These are my preps so far, how am I doing?

[Stormfeather]

First off, Im pretty set on food, so Im not going to bother listing my food supplies. But I would love some input on the rest of the stuff Ive gathered over the past few years from folks who seem to be alot more prepped than I am. This was a post that I did from a forum that im also a member of, and I added some extra info there for them, as prepping didnt seem to be on a big a scale there as where I am currently. So please, tell me where Im lacking, where im heavy, and any changes you would make and please let me know why you would make them.
Thanks guys & gals!

Bill Stormfeather

WATER

5 - 50 gallon Blue Water Drums
10 - 5 gallon Collapsible Water Bags
35 - 2 Liter Soda Bottles Filled with water & Frozen outside in the snow. (Great idea for water storage if you dont have any other means to store water long term. Simply rinse out really good with a dash of soap and hot water, then refill, stack outside in the snow in my case, and once frozen, can replace your cold element in your freezer if the power goes out)
2 - 100 gallon "Water-Bobs waiting to be filled.
2 - 1000 gallon "lister bags" purchased off of DRMO. I have yet to fill these and keep them filled, I only filled both once and washed them out with detergent to clean the insides of them. Im pretty sure I need to get started on that here soon though.



POWER & FUEL

2 - Honda Eu2000i Inverter Generators
1 - DuroMax 4500 Watt Recoil Start Portable Gas Generator
1 - DuroMax MX1500 1500 Watt Pull Start Gas Power Generator.
(these are great little units, they can be had on eBay | Electronics, Cars, Clothing, Collectibles and More Online Shopping (http://www.Ebay.com) for about $150 dollars for the MX1500 unit & $450 with free shipping to your front door! Research Seller name maxtoolsales on eBay | Electronics, Cars, Clothing, Collectibles and More Online Shopping (http://www.Ebay.com) , he usually sells these and they are the ones who I got mine from. )
10 - 5 gallon Jerry Cans of Unleaded Gas (have not added StaBil due to the fact that fuel nowadays has so many additives that StaBil usually isnt needed)
10 - 2 pack Coleman Camp Stove Fuel cannisters ($5.00 @ WalMart)
5 - Cords of Firewood precut and staged in the woods by the house.


HEALTH & FIRST AID


1- Fully set up First Aid kit to accomdate everything up to Field Surgery, Saline bags & drip kits, saline locks, Field Sugery Kit, various medications all up to date.
3- Smaller First Aid kits, equal to the Field STOMP type.
15 - bottles Various Multi-vitamins, vitamin A,B,C ect.
1 - case various Flu Medications.

If you have prescription medications, see if you can plus up your supply if possible. Now, I wouldnt legally recommend adding narcotics to your supply, but if you have excess, they probably would be nice to add to your supply, once again, if you have a prescription, and are legally able to have them in your possession.


CLOTHING & SHELTER & CAMPING

Obviously I have a ton of military uniforms, from several generations, and different branches, and all work wonderfully! I would suggest an investment in these type of items. Boots, Field Jackets, Gortex Rain Gear. A good source is Military Surplus stores, they offer blankets, tents, military suplus bivuoack items that double as great camping items.

1- GP Medium Military Tent
1- Coleman 10 man tent
5 - 10x10 Blue Tarps for ground shelter
1 - Firestarter, Magnesium match material.
3 - Katydyn Water Filter, Pump Type.
5 - Mess kits, including serving trays, and cooking utensils, pots/pans ect.
5 - -35 degree Grade sleeping systems.
5 - Army Cots, Foldable.
10 - Camp Chairs, Foldable.
3 - Folding Tables
5 - Non-battery powered flashlights (wind-ups)
5 - Battery powered flashlights with rechargable batteries.
3 - Full fishing set-ups, lures, extra hooks, line, ect ect. I also keep extra green Spider Wire line just in case for other uses as well!

WEAPONS & DEFENSE

Obviously, there are multiple ideas of what is good, and what works and what doesnt. Suffice it to say, Everyone should evaluate their own situations, and stock/supply what they think will work best for them. now Im assuming, for the most of us here, we all own multiple weapons, so we have the ability to make a choice of what to use. BUT, if you are just starting out, heres what I would reccomend.

