# And the SHTF!



## Magus

Right now, three seconds ago there was an "EVENT". how long are you good for?

Deep well, check.
Guns and ammo, check.
Hand tools and honed skills, check.
Food supply.4 weeks tops, can hunt if possible.
Silver supply,check.
Medical supplies, good for anything but surgery.check.
Power supply.LED lights in every room and supply of batteries.check!
BOV...er umm..Honda civic, it gets great mileage. umm..hmmmm..:dunno:
BOL.Are you kidding me?
Gas masks and protective gear.yup.
Dog.yup.
Cats.Yup
Crazed, glassy eyed followers who live for this crap.check.:teehee:
Zombie repellant.check.:teehee:
Bug poison...oh well, I know the mushrooms to use.

SO...how long you good for before you have to go hunting?


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## TheLazyL

3 hours and 21 minutes later I'm still explaining to the wife why we're not taking her hair blow dryer......


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## dlharris

TheLazyL said:


> 3 hours and 21 minutes later I'm still explaining to the wife why we're not taking her hair blow dryer......


Lol, literally.

: still laughing


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## majmill

Magus said:


> Right now, three seconds ago there was an "EVENT". how long are you good for?
> 
> Deep well, check.
> Guns and ammo, check.
> Hand tools and honed skills, check.
> Food supply.4 weeks tops, can hunt if possible.
> Silver supply,check.
> Medical supplies, good for anything but surgery.check.
> Power supply.LED lights in every room and supply of batteries.check!
> BOV...er umm..Honda civic, it gets great mileage. umm..hmmmm..:dunno:
> BOL.Are you kidding me?
> Gas masks and protective gear.yup.
> Dog.yup.
> Cats.Yup
> Crazed, glassy eyed followers who live for this crap.check.:teehee:
> Zombie repellant.check.:teehee:
> Bug poison...oh well, I know the mushrooms to use.
> 
> SO...how long you good for before you have to go hunting?


Oh my, I'm jealous! :gaah: I'm new and nowhere near ready.
haven,t even convinced the family we need to do this.

I have 3 days of food before I have to go foraging!

Oh well, maybe the next time the SHTF!


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## ZoomZoom

Did the power go out as part of this event?
I'd say I could go a year or 2 for our family of 4.


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## kejmack

4 weeks of food tops???? I have at least a year's worth plus my garden and livestock.


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## biobacon

Right now 3 weeks, about 6 weeks from now it will be 16 weeks, well for food anyway, don't think I can talk my wife into letting me have more then 4 weeks of water on hand, takes up so much room.


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## Country Living

kejmack said:


> 4 weeks of food tops???? I have at least a year's worth plus my garden and livestock.


What K said.... :wave:


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## jsriley5

Plenty to get to spring and plenty to grow once spring gets here and plenty of jars and buckets etc to store what we grow. And a very very thin back up incase we lose everything in the fields and have to go another winter. We will be bettern half starved by the second winter if I don't secure some additional food in the spring and summer. Hard part will be holding enough back to get energy to put in the second springs crops and carry through to harvest. Hope all the city folks don't kill all the deer and turkey and I"ll likely need a few myself. BUT I am reasonably sure I CAN secure some beef and pork and cure and save it so I figure I should be able to hold out and be self sufficient long term. ONce my boys get here and my folks and cousins we will have enough along with neighbors to secure our little corner of the county and make it secure enough to grow feed and food and keep our livestock secured. Of course there could be variables I can't forsee and I hope I have adequate rescources to cover them. Hopefully with my limited radio commo gear mostly CB and hand held vhf/uhf/gmrs/frs I can get into a network and update you how I'm doing later


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## cengasser

Optimistically, I'd say 6 months. We have food and water covered at least that long.
Ammo - when is enough, enough? So not enough.
Gas - to run gene and eat food from freezer and frig first - check. At least a 3 week supply. Not running around the clock. 
Seeds - eek - that's on the to so list.
Can hunt if needed.
BOV - not BO
BOL - I'm with you there, ya right!
Dogs - check
Food for dogs - check
Flashlights, batteries, and gas lamps - check
First Aid - check (can always use improvement here).
Can we try again in a month or 2?


