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by Selco Begovic

Timing or the importance of perfect timing in SHTF can be a matter of life and death.

For a starting point, you need to understand something that I mentioned in previous posts. When SHTF occurs, the situation is fluid – it can change quickly, and you need to recognize those changes so you can react in time, and in the proper way.

The real danger is other people

I like to say that when the SHTF most probably your enemy is not going to be some foreign invaders, UN troops, or people that are very different than you.

It’s very possible your enemy will be the people that today live around you.

What will make them your enemy?

Well, a lot of things. The SHTF itself, the lack of resources, hate, polarization, absence of a system, absence of repercussion for their actions…

But always the main reason will be the lack of resources, and it is something I wrote about a lot in my book. That makes every person your possible enemy.

How does the importance of timing come into play here?

Well, it is on you to time your plans and actions based on the situation around you.

Here are a couple of examples:

Answers to those questions are quite different based on the time (or timing) when you are answering them. Simply if there is no system still working, everything falls apart. The timing of your action is important. You must understand what the rules are so you can choose how (or how hard) your response will be.

And do not forget, since it will be fluid the difference can be as little as a half-hour of time. Or even minutes.

A law-abiding citizen

Yes, I know, most probably you are a law-abiding citizen.

But, you cannot be a law abiding citizens in a situation where there is no law at all.

So what are you gonna be?

I am not suggesting anything here, but, again, your actions should be different in normal times and world without law and order. I am talking here not about violence, but about your feelings of who owns what when all falls apart.

If you recognize in time that there is simply no system, and there are things that actually suddenly do not “belong” to anyone, you can make good decisions about acquiring things you need. And trust me if you do not make it then, you will make it later. Only later you are not gonna have so many choices or opportunities.

No, I am not talking about stealing from other folks or looting your local mall during a bad weather event or riot.

I am talking about your acts in the first days of an event that is gonna be complete and prolonged world without a regular system of law and order.
Timing there also means that you need to recognize when some things are more important than others…for example, food is more important than some big-screen TV.

Actions on the ground

Timing also means a lot while certain things are happening when SHTF, especially in the very early stages of SHTF.

The early stage is important, because most of the people in that stage are not sure of:

You, as a survivalist/prepper, should be ahead of those people and you should know, or at least have an educated guess about the 4 questions above so you can time your actions appropriately.

Looting/scavenging

There is nothing too much philosophical here, and here is one example:

Something happens, and people are looting the mall.

What are you going to do?

Well, the most obvious answer is that you’ll stay at home because it is safest.

But let’s say you need medicines, food, or whatever.

Well if it is a real and serious SHTF, I would say you are gonna go there and “loot.” Only it is technically not looting anymore, because there is no law and order. It is not coming back for a long time or ever. So if you are smart, you’ll go there and stock up with important medicines, or food, or lighter fluid or similar stuff.

The timing is perfect because the answers to all of the above questions are “satisfying” for that. And you as a prepper for sure are not gonna loot stereos and TVs.

Most of the other people gonna be stupid and loot that useless stuff, because they completely missed the understanding of what is going on.

The timing here can be tricky too because you need to check if there are other people who understood how serious the situation is (based on the above questions). If they did, then you might lose your life there looking for food or medicines, simply because a lot of other people could be doing the same.

And do not forget, criminal organised groups WILL eventually figure out what is important, so they will eventually come to control that.

So, the timing is important, but again, the timing of your understanding of the term “law-abiding citizen” here is something that you need to figure out first when something serious happens.

You also need to know when to leave.

I have said before if I had realized what was coming when the SHTF for me, I would have left. But I waited too late. I missed my time.

You must be ready to leave everything (physical) in a split second if that means survival and life.

Learn to operate in terms of “less is more” or in other words, try whenever you can to substitute dependence on things with owning knowledge of a particular skill. For example, owning a big stash of water is great, owning skills and means to purify near water sources is even better.

Be ready to alter your plans – do not value your current plan so much that you are ready to die for it. Have an open and flexible mind so you can recognize that moment when your current plan becomes worthless. Do not act like “my plan (bugging out, or bugging in) is so good that I am ready to die for it.

Timing is everything when the SHTF.

A lot of things and actions in the world of survival are simply words. Those words will have different meanings when SHTF, based on the moment in time and based on when you are taking your actions. You as a prepper need to time your actions according to the events around you, and you need to be ready to kinda bend based on the events unfolding.

Have you ever had poor timing?

Have you ever been the victim of bad timing or missed a window of opportunity during an emergency? Share your stories and thoughts in the comments.

About Selco:

Selco survived the Balkan war of the 90s in a city under siege, without electricity, running water, or food distribution. 

In his online works, he gives an inside view of the reality of survival under the harshest conditions. He reviews what works and what doesn’t, tells you the hard lessons he learned, and shares how he prepares today. He never stopped learning about survival and preparedness since the war. Regardless of what happens, chances are you will never experience extreme situations as Selco did. But you have the chance to learn from him and how he faced death for months.

Real survival is not romantic or idealistic. It is brutal, hard and unfair. Let Selco take you into that world.

This content was originally published here.

If bugging out is a mainstay plan of prepping in general, then bugging out to the woods is about as bread-and-butter as that plan can get.

Anyone you talk to, so long as they don’t live in the desert, will regale you with their idea of just heading off into the woods to find a nice little clear patch next to a babbling brook before setting up camp and waiting for the whole situation that sent them scurrying to blow over. Sure is a nice idea…

man walking in the woods

And an idea is pretty much all it is. This is because surviving in the wilderness, even in the woods, is no picnic, and it sure as hell isn’t just recreational camping.

The context of survival places many more demands on people who would exist in the midst of nature, even in an environment thought to be so bountiful as the woods.

I can understand the appeal; daydreams of pure, clear streams, wholesome game animals both big and small prancing and capering everywhere, ample fuel for fires and material for shelter. What could be better?

Well, lots of things, for one, though it could always be worse too. Surviving in the woods is no joke, and people who go deep with the idea that they will be coasting on Easy Street are in for a rude awakening, and potentially a miserable death.

Surviving away from society, or even the ruins of society, is not for everyone and in today’s article I will present you with a list of people that I believe will stand the best chance of surviving in the woods and those that should hang up their hopes before that fateful day ever comes.

The Woods, Dark and Deep

While the appeal of a forest in a recreational capacity is absolutely undeniable and it is true that the woods are a biome that is generally more plentiful than one like the desert, the reality is it is still a challenging environment to survive in, especially for the unprepared.

This makes the irrational enthusiasm some preppers exhibit toward bugging out into a remote patch of the woods particularly troubling.

Too many among us believe that they will be able to drop their packs after a hike of some exertion in a picturesque clearing near a ready-to-drink source of water before they stretch, have a snack and meander off into the woods to shoot some animal or another before dragging it back for dinner along with some fresh picked fruit or berries.

And all of this sent to the backdrop of a society that is tearing itself apart somewhere, out there, beyond the edge of the forest.

It is gauche poetry, and for the vast majority of us who attempt such a thing it will look quite different. You will be in an environment that is extremely easy to get turned around in.

One with water sources, but water sources that are contaminated by the fecal matter and corpses of animals along with innumerable kinds of plant and fungal debris.

What animals there are in the woods will easily evade people who are not skilled hunters, and the “natural bounty” of fruit, fungi and leaves are just as likely to be toxic as not, some fatally so.

Well before proper sunset the environment will become incredibly dark, as little in the way of light filters down through the canopy save in winter, and though fuel for a fire is ample in the woods this means that one must constantly be on guard that their fire does not get out of control and turn into a raging conflagration.

Surviving in the woods is just that: surviving. It sure as hell isn’t camping, and it won’t feel like a pleasure hike. If it does, you have probably bugged out for nothing.

Also keep in mind that the vast majority of people, and some preppers specifically, are nearly entirely dependent upon their survival gear and provisions that they bring with them.

I have heard the analogy before, and it is a good one that this is akin to the tank of air a scuba diver uses to descend into the depths of the ocean. So long as the air holds out the diver can remain, but once the air (or the supplies) run out they must surface in order to resupply, or die.