1 - rimfire rifle with or w/o a scope. Ruger 10/22's are cheap, efficient, and durable. Same goes for Marlins as well. Ammo for this is cheap, so buy cheap and stock deep!

1 - handgun. If its a revolver, I would reccomend a 4" barrel as a minimum requirement. .357 Magnums are great for this, as you can use .38 SPL in them for training, as its more financially easy on the wallet. Then you can load them up with the more powerful .357's for defensive purposes. If its a semi-auto, then the options vary greatly. I would reccomend something that fits the hand comfortably, with a high enough caliber that you can use it comfortably. 9mm is a great place to start and work your way up from there. As far as commonality in ammunition, I tend to gravitate towards 9mm's due to the amount of people who use 9mm. I also carry a 45 acp as well. I would not reccomend the offside calibers, ie; 357 sig, 45 gap, ect ect due to the possibility of not being able to interchange ammo if you happen to group together with individuals of like minded mindset. Myself I have a glock 19, and several 1911's that serve this function.

1 - Long Gun. Again, options abound here, be it a AR-15 series platform, AK, Bolt-action, Lever Action, Just make sure that you are comfortable with the manual of arms of said rifle so you know how to clear a malfunction or stoppage should one happen. As far as caliber, the same applies IMHO that goes for handguns, try to stick with common calibers, 5.56, 7.62x39, 7.62x51. Trying to find ammuntion for that 35 Whelen may be an issue if/when the time comes. A nice addition is a weapon light if you have one, but just be aware of battery usage and stock up on extra batteries if possible. Wife and I both have AR/Ak's of various styles.

1 - Shotgun. Here I would reccomend a Mossberg 500, or Remington 870. Both can be had for a decent price, are rugged as hell, and come with multiple barrel length options. Shotgun ammo can be had at your local walmart for 100 rd cases for $21-$25.00. I would reccomend a cross section of ammo from bird shot to slugs. If you take the time to search, every now and then you can even find a great deal on Guns - Online Gun Auction - Guns for Sale at GunBroker.com (http://www.Gunbroker.com) for a used one @ a really cheap price. I found a Remington Model 11, for $65.00 online. A semi-auto 12 gauge for $65! Cant beat that with a stick!

An additional thought on these items as well, While a good optic is nice on the long gun, get used to using the open/iron sights. The simpler it is to use, the better. There may be a time where batteries die/wear down and that $1000.00 battery powered optic becomes nothing more than a focal glass to start a fire with.

VEHICLES & TRANSPORTATION

1- Jeep 4x4, beefed up suspension, 10k lb winch, push bumper on front, Fjording system in place as well.
1- Land Rover, push bumper on front

Both Vehicles have the pre-requisite first aid kits, tire repair kits, small items repair kits, and (3) 5 gallon cans of Fuel for each vehicle with more cans of Unleaded fuel for other items on standby if I need it.

Once again, everyone should plan for what they think they will need and what they can afford, so that being said, theres no need to go out and buy that Hummer H1 variant you have been drooling over! Just think within your financial constraints and budget and buy the base of what you need and slowly add on to it as you go! Ive been researching this one for a few years and Ive came to several conclusions, first and foremost, go with what you can afford. Secondly, 4x4 is probably a neccessity. Be it for trails, or pushing over fences, inclimate driving conditions or whatever. There are tons of alternative out there for those that want to purchase a budget bug-out-vehicle. Several that I would reccomend are the Jeep, Toyota SR5 series, (i would reccomend anything from 1980 on up, very cheap and reliable vehicles! Its not unheard of for one of these to have 200K+ miles on them and have no issues besides cosmetics.) Hell, even the Suzuki Samurai's work great for those single guys and they can be had pretty cheap as well!
I also would reccomend a good mountain bike. Not only is this a great form of exercise, but is also a great way to save gas in case you dont want to use your vehicle and conserve gas. Add a milk crate to the front and back allows you to transport smaller items as needed.


