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LastOutlaw
Member
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# Posted: 15 Dec 2016 09:06am - Edited by: LastOutlaw
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For us it feels like a good alternative insurance policy. I never understood people who will buy insurance but not put some extra food in the cabinet or extra batteries in the closet for their flashlight even though they can easily afford it.
We lived in hurricane country for years and have had to bug out a number of times in one year. Also covered devastated areas for the press at times and have driven in to these areas with 55 gallon drums of fuel in the back of the truck labeled solvent. The solvent labels didnt fool anyone and it didnt feel good knowing we were basically carrying a bomb in the back that others were fighting for at the gas station down the road.
When I sold some property that we had to leave inb 08 due to the crash I had to roll the money over into more property or pay the gov 30%.
Aint happening, so we bought 15 acres with an empty hunting cabin in the mountains that was 6 hours away from home. Watching taxes continue to rise on our suburban home we realized at some point we would not be able to afford it any longer and decided to move closer to the cabin in the mountains.
We sold the home in suburbia and took the small profit and put it into some flatland that was sustainable. IE it could produce food, had a well and could sustain livestock. Paid cash so everything is paid off. Low taxes and 2 hours from any hordes coming out of a major city.
If I walk out my door I can be at my cabin door within one hour now. It is about 20 miles fom my home. Sustainability is our goal.
My cabin is not a gorgeous rental type place but a small hideaway that I can walk in the door and stay there for a month if i needed to.
Our home is becoming more and more sustainable so stocked food becomes less and less of a need. Cabin is setup to my liking so now I have a nice weekend getaway until or if it is needed for something more.
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Gary O
Member
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# Posted: 15 Dec 2016 09:50am
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Quoting: LastOutlaw My cabin is not a gorgeous....
OH, yes it is.
Oh yes
it is
great post
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Asher
Member
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# Posted: 15 Dec 2016 08:43pm
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a lot of people talk about loading up the truck and driving to the cabin / hide out... but if there was a EMP more then likely 99% of vehicles aren't even going to run since the computers will be fried... Even the 1% that do are going to be bogged down with blocked roadways of non-running cars...
Unless you have an old diesel with a mechanical fuel pump and a way to pop start it, or a motor that still runs in ignition points, your chances of motorized transportation is going to be very slim..
It looks like my dads 53 ford tractor is looking more appealing then I thought.. now just to figure out a way to make it go fast enough to keep someone from running up and hijacking it while going down the road a 9mph  ...
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Smawgunner
Member
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# Posted: 15 Dec 2016 09:17pm
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Maybe I'm just cynical but I'd fight tooth and nail to stay alive in my younger years, but if the shit hit the fan and the collapse of civilization was at the doorstep now,...I'd probably off myself =). I don't have the strength or will to live out the rest of my life in survival mode.
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LastOutlaw
Member
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# Posted: 16 Dec 2016 01:25pm - Edited by: LastOutlaw
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Asher, the K5 in my post is a 1976 model that uses an HEI distributor. I have a spare one stored in an old microwave (cheap Faraday cage) along with a points distributor and an extra alternator. I'm pretty sure it will run. It was bought and made dependable for exactly the purpose of running back and forth to my cabin. I also have 6 horses on my property so I'm pretty sure I can get to my cabin which is about 15 to 20 miles as the crow flies from my homestead.
Also... thank you GaryO for the compliment on my cabin... I love every minute that I can sneak away from the homestead to spend there.
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LastOutlaw
Member
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# Posted: 17 Dec 2016 08:34am
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Hindsight on storing food and rotation as well as prepping. We began buying food from Sam's that we normally eat in case sized amounts a few years ago and rotating stock as we used it rather than weekly runs to the store for daily needs. My gal saved all of the receipts. In the past few years after our Sam's runs for cases we compared the old receipts with the new ones as well as the content of packages. I'm pretty sure we have saved a lot of money by buying in bulk and rotating stock considering that prices on items has more than doubled and the amount in the packages has been reduced at the same time.
Since we have moved into the country that is primarily farm and livestock farms around us we have realized that there are no preppers here. The reason being that around here they aren't called preppers....they are called "locals". Everyone cans food, everyone has a large garden, everyone has a water well, everyone has some kind of livestock, everyone shares and watches over each other. When grandma passes away her canning equip is passed down to other family members and used and not sold at an estate sale or garage sale. Quite different from living in suburbia and not knowing who your next door neighbor is. My next door neighbor's horse looks like he is in need of hay... I throw him some when I feed mine. My other neighbor was in the hospital last week for surgery I offer to help them with any heavy lifting they might need for the next few weeks. Found out the neighbor lady raises chickens and we wanted to buy some from her. When she found out we were new and lived around the corner she wouldn't let us pay....said that's what neighbors do for each other. New neighbors moved in 2 properties over. I mentioned we have chickens, he said he loved fresh eggs, I went home and grabbed 2 dozen and took them back over to him. It is just the way it is out here.
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DaveBell
Moderator
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# Posted: 18 Dec 2016 06:02pm
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I remember in Basic Training in 1975 eating C-Rats dated 1955.
My property is next to a 3000 acre wild management area so there is fast food every where.
I also had to throw a couple of 5 gallon buckets of food away because they where not packed correctly.
I'm using a sensible graduated approach. I have four months worth of the Mountain house 25 year #10 cans that will increase to six months worth and then no more. I can use this food to augment camping and hunting food and to maintain rotation.
I will begin storing stuff that stores well like instant coffee, honey, baking powder, matches, soap, etc. But not too much. I am in the process of designing a North Side false wall into my cabin plans.
I am counting on news events to tell me when and if its time to start gathering more aggressively, if at all. So at least I have a little something just in case. I think its a balanced plan of hunting wild life, having a garden/doing some canning, and long shelf life items.
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LastOutlaw
Member
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# Posted: 18 Dec 2016 06:44pm - Edited by: LastOutlaw
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Rice, beans and wheat berry, honey store for very long periods of time.
I have quite a few cases of MREs. They last a very long time but they have to be kept cool. Now they sit on the docks in Iraq and hold up and I have a few cases that have been in my cabin for a few years now in the 100 degree summer heat and are still good. However if you want them to really last keep them cool. BTW... MREs taste a lot better than those old c-rations!
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