It will be much the same for many survivors who head into the woods at the first sign of trouble. They may yet be able to remain comfortably enough so long as their supplies hold out, but only those with a considerable amount of skill and experience living in wooded country will be able to make a proper stay out of it if required.

One must also consider that the popularity of this idea, well-informed or not, means that plenty of other people will have the exact same plan you do, and if you are not heading into the remotest parts of rarely traveled forest you might have more company than you’re planning on…

With all of that said, let us get to the list. There are two lists below, those who will survive in the woods in my estimation, and those who won’t. The list is not entirely conclusive, nor is it complete.

You can probably think of several additional categories of people who would belong to one or the other, and everybody knows someone in a group who defies expectation, and is either the second coming of Tarzan or the Mr. Magoo of survival. Regardless, based on my travels and experience both of these lists hold water.

Those Who Will

Boy Scouts, current and former

This as you might expect was an auto-include on the list of those who would survive an extended stay in the woods. The Boy Scouts have long placed an emphasis on self-sufficiency, preparedness and survival skills, complete with many exercises that build confidence and provide a lived experience for exactly these circumstances.

Even a Boy Scout of modest rank could be expected to self assess, prioritize based on the situation he found himself in, create a serviceable shelter, get a fire going. and tend to it before locating food in the form of safe mushrooms, berries or other plant matter and even bagging some kind of animal protein, all the while being cautious and acting intelligently.

In this regard, it is easy to view scouting as a sort of “disaster-proofing” in addition to being a fulfilling pastime.

I know quite a few men who attained the rank of Eagle Scout after a great many years scouting while they were boys and young adults, and let me tell you they are all regular MacGyver’s and serious outdoorsmen, more than capable of surviving in the wilderness using a little more but a pocket knife and a button compass.

I hope the people who mocked their uniforms when they were young lads don’t wind up in the same situation; they will be starving, lost, and freezing, while the target of their mockery is having a comparatively easy go of it elsewhere.

Soldiers, Marines, etc.

The training necessary to become confident in certain professions can wind up serving you well long after your time on the job is done.

Anyone who served in the military is probably better suited for surviving in the woods than nearly anyone else, since so much of their career centered on surviving and even thriving and natural environments under the worst conditions.

It also helps that these people are conditioned and used to hard and grueling work, work that is often necessary when the time comes to survive in the forest.

Beyond being generally comfortable in an outdoor setting, in uncertain circumstances and under a considerable amount of pressure folks in this category are often confident and capable at improvising shelter, and taking care of other considerations attendant with survival outdoors, including those of security.

As they say, when the going gets tough the tough get going, and you will rarely find people tougher than these men and women.

And beyond their occupational training, quite a few members of the military benefit from what is known as SERE training, or “survival, evasion, resistance and escape” training.

This training curriculum focuses in part on survival techniques when poorly equipped and in hostile environments, including the construction of various shelters, provisioning of food and signaling for rescue when applicable.

Training of this nature is invaluable in a wilderness survival situation, even when people with guns aren’t hunting you.

Hunters

Chances are most hunters will be going into a woodland survival scenario with a major leg up over the rest of us. If there is one group of civilians you’ll be able to count on having already spent a long time in the woods, it will be these guys and gals.

Contrary to popular belief there is a lot more to hunting then just clambering up into a tree waiting for some hapless animal to walk by. Serious hunters who are dedicated to bagging the quarry they seek will put in a lot of time in the woods, gaining an intimate familiarity that few others will be able to rival.

From investigating probable routes of travel to looking for watering holes, sources of food, and all kinds of other nuances that most people miss, your average hunter will be very comfortable in the woods.

They will also be confident at maintaining their bearings, as traipsing all over creation through an environment that is very easy to get lost in will quickly impress upon the unwary how important is to keep your heading.

Naturally, when push comes to shove and tummies are grumbling a seasoned hunter is most likely to nab the big game that is needed to substantially supplement food stores.

Even if their chosen game is not available, the skills they learned in the pursuit will serve them well when the time comes to shoot or catch something else.

Ultimately, time spent in the woods is never wasted if you’re trying to prepare for a lengthy escapade, and your average American Hunter will have drastically more time under the branches of the canopy than most anyone else.

Hikers

Hikers are another category of civilian whose pastimes will likely serve them well when the time comes to bug out in the woods.

Although the typical skill set for hiking is not quite as comprehensive as the one for hunting, it nonetheless will do much to acclimatize someone to the challenges and rigors of surviving in the woods, particularly when it comes to navigation.

Long-distance hikers will also be more than capable of locating the best campsites and picking the best wood for fuel.

Hikers also tend to be fit, a major advantage when it comes to surviving in the woods as there is no shortage of work that must be done more or less around the clock in order to improve your position.

Also of particular import is the likelihood that they will be very familiar with their favorite trails and stomping grounds, an informational advantage that can give them a major boost in confidence when the time comes to bug out.

If they already know the lay of the land, especially in various seasons, they will be able to head to the best spots for survival and avoid the worst.

Additionally, hikers are also aware through study or bitter experience of the various hazards that reside in the woods, among them terrain that is likely to see them slip, stumble, or fall, perhaps resulting in an injury to a leg that they can ill afford, as well as live hazards like dangerous big game and venomous snakes.

You will rarely see a hiker that will put their hand any place that they cannot see and they will never carelessly overturn rocks, branches or logs for any purpose, lest they disturb a resting, venomous reptile or agitate a swarm of insects.

Naturalists

Plenty of other people spend a lot of time in nature and crave interaction with it, from amateur botanists to mushroom hunters, birdwatchers, wanderers, game wardens, and others will all stand a pretty fair chance of surviving in the woods so long as they have a proper basis of survival skills to back up their general comfort and competency in such an environment.

Experience in an environment, even experience spent in some other pursuit besides survival, is still valuable when it comes to a survival situation because you will be learning a little bit about how to move, live and otherwise operate in that environment.

Just because you were out looking for the ideal patch where a rare mushroom or moral might grow does not mean you are failing to learn what other lessons that the environment can teach you.

Even if they are niche skills, niche skills still count, and people who have an affinity for nature on a practical level will benefit from those skills in a survival situation. A person who is enthusiastic about the plant life in their region will know which plants to avoid and which are helpful for nutritional or medicinal purposes.

Mushroom hunters will be able to easily supplement their calorie intake with delicious and nutritious fungi while avoiding the ones that will make them sick or kill them.

Game wardens will be familiar with the travel routes and behavior of various animal species, as well as those of poachers, giving them a leg-up on avoiding potentially compromising interactions.

The bottom line is that the people who spend more time in the woods voluntarily, those who embrace the environment, are the ones who are more likely to survive its perils and make the best use of its assets.

Those Who Won’t

Gear Fanatics

There are some people who believe every problem can be solved by simply having the right gear. You don’t necessarily need the skills, the experience, or the dues paid in sweat and blood to get something done, you just need the right gadget!

If only that were true. Unfortunately quite a few Americans believe this fallacy and we have our fair share right here in Prepperdom.

While it is true that having the right equipment is going to make your job easier, there is no amount of equipment that can replace experience and confidence when living in the woods, especially in austere conditions.

The right tools, the right tent and the right gadgets will not replace knowing how to build and tend a fire, knowing where you should and where you should not pitch your camp, which plants to avoid and which to eat and how to avoid becoming disoriented and lost.

All of that takes experience, and even gadgets that can help ameliorate these problems are prone to failure and don’t always work in all circumstances.

While none of us are perfect, the one thing you will always be able to depend on the most is your own wits and knowledge. This is the first and most important tool, and without that the best technological gadgets that money can buy won’t amount to a hill of beans when trying to survive in the forest.

Urbanites

Urbanites are, in my mind, distinct from mere city-dwellers. Lots of us live in the cities, even if it’s not our first choice, and plenty of us can’t wait to leave, or at least get away from these teeming hives of humanity.

Urbanites are different; an urbanite is a city dweller who loves the city, who is truly part of it, and their existence inside a metropolis is their baseline. If they’re not surrounded by towering spires of steel and concrete they don’t feel comfortable.

When they are forced out into a natural setting, or even a less built-up area, they start to feel profoundly out of place, and anxious.

