Yes, this post is contradictory to some of my previous posts… and yes I have the right to change my mind!  Don’t I?

Glocks versus Gold… what does that mean SP?  Well, I was thinking about the price of gold and thinking ‘I need to get me some (more) just in case the world ends, that way I will have stored my wealth and be able to buy or trade things with my gold’.  Now, at first this sounds good.  But when you look at the utility to price ration of gold versus the utility to price ratio of a Glock, the Glock wins.  Why?  A Glock is only $500 ($650 in California, why?  NO CLUE!) and gold is $1,000 or more an ounce.  Now ask yourself this question… when you walk to the local trader post after a full collapse, what you rather have to barter?  1 ounce of gold or 2 Glocks?  I think you know the answer!

A Glock is going to be MUCH more valuable than an ounce of gold.  It has the ability to be immediately used and it lasts a long time.  I would have no problem using a Glock with a 2,000 round-count.  The gold must be bartered to be of value in a SHTF-scenario.  The Glock is barterable and useful and given the price of gold right now versus the price of a Glock, it is a no-brainer!

No, this is not revolutionary thinking.  I am sure you are muttering to yourself that I am an idiot and stating the obvious.  But if just one of my loyal readers goes out and gets TWO Glocks instead of ONE ounce of gold, well, then I have helped that person become less apocalyptically-challenged <— that is the new term for sheeple.  You are politically correct, aren’t you?

So get some Glocks with two additional mags and a 250-round battle pack of ammo and store them for bartering INSTEAD of the gold… I think it is a wiser investment!

Or you can just get a gold Glock like this!!!  Haha!

SPECIAL BONUS SECTION —————

Check this out!!!!  This is the new KA-BAR Becker Tac Tool!!! This is a must have for us survivalist/prepper types!  From the site … “A design collaboration between Ethan Becker of BK&T and John Benner of TDI, the Tac Tool smashes, bashes, prys, hammers and cuts. It is equally powerful at lifting stubborn hinge pins, prying open doors or windows, and hammering out glass as it is efficient at cutting 550 cord.”

Now don’t run out and pay $140 for this puppy.  A little searching and I found it for $72.92.  How else can you ride out the zombie apocalypse in style then with one of these!

-SP

If you don’t know about “The Colony” survival TV show you can check it out here.

There is currently a TON of opinions out there about whether the show is realistic, whether the participants are this or that, what can be done to improve the reality… it goes on and on. 

My opinion is simple.  This show that you have to prepare ahead of time or you won’t survive.  On the show these 10 people did NOT prepare.  They were thrown into the mix and the producers provided them with food, tools, a warehouse full of materials and so on.  This group is doing ok for themselves BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE TOOLS AND SUPPLIES TO DO SO.  So what is the lesson, unless you have the stuff to survive with, all the skills in the world won’t help you.

This is just a quick rant to further support the idea that preps need to be on hand BEFORE disaster strikes.

As a side note, in my opinion, the most unreal part of this “scenario” is that these people are not still reeling from the loss of EVERYONE they ever know and loved.  As the sole survivors of a viral outbreak they would have spent that last few weeks or months watching their loved-ones die and burying their children.  That would definitely effect them!  (If you don’t know, the “scenario” they are living in is that a viral outbreak has decimated the population and they are some of the few remaining survivors.)  Bottom line, the show has it’s weaknesses but it is a VERY good first effort.

So as a general rule, most of us suburbanites spend quite a bit of time in our cars.  Therefore we must be prepared for the S to hit the fan while on the road.  Your worst fear should be traveling along at 65 on the freeway when a bright light nearly blinds you.  You car goes dead and begins to slow despite the fact that you are giving the car gas. You look around and all the other cars are drifting to a stop and suddenly realize that a nuke detonated close enough to cause an EMP pulse to disable your vehicle (which is basically a big computer these days) and you are now a “freeway refuge” stuck along with thousands of others.  You are literally 30 miles (or more) from home.  Your mind begins to run wild on you.  Is your family OK?  Is your wife at home with all the prep gear?  Hopefully, but you can’t find out because the cell phones are down and any land line is jammed.  Your only choice is get home as soon as possible and at all costs!  Your family is depending on you. (and surely as worried about you as you are of them)

What are you going to use to get you home?  Your Get Home Bag, or GHB.

