Where to start

[Ferret]

AAGh whole answer has disappeared into the ether. So I start again!

How many in your family or group
Five humans, 3 dogs, 5 cats, 2 geese, 9 chickens and a psychopathic parrot I'd happily eat if I could be bothered to pluck it

How much food do you have
Enough for at least a month or more, but much meat in freezer which would have to be salted/dried if power out.

How much more do you GRADUALLY need to get.
MOre tins/dried food and certainly more water

Have you got a decent gravity fed water filter. Clean water is the difference tween life and dysentry.
No, water is an issue. We have a small lake filled by field drain and field run off but clearly would need sterilising, but we are in dip so water run off is only a problem when it floods (like now!)

Do you have independant heating, lighting and cooking facilities such as wood burning stoves, calour gas camping cooker, lots of 12 hour candles and LANTERNS ( no naked lights please) Light Sticks, piles of logs etc
2 wood burners and an oil fueled aga. The latter used to be solid fuel but when I had 3 kids under 3, four dogs etc. I threw a tantrum and we went oil...... Reasonable supply of candles but need more, no night sticks 4-5 months of logs. 4 solar/wind up batteries (and radio) plus solar panel to charge car battery. 3 rechargable (from car battery) torches

Do you have enough water storage facilities
Hmm no. Am building these up for potable water. Non-potable from lake

Do you have a top notch first aid and dental kit
Not bad but needs replenishing. Husband is a doctor

Do you have suitable clothes and tools
I have no idea. I thought we did, but now not so sure. Need to do inventory of both

Do your family know what to do if something goes wrong
Until this summer no. But then daughters all stuck in school in Newcastle and couldn't get home to us (where we were cut off) in the summer floods. They learned how important planning is, though still think I'm a bit OTT.

[Scythe13]

By the sound of it, you should get a water filter capable of filtering large amounts of water for 5 people.
Also, store up the tins, rice, pasta, and other such things. Should be easy enough to hide if you have to. I always like the suitcase in the garage technique.
As for tools and the alike, start with a load of torches, and candles. Powercuts without them suck. Powercuts with them become lovely and romantic.
A camping gas cooker is also a nice thing to have, incase your cooking system breaks.



Do you go camping with your family?
Do you go cycling with your family?
Does anyone in the family have any specific medical needs (diabetic, etc?)

[NorthernRaider]

How many in your family or group
Five humans, 3 dogs, 5 cats, 2 geese, 9 chickens and a psychopathic parrot I'd happily eat if I could be bothered to pluck it

<Bugging in then I guess, Need bulk corn / grain, dry food for critters>

How much food do you have
Enough for at least a month or more, but much meat in freezer which would have to be salted/dried if power out.

<No where near enough, need to GRADUALLY build up to at least 6 months> waits for arguments from tothers
<Learn how to make jerky, learn how to dehydrate, learn how to pickle n jar>

How much more do you GRADUALLY need to get.
MOre tins/dried food and certainly more water

<DISAGREE you appear to have plenty of water around your home, you need a GRAVITY FILTER>
<Consider dried foods like Pasta, Flour, Grain ( wheat) plus a grain mill, bulk rice from Makro or tesco in 5 KG tubs>

Have you got a decent gravity fed water filter. Clean water is the difference tween life and dysentry.
No, water is an issue. We have a small lake filled by field drain and field run off but clearly would need sterilising, but we are in dip so water run off is only a problem when it floods (like now!)

<British berkfield plus spare candles will serve you for decades, or look in forum water section and see how to make your own>

Do you have independant heating, lighting and cooking facilities such as wood burning stoves, calour gas camping cooker, lots of 12 hour candles and LANTERNS ( no naked lights please) Light Sticks, piles of logs etc
2 wood burners and an oil fueled aga. The latter used to be solid fuel but when I had 3 kids under 3, four dogs etc. I threw a tantrum and we went oil...... Reasonable supply of candles but need more, no night sticks 4-5 months of logs. 4 solar/wind up batteries (and radio) plus solar panel to charge car battery. 3 rechargable (from car battery) torches

< Off to Hamsterly for you increase your logs to at least 6 months if you can, Can you possibly keep an eye open arounf the area for anyone getting rid of a spare heating oil tank and double up what you have, start blagging used cooking oil from local chiipes, cafes etc, filter it and add it to your heating oil.>

Do you have enough water storage facilities
Hmm no. Am building these up for potable water. Non-potable from lake

<see above>

Do you have a top notch first aid and dental kit
Not bad but needs replenishing. Husband is a doctor

< doctors tend to be pretty crap at first aid, uprate kit, make him give you a script for broad spectrum anti biotics, go to boots and get some emergency dental kits>

Do you have suitable clothes and tools
I have no idea. I thought we did, but now not so sure. Need to do inventory of both

<get back to me in time and lets go through it, OR read that lil ole booklet >

Do your family know what to do if something goes wrong
Until this summer no. But then daughters all stuck in school in Newcastle and couldn't get home to us (where we were cut off) in the summer floods. They learned how important planning is, though still think I'm a bit OTT.