As you might expect, these folks will not do well in a forest survival setting. This might come as a shock to some readers, but I know more than a handful of urbanite preppers that are nonetheless serious about the craft, and want to be prepared for every eventuality.

Some among them actually entertain the notion that when things invariably deteriorate into an unsurvivable condition inside the city limits that they will bug out “upstate”, or out of state into the woods to live a more pastoral existence in the meantime. These self-same preppers cannot even be bothered to go on a hike!

Deprived of electricity, modern convenience and a reassuring rigidity of man-made roads and other paths that make it impossible to get lost, they will founder and possibly die. This is not intended to insult or belittle such folks, but a person must know their limitations.

Animal Caretakers

Lots of people care for animals in one way or another, from your average everyday American with their pet dog or cat, to those who must tend to herds or flocks of livestock as farmers.

In many ways our domesticated animals are integral to our lives, and most people will go out of their way to accommodate them be it through professional dedication or sincere affection. Unfortunately, most animals will make a surviving in the woods more difficult, not less.

People with pets would be cautioned before choosing the forest as a bug-out location if they have the dog or cat in tow.

There are lots of ways for both to get into serious trouble in the woods, either through ingesting something poisonous or investigating a venomous creature that will not take kindly to the intrusion upon its space.

Most pets are also noisy, and will do much to both attract attention when you are trying to maintain a low profile as well as scaring off game that could potentially fill your cook pot.

Securing a domestic pet while in the middle of the woods so it does not escape or wander off is also challenging.

Farmers who have any ambitions about taking their animals with them when bugging out, even if it is a small herd or flock, will face many of the same challenges above and their animals will struggle to find good pasturage upon which to rest or eat.

There are other places to bug out that can indeed accommodate pets and livestock better; the forest should not be your first choice if you have animal companions in tow.

The Unfit

People who are badly out of shape are going to have a hard enough time surviving in most conditions if they cannot bug in, but their troubles will be multiplied tenfold if they have to bug out into the forest. Surviving in the forest is hard work!

Again, it isn’t like camping. You will always have much to do, and plenty of strenuous chores to attend to if you want to maintain and improve your situation.

From scouting campsites and moving your camp to gathering and processing wood to fuel your campfire, clearing brush and debris, foraging for food and water and so much more; you’d better be ready to roll up your sleeves, put in the hours and get a good sweat going!

The forest might provide more for you to make use of then some other environments, but making use of it still takes quite a bit of effort on your part.

If you are out of shape, flabby, and otherwise incapable of strenuous activity for any length of time, your work capacity is going to be reduced. Reduced work capacity means your margin for error when surviving gets smaller and smaller.

What if you have to deal with the snap of cold weather that sees you powering through your supply of firewood even quicker? If you are so exhausted that you didn’t gather more the previous day or couldn’t process it to get it ready for efficient burning you might have a problem.

Rain or wind that forces you to move your campsite in order to seek better shelter means you will be doing a lot of packing and schlepping; you’d better be up to the task.

Generally, the less fit someone is, the less the woods will be to them as a bug-out location.

The Arrogant

For many of us the woods have an undeniable appeal and a certain mystique. The peace, tranquility and sense of grounding we get is almost enticing enough to see us head there during a bug out if only because it will help us calm down and center our thoughts.

This is undoubtedly true, but as I’ve stressed continually throughout this article the woods are extremely dangerous for most of us who enter unprepared, and are particularly dangerous for those who are arrogant.

If someone is ignorant of the dangers that lurk in the woods and all its many forms, or even worse just complacent, knowing better and not caring and doing better, they are probably not going to be long for this Earth during a woodland survival scenario.

You cannot cheat the forest; disregarding proper procedure, flagrantly acting in defiance of what is sensible and safe will see you gravely injured or killed, and the woods can oftentimes kill you in slow motion, inflicting an agonizing and torturous death.

Ignoring the danger posed by slick logs or rocks could result in a stumble and fall that earns you a compound fracture of the leg or ankle. Immobilized and crippled, you’ll be helpless.

Eating the wrong berry or mushroom could make you gravely ill, dehydrating you to the point of incapacitation, or it might kill you outright, clutched by seizures as your diaphragm shuts down and you suffocate, your heart beating its final beat.

You can be bitten by snakes and torn apart by bears. You might just get lost, never to be found and never to emerge.

Survival in the woods is not for the unwary or the inexperienced, and it is definitely not for the arrogant.

Conclusion

Bugging out to the woods is a valid strategy for dealing with an SHTF situation, but only if you have the right experience, the right attitude and the right skills. It is definitely not for everyone, and should not be your default response to every situation, counter to what is often asserted.

Only by assessing your skills, advantages and disadvantages, and survival objectives in totality can you make the right call. There are some people that are just not suited for survival and the dark corners of the forest.

who will survive the woods pinterest

This content was originally published here.

SHTFPreparedness may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page.

What does SHTF currency look like?

We all like to speculate but it’s hard to really know what will hold weight in which situation. It’s hard to imagine a time when cash is no longer king. However, if the currency is devalued by massive debt and inflation we could see that in our lifetime.
5 Reasons Why Pure Silver Will be the Currency of the Collapse - This article makes the argument for simply investing in and having pure silver on hand when you are looking to barter in the collapse. Its a tough one to argue but there are many people who really like the idea of having junk silver and also like the fact that it is free.

Let’s take a moment to look at these four currencies and see which will play well in the SHTF scenario.

At the very least your emergency plans should involve a cash emergency fund of $1,000. This fund is to be held onto in case of emergencies that affect your finances.

In the near future cash is going to get things done. A cash fund should be your first consideration before anything else.

While gold has long been a means of currency around the world, the price of gold is so high that it is hard to use practically. You would struggle to buy food and provisions with gold.

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, gold is currently over $1,700 an ounce (as of 4/26/2020)! That means you would need flakes to buy food or you would need some means of making a change. That’s a lot of moving parts for an SHTF barter.

I would not make gold a big player in your SHTF wealth profile unless you are looking to make large purchases that you can secure.

The SHTF currency that makes the most sense to me is silver. It gives you a value that can be used for the purchase of most things. Likewise, it’s easy to afford in meaningful batches and can make a big difference in a hurry.

At $15 an ounce (as of 4/26/2020), you can start putting silver away today!

The reality of collapse currency could be much different. It could be skills, labor, or the human body itself. As sad as that is, in Venezuela women are crossing over to Columbia in order to sell their bodies to feed their kids.

That is a real collapse. Pay close attention.

Bonus: How to Make Pemmican, the Original Survival Food

Invented by the natives of North America was used by Indian scouts as well as early western explorers.

Native Americans spent a great deal of time on the go and depended on having portable, high-energy, highly nutritious, and filling foods that would last for long periods of time without refrigeration.

Pemmican is a portable, long-lasting, high-energy food. It’s made of lean, dried meat that’s crushed into powder and mixed with hot, rendered fat. This makes it one of the ultimate foods to have stockpiled for when SHTF or disaster strikes.

People really should avert their gaze from the modern survival thinking for just a bit and also look at .

These guys were the last generation to practice basic things, for a living, that we call “survival skills” now.

This content was originally published here.

While too many of us would like to think that we live in a world where everyone would be kind and courteous, especially when following a major disaster, we’d only be fooling ourselves. That’s because there are certainly evil people out there who would only be looking out for their own interests, and they’d be willing to use whatever method necessary to get what they want.

So whether you believe in guns or not, it’s crucial that you have some way to defend yourself if those types of strangers show up at your door. Fortunately, there are a number of ways that you can do this without pulling a trigger. These are non-lethal ways to defend your home when SHTF. In case you missed this post, 12 Places to Hide Important Items in Your Home

Good Ole’ Fashioned Steel Baseball Bat

A cold steel baseball bat doesn’t require you to fumble over to your gun safe in the middle of the night and then struggle to get locked and loaded in the process. All you need is a good strong swing and you can do some major damage. Just be sure that you’re swinging for the fences so that it’s “lights out” for the visiting team. There’s also the possibility that you could trash your house in the process, but given the circumstances, I’d say it’s worth it. 