What is needed in a GHB?

1. Water:  You will need a small amount of water to get you going.  Obviously more is better, but you are going to be on foot so you won’t be able to carry too much.
2. Water purification:  Since water is absolutely essential and you can only carry so much, you are going to need a way to collect and purify water as you travel home.  You may even be forced to travel off a direct path home to collect water.  This is how critical it is.  Perhaps a few mylar water bags will help.  They are light when stored but can hold a lot of water when filled.  Remember: You may be be traveling a long way on foot.  Maybe you are not used to such extensive physical exercise so water will be KEY!
3. Food: Small amounts will suffice.  You shouldn’t be more than a day or two away from home.  Average walking speed for humans is 2 to 3 miles per hour.  Therefore, if you can make it, a 10 hour walk will get you 20 to 30 miles.  If you are further away it might take you longer.  You might be able to get by with no food but it is not recommended.  Check out these Millennium Bars.  They have a 5 year shelf life and aren’t bad.  I have taste tested them myself.
4. Maps / GPS: You can always take the road you were driving on and that will get you home.  But the shortest route between two points is a straight line and roads in the US are usually anything but a straight line.  You may benefit from taking shortcuts and the best way to navigate is with a map and compass or a handheld GPS device.  You may also choose not to use major roads due to all the other people doing the same.  Safety may dictate a road less travelled. 
5. Protection: You will have to make this decision on your own.  Your decision what to carry with you will have to be based on your comfort level and training as well as the laws of your state regarding open carry or concealed carry of weapons.  I choose pepper spray that is formulated for a car’s heat.  Pepper spray has the added benefit of being effective against animals as well as humans.  In California our carry laws are a bit narrow (insert sarcasm) and I do NOT want any police attention when my only goal is to get home.  If you are in California, look into the laws for carrying a concealed taser.  
6. Wide Brimmed Hat: You may hiking home in the direct sun.  A wide brimmed hat will help prevent sun exposure.  Conversely, it will help if it is raining.
7. Rain jacket/poncho: You can’t predict what the weather will be like when you have to start “hoofing” it home so a poncho could be a life-saver if it is cold and rainy.
8. Sun screen/lip balm: Again, it could be 100 degrees so be sure you are ready for heat and cold temps.
9. Worn-in Shoes: A pair of old athletic shoes will be a welcome addition if you, like me, wear business attire to work.  Can you imagine walking 30 miles in loafers or some other type of leather-soled shoe?  You want a pair of worn-in shoes that are already molded to your feet and won’t cause you pain.
10. Personal Tent: If you think that there is ANY possible chance you are going to need a couple days to hike home then get a 1 person backpacking tent.  It should be as light as possible and be just for one person.  Nothing fancy is needed, just something to keep the bugs and snakes out and provide warmth for a few hours while you rest.
11. Medical: You are going to need basic medical supplies.  Be sure to have plenty of pain relievers for headache due to possible dehydration and muscle pain. Also consider any particular medical needs you may have and plan accordingly.  You may want to include bite and sting relief as you may be taking a rural route home.   
12. Small Pack: I highly recommend a small pack for the gear.  First you are going to be hiking so the gear should be as light as possible.  Second, you are going to want to move as quickly as you can while maintaining longevity and a light pack will allow that. This is what I roll with.
13. Miscellaneous: Other items can be: matches, flashlight (LED), spare batteries, glow sticks, multitool, sweatshirt, toilet paper, extra socks, binoculars, gloves, duct tape, walking stick, etc.

Good luck and keep prepping!

-SP

THIS is where you may find yourself when the Stuff Hits the Fan... ARE YOU READY?