Continued Below

[Stormfeather]

Continued from Above

RADIOS & COMMUNICATION


2 - Garmin 120 series GPS FRS/GMRS radios
2 - Bushnell 200CR series GPS handheld units.
2 - Portable Hand crank non-battery operated radios.
8-10 Motorola TalkAbout series radios.
1 - Solar Charger for the rechargable batteries that go in the above units. No need for power when you have Solar energy!


I wish I had a HAM radio, and at some point, I plan on adding one to my supplies, but havent had the time to look into the radios, or licensing yet. Im sure others here can weigh in with their experiences and talk more about it.


REQUIRED READING

Now, theres hundreds, if not thousands of survive this **** manuals out on the market, and truth be told, Ive probably wasted my money and bought half of them and figured out how full of crap and wasteful useless information is in them. So, in interest of K.I.S.S. (keeping it simple stupid!) Im only going to reccomend 2 books for required reading. These two books are literally the SHTF Bibles for short & long term TEOTWAWKI in my personal opinion. Granted, with my opinion and $9.00, you can get a Caffe Latte Mocha Frappe Chino at your local starbucks, but when it all goes to hell, you may wish you had this book and not that cup of overpriced coffee.

(1) When Technology Fails by Matthew Stein. This can be found at your local Barnes & Noble in the science section usually. Its a large 12x8 paperback book about a inch thick published by Chelsea Green Publishing Company. It sells for about $35.00 but I found mine on the Bargain Bin table for 30% off. It covers pretty much every topic you will need for long term survival in multiple scenarios and does NOT put a ZOMG! spin on it, very matter of fact style book.

(2) The Book Of Formulas, Recipes,Methods, and Secret Process's. Circa 1932. Prepared by the staff of Popular Science Monthly. This one, will be extremely hard to find, but if you can locate a copy, its a valuable resource with tons of weird off the wall ideas and how to do them steps with all the ingredients you will need to make pretty much everything from Glue to Gunpowder!
Between these two books, I think you will be able to handle pretty much anything that may come your way if you decide to bug-in or bug-out!

Other Books. . .

A Guide to Edible Plants - North America is probably a good investment. It has photos of most plants and tells you how to identify them and where they might be located. What you might think of as a weed could be Dill weed that can liven up some foods. Many spice-like plants grow wild and can add flavor to mundane MRE's without resorting to Tabasco sauce.

There are also books and CD's available about Wilderness First Aid and Wilderness Dental Care that anyone should have handy. Especially as you get older and/or have more dental work done, knowing how to handle a broken tooth or ease the pain of one is important.

Tip #1 - If you have dental issues, ask your dentist or doctor to prescribe you a 30-day supply of amoxicillin. This general antibiotic can be used to treat dental infections and other minor infections of the body. Vacuum seal the pills in 10-day supplies (one treatment dose).
Tip #2 - If you are one of millions susceptible to pneumonia or chronic bronchitis or other respiratory infections, consult your doctor about stocking a supply of Zithromax. This is a shorter 5-day treatment that helps clear up respiratory infections fast.

Now that you are prepped and ready to bug-in, what do you do after all the supplies are lined up, the zombies are being held at bay, and theres not much to do? One of the biggest stresses you will probaby come under is the sheer boredom of things. I reccomend saving those stacks of gun rags to read, several decks of cards, board games, You can go to the local goodwill and probably buy huge stacks of Novels and paperback novels which help take your mind off of things! I found a awesome attachment for my Ipod which allows me to charge my Ipod via solar cell! You can purchase these off of Ebay for about $10.00 and work great! Think of it this way, if you download movies and songs onto your ipod, you can always have a source of entertainment that will keep you occupied during those long hours of boredom!

So, what do you guys think? Am I close to where I need to be? Am I not even in the ballpark? Any feedback positive or negative would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks again!
Bill Stormfeather

[bobthe]

the only thing that seems odd to me is some 365 gallons of water stores, and containers for 2200 more gallons - and a tent with jeep and other camping equipment. surely you dont plan on transporting (literal) tons of water...

personally id say you were heavy on water and light on fuel. and if you replace the water with fuel not only can you use it to run your jeep, genny or whatever, but you can use it to run purification systems to get more water, one way or the other.