Pepper Spray

Just because something is non-lethal, doesn’t mean that it won’t cause a lot of pain. And that’s what you want in order to thwart an attacker. With the Sabre 3-in-1 pepper spray, you can guarantee that you will temporarily blind and cause pain to someone that’s up to 10 feet away. It can be used up to 35 times! It’s no wonder this pepper spray is the number one recommended by police forces.     

Maybe you’re looking for something to use other than pepper spray? Some people have mentioned that wasp spray also has similar effects on humans as pepper spray does. This is one of my favorite non-lethal ways to defend your home!

Vipertek VTS-989 Stun Gun

There’s a reason why the Vipertek VTS-989 Stun Gun is labeled “very powerful,” and for special occasions such as this I can clearly hear Martha Stewart saying, “and that’s a good thing.” It’s also very affordable while administering enough volts of electricity to put your assailant on the ground. There are enough electrodes dished out to get through any thick clothing, and also shock plates on the side that makes it extremely difficult for them to snatch it away from you.   

I’m sure many of you have heard the famous line, “the pen is mightier than the sword.” While I believe that saying was metaphorically intended, the StrikePen decided to give it a new and more literal meaning. It may look deceptively like a pen, but it’s strong enough to break through windows or cause severe pain to intruders.    

Arma-100 Bean Bag Gun

Have you ever had the wind knocked out of you? If so, then you know that it stops you dead in your tracks (well…not literally). An Arma-100 Bean bag gun is a great way to greet intruders that decide to pay you with an unexpected visit. Beanbags are capable of traveling at 135 feet per second, so it’s sure to deliver a knockout punch when needed. The gun comes with a safety and a spring mechanism that makes it difficult for most children to operate. You also won’t need a license or a background check to get your hands on one, and they are legal in all 50 states.   

Barbarian Stun Baton

The Barbarian stun baton can be used to swing just like a club, or also has enough volts of electricity in it to work just like a stun gun. The baton also comes with a 3-mode CREE LED flashlight so that you can see your way around in the dark while blinding your intruder at the same time. You can be sure that this weapon will put distance between you and your enemy, but be aware that a stun gun can cause cardiac arrest in some people and death can occur in some situations. 

Salt Supply Pepper Spray Gun

The Salt Supply Pepper Spray Gun looks just like a real handgun but fires rounds of pepper spray at your target at a speed and distance of 320 feet per second. That’s about 10 times the distance of what normal spray cartridges will do! Your target will immediately be engulfed in a pepper spray cloud as you’re able to get your family away to safety. Just be sure to go over your state’s laws as to whether this form of protection is legal in your area. 

Add an Extra Line of Defense 

If things start to take a turn for the worst, you may have to set up boobytraps around your home and property. You could always learn a brilliant trick or two while watching any of the Home Alone movies. Even though Harry and Marv (the bad guys) survived several terrible ordeals set in place by an 8-year-old, I make no promises that one of them might not put your aggressor 6 feet in the ground.    

Home Security System

Should anyone snoop around your home or decide to break into your home in the dead of night, your home security system will be ready, even if you’re not. You’ll be able to monitor your home and possibly your entire property for more peace of mind. Not only will a triggered-alarm set off a loud noise, but it will also contact your local police, which is important if you’re unable to.  

Maybe you can’t afford a home security system? There are always window and door alarms that you can install around your home that will also serve a similar purpose. Adding thorn bushes around your windows can also deter an intruder much like having motion-sensor floodlights.   

Get Your Family a Dog

Dog’s are not only “man’s best friend,” but they’re also one of the best security systems that your home could possibly have. They have excellent hearing and can deter most home invaders simply with their booming bark (depending on the breed). If an intruder makes the poor decision to continue breaking into your home, if you have a larger canine, they can attack and put their teeth into their enemy? Besides all this, they are loyal companions and great around your kids if you train them right.

Non-Lethal Ways to Defend Your Home When SHTF  

Final Word

If the SHTF, it may not be long before unwanted guests start eyeing your home. Even if you are completely against killing another human being using a deadly weapon, or shiver at the thought of even the slightest amount of bloodshed, these are several non-lethal ways that you should consider when preparing to defend yourself and your family. What are some other non-lethal ways to defend your home that you have thought of? May God Bless this world, Linda. 

Copyright Images: Baseball Bat on Wood Deposit photos_54709795_s-2019

This content was originally published here.

You may only choose two long guns and two handguns. They will be chosen for a time of SHTF. In other words, a time of extreme turmoil, social chaos, collapse, shortages, revolution…if you get my drift.

Maybe one scenario is as follows. The globalist Marxist Commies come into power. Subsequently they do what they always do — try to take your guns. Without arguing about how you might mitigate that, lets just say you’ve planned ahead for it. Maybe you put aside two specific long guns and two handguns that “they” wouldn’t find.

Or maybe that doesn’t happen at all. But you’re considering all aspects of a hypothetical collapse and you’re deciding what might be best in the long gun department and the handgun department.

I will initially refrain from putting out my own opinion so as to get your comments without influence. I’m sure there are lots of opinions, and I put this out there for fun… (haven’t done a “gun” post in awhile).

Lets see where we end up, and I’ll update this post with some of the highlights.

Ready, Set, Go!

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NH Michael

1 hour ago

22 revolver with 22 mag cylinder, sks. Why can use 22 short or the cci 22 quiets for quiet hunting, any 22 ammo for general use. 7.62×39 is just fine.

Gee I should have read more closely. 2 of each? wow? I picked for utility and plain out total reliability. Would I select two different ones or more ammo instead. Only the Owl knows. 🙂

Probably a single/double barreled shotgun 12 gauge with a full set of chamber adapters so I could use anything I found in “lost ammo”, and more ammo….

Been awhile since I looked at purchasing a gun, but as a kid my friend and I shot lots of different guns and 10s of thousands of rounds. 12 gauge slugs either 000 or 00 buckshot are absolutely devastating to anything in its path so I’d opt for a pump 12 gauge of some sort. I had an M&P 9mm that was a smooth shooter and a large capacity magazine. Too bad it got lost deep in the woods.

The ones i have when it goes ugly

I hope Ige doesnt read these posts!! haha


Reply to 

Bluecatmatt

Ige is why its so hard to come home. Living in Oklahoma where we can buy and own anything we want, Pro 2nd. What would i do with all my “stuff”.

any kind of high powered kind of rifle for longer range hunting a semi auto 12 gauge for home defense a 9mm hand gun and a 45 handgun for short range stopping power


42 minutes ago

This was a mental exercise that I thought through years ago because it’s fun. In my head I decided I’d like to just store 22LR, rather than buying various ones to keep track of. That would allow me to use a pistol such as a Ruger SR22, a Ruger 10/22, as well as even going into The Saint that had been fitted with an insert to accept 22LR, then toss in a revolver too if desired. Seemed practical to just streamline the gun selection off the ammo stored in my scenario.

Kel Tec PMR 30 22 mag, Glock 21, Mossberg 12ga with mini shell adaptor, AR.223

A 10/22 semi auto rifle, Mini 14 .223, Both can be used to hunt what’s near me.
357 revolver & 45 semi auto for defense from man or beast…I prefer Ruger from my Rifles
Colt for my pistols.

Remington 870 12 gauge pump with vent rib and slug barrel.
AK-47 7.62×39
Colt Woodsman .22LR Pistol
S&W 686 .357 mag revolver

#1 Mossberg 20 gauge pump with a bunch of different barrels
#2 Well made AR-15 with a bunch of mags
#3 Glock 19’s x2 with a bunch of mags,

If allowed one more by the Gun Czar Bozo O’Dork , it would be a Ruger .22 “American” bolt action in .22 LR.

This content was originally published here.

(Natural News)
Preppers know that rubbing alcohol isn’t just an item for your first aid kit. It is an essential survival item because it’s cheap, easy to store and has many survival uses. You can also use rubbing alcohol to sanitize your home or even start a fire when SHTF! (h/t to UrbanSurvivalSite.com)

Rubbing alcohol is a mixture of denatured alcohol, water and other agents that make it unpalatable to drink. Note that while rubbing alcohol is usually clear, some brands may contain colorants.