Today’s post focuses on the question “Can you consider yourself prepared?”.  In other words, can you look at your preps, look at your skills and training, look at your overall preparedness situation and honestly tell yourself “I am prepared”…

I say YES!

Prepping can turn into an obsession.  If you disagree then you are in denial!  haha.  As I have journed down my path of preparedness I have prepped for every congtingency I could think of.  Then I prepared for multiple variations of each contingency.  But sure enough, every month or so a new scenerio comes to mind and I start prepping for that.  IT IS ENDLESS!  I know you know what I am talking about… this is the obsession part.  Accepting that you cannot prep for everything is especially important in today’s economy where money is scare and tomorrow is uncertain!

The fact of the matter is that you CAN NOT prep for every contingency!  You can’t deny that.  What you CAN do is get as close as you can, admit that there is nothing you can do about EVERY contingency and then let it go.  If you have prepped your best, by that I mean you have food, food, food, water, water, water, medical supplies, weapons, ammunition, magazines, lighting solutions, batteries, heating solutions, clothing, tools, building materials, a bugging-out strategy, a bugging-in strategy, a zombie scenario (haha), a viral outbreak scenario plan…. ETC, ETC, ETC…. You can designate yourself as prepared!  Don’t get hung up on what you DON’T have, appreciate what you DO have and relax!

Well, this almost isn’t fun anymore!  Prepping is “main stream” and everyone is looking around and thinking “Holy Shit, things really COULDcollapse and I might be on my own for a while!”  The good news is that you are waaaaay ahead of the curve and you’ve been stockpiled for a while… RIGHT?  Of course you have!

In today’s survival and prepping climate you can feel free to be a little more liberal with who you tell about your survival or preparedness tendencies.  Who knows, you may even make a survival buddy or two.  Of course they may be “fair weather” survivalists and when things begin to stabilize they will cease and desist their survivalist ways, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying.  If you are a single survivalist feel free to post a risque online dating profile.  “Camouflaged, well armed, paranoid suburbanite seeks canning enthusiast who enjoys .223 rounds, rotating food stores and can signal ‘I love you’ in Morse code via eye blinking“

You know prepping is main stream when Kiplinger gets into the fray!  Aren’t they a frickin’ finance magazine?  Anyway, here is a decent article on main stream prepping along with some financial survival advice.  God knows I could use that right now!  Doesn’t anyone have a good recipe for pigeon stew?  I am getting hungry and I seem to have no money anymore.

Here is one BIG positive to the whole “the US is crumbling into a pile of dog feces” debacle … Illegal immigration declines as U.S. economy falters.  It turns out that if the US isn’t so pleasant and ripe with opportunity illegals immigrants stay OUT… Maybe we are onto something here?

Not to stray too far from the discussion of finances and disaster but here is a really interesting article on the new “currency” in the prison system.  It has been said that the prison system is a glimpse into the future of a apocalyptic world.  They have their own rules, regulations, currency and hierarchy.  Usually dominated by gangs and run by the toughest and roughest hombre in the group the prison system is based on the survival of the fittest.  It seems that once cigarettes were banned, the inmates needed a new currency or store of wealth and decided the packets of mackerel.  WTF?  No one would eat them and they were available at the commissary so they were the perfect medium for exchange.  This just proves that even the simplest of economic systems needs a currency.  When the dust settles and new world begins to rebuild, there will have to be a new form of currency.  I truly believe it will be based on gold and silver.  It would be almost impossible to rewire the survivors’ brains to not believe in gold and silver as a place to store value.  Or it could be mackerels… What do I know?