[Stormfeather]

No, im looking to bug-in more than anything, im in a rural area with no real water source nearby, hence the desire to have water above gasoline. The water lister bags were a whim/impulse buy while on Fort McCoy, saw them, wanted them because they was extremely cheap, so I bought em!

[izzyscout21]

I for one think you're doing great and well on your way. Much farther along than I am. Congrats. If my current situation ever corrects, I hope to be as well stocked as you.

BTW, what did the water listers run you?

[The Stig]

BIG EDIT BECAUSE RIF


5 - Non-battery powered flashlights (wind-ups)
5 - Battery powered flashlights with rechargable batteries.

You might consider lanterns and candles for more "area lighting"

[LUNCHBOX]

I don't mind having all the water if your staying in place but I agree you should add more fuel.

How about a way to heat your place to keep that water from freezing? I am assuming that you have a fireplace or woodstove but maybe add some heaters if you have to be on the move you can heat those tents.

Vehicles....you didn't mention any means to fill that flat----compressor?

If you had to move, do you have a trailer to haul everything, your tents alone would fill a truck (I mean that in a good way)

More firestarters.

[dragon5126]

you forgot one of THE most important items that most people forget TOILET PAPER!!! That and a subscriptiom to Harbor Freight's sales fliers! Harbor Freight for those who are not aware of them, sell reasonable quality tools dirt cheap. Everything from winches to shovels, to solar panels and controllers. Some people complain because so much of the stuff is imported but the bottom line is it works and is way less than half the price of the competitions products. I use a large amount of their products on a horse ranch (owned by my God-Daughter) and work the devil out of them. Believe me, if they hold up to what they get there they are going to work period. Granted there are some tools that are a better grade than others, justl ike from Sears, but, maximizing your dollar value is of major importance.

[Stormfeather]

I for one think you're doing great and well on your way. Much farther along than I am. Congrats. If my current situation ever corrects, I hope to be as well stocked as you.

BTW, what did the water listers run you?

I actually ended up getting a pallet of 5 of them for $175.00
The cool part about DRMO is there are lots of deals to be found, the downside is if you arent near the installation selling them, you have to arrange for pickup of the item. I lucked out in the fact im based at Ft McCoy and all I had to do was drive over to the DRMO yard on base. My original goal was to buy a military generator, but I ended up with the water bags instead!


BIG EDIT BECAUSE RIF
You might consider lanterns and candles for more "area lighting"

Yes, the wife makes her own candles as a hobby as she has tons of the damn things floating around the house, mostly as decorations, but they are functional if they need to be.



I don't mind having all the water if your staying in place but I agree you should add more fuel.
How about a way to heat your place to keep that water from freezing? I am assuming that you have a fireplace or woodstove but maybe add some heaters if you have to be on the move you can heat those tents.
Vehicles....you didn't mention any means to fill that flat----compressor?
If you had to move, do you have a trailer to haul everything, your tents alone would fill a truck (I mean that in a good way)
More firestarters.

Yes, plenty of firewood cut as my property has acres of deadwoods on it that Ive slowly been cutting and stacking. The only downside is its just me cutting, hauling, splitting, stacking all of the wood. So its a laborious process thats slow going at best.
My GP Medium tent actually has a stove that I bought at DRMO as well, PITA to set up, but it works quite well heating up the GPM.
Yes, the jeep has an onboard compressor and there are tire plug kits in both of the vehicles. Jeep also has a fully functional fording kit installed. I have done the Rubicon out in California with it and had zero issues as long as I played it safe and smart.