Rubbing alcohol sold in grocery stores and pharmacies in the U.S. comes in two grades: 70 percent isopropyl alcohol and 90 percent isopropyl alcohol. Note that 90 percent isopropyl alcohol has a lower water content and is more expensive, while 70 percent isopropyl alcohol has a higher water content, making it gentler on the skin.

Here are 10 clever ways to use rubbing alcohol when SHTF:

Defrost car windows with rubbing alcohol solution. Combine one part rubbing alcohol and five parts water in a spray bottle and spritz your windows. The solution will help melt the ice so you can drive safely.

Use rubbing alcohol to clean and disinfect non-porous surfaces like your cell phones, other electronics, the kitchen counter, door handles or computer keyboards. Apply the solution as a disinfectant then let it dry.

DIY ice packs

To make your own frozen packs using rubbing alcohol, combine three parts water with one part rubbing alcohol. Pour the solution into a resealable storage bag and freeze for three hours. The soft cold packs can bend and ease pain and swelling in injured limbs. DIY ice packs are also reusable!

Rubbing alcohol is highly flammable and can be used as a firestarter if you’re in a survival situation. Carefully squirt or spray a small amount of rubbing alcohol on wood before lighting. Alternatively, you can make DIY fire accelerants by soaking cotton pads in rubbing alcohol and storing them in an airtight container next to your firestarting gear.

First aid

Use rubbing alcohol to sanitize tweezers and other first aid equipment in your kit if you don’t have access to running water and soap. While rubbing alcohol can be used to clean minor cuts and scrapes, you shouldn’t use it for mouth wounds or deep skin wounds because it might sting.

Homemade hand sanitizer

Rubbing alcohol is the main ingredient in most store-bought hand sanitizers. If you prefer hand sanitizer over rubbing alcohol, follow the recipe below to whip up a batch of homemade hand sanitizer.

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Massage the resulting gel into your hands and fingers the same way you would a commercial hand sanitizer. Always keep your hands clean to maintain proper hygiene and to prevent illness and infection.

Grease and residue remover

Rubbing alcohol can also be used to remove greasy, sticky and oily substances from your survival gear. Put a few drops of rubbing alcohol on a greasy spot and wipe to remove dirt on your gear. (Related: Don’t forget these 53 items when stocking up for emergencies.)

Joint and muscle pain relief

If you strain any muscles while lifting heavy equipment, use rubbing alcohol to soothe aching muscles and joints. Massage rubbing alcohol into the skin to increase blood flow and relieve discomfort.

Don’t use rubbing alcohol on babies or young children with sensitive skin.

Mirror and window cleaner

Tired of looking at smudges on windows or mirrors? Spray a bit of rubbing alcohol on shiny surfaces and wipe smudges away.

Tick removal

Ticks can be difficult to remove, but you can easily dislodge them with a bit of rubbing alcohol. Simply soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and place it directly on the tick. As the tick releases its grasp, carefully remove it using tweezers.

When SHTF, use rubbing alcohol as a disinfectant or as a simple remedy for joint and muscle pain.

Visit Survival.news to read more articles about the many survival uses of rubbing alcohol and other prepping supplies.

This content was originally published here.

SHTFPreparedness may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page.

2020 has made clear the importance of being prepared for SHTF situations. Perhaps one could say it didn’t go that bad, but there isn’t a point in waiting for things to go off rails before taking action. It’s sensible and easier to be prepared, and this SHTF prepper supply list can pave the way for beginners and be a handy tip for pros.

emergency prepper supply list for shtfUnprepared people panic and spend their time and energy on illogical things. The long lines outside stores during the great toilet paper rush of 2020 are your evidence.

How Do I Prepare for SHTF?

There are plenty of everyday things we don’t give a second thought to but they are invaluable if SHTF. Consider things like nail clippers and cotton balls. They aren’t exactly remarkable or exotic but could be invaluable in a difficult situation.

A simple way to approach this is through priorities. Necessities to sustain you come first. If there’s still more space available, you can add other things as well. What you keep is also guided by the location you choose.

Those intending to stay at their own home don’t have to worry about moving things. However, if you have to travel to another location, there will be things that can’t come along.

Even if you’re planning to stay at your place, it’s still a good idea to have a “bug out bag” or emergency bag. This bag essentially includes necessities that you take along.

Let’s kick off this SHTF prepper list with some necessities.

Consider these numbers the extreme limit – dehydration will start taking its toll a lot sooner. Likewise, water is important for sanitation, cleaning, etc.

According to ready.gov, each person needs at least a gallon of water every three days.

Bottled Water

Bottle water is a seemingly straightforward solution for potable water. Some FDA-approved water bottles can last for up to two years if unopened.

Some, like Blue Can Water, have a shelf life of up to 50 years. It’s a bit pricey, but have to pay for that shelf life.

You could start with this right away and purchase water with your next trip to the store. Keep a convenient amount that can last for at least a few days.

Have a system where you use water bottles at home when they get close to their expiration date. Don’t forget to replenish your stock!

Bottled water isn’t always cost-effective. Large reusable water barrels or containers can store a lot more water at a fraction of the price.

But it’s always possible to treat the water and make it potable. Besides, there is always the possibility of using it for cleaning or sanitation purposes.

Portable and/or Large Water Filters

If you have a way to store a lot of water, getting a large water filter will ensure you have a convenient and steady supply of potable water. This applies to places that are intended for use as shelters.

Having a portable water filter like the LifeStraw Personal Water Filter is critically important. Whether you travel or stay put, a portable water filter will always come in handy.

When traveling in a SHTF situation, a dependable water filter is a lifesaver. You may not be able to carry enough water or trust that the water available en route will be safe.

Those of us who enjoy the outdoors and go camping know that water is heavy. This is why camping and hiking gear for longer trips include ways to get potable water through filtration or treatment.

Portable water filters are a good pick here. You can also include solutions like water purification tablets, which too are often used by campers.

Another choice is chemical agents like bleach. A few drops of regular, unscented chlorine bleach will kill off most bacteria and viruses in water.

According to EPA recommendations, about two drops of 8.25% bleach are good enough for a quart/liter of water.

In a pinch, even coffee filters can be used for pre-filtration. They won’t kill germs, but they can help remove contaminants like dirt, some critters, and other small particles. Paper filters are better, but even metal filters can do some work.

Here’s the SHTF prepper supply list for securing your water supply:

Food is another survival necessity and a must for any SHTF prepper supply list. Again, for this scenario, before we cater to our taste buds, we must first cater to our necessities. Good preppers start with calorically dense, long-lasting, and low-prep bulk food.

Our SHTF list of supplies needs nutritious survival foods that have a long shelf life, don’t need much preparation, and can be stored without refrigeration.

Food Supplements

Supplements like bulk carbohydrates and bulk proteins are easily available in convenient, large packaging. They are nutritious, easy to store, and relatively cheap to stockpile. All you have to do is store them in a cool, dry place.

Long-Lasting Common Foods

Some popular and staple foods have ridiculously long lifespans for storage.

When properly stored, rice can last decades. The variety of rice and the way it is processed does make a difference, so check the expected shelf life before buying it as part of your survival plan.

Other options include rolled oats and pinto beans.

Wheat grains can last a good time too, but flour doesn’t last very long. And keeping grains alone would also require ways to grind and manage them.

Oils are a good source of fat and a good item for any prepper supply checklist.

Cooking oils like coconut oil and avocado oil can last 1-2 years and give your food a quick dose of fat. You could even have a small amount directly, but there’s a risk of intestinal distress by direct consumption.

Nuts like cashews and almonds are nutritious and last for a long time.

Other items like beef jerky and protein bars have high energy content and can last a long time. These items are perfect for a bug out bag and even storage.

Canned Foods

When choosing canned meals, give the highest priority to canned meat. Stored properly, these can last 5 years or more.

Canned veggies, on the other hand, would be pushing expiration dates in a couple of years.

Canned foods are heavy and relatively expensive, so try to strike the right balance.

Livestock and Pets

This falls into a more specialized category, where your place of shelter is capable of handling animals. Additionally, it should be possible to manage the food for the animals. Chickens, rabbits, goats, sheep, even cows can form a part of this group.

Pets that aren’t livestock can be useful, too. Remember, you will have to feed your pets in addition to yourself.

