# The Direction of my Preps



## PreparedRifleman73 (Nov 2, 2012)

So lately, I am reminded of the general decline of American society as we know it on a daily basis. The list goes on with our economy, debt, food system, federal government control, etc... . Frankly I am amazed that the shit hasn't hit the fan already. 

Anyways, I've been a "prepper" for a while but only recently got the wife on board. My priorities now are water treatment and food storage. I'm pretty dependent on "the grid" as far as running water and (seasonally) natural gas. 

Here's the problem. I've reached a point (ie shelves of food in the basement) where I could probably focus on other things for a bit. So I've started focusing on a BOB. But...why?

In my situation, would a BOB even make sense? I live in a town of 2,500 on one of the largest cleanest lakes in the state, surrounded by farmland, in Minnesota. I'm 15 miles from a city of 11,000 on the freeway. I'm 60 miles from a city of 60,0000 and 120 miles from Minneapolis/St. Paul. 

Why bug out? I'm not gonna get nuked. I'm not gonna get hit by a hurricane in Minnesota. Etc... Realistically, IMHO, I basically face the risk of economic/grid collapse and severe weather.

So, now that my rant is over. :congrat: In my situation, would you continue to increase food and water stocks or start working on a BOB?


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## Toffee (Mar 13, 2012)

Instead of a bob, you could work on a ghb, get home bag. That is what we have. It's enough to cover us for a day or two in order to get home or if need be, shelter in place. Also, we can assist others with our supplies.


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

hawkmiles said:


> Why bug out? I'm not gonna get nuked. I'm not gonna get hit by a hurricane in Minnesota. Etc... Realistically, IMHO, I basically face the risk of economic/grid collapse and severe weather.
> 
> So, now that my rant is over. :congrat: In my situation, would you continue to increase food and water stocks or start working on a BOB?


Do both.
A BOB can be put together pretty easily with items on hand. Then as you have time and money to test it out and find out what works and what doesn't, you can replace/upgrade items. But having a BOB is better than planning to have a BOB.
Nobody plans to have a house fire, or to have their neighborhood evacuated for some odd-ball reason at 3 am, but it happens. And having a BOB can mean you and your family have dry socks and a warm blanket while everyone else has wet clothes. A BOB can mean you have ID and phone numbers while everyone else has to start from scratch proving who they are and trying to remember phone numbers that are no longer memorized.
Every time a local disaster strikes, I am amazed at how many people are quoted in the media with the following statements:
'We had no warning.'
'It's one of those things that always happens somewhere else. I never would have imagined this happening here.'


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

A cold weather bob for Minnesota would have to be pretty comprehensive. Been up to leech lake a couple times and it gets right cold in your neck of the woods. On the plus side the fishing is great and the weather will thin the herd of unprepared quickly I think. I like the get home bag suggestion. Maybe you could spend some time and dough on putting a wood burning stove, chimney, and some extra insulation in. Maybe its time to learn a new skill. A new skill is money well spent in my book. Whatever you do have some fun with it


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## lotsoflead (Jul 25, 2010)

Always continue to pack away food,water and med supplies.
Have to know more about you living situation, do you live in an apartment or a house, do you own or rent. If you live in a home on land that you own, you could concentrate on building up the soil, turn every piece of the land into something that will produce something to eat. plant a couple dwarf apple trees, blueberry bushes ect. make at least one rm that could be heated with very little fire, it could be a very long winter someday when things really get rough. work on a man powered generator(bike) just a small one,500-1000 watts.


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

The biggest concern I have is the Black Swan. So a BOB, GHB, BOFAB (Bug out first aid kit) is appropriate for everyone. Don't forget to have a Mechanical kit for the car (fuses, 12v air pump, selection of tools,etc.). Do I need to say carry cash.

I was watching Bloomberg this morning and they had a clip of a tourist in Acapulco MX panicking about the ATM's not working after major flooding because of a tropical storm that just went through. Get the money before the storm, what a moron.