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l128/Strmfeathr/Jeep/7a9dd211.jpg

Im currently bidding on a couple of military trailers that are for sale down at Fort McCoy, they can usually be had for around $600-$750 bucks each, the only downside is you have to set up a pintle hitch instead of a ball hitch. Im in the process of trading a buddy some gun work for some welding work to have one made.


you forgot one of THE most important items that most people forget TOILET PAPER!!! That and a subscriptiom to Harbor Freight's sales fliers! Harbor Freight for those who are not aware of them, sell reasonable quality tools dirt cheap. Everything from winches to shovels, to solar panels and controllers. Some people complain because so much of the stuff is imported but the bottom line is it works and is way less than half the price of the competitions products. I use a large amount of their products on a horse ranch (owned by my God-Daughter) and work the devil out of them. Believe me, if they hold up to what they get there they are going to work period. Granted there are some tools that are a better grade than others, justl ike from Sears, but, maximizing your dollar value is of major importance.

Hehe, yea, got plenty of TP, just didnt think to add it to the list.
As far as HFT, im actually not a huge fan of them to be honest. Every now and then they have some good deals, but alot of the stuff Ive gotten thru them turned out to be nothing but chinese junk. I actually broke a vise the same day I bought it. A vise. . . . I did buy a few solar chargers from them and have them stashed away somewhere, but I havent tried them yet. (That may be a good project for this weekend to do!) I do remember buying some come-alongs from HFT that have worked good for me, as im still using them, so maybe I cant say all their stuff is chinese junk!

[bacpacker]

Stormy the 2 books you mentioned in the OP, I have found both on:

BookFinder.com: Search for New & Used Books, Textbooks, Out-of-Print and Rare Books (http://bookfinder.com)

A question on the second book, is there a particular reason you mentioned the 1932 edition other than that looked to be the original copyrite date. I have found editions from 1935 to 1939, but nothing older. My thought is the 39 edition would have all the additional information in it.

[ladyhk13]

In your emergency/first aid kit and also in you BOB that you keep in your vehicle (I assume you keep one?) you might want to consider a few emergency "space" blankets - those super thin silver ones that come in tiny little packets. They are really cheap and if you or anyone you run into gets stuck on the side of the road or out in the woods they are perfect to use. Also hand and feet warmers, also small and cheap. I always buy tons of them at the end of winter when they go on sale for .99 ea. Especially where you live these items could be the difference between life or death or loss of fingers and toes in an emergency. Just a thought.

[Stormfeather]

Stormy the 2 books you mentioned in the OP, I have found both on:
BookFinder.com: Search for New & Used Books, Textbooks, Out-of-Print and Rare Books (http://bookfinder.com)
A question on the second book, is there a particular reason you mentioned the 1932 edition other than that looked to be the original copyrite date. I have found editions from 1935 to 1939, but nothing older. My thought is the 39 edition would have all the additional information in it.

Wow, thats awesome! I searched and searched for the book for months on end and couldnt find a copy anywhere! A guy who kind of got me pushed into prepping had one on his library shelf that I was perusing one day while waiting for him to get off the phone, and I had been hooked ever since! This is the book that got us started on our original prepping conversation! So I guess you could say thats one reason why I suggested the book besides the informational value inside!

I Have the original 1932 edition, and the reason I stated that one was because I dont know what other editions (later ones that you mentioned ) have in them. I know the one I have pretty much gives you ingredient by ingredient plus amounts of how to pretty much make anything from gunpowder to dynamite! I know with current technology you can look this stuff up, but its always nice to have it in hardback form. Plus its not limited to gunpowder/dynamite, theres how to make candles, wood stoves, medicines, all sorts of weird off the wall stuff you wouldnt normally think of and would just take for granted.

[dragon5126]

my personal vehicle is a ragtop Wrangler, the wifes is a Grand Cherokee, the cheapertodrive car is a taurus. We keep throw blankets in all of them. the cherokee back seat takes abit for full heat to hit, the wrangler is drafty and well the Taurus is cause the kids are just spoiled by having the blankets in the other vehicles, so there are always blankets. even in the summer, we never know when we are gonna hit a fast food joint, sub shop or deli and have a picnic since our reigion is absolutely loaded with parks and we use them constantly, heck we even live right on a small one, so our home is constantly filled with teenagers, and due to our professions, everyone trusts ther kids are safe here. And since we spend a lot of time working on my nieces horse ranch, hand and foot warmers are purchased by the full carton regularly, bringing that price even lower than .50 a piece at the local farm and barn type outlet. It gets cold having to chase after those daft horses who think it's fun to run and jump into the snow drifts...