Dogs can do guard duty while cats and ferrets hunt vermin. Exotic pets like spiders and snakes aren’t a good choice for a shelter. Other pets like rodents and fish are off-limits too.

Cooking Gear

Things like lighters, fuel, and cooking utensils are essential.

Survival lighters are a very convenient pick for any preppers gear. Their application in starting fires can come in handy for more than just cooking. Matches should do fine too. If you intend to use a stove, make sure you have plenty of fuel.

As for cooking utensils, pick cast iron products. They aren’t the best looking, but they can help get iron into your diet and have ridiculously long term lifespans.

Here’s a quick rundown for our preppers supply checklist for food:

Defense and Weapons

Before you act on this section, you should check on your local laws on gun ownership and weapons.

Unpredictability is a hallmark of SHTF situations. It could be an inconvenience, or the world may go straight to hell in a handbasket.

Panic can make people do crazy things. Weapons are an essential part of any prepper checklist.

A handgun/pistol and some ammo can go into your bug out bag, while larger guns and rifles can be at the base.

In case firearms are not possible, it’s worthwhile to look at other options as well. Hunting bows/arrows, basketball bats, and anything else that can be used as a weapon should find its way to your shelter/base.

If nothing else, keep all your kitchen knives with you. They’ll come in handy – and not just as weapons.

Medicines and First Aid

Any necessary or life-saving medicine you need should be part of your bug out bag as well as other packaging. These include medicines for existing medical conditions (heart medication, insulin, EpiPen, blood pressure medication, etc.).

Also, keep a first aid kit at hand. Things like bandaids, gauze, cotton balls, scissors, thermometer, cold pack, antibiotics, etc. are part of any first aid kit.

Other medications, as necessary, should find a place as well. Potassium iodide tablets that can help with radiation exposure are a must for preppers.

Masks have proven themselves to be useful. Include N95 and N99 masks in your inventory. Depending on how thorough you want to be, items like gas masks and hazmat suits should be considered.

A SHTF prepper checklist for medicines includes:

Here are some items that should find a way into your checklist. They’ve proven themselves to be more than useful in most situations, and thus are necessities.

Recheck and Organize Your SHTF Prepper Supply List

Getting your SHTF prepper supply list together should start with basic necessities. Once you’ve secured your shelter, food, and water supply, other things start getting easier and more sensible.

Next, think of medicines, hygiene, and defense. If you have to travel in an SHTF scenario, also consider the vehicles and fuels you’ll need.

While our list is intended to be comprehensive, there are always special circumstances and conditions that affect individuals. Never shy away from changes that make things more suitable for your use.

Bonus: How to Make Pemmican, the Original Survival Food

Invented by the natives of North America was used by Indian scouts as well as early western explorers.

Native Americans spent a great deal of time on the go and depended on having portable, high-energy, highly nutritious, and filling foods that would last for long periods of time without refrigeration.

Pemmican is a portable, long-lasting, high-energy food. It’s made of lean, dried meat that’s crushed into powder and mixed with hot, rendered fat. This makes it one of the ultimate foods to have stockpiled for when SHTF or disaster strikes.

People really should avert their gaze from the modern survival thinking for just a bit and also look at .

These guys were the last generation to practice basic things, for a living, that we call “survival skills” now.

This content was originally published here.

(Natural News)
Herbal tinctures are liquid herbal extracts that confer protective effects against infections and diseases better than capsules or supplements. This is because tinctures best preserve the active constituents of the medicinal plants. Liquid extracts also enter the bloodstream faster and are absorbed better.

When SHTF, knowing how to make tinctures, and the right ones at that, can mean the difference between life and death. This guide will give a brief introduction to tinctures, list the herbs and medicinal plants often used to make tinctures and detail the process of making one.

Tinctures in herbal medicine

Tinctures can be made of just one herb or a blend of several herbs. The herb, or herb mixture, is chopped and steeped in a solvent like drinking alcohol for a month or so to extract their potent phytochemicals. The plants themselves are then strained out from the mixture to create the final product.

When herbalists prepare tinctures, specific alcohol proportions are used for different herbs to extract as much of their powerful constituents as possible. While drinking alcohol is the best solvent to use for tinctures, water, oil and glycerin are also sometimes used for the extraction process. However, tinctures prepared with solvents other than drinking alcohol tend to have a shorter shelf life.

More than 80 percent of people around the globe are heavily reliant on tinctures. Aside from being affordable, tinctures are also more accessible since they can be made easily by anyone. In addition, unlike pharmaceutical drugs, tinctures don’t cause adverse side effects, provided that the person taking them does not have allergies of any sort.

Overall, these qualities make tinctures a viable form of treatment for various ailments, infections and diseases. Tinctures are also ideal for strengthening immune health, improving sleep quality and reducing stress.

Making a tincture

You need three things to make a tincture: an herb, a solvent and a jar.

Choosing an herb

Certain herbs and medicinal plants are great for improving overall health, not just protecting against illnesses. Tinctures made from these substances should be part of your SHTF first aid kit.

Gather enough herbs to fill your jar, then chop, crush or tear them. Place them in the jar and choose a solvent. (Related: Tincture basics: Recipe for making home remedies.)

Choosing a solvent

Herbs with water-soluble constituents are best extracted with a lower percentage of alcohol. However, other herbs will have constituents best extracted with a higher percentage of alcohol. Know which herbs are which before deciding on a solvent.

Most tincture recipes call for vodka, grain alcohol or an 80–100 proof alcohol. Fresh herbs with higher water content are best prepared with grain alcohol, while dried herbs require vodka. Sometimes, herbalists also use different solvents like vinegar, glycerin and oil. But using solvents other than alcohol will reduce the shelf life of the tincture.

Once you have chosen the right solvent, pour the appropriate amount into the jar with the herbs.

Extracting phytochemicals

Cover the jar tightly and leave the mixture to macerate or soak. Leave it on a shelf for six weeks, shaking daily. Once the six weeks are up, strain out the plant matter with a sieve or fine cheesecloth. Pour the tincture into a dark amber glass bottle. This will protect the tincture from ultraviolet light, which can affect its potency.

Label the bottle with the appropriate details, such as the herb/s used, the specific plant part used, the kind of solvent, the alcohol percentage and when it was made.

Learn more about tinctures and other herbal remedies at Remedies.news.

This content was originally published here.

It is wise to learn from the experience of others. We can look to the trials, tribulations, and lived experience of others who persevered through challenging circumstances that we ourselves may yet face.

Their choices, skills, training and attitudes should inform our own. It is no stretch to say that there is nothing new under the sun when it comes to survival; everything that we might potentially endure has already been endured before, over and over.

drill sergeant yelling with soldiers

Considering the subject of survival, there is one group of people that inculcate readiness, tenacity, self-reliance and survival skills as both a way of life and professional trade. That group is the Armed Forces, both our military and militaries around the world.

Every soldier, sailor, airman, and marine will be drilled to proficiency in a variety of basic skills to help them survive in any environment and do their job, whether that job is preparing meals for their fellows, operating heavy equipment or taking the fight to the enemy as a direct combatant.

The situation and environment they might be called to do their job in will likely be anything but pleasant or forgiving, and when both their lives and the lives of their fellows depends on surviving and getting it done at any cost, you had better believe a high value is placed on endurance and survival skills.

In today’s article we will have a look at 10 military skillsets that we can endeavor to learn in order to survive whenever and wherever disaster strikes.

Surviving In or Out of Uniform

Much of the time it is a bad idea to imitate or learn from someone for your own purposes if you don’t take into account the context they operate in, or why they do things the way that they do them.

After all, their objectives might be very different from yours, and the objective, or mission, is what should dictate all of the choices made in pursuit of it.

With that being said, this is one of the times where we can actually learn much when it comes to general purpose survival skills as civilians by looking at the way that the military does things in a general sense.

Though the chances are pretty good that we as civilians will not be facing a proper battlefield situation when the time comes for us to deal with an SHTF event, that event will still have much in common with the stresses and uncertainty present on a battlefield.

Like what? For one, the attendant chaos, stressors and time pressures that are endemic to life in and around a conflict zone will be very much present for us. To say that, the emergency we are preparing for will not be a good day is an understatement!

