contributors would envy as we have the means of producing the majority of the electricity we use, we have the ability and the means to harvest and store our water. Most of us have land that is suitable for the collection of firewood. Many of us also have good to excellent vegetable gardens and orchards and the produce from them we are able to store via a variety of methods for future use.
We also have a preparedness level that a number of your contributors would probably envy because of the distance to the local shops and the possibility of fire, flooded roads and power outages."
It is condescending and may put people of from being prepared because "They are not real preppers unless they have everything......... etc"! Not everyone can afford their own land or have the best vegie patch out etc. They can only do as much as they are able within their means
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mozzie101
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Post by mozzie101 on Feb 12, 2017 17:16:30 GMT 10
It is condescending and may put people of from being prepared because "They are not real preppers unless they have everything......... etc"! Not everyone can afford their own land or have the best vegie patch out etc. They can only do as much as they are able within their means LOL |
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remnantprep
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People do not exist for the sake of governments!
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Post by remnantprep on Feb 12, 2017 17:28:02 GMT 10
LOL, mozzie you are a funny guy! LOL
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spatial
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Post by spatial on Feb 12, 2017 18:58:10 GMT 10
Self sufficiency in food and energy is hard and very very time consuming-very hard to do when your working full time We dabble in it and love growing our own veggies and fruit, breeding chickens and pigs for eggs and meat and the odd cow and hunted deer While nowhere near self sufficient I believe the infrastructure is there to ramp up production if shtf and we were no longer working and had extra hands to help It's still damn good fun even if the world doesn't end🙂 It is preparedness for disaster. If a major teotwawki event well one needs about 3 months of guaranteed food and water or means/skills to purify water. Form there the remaining few can regroup and start self sufficient living. A good prep is having lots of veg, grain seed stored. Very cheap and easy to store for a future. A remote property does help with security. Center of a large city could be a problem. Having lots of friends and family or a good group is just as important. When there is a bush fire the ones on properties are usually the ones who need saving. Post a SHTF event there will be no warning of coming fire, flood no RFS or SES to help. I do agree having property set up does give you much more options but it is not the 'Be all and end all'.... |
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blueshoes
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Location: Regional Dan-istan
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Post by blueshoes on Feb 12, 2017 21:41:50 GMT 10
This discussion is interesting, and it's fun being reminded of all the crazy assumptions people make when you start talking about being prepared even for minor disruptions to the system. I am glad that this forum isn't all guns and zombies because I (and probably many others) have no interest in zombies and no $$ to learn to shoot. I would have forgotten this existed pretty fast. Because this forum focuses on the minor but more common events, I am actually motivated to do the smaller things that make a big difference: a week or three of food, some water, other basic kit. This means in most events around here we are able to help others instead of adding drain on services. So, thank you for keeping it real  |
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mozzie101
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Post by mozzie101 on Feb 13, 2017 7:46:22 GMT 10
the means of producing the majority of the electricity we use, Check. the ability and the means to harvest and store our water. Check. land that is suitable for the collection of firewood. Check. good to excellent vegetable gardens and orchards and the produce from them we are able to store via a variety of methods for future use. Chec...ooo, I knew there was something I forgot. Actually I didn't forget, it's just that we are in a VERY dry area so growing much is hard. And also we both have brown thumbs, just about everything we touch dies. But we do have a neighbour not far away who is the opposite, to the point of running a market garden and selling the produce. Hopefully he is crap at something I'm good at and we can come to some arrangement. Gray, Have you thought about raised garden beds for your veg and possibly large posts for some of the fruit tree's. We did this in a small 700m2 city yard. Work well for us. |
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Post by graynomad on Feb 13, 2017 8:12:57 GMT 10
Gray, Have you thought about raised garden beds for your veg and possibly large posts for some of the fruit tree's. We did this in a small 700m2 city yard. Work well for us. Yep, I've looked into a lot of options and it seems to me that wicking beds would be the best way to go. Also as we have friends not that far away that have them I can get local advice. BTW, they were away for about 6 months and when they came back found that all the worms were still alive and well, so they didn't have to start again. In broad terms my priorities are - clear understory from about 10 acres of the block
- finish building house/workshop
- get into growing some food
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mozzie101
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Post by mozzie101 on Feb 13, 2017 8:21:32 GMT 10
LOL, mozzie you are a funny guy! LOL It helps to have a sense of humor in a SHTF scenario. Apparently. |
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myrrph
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trying to figure out how to change my nick :P
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Post by myrrph on Feb 13, 2017 16:18:50 GMT 10
I love a good rant. Well done Grumble. I keep my prepping secret not for security reasons (I'm happy to repel boarders), but because I don't want to be associated with the whackjobs that are so often the face of prepping. It makes me cringe to be put in the same box as them. In my experience I've found the loudest voices on forums to usually be the least prepared. And the type to most often attack newbies. Case in point: a morbidly obese man, late 50's, still lives in a trailer with his mum, sum total of preps is a box of guns and some 20l plastic buckets full of 2 minute noodles and tuna, yet who presents himself as the australian guru of survivalists and denigrates almost everybody else. It is his type who cast a shadow over all of us. Speaking of Tuna, I wonder if there are any good canned tuna recipes ... ? It looks like it could be March's competition! lol |
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myrrph
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trying to figure out how to change my nick :P
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Post by myrrph on Feb 13, 2017 18:18:54 GMT 10
yeah frostie... thats like the one i've been eating for 20 odd years or so.
I have been wondering if there are other possible recipes? Canned Tuna is not the easiest to prepare haha
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bce1
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Post by bce1 on Feb 13, 2017 19:22:31 GMT 10
We are 20 mins outside a city of 65,000. Because of our jobs and on-call requirements my wife and I cannot be further away. You make do with what you've got. We have land, we have preps, we are self-sufficient for power and water. We grow about 30-40% of our vegetables and some pork and chicken. We experiment with vegetables and grains just to see what we can grow. Its a big step from where we are to full self sufficiency and certainly at the moment we couldn't do it - but I think we have established subsistence farming on our land is possible. From a personal survival perspective Ive lost weight and got fitter - but I still tend to fat. Life is what it is. I cannot move any further away from town or be more isolated. We may end up drowning along with anyone else, but hopefully we are far enough ahead of the masses to get through a major event. And for floods and earthquakes we are well set up.
I don't talk to anyone about what we do. Like Frostbite we are tarred with the same brush as the nut jobs. We have friends in the local permaculture group who clearly tend towards preparedness but we keep conversations simple about things we have in common and don't advertise. Relatives are mostly farmers or ex-military but none really share my paranoia but are at least somewhat situationally aware.
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