[Stormfeather]

In your emergency/first aid kit and also in you BOB that you keep in your vehicle (I assume you keep one?) you might want to consider a few emergency "space" blankets - those super thin silver ones that come in tiny little packets. They are really cheap and if you or anyone you run into gets stuck on the side of the road or out in the woods they are perfect to use. Also hand and feet warmers, also small and cheap. I always buy tons of them at the end of winter when they go on sale for .99 ea. Especially where you live these items could be the difference between life or death or loss of fingers and toes in an emergency. Just a thought.

Thanks for pointing that out! As a matter of fact, I do have the survival blankets in there, got them from Cheaper Than Dirt back int he days when they had free shipping! (some of us remember that Im sure!) I had ordered a bunch of wool blankets they had at the time for like $5.99 a blanket and they accidentally sent me a few of the space blankets instead! I opened one up, thought it was maybe for microwaving a human body or something til I figured out what it was for! Well, I bought a few more of them and had them add them to the original blanket order when they re-sent it out! As for hand & feet warmers, I have those Proheat Hand warmers that I got before they became "Proheat". I actually have a full box of them thruout various bags, medic bags, and BOB's.

[dragon5126]

Hehe, yea, got plenty of TP, just didnt think to add it to the list.
As far as HFT, im actually not a huge fan of them to be honest. Every now and then they have some good deals, but alot of the stuff Ive gotten thru them turned out to be nothing but chinese junk. I actually broke a vise the same day I bought it. A vise. . . . I did buy a few solar chargers from them and have them stashed away somewhere, but I havent tried them yet. (That may be a good project for this weekend to do!) I do remember buying some come-alongs from HFT that have worked good for me, as im still using them, so maybe I cant say all their stuff is chinese junk!
First DO NOT weld the pintle hitch to either of your vehicles! they are available for receiver hitches... the best variety is the flat plate bolt on and the draw bar that you bolt it to has a mated plate that you use the apropriate height location for a level hook up. the other option and a better one down the road for your vehicles is to convert the trailer to a standard ball type hookup. You can set it up similar to the receiver hitch you would use on your vehicle and switch back and forth between the pintle ring and a standard ball type connection as well. The reason I mention this is Pintle rings are great for excessive amounts of pivot but beat the hell out of the vehicle that is towing the trailer due to excessive amounts of room between the ring and the hook that is normal. Ive seen class IV receiver hitches welds completely fratctured from regular use of the things without coming close to the rated weights of either, just from the shock. And when you go for the trailers, make sure you get the full kit, tops and canvas, dont let them screw ya since the pricing is normally the same with or without on them in auction.
As for HFT As I said they do sell several grades of products, and when it comes to things like cast or forged blocks ( such as a vise), cheap is always just that. cheap. Their quality in that area has improved though, of course thats because China has been buying up all our scrap iron and steel they can get their hands on, even out buying Japan, to the point of buying up whole compressed autos before they are smelted and brining them back to china just for the steel.

[bacpacker]

I'm think I'm gonna order the 1939 edition since it should have all the latest additions to it. My BIL and sister buys and sells books all the time, so I ask about what sites they use. Apparently Bookfinder.com is set up to search every book site on the web. It won't catch stuff on craigslist, but it does get amazon and ebay.

[Stormfeather]

I'm think I'm gonna order the 1939 edition since it should have all the latest additions to it. My BIL and sister buys and sells books all the time, so I ask about what sites they use. Apparently Bookfinder.com is set up to search every book site on the web. It won't catch stuff on craigslist, but it does get amazon and ebay.

Im sure it will have everything mine will have in it, I just like the old book, it has stuff in there kind of before the time where people were censoring what went into books. Its like the common sense book before we as a nation lost all of our damn common sense.