We will have to think quickly, decide correctly, prioritize properly, and execute swiftly in the face of obstacles and constantly changing conditions if we are to prevail and attain our objective.

In our case, our objective is simply to survive, and keep our family members, friends and loved ones alive as well. If everybody gets to walk away with as many holes and limbs as they came into the event with, so much the better.

It is the high degree of variability, uncertainty and stress inherent to such events that allows us to inform our own choices, basing them on the military’s standard for basic competency regardless of occupation or training.

10 Military Skills to Help You Survive Emergencies and SHTF

First-Aid and Basic Trauma Care

This should not be a surprise to anyone, but as it turns out the business of conducting war, even if your business is in the rear areas, is pretty dangerous. Active battlefields and the areas around them are full of hazards that can reap a terrible cost in both lives and limbs.

Anybody with a brain who’s going to be working around a battlefield or directly on it should know first aid skills at the minimum, and preferably some basic trauma care skills to go with it.

But consider, though, that the things that are liable to hurt us are not necessarily the things that are going to hurt an infantryman.

We are not predominantly concerned with bombs, bullets and shrapnel; though we might yet get a hole put in us by a bullet we also need to be wary of, and know how to treat burns, breaks, sprains, contusions, concussions, and a whole host of illnesses.

Incidentally, many of these same elements will also be hazards for servicemen and servicewomen for conducting intensive training or just extended maneuvers far away from any base or camp.

But while these mundane injuries are certainly the most common we must not neglect developing the skills that can allow us to intervene when someone is grievously injured, by violence or accident makes no difference.

All kinds of emergencies, from the destructive might of a powerful tornado, and its wind-driven debris to the blink-and-you-miss-it carnage inflicted by an automobile accident, can levy gruesome injuries upon victims.

These are blood-and-guts, oh-God-I’m-gonna-die injuries, ones where seconds count, and keeping rapidly leaking blood inside the body is paramount.

Even rough and ready competency in first aid and basic trauma care can greatly increase your own chances of survival or someone else’s when disaster strikes.

Make sure you put together a proper medical kit to complement your skills. You don’t want to be forced to improvise materials when someone’s life is on the line.

Land Navigation

A significant fraction of basic military training is spent on teaching members how to read a map, how to utilize a compass, above everything how to know where they are at all times, know where they are going, and know how to get there.

While it is true that modern militaries show a heavy reliance and preference for sophisticated GPS and other technological navigation aids, nothing, absolutely nothing, will ever supplant skill at reading a map, utilizing a compass, and employing basic land navigation skills that have served mankind for ages.

This is one skillset we would do well to learn and practice ourselves…

If there is one thing you’ll be able to count on in a disaster is that all of our fancy technology will probably let us down, and if that is what you are depending on to get you and your family to safety or just out of the way of danger you might be setting yourself up for a bad time.

Learning how to read various types of maps at various scales, from the humble road atlas to intricate topographical maps, and learning how to establish and maintain a heading using a compass while tracking your progress, detouring or changing course as necessary is absolutely essential for any kind of cross-country movement.

This may prove valuable even when sticking to well-traveled roads in case signs and other navigational landmarks have been eliminated in the aftermath of some major event.

In an emergency, getting lost is not just an embarrassment or a delay; it might mean death for you and yours, so learn to love making use of a map and compass!

Survival

Being in the military is not like camping, though you might be doing plenty of camping. Any member of any armed forces will be able to regale you with plenty of times they were chest deep in “The Suck”: typically some variation of extremely inhospitable or rough terrain compounded by nasty and unrelenting weather conditions.

Most members of the military do not get to conduct operations in an office environment as it turns out, and that means learning how to deal with all of the hazards attendant with existence in a hostile biome is a big part of their day-to-day life when deployed.

You’ll be dealing with much the same when you are in the middle of a survival situation. Chances are pretty good that you could be driven from your home. You might not even have your vehicle to rely upon for shelter.

If you are fortunate, you will have your bug-out bag or some other supply cache that you can make use of, but whether you do or not it will be up to you to keep yourself safe from exposure.

Learning how to get warm in cold conditions, prevent heat exhaustion and heat stroke in hot conditions, and create shelters from all kinds of materials no matter the environment will be essential, as will be dealing with all kinds of natural hazards, from water crossings and bad weather to dangerous or annoying wildlife of all kinds, be it mammalian, reptilian or insectile.

Mother Nature will always get a vote in the outcome, so you better make sure your vote counts for more than hers!

Hand-to-Hand Combat

Hand-to-hand, face-to-face combat is the most basic kind of combat there is, and the foundation from which all other defensive and offensive techniques derive.

Even when stripped of all weapons, a member of the military is expected to show basic competency in hand-to-hand combat techniques if only for the most rudimentary self-defense.

Though hand-to-hand encounters are a rarity on today’s battlefields except during low-intensity police actions where interactions with civilians require the most judicious use of the minimum amount of force needed, it is still taught as part of the basic training of every trooper across the world.

Solid hand-to-hand combat skills are especially important for civilians, as the vast majority of defensive encounters, we’re likely to deal with are best solved by something other than lethal force. Put another way, you should not be dealing with most problems by shooting or stabbing them.

Though the members of the armed forces are expected to comply with the rules of war and have their own legal precedents they have to deal with, the consequences of any use of force is especially onerous for civilians, and even if done during an emergency it should be expected that it will have a legal component in the aftermath.

Knowing how to defend yourself with fists, feet and grappling should be high on your list of priorities. The skills you develop and the lessons you learn during your hand-to-hand combat training will serve you well when the time comes to apply and master armed combat skills.

Marksmanship

The other side of the self-defense coin, the ability to hit a target with a firearm on demand, or marksmanship, is perhaps the skill most stereotypically associated with military service by civilians. After all, why does any military exist if not to do battle against an enemy in one form or another?

There is a lot of truth to this and every member of the military will become intimately familiar with basic weapons like rifles and pistols as an essential part of their training, even if their occupation is not combat-centric.

When the chips are down and the pressure is on, even cooks and bakers will be expected to pick up arms in order to defend themselves and their comrades from danger, and the same is true for us! There will not always be police or even the military itself around to protect us when we need them.

One of the most essential elements of self-reliance is the ability to protect yourself and your family from danger, from direct threats, be that threat a dangerous animal or just a two-legged critter like a violent human.

The firearm is the weapon of our era, and has been foremost among personal weapons for many generations now. The ability of a firearm to deliver pinpoint power on demand at a distance is a capability you would be foolish to pass up.

But making use of this capability effectively and safely without posing a danger to yourself or others that don’t deserve to get shot requires a considerable amount of investment on your part. Training, practice and skill maintenance will set the marksman apart from the duffer, just like in the military.

Rucking

Many members of the military, but especially infantrymen, are expected to haul the supplies and equipment they need to accomplish their mission on their backs.

The site of ranks and rows of uniformed, camouflage troops hauling gargantuan rucksacks all over creation is a common one on and near military bases around the country, and more than almost anyone else these men and women know just how grueling a trial this can be.

If you’re serious about prepping you have probably developed a bug-out plan, and central to that bug-out plan is the bug-out bag, your own rucksack full of “mission-essential” goodies you will need to help ensure your survival.

Unfortunately, most preppers have not put themselves truly to the test and tried their own field exercises consisting of hiking their bug-out routes with a fully laden bug-out bag on their backs.

While the average bug-out bag does not weigh nearly as much as an infantryman full combat load, this is still a substantial amount of weight to be hauling on your back cross uneven terrain.

Rucking is a skill, one that requires development and consistent practice if you want to prime your body and your mind for the trial. This is not something you want to be attempting for the first time in a live event.

That way lies injury and total failure, failure you cannot afford under the circumstances. Many members of the military endure these ruck marches as just another day in the life, and if you aren’t doing the same you aren’t getting prepared for that eventuality!

Camouflage

Everything the military does that is related to the actual business of doing war revolves around doing the job while keeping the enemy from seeing what you are doing. This means camouflage in all kinds, from the electromagnetic to the visual.