< if they attend school or summer camp like my brats they must know and understand to go to a safe prearranged location, near or at the school and stay their til you come for them, READ my scenario on schools in the scenario section>

[Ferret]

Okay now I have plenty of homework!

Pickles we have plenty of, learned how to jar when living in North Dakota as a kid but struggling to get the right kit for boiling. Have tried stock pot but can only get a couple of jars in at a time. Freezer full of fruit and rosehips etc which I must jelly/syrup asap.

I bulk buy dried goods from SUMA but need to repurchase as we are low. Have reconsidered pantry and reckon we could survive at least 4 months but am slowly building up.

Will look into gravity filter.

Animal feed an issue - how much do we keep? What is the tipping point ? I suppose only we can anwer that!

Oh Yeah Dr is crap but I am a first aider and probably better than him as I have to use the basic stuff fairly regularly. We have some antibiotics and strong painkillers but have already instructed him to update and increase.

[Scythe13]

Sounds like you're off to a good start already.

You shouldn't need to start making any BOB's for a while. This winter, people won't be bugging out. It'll be a death sentence for most people, so there's no point working on that stuff.

Do you have an internal fireplace? Not a gas fed one, or anything like that. A proper coal or wood fuel fireplace? If so, that's something worth getting more fuel for. You can use that to cook as well.
One thing that might be worth looking into, a camping cooker.

[Ferret]

two woodburners, plus 3 more fireplaces. Chimneys swept every year. Camping cooker top of list

[NorthernRaider]

(27 November 2012, 21:39)Ferret Wrote: two woodburners, plus 3 more fireplaces. Chimneys swept every year. Camping cooker top of list

Two burners with grill, 2 meters pipe, 2 hose clips, regulator and at least 2 seven KG bottles.

[Tarrel]

Be careful about your water supply. A filter, boiling, or chemical sterilisation will kill bugs, but your water may be chemically contaminated if it is fed by run-off from agricultural land (excess nitrates, pesticides, etc). The only way to remove these is by distillation of the water. You may be better looking at an alternative water source, such as rainwater collection. Worth checking what drains into your pond more carefully.

Hope this helps.

[Highlander]

(27 November 2012, 21:32)Scythe13 Wrote: .

You shouldn't need to start making any BOB's for a while. This winter, people won't be bugging out. It'll be a death sentence for most people, so there's no point working on that stuff.

Not sure I agree with you here,... no-one will know when an emergency will happen, it would be nice if it happened in the spring, but could just as easy happen in February.

Our homes are key to everyone plans here,.... if we plan on Bugging out, then we start from home,.. if we plan on bugging in,...then we need to get home.

The BOB is very important as a way of getting home if for some reason we have to walk when the shtf no matter what time of year it happens, we cant assume that we can always drive to where we need to be we will all be very lucky if we are at home already

---

(28 November 2012, 00:15)Highlander Wrote:

(27 November 2012, 21:32)Scythe13 Wrote: .

You shouldn't need to start making any BOB's for a while. This winter, people won't be bugging out. It'll be a death sentence for most people, so there's no point working on that stuff.

Not sure I agree with you here,... no-one will know when an emergency will happen, it would be nice if it happened in the spring, but could just as easy happen in February.

Our homes are key to everyone plans here,.... if we plan on Bugging out, then we start from home,.. if we plan on bugging in,...then we need to get home.

The BOB is very important as a way of getting home if for some reason we have to walk when the shtf no matter what time of year it happens, we cant assume that we can always drive to where we need to be we will all be very lucky if we are at home already

Just to add,... its important to adjust your BOB to deal with the different times of the year, empty it at the end of each season and add or take things out,...winter you will need better clothing, good food, heat,...summer time you may not need half as much

[Scythe13]

I know what you're saying Highlander. I'm just saying, as a starting point, a BOB might not be the right place if you're planning on bugging in.

A GHB (Get Home Bag) would be much better. But that would just be small med kit, a bit of food, some space blankets, change of clothes, torch, knife, map, compass, some water, and that's about it for a basic kit. A map would be nice, but I'm assuming you know the area you're in. Most people can travel a pretty big distance when they need to.

To start with, just have decent hiking gear with you, which you've probably already got.


Don't complicate where you're starting off.

Stick with the basics of food, water, heat, and light, for inside the house.

If the weather kicks up badly, you'll probably be able to get home. You'll be watching the weather forecast anyway, so you'll be weather prepared. Which suggests you'll be able to walk a reasonable distance anyway. So instead of complicating it for yourself, get your first bit of the plan in place (staying in the house safely) then work on how you're going to get home if you're away from it (a bag with some hiking gear will usually be enough).