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## cnsper

About 2 weeks. That is not 2 weeks worth of food, that is when I am going to start stocking up again. I WILL NOT wait until I am almost out of food before I start putting more away.

For first aid real simple needle and fishing line, apple cider vinegar, superglue and a tourniquet.


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## PackerBacker

Is shooting cows in a pen considered hunting?

4-5 months before it comes to that.


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## goshengirl

I have three days' worth of food. 'Cause that's what FEMA says to have.


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## OldCootHillbilly

I'm comfortable, but I never stop. Have switched gears a bit lately do ta changin times. Always food though. 
Gotta get the boys back over here an split some more wood. Can't do it myself with this left arm. Hopin that clears up otherwise gonna have to rethin a couple areas.


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## BrendaLee

TheLazyL said:


> 3 hours and 21 minutes later I'm still explaining to the wife why we're not taking her hair blow dryer......


LOL!!! The curling iron makes a much better weapon!


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## biobacon

For real, this was a what if kinda thing for me last year this year its a how long till kind of thing. You people have made me nuts, thank you LOL.


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## Dixie

biobacon said:


> For real, this was a what if kinda thing for me last year this year its a how long till kind of thing. You people have made me nuts, thank you LOL.


*No need to thank us, glad we could help.*


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## hiwall

small cannon - check


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## CapnJack

Well, we're screwed. Got food and water for 2 weeks, tops. Medical supplies, check. Tools, check. BO vehicle has 1/4 tank of gas, could siphon some from wife's car, I suppose. Problem is, little storage in the place we rent, and as we rent, no garden. Really hope to have our homestead by summer.


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## FrankW

I need me some _Crazed glassy eyed followers who live for this crap. _:teehee:

I can even equip them with high end AR's, more Ammo than they can carry, chest rigs, canteens, PMags, Camouflage paint sticks, Mohawks courtesy of my razor etc.


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## horseman1946

I got it covered, from horses to handguns. The thing that worries me the most, is who do I keep out of the ones that straggle into my place wanting me to feed and house them? I think weed them out by the skills they have to offer.


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## talob

BlueZ said:


> I need me some _Crazed glassy eyed followers who live for this crap. _:teehee:
> 
> I can even equip them with high end AR's, more Ammo than they can carry, chest rigs, canteens, PMags, Camouflage paint sticks, Mohawks courtesy of my razor etc.


Geez sure wish you were my next door neighbor, I could be Crazed glassy eyed if need be.


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## cedarguy

Enough food and water to last about 8 months...Not counting my water collection or the river we live by. yep.
Enough non gmo heirloom seeds to plant our 2 very large gardens indefintely. yep.
Med. supplies and hygine. yep.
Firewood for heat and cooking for 2 years. yep.
Fireams and ammo..Ill just say I have that covered. 
BOL. I have hunted and fished my area most of my life Im good right here.
Dog. Plenty of food. yep.
Cats. Taste like chicken, LOL
Chickens. Plenty of food. And taste like chicken. 
Beer so my gal and I can sit on the porch and watch our garden grow so to speak. Yep.
We be just fine!


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## smaj100

Crapp... Is travel still possible? Since I am in the middle of hell right now and would need to travel back to the US....

The wife n son should be good for 6 months, food and supplies and enough defense's to hold off anyone shy of a platoon trying to breech the house.


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## d_saum

Magus said:


> Right now, three seconds ago there was an "EVENT". how long are you good for?
> 
> Deep well, - No well, but a creek nearby
> Guns and ammo, - Enough to get me through the toughest of times, but always trying to procure more!
> Hand tools and honed skills, - I have tools... but need to hone my skills more!
> Food supply. - Several months and then some when I round up the family.
> Silver supply - Some... not nearly enough though.
> Medical supplies - The basics.. plenty of meds, band aids, etc.. not ready for serious wounds or injuries though. :-/
> Power supply - Neighbor has a generator (we've already discussed how to best utilize it  ) and I have flashlights and batteries. Could use more batteries though.
> BOV... - Jeep Wagoneer - Tank is full, and she starts every time. Still need to acquire extra parts though... especially for an EMP event!!!
> BOL. - Plan on bugging in... but if I ABSOLUTELY had to bug out, yeah.. I have a place. I'd have to bring everything with me though.
> Gas masks and protective gear - Negative.. well, some protective gear.. but no gas mask.
> Dog.yup.
> Cats.Yup
> Crazed, glassy eyed followers who live for this crap - lol.. I wouldn't say "followers", but I do have several people in my group that I've given the "bug" to.
> Zombie repellant. - Shotgun shells? See above.
> Bug poison... - umm.... I have a big thing of Deet! Does that count?
> 
> SO...how long you good for before you have to go hunting? - I'd start hunting immediately!!!


