Calling All Preppers!

[gitrdone]

Thanks for the Great story! I'm sure everyone will enjoy reading it as much as I did.
I'm up in Airdrie, but I will look into it more.

[Sneeze]

Silver Coins, 223 Ammo & a place to go away from population centres is (in my opinion) the best prepardness you can get.

When word spreads in an urban environment that you have some means, it will not be long before either the government siezes it so they can distribute it, or the people gathering outside your door finally stop caring about how much ammo you have.

The last few chapters of Atlas Shrugged (I think) gives a great account of what could happen in urban locations. Most of us think... oh yea Ill just drive out of town and shoot a deer. - Thats really hard to do when there is no infrastructure to supply you with diesel, gangs controlling bridges & hundreds of hungry people gathering in the streets.

I think another imporant part of prepardness is having a plan for yourself and family. Assuming the phones or internet will work is being generous. Set a stop loss on everything and have a point where everybody drags up and heads to that location. Try to have your emergency supplies at the location to avoid travelling with your silver forks.

I know I am extreme, you don't need to reply saying that I forgot to mention the tin-foil hat. I will say however that Canadian's are stupid when it comes to understanding civil unrest. We have lived in La-La land for hundreds of years immune from first hand experience of how horrible people can become. I have a mother that escaped from the Eastern Block many decades ago, if it wasn't for the family silver to bribe their way out, she would have never met my dad and I (or some form of me) would speak fluent Russian.

[Wulfespirit]

Canning: Easy as pie. Just follow the recipe and don't take any shortcuts and you're good to go. Buy yourself a good quality pressure canner (like an all-american) .. you'll be able to both pressure can and water bath can in it.

Extra food: If nothing else - as long as you buy foods that you eat - think of it as an investment. When was the last time you found your grocery bill getting any cheaper?

Community: The other poster hit the nail on the head when he said no one knows or gives a crap about their neighbours anymore. It doesn't matter how much prepping you do... in the event of anything more than a short term problem, people are going to have to cooperate and help each other if they're going to get through whatever circumstances exist. Maybe making some effort to get to know one's neighbours is one of the best 'preps' you can make.

Prepping in general: A lot of people think preppers prep because of a belief that "the world's going to end" and write them off as being nuts. Granted there's a few like that (we'll call them the tin-foil hatters) but most are just average people who want some extra insurance for their families. Natural disasters or severe weather, someone hitting the ditch and taking out a powerline in the middle of January, or even the loss of a job are all good reasons to keep some extra grub and supplies around. On a more sobering note - given the world's current fiscal situation an economic collapse that triggers some level of civil unrest (or at least a spike in the crime rate), short term supply line/utility disruption, or heavy duty (hyper) inflation are risks worth considering (though I know most find that hard to believe given the relative stability we've all enjoyed for decades - I hope those who dismiss these risks are right). Do some research about Argentina (whose people enjoyed a very high standard of living for a couple of decades) in the early 2000s if you're curious about what can happen in the event of serious economic issues.

It's not about living in fear - it's about living in peace knowing that you have some means of self reliance if things outside your control ever disrupt the 'system'.

[althetrainer]

This is perfect! Exactly what I am looking for. I am a prepper in Calgary. Have been doing a small scale food storage for a few years. There are only three of us, 2 adults and a kid, so it's not that difficult to keep 6 months worth of food.

I have been talking to someone from CBC National News about emergency preparedness and how prepared Calgarians are. We hope to meet very soon and would like to have other family(ies) from the Calgary area to participate. Anyone else would like to be part of this project please let me know asap.

[gitrdone]

To all the people who have posted on this subject, thank you for sharing your information and stories on the subject. It is great to see and hear from you!
To all the people who just read this post, I hope you found it informative and were able to take some ideas away from it (even if it was on how important a tinfoil hat could be)
Hope to see more ideas shot back and forth on here as it's a great way to learn from one another.
And feel free to shoot me a pm if you don't want to post. It's been great chatting with those who did.

[steve]

What are you prepping for?

[gitrdone]

Originally Posted by steve

What are you prepping for?

I'm prepping for the unknown.... possible job loss, economic crash and resulting panic(maybe, cough, cough) power loss, natural disaster etc..
Doesn't hurt to have a little more insurance to be able to provide for my family should there ever be a shortage of something.

[althetrainer]

I certainly agree that prepping is not all about doom and groom. I prep for food and other means to stay self sufficient.