WARNING: Of the Topic Personal Rant Ahead:   Ok, WHEN WHEN WHEN are we going to cut foreign aid?  SERIOUSLY, we should be getting it from other countries right now.  It is like your neighbors, you know the ones… they spend more than they have, they are so far in debt they don’t know what life without debt is like, they refuse to stop spending and they are GIVING MONEY AWAY TO PEOPLE WHO HATE THEM!  The US gave away $21.2 BILLION dollars in 2007!  Source.  That money should be here AT HOME HELPING AMERICANS!!! COME ON, THE TIME TO BE PROTECTOR OF THE WORLD IS OVER.  BRING IT HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep up your prepping.  Everyday gets us a little closer to complete self sufficiency.  I truly believe that everything will be fine but I am not betting my families life on it!  ARE YOU?

Great Article on the “Herd” mentality as it relates to the stock market here.

Brain and behavior studies clearly show that when information is scarce and threats seem imminent, people often stop listening to their own logic and look to see what others are doing.

This is exactly what we have to fear when the grid goes down.  This is the sort of MASS PANIC that will be present when people have no TV, phone, internet or other way of communicating due to a massive event.  I love the line … “people often stop listening to their own logic and look to see what others are doing”.  This explains riots, looting and general chaos. 

Be leery of the herd!  They will take to the streets and roads when times get ugly.  They are going to raid supermarkets, sporting goods stores, pharmacies and anywhere else the herd decides to go.  DO NOT GET CAUGHT UP IN THIS.  Normal people who would never take part in this type of behavior will be out in the herd.  Maybe your neighbors or friends.  This is why I preach that you should stay locked down during the initial hours or days of an event.  You are prepared (presumably) so stay home, lock the doors load a few magazines and SIT TIGHT.  Don’t feel the need to go out and try to stock up on last minute items.  You are going to expose yourself and risk your family’s safety if you don’t return.

THE HERD IS OUT THERE! 

-SP

Water and sewer systems aren’t working. The hospital is closed. The city is littered with debris and officials are asking for help against disease-carrying mosquitoes. One of the biggest challenges may be ensuring clean drinking water for the region.

“We’re telling people who are here if they can leave, leave!”

Dramatic? Yes! Fiction? No!  See the actual story, this is going down in the Heartland of America. 

Water is an essential element of life, we can’t live without it but too much water can kill untold numbers!  What a dicotomy!

-SP

Like many of you, I am just a suburbanite schlub who loves his family, works hard and has the foresight to realize that prepping is important.  I am not a former military intelligence officer.  I didn’t run Black Ops in Denang during the Tet Offensive of (whatever year?).  Those with military experience may (I stress ‘may’) have an advantage of us normal everyday folk.  Those with criminal or gang experience do have an advantage.  If you are a serial killer, well, you get where I’m going.

See, I believe that if the disaster is big enough and its effects are long lasting, society will break down.  Like Katrina has shown us, people can go from calm law abiding citizens to man-imals willing to kill, rape and loot in a very short period of time.  Like many of you, I am well armed, well stockpiled with ammunition and reasonably proficient at civilian arms fire.  I am confident that I have the sufficient skill to hit what I am aiming at.  But will I “take the shot”?  I am scared shitless at the thought of having to do it!

My dad was in Vietnam.  When I was old enough he talked about his experiences a little.  He told my that killing another person is more difficult that putting a burning needle in your eye. Yes, a little more detailed than I needed but it got his point across.  Killing another human being is VERY difficult!  If you are serving or have served in IRAQ or Afghanistan then you may be at an advantage when it comes to making that decision.  If you killed another human being then you are far less hesitant to pull the trigger.  You have already made a “you or me decision” and taken a person’s life to save your own or that of a fellow serviceman.  If you are an infantryman you may have had to actually look at their face and see the consequences of your actions.  If you are an A-10 pilot and just unleash hell from the sky perhaps you don’t have the experience of getting your hands dirty. 

If you are a gang banger who has been raised in a violent world and seen death throughout your life then you are the future leaders of the groups that will raise from the ashes of society.  Too dramatic?  Ok, fair enough.  Remember, these kids (mostly teens and twenty year olds) are going to have violent tendencies to begin with.  Making the change to man-imal in a lawless society will be effortless.  If you are a serial killer, well, then you were out killing anyway and you might actually not like the competition!  Let alone now all your victims are armed!