Answers Above.


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## lettuceleaf

2 months for food
2 weeks for fuel
guns& ammo - check
BOL - check, but last resort!
dog food - 2 weeks
still working on it every day!


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## Woody

Hunting for who?

I’m confident I’m good to go for quite a while. Could have a bad year or two in the garden area and still hold my own. The dog would be eating same as me after 6 or 7 months though. I’m sure she’d be alright with that.


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## dixiemama

BOL is just a garden lot and hillside now; will be better come summer.
Food for 2 months just our fam of 3, a few days if I have to feed the inlaws.
Guns/ammo: nowhere near where we need to be
Dog/food: check for 3 months (they had a sale lol).
BOV: check, never gets below 1/4 tank of gas. 
Garden seeds for 2 years.
First aid kit: can do everything but major surgery. Already have the suture kit, just need to learn how, have basic stuff for minor, deep wounds


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## ZangLussuria

Living in a small condo right now while the townhouse is being built. In the middle of a business district now though.

Food & Water- regular household stuff will last a week or so. Plus 2-3 days in the BOBs. Really no space in the condo right now especially with the baby/kiddie stuff. Nice thing though is the full back up generator and water supply.
The townhouse will have just a little bit more space.

BOV - CRV. 1/2 tank gas. Slightly larger tires than stock and some food and water plus a basic GHB.

Tools - Basic household tools. Plus multitools and a ton of lighting methods and batteries. Small portable solar AA/AAA charger which is also a battery bank for USB powered devices (cell phones, USB electric fans, USB powered lights, iPad/tablets, etc.)

Guns - Getting a Springfield Armory XD40 subcompact in OD.


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## Immolatus

In my best robot/sheeple voice:
I dont know what you are talking about. I have nothing. The gubt will protect me. That is their primary function is it not?

Basic necessities, depending on how many people show up at my house
A few months for just the three of us, but I have a feeling people would show up here...
That said, I think I would try to hunt right away also.

Needs:
Alternative power/heat source. Depending on the nature of said event, I do have an idea, and I will leave it at that.
If its a nuke, then I'm toast.
Meds/first aid.
Seeds
Glassy eyed followers. Heck, I need some of those now! Seriously though, it would be nice to have some kind of community support but we are not very social people so we dont know any of our neighbors. I do try to pay attention when I go out walking, so you can at least see who has firewood and gardens. Its a start.
(Side note- Blue-I'll come get ya!)
A lifetime supply of pomade/spray tan/cologne. I am more afraid of not being able to keep up my Adonis-like appearance post SHTF than anything else. My hair must be perfectly coiffed at all times!


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## Swampwood

If I had less than 3months worth of food..I'd Panic right now.


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## Rainy13

me too Swampwood...


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## BillS

We're good for a year EXCEPT for the fact that we don't have a year's supply of diapers for our grandson. We don't have wipes, baby food, or any of that stuff yet. He's already 3 months old now. At some point we need to estimate how many diapers he'll need at each size and buy them. Then just let the stepson and daughter-in-law take them as they need them. We have to go with disposable diapers because we don't have enough water stored to wash them.