It doesn't need to be some world disasters, anything can happen to anyone. I have seen people who went without a job for months even a year. Amazing how their food storage could carry them through their tough time. My husband has been ill since June and his disability is about to run out. Based on his condition he probably won't be returning to work, ever. We have a 9 year old son who is still in grade 5. I will need to get a job but everyone knows this is not the best time for job hunting. Fortunately, with our food storage and savings we will be all right for almost a year, even if we had zero income. It's good to know that we won't have to borrow or go on welfare.

So it's not about fear, but being prepared and self sufficient. And I am proud of what I do.

[HunterDave]

I think that the idea of prepping, to a certain extent, is a city phenomena. People in the country already have a well for water and fresh food and wood for heat right in their backyard.......or not.

[gitrdone]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

I think that the idea of prepping, to a certain extent, is a city phenomena. People in the country already have a well for water and fresh food and wood for heat right in their backyard.......or not.

I disagree (with respect) people that are lucky enough to live in the country are probably bigger preppers then city folk. They have to take intO consideration when doing their shopping just how much food they will need to carry them over until the next shopping trip while also keeping in mind the "what if" a snow storm or something prevents them from shopping on time. They also have to go out and cut the trees down, buck the wood, haul the wood, dry and split, all in the name of heat, is that not preparing?
Yes they do have access to fresh water in most cases and to go out and plug a animal for food or the vegitable garden they have grown, but all these things takes preparation.
Note to self: must move to the country ASAP!

[cranky]

I never realized stocking up for rainy days or rough times or power failures etc.had a name re: Preppers. Never realized that folks might consider what i do as running scared. Or that i might be thought of as part of those involved in conspiracy stuff.

It just seems to me to be sensible to have a extra things on hand re:food,water and such. I have a farm/ranch heritage, and thats just what you do/did.

Not that i think were not in for rough times ahead,but ive been doing this long before times got like they are now. Never talked about it to others as i assumed everybody did so. I must be living in a bubble haha!

But i do think this goof in Iran means what he says and no one seems to take him seriously except the Isreali's. I read he is now going to put warships off the US as he says they are off his coasts. If they dont get serious about him i think all H is going to break loose. This guy is dangerous. Cant allow people like that to produce nukes. He thinks he's bringing on his Messiah by destroying Israel and the US who he calls the great Satan. I have a friend from Iran who keeps me updated on all going on there. Bad stuff indeed.

As i said above i keep extra on hand but not cause of fear of war or any conspiracy stuff. What will be will be and not too much one can do to prepare for that stuff anyhow.

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by gitrdone

I disagree (with respect) people that are lucky enough to live in the country are probably bigger preppers then city folk. They have to take intO consideration when doing their shopping just how much food they will need to carry them over until the next shopping trip while also keeping in mind the "what if" a snow storm or something prevents them from shopping on time. They also have to go out and cut the trees down, buck the wood, haul the wood, dry and split, all in the name of heat, is that not preparing?
Yes they do have access to fresh water in most cases and to go out and plug a animal for food or the vegitable garden they have grown, but all these things takes preparation.
Note to self: must move to the country ASAP!

That to me is just everyday living (ie food for the next week or two and cutting wood for next winter). I was thinking along the lines of prepping for a calamity like you stated in your OP.

[Wulfespirit]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

That to me is just everyday living (ie food for the next week or two and cutting wood for next winter). I was thinking along the lines of prepping for a calamity like you stated in your OP.

I think just about any disaster you might be worried about will require the same sorts of prepping whether you're urban or rural. Whether you believe an earth shaking economic collapse is going to hit or are worried that a January snowstorm might take out a powerpole, you still want to have some food, water, and heat available to you. In a rural locale you still need to maintain your well and possibly have a backup means of running its pump and/or filtering system... you still need to make sure you have ample wood set aside for your woodstove/fireplace... and you'll still need a freezer/pantry full of stuff to fill your stomach. The city guy isn't all that different... he'll need some food too .. he might need a way to keep his furnace and freezers going to for a bit if the powers out (generator).. if something happened to his tap water might need some extra stored on hand for drinking and cooking.

[gitrdone]

Does anyone have any experience with solar and or wind power? I would like to run one or both of them. Also has anyone had experience with any good Alberta or Canadian companies that supply this?

If I'm able to afford this (probably not) this would be a great prep.

What would you say is your best prep so far?

[cover]

www.chinookecoenergy.ca

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by gitrdone

Also has anyone had experience with any good Alberta or Canadian companies that supply this?

Can Tire is starting to carry both.

[althetrainer]

Originally Posted by gitrdone

Does anyone have any experience with solar and or wind power? I would like to run one or both of them. Also has anyone had experience with any good Alberta or Canadian companies that supply this?

If I'm able to afford this (probably not) this would be a great prep.