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## rawhide2971 (Apr 19, 2013)

My situation is similar to yours so I will chime in. I am not going anywhere. I do havea Nucular plant in the 20 mile radius and I guess if it went critical I would have to bug out but I am kind of fatalistic about it so that being said....... I have a ready water supply in the back yard. Water filters are on hand so thats covered.
Garden - Check
Food - 1 year supply covered - I continue to store more. I need to diversify. So my thoughts on this is for you to do the same.
Heat - In your case more of an issue than for me. I live in the south, even our worst winters are survivable in our basement in your case I would be worried about that more than any thing else so depending on your heat source I would concentrate on that. We havea couple of kerosene heaters and about 30 gallons on storage. 
Solar cell for powering lighting as well as alternate sourcing.

Seems to me, as in my case, food and comfort items would be what I would focus on. I have reached a point that I am putting up hard candy for the Grands, sugar treats, stuff like that as well as continuing to add to the defense items as $$$ are available. I live in a neighborhood so I watch my neighbors pretty close and evaluate them for thier potential as "survivors" "hostiles" "Threats" "partners"...yes I really do that....dosen't everybody?
At my age my HUNKER Down instinct is much greater than my get out of town one. I know what I got, I know where my weak points are and my strong ones are. I am looking heard at my property and home and starting to evaluate it for weak points in a more critical eye, with out drawing the ire of my WIFE who does not think a bar across the front door looks attractive no matter how pretty the paint job on it is.


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## Geek999 (Jul 9, 2013)

Bugging in is generally preferable to bugging out, but anyone can find themselves in a situation where a bug out is required. What if your place catches fire? Put together a BOB. You can always use the stuff in it right where you are and it is ready to go if needed.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

First I will say that I am a bug in person myself, but I also have bug out options. If you don't have redundant options in a true SHTF situation your lifespan could be very limited. Regardless of the size of the town when things become desperate people will do desperate things. Even 2,500 people require a lot of food and water to get through the day. A healthy person can walk approx. 36 miles a day under good weather conditions. In theory the residents of the cities you described could in your area in 1-4 days if they decided to leave the cities in mass in search of food and water. And as CBL mentioned, what happens if things go wrong in January? Better have more in your bug out bag than an MRE and a glow stick. Cold weather bug out requires a lot more consideration than warm weather bug out. Like I said, it's all about options.

Also I am not sure why you don't see a nuclear threat in your area. Over half of Minnesota is in the nuclear strike zone or fallout area (primarily the Northern and central areas). Then you have two nuclear power plants in the southern half which could become a serious issue in the event of a disaster or terrorist attack. Then after that you have to consider that the twin cities could be a solid target for a terrorist with a homemade nuclear device. Imagine the carnage if a device was detonated at the Mall of America, which is considered by extremists to be a monument to American greed and capitalism. I think the nuclear threat in your area is very real.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

As pointed out, I’d still go with the BOB. Like many of the items I have, I may never need them but if I ever do I have them. I leave my BOB if the car. If I have to evacuate the house fast I can just grab the puppy and go. If something happens at work I can just hop in the car and go. The car is always wherever I am so I figured it is the best place to keep it.

For a big project I would look into the heating issue. I’m not that far from Rawhide but it can get pretty cold here. Not Minnesota cold but cold none the less. I have two wood stoves, several lengths of pipe with two elbows, a large enough piece of galvo to fit a window, several piles of bricks and about 8 bags of play sand. I plan on installing a stove but still need to build up a little cash for the permits and someone to do the chimney so that it meets code. In a pinch I can rip out some carpet, put two layers of solid brick down and install the stove with the pipe going out a window opening. It won’t be pretty but will work.


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## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

We are the BOL for our group (currently at 17) but we also have a backup BOL in the event something happens and we have to get further away from society. We each have GHB in our vehicles and the kids have small kits in their backpacks for school. Some snacks, cash, FAK, map to get home, numbers of family members. The adults have full change of clothes and shoes.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

I'd focus on having a way to heat your home and cook your food. You could get a wood stove and firewood. Or kerosene heaters, cooking stoves, and kerosene. I wouldn't bother with a BOB. I'm bugging in. I don't have a BOB either.

If you're not armed I'd get a couple of shotguns.


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## unbill (Aug 15, 2013)

I would stay put in your case but along with all your supplies be sure you have a way to defend them from looters. Whether you stay put or bug out, you will have to
deal with looters,be ready.


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## PreparedRifleman73 (Nov 2, 2012)

Geek999 said:


> What if your place catches fire?