[ladyhk13]

I found the '32 edition for $5. so I just ordered it.

[Stormfeather]

I found the '32 edition for $5. so I just ordered it.

How the hell is it I never get this lucky!?!?!? Damn thing cost me about $25.00 and it was the only one I could find for like 6 months! Now the damn thing is everywhere for a hell of a lot cheaper!

[ladyhk13]

How the hell is it I never get this lucky!?!?!? Damn thing cost me about $25.00 and it was the only one I could find for like 6 months! Now the damn thing is everywhere for a hell of a lot cheaper!

If it makes you feel any better it was the only one available and I had to pay $3.99 for the shipping.... :}

[TEOTWAWKI13]

You forgot the same thing everyone else forgets in their kits, unless you just didn't list it. But DUCK TAPE!!!!! It has a million and one uses.

[ladyhk13]

Also, let's not forget our animals...if ya have dogs or cats try to vacuum seal portions that will last a few days at a time so they are easy to store.
If you have kids stock up on board games, cards and books for them as well. I doubt they will want to read the books you store for yourself.
When shtf we adults won't be the only ones affected.

[Stormfeather]

Yes, we have tons of reading material for the ankle biters, lots of Dr Suess, on up. As for the cats & dogs, I already fattened them up, they should be ready for the grill about week 3 of SHTF

[ladyhk13]

Yes, we have tons of reading material for the ankle biters, lots of Dr Suess, on up. As for the cats & dogs, I already fattened them up, they should be ready for the grill about week 3 of SHTF

Dude you are one sick puppy! LOL

[izzyscout21]

Yes, we have tons of reading material for the ankle biters, lots of Dr Suess, on up. As for the cats & dogs, I already fattened them up, they should be ready for the grill about week 3 of SHTF

I was soooooooo waiting for someone to come out sand say what we were all thinking.........just wasn't gonna be that guy.....:cool:

[Stormfeather]

<==== that guy has all the finesse of a chainsaw. At least im being honest about it. Now if they ( the dogs) was something more substantial and actually did something around here but consume food and sleep and fart, then yea, maybe I would consider keeping them. But as it stands, if it has to be they become food, then they are a food source in the end! (BBQ Puppy on a stick anyone?)

[The Stig]

http://theducks.org/pictures/do-not-want-dog.jpg

[The Stig]

Kind of an odd one, but do you have any critical repair items for your furnace/heatpump/heat system on hand should one of them crap out in the dead of winter?

[ladyhk13]

Stig we were thinking along those lines too but for the vehicles...

[ladyhk13]

<==== that guy has all the finesse of a chainsaw. At least im being honest about it. Now if they ( the dogs) was something more substantial and actually did something around here but consume food and sleep and fart, then yea, maybe I would consider keeping them. But as it stands, if it has to be they become food, then they are a food source in the end! (BBQ Puppy on a stick anyone?)

Let's see, they could be your alarm system, they could be your heating system (body heat), or they could be the babysitter....there! Three good reasons NOT TO EAT YOUR DOG!

[izzyscout21]

let's TRY to not turn this into "101 ways to eat the pets"...................

[Stormfeather]

Kind of an odd one, but do you have any critical repair items for your furnace/heatpump/heat system on hand should one of them crap out in the dead of winter?

No I do not. But we have a wood burning stove, thats pretty straightforward. I also could probably easily build a wood burning style furnace if I had to.
As for the vehicles, yes, I am gtg with them. I have plenty of replacement parts available for it as well as a vehicle salvage yard about 2 miles away that I can salvage parts from if I didnt have a replacement available.

[TEOTWAWKI13]

Let's see, they could be your alarm system, they could be your heating system (body heat), or they could be the babysitter....there! Three good reasons NOT TO EAT YOUR DOG!

My wife's not of the prepping mindset...and I would be eaten before the dogs would, so I need to put some food up for them too.

[bacpacker]

Same here Tet. I think she would shoot me if I started talking about eating our dog.