If you can avoid being seen, you’ll avoid attracting attention, and if you can avoid attracting attention chances are you won’t have any bullets or bombshells heading your way, a great thing if you are in the middle of a warzone sure to extend your life expectancy.

Members of the military will camouflage absolutely everything, from their clothing and armor to their vehicles and weapons.

They even learn how to camouflage their fighting positions, camps and more, going so far as to employ the use of decoys to convince the enemy they are seeing what they are looking for when they actually aren’t. A clever deception.

When things go completely to shit, and the world is falling apart around you, believe there will be opportunistic predators of all stripes, out prowling and growling, looking for easy prey in the form of new acquisitions or just their next meal

Either might come from you and yours and for that reason whether you are on the move or sitting tight you want to do everything you can to avoid detection by these people. That means camouflage is going to be a watchword in many situations.

You can always make the decision to increase your profile in order to be seen more easily when the time comes, but staying as low profile as you can is almost always the better choice when you are worried about human threats.

You should take the time now to learn how to camouflage yourself and your luggage, your vehicles and even your shelter. There are many ways to do this, from employing paint or tarps in drab colors to purpose specific camouflage patterns or even natural foliage and other material.

Signaling

In direct contrast to camouflage, signaling is the art of attracting attention, or communicating using visual means.

This is an important skill in the military and all kinds of circumstances, from discrete and stealth missions into enemy-held territory where any audible noise might result in discovery and subsequent death, to the alerting of aircraft that are on approach but having difficulty locating the concerned forces on the ground.

Signaling can be done via all kinds of means, simple and complex, electronic or otherwise. You might signal to someone using a visual/audible code like Morse code, conveyed via a flashlight, or you might use a visual flag code like semaphore, employed using nothing more than two colored bandanas tied onto sticks.

It could be the most rudimentary form of nonverbal communication using hand gestures. You might even employ bigger-picture signaling, alerting rescue aircraft or searchers a great distance away to your presence using smoke, a large colored tarp or some other means.

You won’t always be able to rely on electronic communication like telephones and radios but the ability to get your point across or just attract attention to yourself or to something else might be important.

Start thinking about all the various ways you can signal your intentions and your message now so you won’t have to improvise during an SHTF situation.

Maintenance

From their very first day in service, members of the Armed Forces are relentlessly drilled on the importance of inspecting and maintaining their equipment, because so much of their equipment is absolutely vital to mission success and to survival.

Neglecting simple inspection, cleaning and repair of boots, rifles, vehicles and even their own bodies can mean a nasty surprise when they least expect it, and the consequences can domino into even bigger problems, resulting in a total disaster. A malfunctioning rifle, broken track or even a hideous blister on a foot might mean loss of capability.

We should all strive to be similarly diligent and fanatical about inspecting and maintaining our equipment as a way of life and preventive measure, not just when it is required.

We have the luxury of getting away with things like that when life is all sunshine and rainbows, when we have the means as well as the support infrastructure to get things back on track after a parts failure or breakdown, but we will be deprived of both in an SHTF event.

This is especially important for people who work out with or practice regularly with their equipment. Everything you own, everything you use is slowly wearing out, and the more you use it, the harder you use it, the faster it wears out.

This makes preventive maintenance checks even more essential to stave off a show-stopping breakage or failure. Only by scrupulously instilling a culture of inspection and maintenance can you be close to certain that your equipment will function when you need it to.

Contingency Planning

In war, things go wrong. People break down or die, timetables get blown, equipment is lost or destroyed, the enemy pulls off something you never expected from a direction you thought impossible. It happens, things get messed up.

It is for this reason the military, for all the jabs and jives directed at its bureaucracy, is rightly famous for contingency planning. Every plan will have a back-up plan, an alternate back-up plan, a contingency to all those plans, and then an emergency plan when things go really pear-shaped.

This is a simple form of operational redundancy that tries to account for every likely variable, mishap, screw-up, accident or tragedy that could befall an operation and the people conducting it.

This is why there is a chain of command. This is why members of the Armed Forces drill constantly to overcome lapses in communication, and strive to understand not just the stated objective but their commander’s intent.

When one part breaks down, the other parts can keep on functioning, and the loss of any given component of a mission does not necessarily result in total failure.

We would be very wise to approach our own planning and preparation the exact same way. The only thing you can be sure of is that you can’t be sure of anything when it comes to surviving a major disaster or crisis.

Your plan will only survive your first step out the door, if it survives that far! True, you might be able to make a good case for improvisation if you are really good at, but improvisation is the province of the ill-prepared.

You should have seen this coming, and plan for it. Being able to switch gears smoothly whenever a situation changes or new conditions dictate that change is both highly-efficient and comforting. At least you weren’t caught flat-footed.

It is possible to over-plan, as adding detail and “what-if” scenarios to an inordinate degree only adds complexity, complexity that you might not be able to handle as a lone individual.

But even a couple of simple backup plans for every likely and anticipated pitfall will see you far better prepared than a person who assumes stupidly that everything will go according to plan.

Conclusion

There is much the military can teach civilian preppers about general readiness, self-reliance, and proper procedure during emergencies and all-out SHTF situations.

We should take it upon ourselves to learn these lessons, adapt them to our purposes, and practice them as strenuously and seriously as any member of the Armed Forces.

If we all took the time to do that we would greatly strengthen our nation by making our population far less susceptible to disasters of all kinds.

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This content was originally published here.

(Natural News)
When SHTF, non-preppers will be forced to do anything to survive. Looting will be rampant, and if you’re not prepared to protect your stockpile, your prepping efforts will go down the drain and your chances of survival will plummet.

If you’re looking to secure your stockpile from looters, check these five strategies: (h/t to ModernSurvivalOnline.com)

Lock up your stockpile

One of the most straightforward ways to secure your preps is to lock them up. You can keep all of your preps in one place or spread them out across multiple storage rooms or containers. Your options, however, will be limited by how large your stockpile is and what you’re trying to secure.

For food, water and other supplies, you can harden the door, door frame, hinges and locksets in your storeroom. If you have a smaller stockpile, a heavy-duty container bolted down to the floor will be sufficient.

Guns and tools will require more substantial protection. Invest in a safe and install it according to the manufacturer’s recommended guidelines. This way, it will be hard for marauders to nab your weapons.

Alternatively, you can build an actual safe room to keep the bulk of your preps in one place. It’s not as affordable as your other options, but it will definitely go a long way toward securing your stockpile.

Keep your stockpile a secret

Keep quiet about your preps or even the fact that you are a prepper. It can be tempting to share some prepping tips and encourage other people to keep a survival stockpile. But speaking about your prepping ways can increase your risk of being looted when SHTF.

As part of this, it’s important to get rid of things like stickers, logos or anything else that will tell others that you’re a “gun” or “survivor” guy. Get these things off your car or avoid wearing clothes that brand you as a prepper.

In addition, be careful of bringing home large shipments or installing preps like generators. Major purchases and projects like these will attract attention from both your neighbors and the delivery men. (Related: How to protect yourself from 3 waves of food and shelter seekers after TEOTWAWKI.)

Conceal your preps

Hide your preps by keeping a hidden room or a secret compartment. This will work especially well if you have a sacrificial “hidden” stash that will make your invaders believe they’ve found what was being kept from them. Your hidden room can double as your safe room, minimizing costs and increasing function.

If building a secret room is beyond your reach, there are several ways to hide your preps. For example, you can try “plain sight” hides, where you keep valuables in entirely conventional but unexpected locations so that looters will never even think of looking there.

Employ misdirection

In the wake of a disaster, you can create a scene of ruin that will make it seem as if you’ve lost your supplies. Pull off a spill, fire, leak or anything that can ruin your stockpile. You can sacrifice old empty shelves or containers where most supplies are stored. Done well, this visual decoy can convince any prospective thief to look in other places.

Have something for self-defense

If intruders somehow managed to enter your home, the best way to defend yourself and your survival stockpile is to take up arms. Your most valuable weapon in this scenario is a firearm. This affords you the ability to keep a safe distance and provides you with better odds of overcoming your attackers.

Given the threat of looters in the event of a disaster, planning how to keep your stockpile from the hands of intruders is just as important as stockpiling itself. Keep these strategies in mind to secure your preps when SHTF.

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This content was originally published here.