That brings us to you an me.  I love my family.  I will shoulder the burden of taking another man’s life if I believe it is necessary to save theirs.  I do not want my wife or children to have to live with the regret and stress of killing another person.  But if it comes to that, do I have what it takes to shove the burning needle in my eye?  Do you?  I don’t have an answer.  The situation hasn’t occurred.  I can tell you that I will do everything I can to avoid it, be prepared if it needs to happen and do my best to make the right decision depending on the circumstances.

Many of you know that I am in the legal field.  I am currently awaiting my bar results in order to be a licensed attorney in the state of California.  I do not practice in the criminal law field which covers self defense and the defense of others so anything said is not to be construed as legal advice.  The common law allows a person to use deadly force if reasonably necessary to protect your life or the lives of others or to prevent grievous bodily harm.  Every state is different as the requirements of self defense are usually codified (defined by law).  It is useful to pull your state’s statute (law) on self defense and know the requirements.  Some states are more liberal than others.  Ask Joe Horn about that. The belief that your life is in danger is a subjective one.  In other words, it is YOUR belief or opinion at the moment the action took place.  It is not what a judge, jury or prosecutor believes after the dust settles and everyone has time to reflect on the actual circumstances, it is what you felt or believed at that very moment.  In a time of societal unrest and violence your subjective belief that your life was in danger will be easier to proof to a jury (if a later trial takes place).  When the looting starts and the bullets begin to fly, it is reasonable that a person would interpret an adversary’s even slightest move as a danger to their life. 

If it gets crazy out there, do your best to mentally prepare for doing some nasty, regrettable yet necessary shit!

Prepare, Care and Live!

-SP

Seriously, has it been almost two weeks since I posted last?  Even after I promised to post daily?  Wow, I apologize to the loyal readers that visit my site daily.  I have some treats coming up like shirts and bumper stickers.  All very covert.  Pictures only so you will know who your fellow preppers are without broadcasting your beliefs all over town. 

My new job is taking all my time.  I hope you can forgive me and understand that.  I am a hard working guy and when someone pays me for something I do it the best I can.  A life lesson my dad taught me… “no matter what you do, do it the best you can and people will respect you for it”

I am working on the fourth floor of a law firm and wearing business attire everyday.  Suits, ties, dress slacks and unbeleivably uncomfortable shoes.  I am working about 45 minutes from my home which is quite opposite from the 2 minute commute I used to have.  My wife and I had a perfect system for collecting the family (who got which kid so there was no overlap) and getting back home in case of disaster.  Now, it is all FUBAR.  I am 30 miles away if the balloon goes up and she will be left at home to fend for her self for about 15 hours.  I figure I can travel on foot at about 2 miles per hour considering terrain, hydration and my physical ability (which is pathetic, I admit it!).  I have been studying my new job’s area of operation and have tried to plan for emergency egress.  I have a handheld GPS in my get home bag so I can travel the back roads and even traverse the woods if necessary.  But how can I do that in dress gear?  I can’t!

All working class stiffs like myself need to have travel gear in the car or office. That means reliable shoes, jeans, athletic socks and perhaps a long sleeve t-shirt.  You should have a boonie hat and rain gear in your get-home-bag already, if not… get it!  You do NOT want to be trying to walk any substantial distance in dress shoes and socks.  OUCH!  My cousin (true story) was in Manhattan when the trade towers went down on 9/11.  He had to walk out of Manhattan which was 5 or 10 miles before he got to working mass transit to get home.  When he got home he had to throw his shoes away because the were destroyed from the walk!  You will not make it if you are stuck in your office attire.

Thank you to all my loyal readers.  Forgive me for the lull.   The blog will be back to full steam soon…. I promise.  Until then look for my interview in Details in November.  A lot of other preppers and bloggers were interviewed.  Hopefully the story is positive. 

The shit hasn’t hit the fan in a while so look out!  It happens when you least expect it.

-SP