I think I am gonna look into the dog whistle for ours. Sounds like a good idea and the way our dog barks when she sees someone or we have a knock on the door. She would be a liability in a SHTF situation where quite was critical.

[dragon5126]

Not to say this make is better than that make but how many of you have considered that STATISTICALLY you would be better off with an older GM 350ci v8 based vehicle as a BOV than anything else? The simple facts on this comment are that there are more interchangable parts for this single engine than any other ever made in the US bar none, and the second is the ford 351... Again this isnt a what is better statement, just based on parts availability, both being made new and used in bone yards, farmers fields, barns, garages, streets, essentially everywhere you look. Yes something easier on fuel would be better but that doesnt have the universal parts availability... How many of you have taken this into consideration?


I put this here as a question of preps, deeper discussion needs to go into the vehicle thread

[bacpacker]

Dragon for a spare parts discussion you make a great point. Those 2 engines are everywhere around here. A side benefit is they are very easy to work on and keep going. Not much can be done about fuel economy for them, A little but not much.

[ladyhk13]

Ok, I'm a girl with limited knowledge of motors and stuff but aren't the Ford parts less reliable....in the way of that they are each made a little differently where the GMC/Chevy parts are more consistant? Does this make sense to you? I hope I am saying this right. You can pull a lot more chevy parts and use them in more models of chevy's where Fords are more specific.

[Stormfeather]

Interchangeability between different engines?

[izzyscout21]

Y'all lost me at engine. I know nothing about that stuff.

[ladyhk13]

Interchangeability between different engines?

yeah, like you can use more chevy truck parts from different years together than you can with ford trucks (e.g.)

[bacpacker]

There is some truth to that Lady. There have been many more Chevy (& GMC) trucks built than Fords over the years. They also didn't have large changes between model years nearly as often as Ford did, so parts would work over a longer stretch of model years.
One thing I learned from back in the racing days, Chevy parts are quite a lot cheaper than Ford parts as well.

[TEOTWAWKI13]

That's because all GM products are built with the same 500 parts. How they're put together determines whether you buy a GMC, Chevy, Cadillac, Pontiac, etc. :)

[ladyhk13]

There is some truth to that Lady. There have been many more Chevy (& GMC) trucks built than Fords over the years. They also didn't have large changes between model years nearly as often as Ford did, so parts would work over a longer stretch of model years.
One thing I learned from back in the racing days, Chevy parts are quite a lot cheaper than Ford parts as well.

That's what I was trying to say...thanks

[mollypup]

<==== that guy has all the finesse of a chainsaw. At least im being honest about it. Now if they ( the dogs) was something more substantial and actually did something around here but consume food and sleep and fart, then yea, maybe I would consider keeping them. But as it stands, if it has to be they become food, then they are a food source in the end! (BBQ Puppy on a stick anyone?)

Now Stormfeather.........I've read a bunch of your posts and you know what? I think you are just too kind-hearted to do a dog any harm, much less eat one lol! I bet you're the kind of guy, who if he saw a hurt dog by the side of the road, you would stop and help it. I sure hope you are anyway! :)

[Stormfeather]

Now Stormfeather.........I've read a bunch of your posts and you know what? I think you are just too kind-hearted to do a dog any harm, much less eat one lol! I bet you're the kind of guy, who if he saw a hurt dog by the side of the road, you would stop and help it. I sure hope you are anyway! :)

Ok, see, now that wasnt cool, outing me like that in front of everyone. . . .
Yea, I got a big heart, I actually stopped traffic on the freeway this spring to save a kitten that had wandered on the damn road after its mom got splatted. So yea, I would be hard pressed to munch down on the critters at the house, but its not to say I wouldnt if it came down to my family vs them for food!

[mollypup]

Only a real man would admit to being a kitten lover! :D Good for you for saving it. I hope you found it a good home!


and....errr......sorry for outing you!

[Stormfeather]

Only a real man would admit to being a kitten lover! :D Good for you for saving it. I hope you found it a good home!


and....errr......sorry for outing you!

Im always a pushover for a furry little pussy, and yea, shes sleeping beside me as we speak!