What would you say is your best prep so far?

If I lived in Arizona or New Mexico I definitely would invest into solar power. Here in Calgary, 9 out of 12 months are winter and 6 months overcast I just don't think solar is the best way to go.

Just to test if we have enough sun, I made two small solar cookers (one is a box while the other just a windshield shade setup). These are proven effective in areas with lots of sun year round. I have tried cooking with both but the best they could do on a good day was cooking a can of beans. I am sure the commercially made solar cookers are more powerful but I just don't think we have enough sun to make the investment worthwhile.

[pikergolf]

I keep about 25 lbs overweight, I figure the caleries are right where they need to be, no cooking or looking for food, just gotta keep an eye on the skinny people.

[varaldarade]

The sad reality is that the modern just in time global supply chain is at terrible risk of having a random event screw it up. I remember my Grandmother in the early 80s had a 1000 pounds of wheat in her basement. She hand ground her own flower and grew all the vegetables she ate in the garden. She had hundreds of canned goods in her basement. She would consider our current society where people has 2 days of food and no water stored ridiculous. You couldn't supply shock older generations - enough people had stored stuff away they could take care of their neighbors and their would be no panicking or looting.

Now, imagine the Israeli's bomb Iran and the Iranians attack the export terminal in Saudi and sick a bunch of oil tanks, which they could easily do. You could have oil and $500 a barrel overnight with wide scale panicking and lawlessness throughout the industrialized world. What happens when people fear massive food and fuel inflation? They put a run on grocery stores, gas stations and banks.

The global economy almost collapsed in 2008. If the fed hadn't printed money there would have been a run on banks in the US and the economy would have collapsed. You probably want to have some food, water, fuel, salt and means of defense at your disposal.

Even a nuclear exchange just between India and Pakistan could cause a global temperature collapse that could starve a billion people, mostly in nothern climates.
http://climate.envsci.rutgers.edu/pd...iAmJan2010.pdf

[Forest Techer]

I lived in Argentina for 2 years before and after the troubles (2001) and there were inconveniences but life wasn't much affected (hindsight the stress of worrying what could happen was the worst affect). Things adjust and the fishing didn't change much, and my whyscola's tasted very similar throughout. All my friends there are as kind and generous today as in 1999. Anybody over the age of 25 there had seen way worse times then that. Salt of the earth people!

More on topic anyone have any suggested methods for tying your generators into your fuse panel? The cheapest and safest method I'm considering today is duplicating my entire fusebox and throwing a switch to the backup panel and isolate the house from the grid (to prevent damage to the generator when the power comes back on).

I love my place, I'm set for water and heat for well over a year at a time. I have very low electricity demands and if I buy a propane generator, electricity as well. (I'm not too worried about prepping for a "collapse of society" type scenario)

If I have the means to set up a place where people can come if the power is out for a week to keep thier food frozen or to stay warm in the winter then I would be proud to do that!

And for anybody that is worried about global warming or nuclear war
Neccesity is the mother of invention!
"We have nothing to fear but fear itself"


PS Your all welcome at my place anytime we have a nuclear winter. I'll start recording mantrackers.

pps Apologies I've lost the spellcheck button haha (Techer means technologist not teacher)

[Nester]

Innisfail in the house!

[gitrdone]

Originally Posted by Nester

Innisfail in the house!

Welcome to the discussion Nester, what are you working on to be better prepared for lifes bumpy road?

[gitrdone]

Now with the diesel shortage coming into effect, I wish I had started storing fuel much sooner! But now I'm paying for my mistake with much higher prices at the pump and possibly no access to fuel one day.

Does anyone have any ideas for storing fuel on the cheap?

Also, has anyone given any thought to diesel alternatives?
If you are running an alternate fuel, what are you running?

[Cpt. Planet]

Originally Posted by gitrdone

Now with the diesel shortage coming into effect, I wish I had started storing fuel much sooner! But now I'm paying for my mistake with much higher prices at the pump and possibly no access to fuel one day.

Does anyone have any ideas for storing fuel on the cheap?

Also, has anyone given any thought to diesel alternatives?
If you are running an alternate fuel, what are you running?

I've recently been looking into wood gasification, myself. I have no equipment yet (as much as I wish I did), but am beginning to understand the process and think it's fascinating technology.

The problem I have though is knowing now that the government willfully kept this technology as quiet to the general public as possible, otherwise at least someone I talk to about it would've already known about it as an alternative fuel source and not be completely taken back about how amazing it is and the first time they'd ever heard about it.