Good point, as I had a total loss fire before. It was under non-SHTF circumstances and it still sucked! So a BOB would have been great.



lotsoflead said:


> Have to know more about you living situation, do you live in an apartment or a house, do you own or rent.


I own a 2080 square foot home in town on 1/4 acre of land. This is our first year gardening and we will quadruple the garden next year. Mostly focusing on fruits and perennial stuff.



Sentry18 said:


> A healthy person


We don't have those in America.



Sentry18 said:


> can walk approx. 36 miles a day under good weather conditions.


Good weather conditions - we don't have those in Minnesota!

Haha totally kidding...sorta!?



Sentry18 said:


> Cold weather bug out requires a lot more consideration than warm weather bug out. Like I said, it's all about options.
> 
> I think the nuclear threat in your area is very real.


I think you're right about the weather and the nuclear risk. I'll probably start doing a lot more research into cold weather BOBs. It's hard to think about when it's 80 degrees! Uffda it's hot.



Woody said:


> For a big project I would look into the heating issue.


I think i will go down the wood stove road like you are doing. It only makes sense to have 3-4 heating sources in Minnesota.

*Thanks for all the help everyone!!!*


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

hawkmiles said:


> So lately, I am reminded of the general decline of American society as we know it on a daily basis. The list goes on with our economy, debt, food system, federal government control, etc... . Frankly I am amazed that the shit hasn't hit the fan already.
> 
> Anyways, I've been a "prepper" for a while but only recently got the wife on board. My priorities now are water treatment and food storage. I'm pretty dependent on "the grid" as far as running water and (seasonally) natural gas.
> 
> ...


The BOB is your container that carries about 3-days worth of food, clothing, shelter.

Just imagine it is 3:00am and you hear helicopters overhead telling you that you need to evacuate now - there was a train that crashed five miles away and it is spewing ammonia. Prevailing winds is blowing that ammonia-gas your direction. You have minutes to get dressed, wake the family, get everyone into your vehicle and leave for your health. You have family 25miles away, they are not expecting you and it is now 3:30am. With your BOB, you can setup "camp" in their basement or backyard or wherever and then deal with what needs to be dealt-with at full sun-up.


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## Geek999 (Jul 9, 2013)

hawkmiles said:


> Good point, as I had a total loss fire before. It was under non-SHTF circumstances and it still sucked! So a BOB would have been great.


Sorry to hear that. If I'd known I would have picked a different example. However, if you prep for SHTF and don't prep for stuff you've already experienced, you probably have your priorities wrong.

Remember that prepping isn't just for SHTF. It is for routine stuff like blizzards, power failures, earthquakes, hurricanes, a stretch of unemploymnet, or whatever goes wrong in your area.


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## PreparedRifleman73 (Nov 2, 2012)

Geek999 said:


> Sorry to hear that. If I'd known I would have picked a different example. However, if you prep for SHTF and don't prep for stuff you've already experienced, you probably have your priorities wrong.


Don't be sorry. You brought it up and it was beneficial. It made me realize how difficult that time was. I had overwhelming family and community support, it would have sucked much more in a mass disaster. Another reason to have a BOB.



NaeKid said:


> Just imagine it is 3:00am and you hear helicopters overhead telling you that you need to evacuate now - there was a train that crashed five miles away and it is spewing ammonia. Prevailing winds is blowing that ammonia-gas your direction. You have minutes to get dressed, wake the family, get everyone into your vehicle and leave for your health. You have family 25miles away, they are not expecting you and it is now 3:30am. With your BOB, you can setup "camp" in their basement or backyard or wherever and then deal with what needs to be dealt-with at full sun-up.


NaeKid I think you are spying on me! I live exactly 5 miles from one of the largest Anhydrous Amonia storage stations in the state. In the event of an incident, I would be one of the responders called in. I would definately have to take care of my family first. One advantage to being in EMS is that I would get somewhat advanced notice. It never even crossed my mind, even though I train out there annually. My in-laws live on a farm exactly 25 miles away too.

I think the verdict is that I *NEED* a bug-out-bag.


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## Geek999 (Jul 9, 2013)

hawkmiles said:


> I think the verdict is that I *NEED* a bug-out-bag.


Doesn't everybody?


