any of you survivalist?

[general tbag]

just wondering.... when a come across survivalist and ask them why it - incase of nuclear/bio war - commies invading - zombie outbreak it just being prepared in case SHTF. if any how prepared r u... weeks, months , years worth of independence.

[Arcades057]

I always love to hear about these folks, preparing for the end of days with an almost religious fervor, telling anyone who'll listen "better be ready when the time comes..." Just ask them, "hey, who's to say that the nuke/disease/whatever won't get you and your supplies too?" That usually puts them in a little bit of a tizzy. Personally, I've got some guns. Ammo. That's about it. If it happens I'll get what I need if my city doesn't turn into an incandescent ball of gas, that is. Soon the people with the MREs will come on here....

[p2501]

Soon the people with the MREs will come on here.... hey i have some US MIL turkey loaves in a closet somewhere in my house...... STOP CENSORING ME!!!!! just wondering.... when a come across survivalist and ask them why it - incase of nuclear/bio war - commies invading - zombie outbreak it just being prepared in case SHTF. if any how prepared r u... weeks, months , years worth of independence. i have some disaster supplies and a self powered radio (it was cheap so why not), but that's about it.

[general tbag]

I always love to hear about these folks, preparing for the end of days with an almost religious fervor, telling anyone who'll listen "better be ready when the time comes..." : i have to say people would of faired alot better in something like katrina if the basics were even stocked. a gun wouldnt hurt to just in case.

[Adrenochrome]

i have to say people would of faired alot better in something like katrina if the basics were even stocked. a gun wouldnt hurt to just in case. You'd think in Hurricane Areas people would have some or alot of those MRE's stocked....I know here in Tornado Alley you get reminders all the time about keeping them. I have a closet full of them - they're not half bad and they WILL keep you alive. As far as guns and ammo - I have enough.

[Tullaryx]

Im nae a survivalist, but I do live in California aka Earthquake Country, so I have alot of survival supplies stocked in case a big one hits.

[general tbag]

You'd think in Hurricane Areas people would have some or alot of those MRE's stocked....I know here in Tornado Alley you get reminders all the time about keeping them. I have a closet full of them - they're not half bad and they WILL keep you alive. yea im in the alley to and it not uncommon for people to have canned goods or some stockpile to last abit, mayb it just country folk...... i feel bad for people when u see them in the news all running to the supermarket and cleaning out bottled water, batteries and canned goods. talk bout poor planning.

[Adrenochrome]

yea im in the alley to and it not uncommon for people to have canned goods or some stockpile to last abit, mayb it just country folk...... i feel bad for people when u see them in the news all running to the supermarket and cleaning out bottled water, batteries and canned goods. talk bout poor planning. Hell yes....especially since those MRE's will pretty much last forever for whenever you need them. Hell....even cheap canned veggies will last for quite a long time.

[Arcades057]

For the hurricanes we have a generator, city water and a well, hurricane-resistant glass, canned food for a few days, and we're planning to stock up on things that stay good for a while later. Once you live through a few hurricanes you start to notice a trend that develops; no one prepares for them other than buying loads of gas. We already have 3 5 gallon containers of fuel for the generator that we use in our cars about once every month and refill. With a hurricane, as long as you keep your head, stay off the roads unless absolutley necessary, and have water, there's nothing to worry about. Of course, my area is not prone to flooding and no one in my family is a leech (ie, suckling off the gubbment teet) so we're ready, like last year.

[Danny]

aside from the occasional flood theres not mutch danger in any y2k kinda situation for me ,im kinda between the city and the country-side anyhow, but i think on a whole us brits arent that into the whole survivalist thing but since we dont have earth quakes , tornados or george w, i guess we dont have the incentive to 'be prepared'. plus theres the survivalists that love guns and stuff, there one shade of freaky over the line....close to the hobo at the bus station level of crazy. i better stop now on this...or make a foamy style rant for newgrounds, but ive seen all i need to on penn and teller :bull****.

[Wooley]