It even used to be widely used in WWII when petrolium was a scarcity. There's no good enough reason why more people (everyone?) aren't aware of biomass gasification besides rampant greed forcing us to use non-renewable, "cheap" fossil fuels instead, inevitably putting us in a very awkward position for the long run.

There's people who even power their trucks and generators with this stuff! Look up wood gasification on Youtube and see how incredible for yourselves! I think that back-up fuel alternatives such as this are an important factor to think about for prepping as well as food, water and security. Spread the word, maybe we'll be okay if something happens and everyone already knows about this old, wonderful technology.

I think I even remember reading about ways to modify this to cater to diesel based engines. I'll have to look that bit up again though to be sure.

[Fisherpeak]

I`v got 2 freezers full of meat,a canner, jars,a smoker,rifles and ammo,6 cords of wood,a good stove and 2 big dogs.I`ll be fine.Bring it on

[tazweiss]

I've been a prepper for about 8 years now. My wife thinks of our cabin as just a place to go on the weekends. She's not so much of a prepper so she doesn't know about all the beans and bullets. I know that there are rough times ahead so I've spent the last eight years getting ready. There've been a few false starts but I've almost got it all together.

[Lonnie]

Originally Posted by Cpt. Planet

I've recently been looking into wood gasification, myself. I have no equipment yet (as much as I wish I did), but am beginning to understand the process and think it's fascinating technology.

The problem I have though is knowing now that the government willfully kept this technology as quiet to the general public as possible, otherwise at least someone I talk to about it would've already known about it as an alternative fuel source and not be completely taken back about how amazing it is and the first time they'd ever heard about it.

It even used to be widely used in WWII when petrolium was a scarcity. There's no good enough reason why more people (everyone?) aren't aware of biomass gasification besides rampant greed forcing us to use non-renewable, "cheap" fossil fuels instead, inevitably putting us in a very awkward position for the long run.

There's people who even power their trucks and generators with this stuff! Look up wood gasification on Youtube and see how incredible for yourselves! I think that back-up fuel alternatives such as this are an important factor to think about for prepping as well as food, water and security. Spread the word, maybe we'll be okay if something happens and everyone already knows about this old, wonderful technology.

I think I even remember reading about ways to modify this to cater to diesel based engines. I'll have to look that bit up again though to be sure.

yes it works but cheap fossil is much more efishent and wood gasification is hard to regulate.

[Lonnie]

Originally Posted by gitrdone

Now with the diesel shortage coming into effect, I wish I had started storing fuel much sooner! But now I'm paying for my mistake with much higher prices at the pump and possibly no access to fuel one day.

Does anyone have any ideas for storing fuel on the cheap?

Also, has anyone given any thought to diesel alternatives?
If you are running an alternate fuel, what are you running?

for get storing large amounts of fuel as we no it. build a still makes fresh water & you can make wood alcohol as fuel, burns clean in lamps, gas motors will run on it,and if the cuontry runs out of diesel there is supose to be enough coal in canada to run the world for 300 years. (this I find hard to believe) but they can make coal oil witch will run in diesel engines. if you truly believe in being preparing for the worst start studying history and how they coped with things.all this preparing should start with knowing what & how to do things for your self. such as can you make a functioning safe still with a very few hand tools or better yet no tools that you don't make your self. do you know how to keep ice through the spring, summer, and fall, with out any form of power.

[tazweiss]

Diesel engines also run on clean cooking oil, it doesn't matter if it is new or used. Just don't try it in the winter. As for alcohol for gas engines, it works. Before you try it though, you'll have to have the fuel injectors drilled out to 40% larger. Gasification works too. What you have to watch for though, is leaks in the unit. One tiny leak in the gasification vessel and you'll find yourself sitting in the middle of a large crater. Me? I'm opting for alcohol to run the generator and the chainsaw.
I'm not sure about ice but I do know how to make a fridge that doesn't use any power. The only problem about it, is that it's bulky.

[tazweiss]

Originally Posted by gitrdone

Does anyone have any experience with solar and or wind power? I would like to run one or both of them. Also has anyone had experience with any good Alberta or Canadian companies that supply this?

If I'm able to afford this (probably not) this would be a great prep.

What would you say is your best prep so far?

I use solar panels and a wind turbine to provide power for my place and I can switch to my generator if I need it. When I bought my place, it was going to cost me almost $20,000 to get power to the cabin. Then I would also have a monthly power bill. I thought about it for a good 3 seconds, then went out and bought four 75 watt solar panels with a charge controller and an inverter. A few deep cell batteries and I was in business. A little later I tied in a vertical wind generator and haven't regretted it for a second. For the lights, I use LED bulbs. And still, no power bill every month.