Family Friendly Prepping

[NorthernRaider]

Family Friendly Prepping
© NR 2013

I see a familiar trend starting to re-emerge into the prepping forum and that is primarily people assuming that most preppers are single fit young men.

And often a similar assumption is made that even their other fit single young men are going to want to live in a basha eating raw lichen and rubbing two boy scouts together to light a fire.

This is an error because even the bush-craft and wilderness survival crazy young buck usually has a mum, dad, gran, bro, big or lil sis, wifey or fiancée or a bit on the side. And many of today’s fit single young chaps who are instilled with enough wisdom to become preppers are 100% total and absolute urbanites with zero interest in living like a 21st century Robin Hood.

And (thankfully) more and more women are joining the community and beginning to relearn the preps their grandma’s knew and valued.

I respectfully and humbly suggest that when we develop a prep plan or program we should by default make allowances for expanding those plans to account for family members and future partners and relatives.

I’m thinking of the example of that couple Ashley and ?(can’t remember the name) who put all their leisure money and extra funds that had available for prepping into a two berth modern sailboat only for the lady to produce twin boys nine months later. Which totally buggered up their plans as the boat was instantly rendered unsuitable.

In a similar vein I see well-meaning folks offering shit hot practical advice on kit selection, but often that kit is yet again really only suitable for fit, healthy young men with great stamina and strength.

It may be simple for you or I to wield a 50 pound bow for example, but imagine if you broke your arm as you did a Tarzan impression in the treetops, or you are hit by gastro or man flu just as your family / group’s food runs low. Suddenly we see your 12 year old son or your gorgous but slightly built girlfriend or even your mum trying to get to grips with your 50 pound bow?? They are more likely to put an arrow through their hand or up their left nostril than hit that roe deer 50 yards away.

In a similar set up that I have raised before that you invest in a good quality 4x4 and fit it out as a BOV with raised suspension, diff locks, larger wheels, jerry cans, huge great roof rack to carry loads of gear so you can bug out of town at short notice. But what are you going to do if you have the future GF or wife or best mate bugging out with you? Or granny or the kids?

And this being the UK its bitterly cold, raining non-stop for days on end as usual where are you all going to sleep, cook, wash, go to the loo etc. So perhaps it may suit your preps in the long term to look at converting a panel van into a BOV with internal sleeping space.

Look at your potable water preps, yes indeed you may be able to get by on 2 litres a day and don’t mind going a fortnight without getting washed, but I know your GF or wifey will go insane within 48 hours, Humorous perhaps but if you have infants you need a strict hygiene plan in place for cleaning, feeding, cooking and other brat raising essential needs and that requires lots more clean water.

Teenage daughter you say! You need a 44 ton truck and water tanker containing 34,000 litres a week to keep her quiet, and a shower and a power supply.

I think that at times we do ourselves, our families and new preppers a great injustice by assuming everyone has very similar logistical needs, indeed I have seen groups of preppers on some US forums being savagely critical, judgmental and bitterly hostile to anyone who does not base their bug out vehicle on a 4x4 Jeep, Whats the point of owning a gas guzzling rock climber when you live in Manhatten and have a wife and six kids to contend with.

Try planning with expansion in mind, and when posting on forums give a little consideration to others of different strokes whose needs may vary from your own but with your guidance they could find the kit or answer they need to suit their own circumstances.

[Skean Dhude]

I've always said that I'mprepping for the family. You don't get the stuff I'm suggesting just for one of you.

I actually believe that I'm prepping for them more than myself, I've got instructions if I don't make it, everything is labelled and I have a ton of books, probably literally, for them to learn from.

It is rare for people to be completely alone and having no one else close to them. Something like an event will makepeople become closer as well so you may have fallen out now but when things start getting tough families become close.

[SecretPrepper]

(29 May 2013, 19:22)NorthernRaider Wrote: Family Friendly Prepping
© NR 2013

I see a familiar trend starting to re-emerge into the prepping forum and that is primarily people assuming that most preppers are single fit young men.

well i don't like to brag

i am prepping just for me and my girlfriend my mum grows a lot of food already but my GFs side are not into prepping or anything like that and i can't afford to prep for them so i just do us. I am quite a closed of person so i am ok with just prepping for us .

[Scythe13]

(30 May 2013, 09:13)SecretPrepper Wrote: well i don't like to brag

i am prepping just for me and my girlfriend my mum grows a lot of food already but my GFs side are not into prepping or anything like that and i can't afford to prep for them so i just do us. I am quite a closed of person so i am ok with just prepping for us .

Snap!

The stuff with the 50lb bow says to me that upscaling stuff for yourself is stupid. It's also a brilliant argument for getting a gun. My wife can shoot better than I can, and I'm not a bad shot (ask IKE, Hrusai, or SD if you want to check).

As for fitness, over 1 mile, I'm faster than her and can carry more. But packless and anything over 2 miles (we average out around the 2 mile barrier) she gets the upper hand. Amazingly, she also has freak strength too!!! But she can't plant for toffee!

---

Other than that...we're golden.

[Mandlaka]

Spot on, NR!!!

It is the way I have been thinking and why I am trying to prep for 6 instead of 3 ie just me and my boys. We would not survive if it was just us 3 when they are so young.
My current team will hopefully expand and we may hopefully be able to account for as many additions and losses as possible as long as we think of both individual and group needs.

Thanks for raising this.

PS We're bugging out to S13's or maybe BP's area...NR is too far away...

[bigpaul]

(31 May 2013, 10:41)Mandlaka Wrote: We're bugging out to S13's or maybe BP's area....

between the 2 of us you'll have a huge area to chose from anyway the more the merrier!

[Mandlaka]

(31 May 2013, 10:46)bigpaul Wrote:

(31 May 2013, 10:41)Mandlaka Wrote: We're bugging out to S13's or maybe BP's area....

between the 2 of us you'll have a huge area to chose from anyway the more the merrier!

Why thank you, Sir!

I will make the necessary preparations and plan alterations immediately...

[bigpaul]

(31 May 2013, 13:15)Mandlaka Wrote:

(31 May 2013, 10:46)bigpaul Wrote:

(31 May 2013, 10:41)Mandlaka Wrote: We're bugging out to S13's or maybe BP's area....

between the 2 of us you'll have a huge area to chose from anyway the more the merrier!

Why thank you, Sir!

I will make the necessary preparations and plan alterations immediately...

[Prepper1]

(31 May 2013, 10:41)Mandlaka Wrote: Spot on, NR!!!

It is the way I have been thinking and why I am trying to prep for 6 instead of 3 ie just me and my boys. We would not survive if it was just us 3 when they are so young.
My current team will hopefully expand and we may hopefully be able to account for as many additions and losses as possible as long as we think of both individual and group needs.

Thanks for raising this.

PS We're bugging out to S13's or maybe BP's area...NR is too far away...

same here... prepping for seven.... those preps are hard enough for one or two never mind more......