I wish I was more prepared. I think of it like an insurance policy that pays off even if nothing happens. You eat the food, shoot the guns and ammo, drive the gas, etc. Thats what survivalists think of their preperations-an insurance policy. Plus it's a policy that turns into a hobby for many, a more beneficial one than say, stamp collecting, since marksmanship, or minimalist camping can do double duty in an emergency situation, and like some hobbies, turns into a freakish thing to those not in the hobby, but an insurance policy or hobby is what it ends up being. And it works if you loose your job, get sick, your wife leaves you and takes all your money. It doesn't just haev to be an end of the world Dawn of the Dead/War of the Worlds/Red Dawn/The Day After/The Stand type event. I've read of many survivalists on several boards who started eating their stockpiled food as a result of losing their jobs or some other personal disaster. The fact that many of them live frugal lives with a minimum or complete absence of personal debt, and don't spend every penny they make as fast as they earn it has helped many of them to keep their homes, etc when financial hard times came knocking. Bad times that would have had those who aren't survivalists, liek those here who call them 'paranoid', hitting up family for loans, surfing the couch at a friends place, sleeping in your car, whatever. The point of survivalism is not just to mere survival, but to survive well. Sure, lots of people 'survived' Katrina. The survivalists, or the smart, lucky ones didn't have to loot stores, wait hours or days for rescue or aid, or spend days in the hellholes that were the convention center, Superdome, or some of the hospials. You all can sit in a sweltering government shelter, wondering about the possibility of rape, robbery, or assault, elbowing in line for Red Cross or National Guard hand outs of bottled watter and MREs, but like Katrina, I'd just as soon not bet my live on the government arriving to save the day. Non survivalists call survivalists paranoid losers wasting time and money on things that 'will never happen'. Survivalists think non survivalists are going to be in for a rude awakening and are going to suffer the consequences of failing to make insurance policies of their own. Recent history is rife with examples of bad things happening. To fail to prepare in light of that is to prepare to fail. As for the comment above of "I've got a gun, I'll get what I need." Comments like that are the reason survivalists spend so much time and money worrying about defense, both passive and active.

[general tbag]

good point wooley,i guess myself my view has changed to dont count on the gov, katrina was probaly the worst handled situation on american soil , when it came to relief an help. my definition of survialist has been having the power in any situation to break off and exist with minimal contact, almost hermit like.

[Eyebiter]

Our family has always had a pantry full of dry goods and canned food long as I can remember. This goes back to the days when Dad lived on the farm. Buy in bulk when things are on sale you save a lot of money that way. Besides it reduces unnecessary trips to the grocery store. Unused cans get donated to the church or local food pantry charity. We have gotten better about keeping six or seven gallons of bottled water on hand. If the power goes out and there is problem with the water pressure it's nice to have. Last thing I want to do is run to the grocery store in that kind of situation. On the topic of firearms - I'm more afraid of a guy who owns ONE or two firearms that practices often, compared to the guy that has a dozen or more but NEVER goes to the range. It's important to practice to maintain your skill in pistol, rifle, or shotgun. Next time you have the urge to buy yet another gun consider getting a 1000rd case of ammo instead. I like to target shoot fairly often so tend to buy ammo in bulk. Walmart has 525 round bricks of .22lr ammo for less than 10 bucks. For larger calibers the trick is to find a civilan rifle chambered for a military caliber like 30-06, 8x57 Mauser, 7.62x39, 5.56x45, or 7.62x51mm. Watch for sales where the ammo has free UPS shipping then order a few cases. You can split them with friends to help reduce the cost. Just be sure to get NON-CORROSIVE surplus ammo, otherwise your gun will rust up in just a few hours. The other element of survival is choosing where to live. Try to avoid obvious areas of danger. Don't build a house below the dam, next to the nuclear power plant, or on the coast near the beach. Avoid areas with high crime. Move to the country instead of living downtown. Given the choice buy a more reliable vehicle instead of one that is flashy or a sports car. Decide if trouble occurs if your going to stay put or bug out. If you plan to bug out, keep in mind you may or may not have warning before the actual 'event' occurs. Some folks on frugal squirrels have devised 'bug out bags' basically backpacks full of food and other items ready to go. If you live in an urban area it might be a good idea.

[general tbag]

For larger calibers the trick is to find a civilan rifle chambered for a military caliber like 30-06, 8x57 Mauser, 7.62x39, 5.56x45, or 7.62x51mm. Watch for sales where the ammo has free UPS shipping then order a few cases. You can split them with friends to help reduce the cost. Just be sure to get 7.62 x 39 is getitng out there ,in only 6 months it went from 100 per k to almost 160 per k . almost all ammo is really moving up in price except the.22

[Wooley]

Ammo is going up due to 5 reasons, I've read. 1, China is industrializing rapidly, and buying up uge amounts of metals, like copper, brass, lead, etc. That's sending costs up for ammo makers. 2, With gas going up, transportaion costs are going up, and since ammo is heavy, it's costing more to ship it. 3, The war on terrorism and other wars around the world are tapping the supply of surplus military calibers, and companies that make military calibers are devoting resources to fulfil gov't contracts first, and civilian sales second. 4, Various UN and gov't laws are restricting the surplusing of gov't ammo to civilian gun markets. Which is why there is no more South African 5.56mm coming into the US, or the US gov't was destroying it's ammo surplus rather than surplus it to civilians. 5, Surplus ammo in some calibers is simply drying up. It was a finite resource anyway, and it's comng to an end. Take .303 British, for example. It's been years since large supplies of good quality .303 Brit has been available. .30-06 for M1 Garands is down to corrosive Korean stuff, or the CMP stuff from Greece or Lake City. South African 7.62mm is about gone, from what I've read.