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

Everyone needs a BOB. Everyone is vulnerable to fire, gas leaks & chemical spills, etc. In addition to the previously mentioned supplies for people, you should include your pets proof of vaccination & rabies certificates. In addition to our BOBs, we have some sentimental things gathered so we could grab them quickly & easily. Sit down & imagine what it would be like to have your house burn to the ground, what would you need to restart your lives? Where's the insurance papers? The credit card to make hotel reservations? All your bills just burned up with the house, do you have the information needed to continue paying your bills? What about family photos? Do you have copies of those precious memories stored at someone else's house just in case? What about your families medications? You will really need that blood pressure medicine as you look at the rubble that used to be your home. Do you have your cell phone? How about the keys to the tractor, lawn mower, boat, etc that didn't burn, sure would be nice to not have the hassle of getting keys for those. How much trouble would it be to make an extra set of keys for everything with a lock now & put it in your BOB? What if you're given 10 minutes before you have to evacuate, what will you pack? Wouldn't it be nice to have already thought that through & have a list of what's most important to your family? Do you have a leash for your dogs? Do you have the combination to the safe? Can you prove your kids are yours? There are many free & very cheap supplies you can gather now to make things so much better in the event you have to leave your house suddenly. This is one of the most likely to happen SHTF senerios, prep for it!


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

hawkmiles said:


> NaeKid I think you are spying on me!


I have spies everywhere ... :teehee: :teehee: :teehee:


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

Don't forget chemical spills from both trucks and trains and possibly biological threats. There are also tornados to consider. (Maybe not a big threat in your area?) You don't want to try to outrun one but if it hits your town or home you're going to want to have a place to stay and a way to take care of you and yours while there. I know of people who went through an earthquake and the husband/dad sent his family to their BOL for a couple of weeks while he stayed to watch the property and begin clean-up and rebuilding. If you're away from home when disaster strikes you'll be very grateful for the independence granted by being prepared with a BOB.

It's good you're planning ahead. That's the key to making the best of the situation.


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

Bugging Out is what just about everyone does in panic situations. People tend to FLEE when danger shows itself. The bulk of the people will have no idea of where they are going except they are headed that way and you had better not get in their way of getting there. Those who flee with out a plan will run till they have no gas, the roads are blocked, then their shoes fall apart, they run out of water and energy or they just get nearer another metro area. Ninety nine percent of the population will just RUN as fast as they can. 

The big problem most of us face is getting caught in the mass exodus to nowhere. Living in the place away from the metro area and having mutual defense pacs with those around you is going to be a great way to go. It is one thing to be away from the city and another to be able to protect your family, your home and your supplies from the people who want to take it away. 

I would still encourage you to have a KIT in each of your vehicles for that just in case moment when you have to go into the Twin Cities or anywhere away from home. A good set of fold up bicycles for your family is a nice investment. They can be stored in a car trunk or covered pickup bed. You can move a lot farther on a bike than on foot and also carry some gear. 

Any bag you pack remember you have to put it on your back. Most people way over pack their BOBs to the point they are worthless. I try to keep my BOB to under 35 pounds (preferably under 30). A BOB is not meant for long term survival. It is just to get you from point A to B. If you do put a bag together review it every three months as the seasons change. Include in your KIT a pair of really good walking shoes or boots. 

Have a place to stash your jewelry in your bag. Have an old TIMEX watch to wear. Don't look like you might have stuff the bad guy wants. I have Dickies work clothes for each of my family. For the women I keep the clothes loose fitting so not to show their figures and also help them conceal their handguns. It is better to look like a person who uses their hands to keep the grid or the cable system up. Don't flash jewelry or money in front of people. 

For the things you already have stored look at the reality of how long they will last. Are you rotating your food. In other words are you eating what you store? When we use a tube of toothpaste we replace it with two tubes and use the oldest one first. 

In case you do have to abandon your home and "BUG OUT" or just plain run away you should have a plan in place and kits ready to load in your vehicles and or trailers. If you have to run you will never have time to plan and pack. Obviously there are some items you cannot keep packed but that is what a DUMP bag is for. Example is medications (Prescriptions). For those you have a DUMP bag and you can grab and just dump in the bottles you have to have. 

I agree with Sentry that Bugging in is preferable. The big IF is what do you do if you have to make a run for it. Do you have a plan and a place to go? Best wishes to you. Sounds like you live in a really nice area. GB


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