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## RevWC

Magus said:


> Right now, three seconds ago there was an "EVENT". how long are you good for?
> 
> Deep well, check. one year of water filters and bleech
> Guns and ammo, check. Have a lot but what do we need?
> Hand tools and honed skills, check. Need to get shovel, axe, and hoe. (and that last one is not ebonics!)
> Food supply.4 weeks tops, can hunt if possible. One year of food and 900,000 seeds
> Silver supply,check. some
> Medical supplies, good for anything but surgery.check. basic med kits and about 3 bottles of fish mox.
> Power supply.LED lights in every room and supply of batteries.check! need more
> BOV...er umm..Honda civic, it gets great mileage. umm..hmmmm..:dunno:
> BOL.Are you kidding me? feet
> Gas masks and protective gear.yup. nope
> Dog.yup. yep
> Cats.Yup nope
> Crazed, glassy eyed followers who live for this crap.check.:teehee: yep
> Zombie repellant.check.:teehee: yep
> Bug poison...oh well, I know the mushrooms to use. Mushrooms..check.. 56 gallons of home brew..
> 
> SO...how long you good for before you have to go hunting? Have the Atlantic ocean close by and recipes for sand fleas! Good for years.. will miss toilet paper though..


Ready or not here it comes...


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## PackerBacker

RevWC said:


> Need to get shovel, axe, and hoe. (and that last one is not ebonics!)


:rofl: Good stuff. :rofl:


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## invision

For 3..

Food - 1.2 years
Water - 175-200 gallons - with 2 running creeks less than .5 miles and 2 water filtration systems
Seeds - 500,000 veggie variety 250,000 fruit variety...
Hydroponic system - being put together this month - tilapia and catfish, with growing beds all in basement and at duplicate one of my groups members house
Tools - yep
Firewood - 47 acres of hardwood behind house - with saws and ax on hand - but need a place to burn besides outside house... Thinking wood stove in basement vented out window...
Silver/Gold - yep
Ammo - never enough... But have 2x personal, 1x home, 2x medium and 1x long range protection covered, each with more than 1,000 rds.
Canning equipment - check
Solar generator - cell and smaller unit for 2 Cpaps - need to get 2nd for hydroponics if lights are needed
4 ham radio units
Medicines - 500 caps of penicillin and other antibiotics, 5 big containers of aspirin, Alieve, vitamins plus 90 days of BP and Metformin, plus 200 days of med for my neuropathy in my leg... 
First aid - enough to do minor surgery - plus a few books on subject.
Hunting - guns and crossbow and snares
Fishing - multiple rods, reels, spare string and a box full of lures
Alcohol and tobacco seeds
Batteries, flashlights, 2x NVG, head light units, and 50 emergency candles
2 dozen lighters - strike anywhere matches, flint/steel - yup
Bov - Armada - yup... 3 cars full of gas, 2 - 5 gallon jugs full w stabile, 2 - 1 gallon jugs with oil/gas mix for chainsaw.
Firefox books - yup.
Bol - yes.

Also - I just ordered 2 sets of tactical pants 3 sizes smaller, 6 sizes smaller, for both me and wife, 2 for wife at current size and 2 sets at current size for daughter, and 2 sets 2 sizes bigger... Plus a set of Merrill hiking boots for each (I have 2 pair now already).... I figure both wife and I will lose weight, but daughter is still growing being only 13...


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## Sentry18

According to my *very* conservative estimates, I am betting I could go a solid 6-7 months with my current stores without bugging out. Longer if I do and can take all of my supplies. My current perceived weakness is water, but I am working on it.

According to the experts at Practical Preppers, having no clue how they actually comes up with their guesstimates, I would say 3-24 months depending on my X factors.


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## smaj100

Finally ordered the medical kit. I went with this one, since it included alot but will have my DW go through it and replace the junk and place the items she knows she needs in it.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=679747

I'll post some more pics, and details on the quality of the bag and contents.


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## Wellrounded

We can go 2 years or so food wise even with 100% garden and stock failure. If the garden and farm are producing then it's pretty unlimited, although we will run out of things like spices in 5 years or so.
Water isn't a problem we have a number of sources and filtration systems,rain water tanks, deep well, well water storage with 100ft head pressure, dams and many ways to pump. 
We have grid and off grid ways of doing everything.
Fully equipt workshops, we can make almost anything including spare parts and have a decent store of blanks/billets for just that. We can also improvise repairs from found materials.
We cook/heat/heat water with wood, 175 acres of it here.
First aid/health, have most of what we need and can use short of surgery. 
We have a few areas I need to work on, bulk salt, bi-carb and a few other chemicals and minerals I'd like to have on hand. Most I can make alternatives to but it would just be easier not to.
We'd have to put in some long hours for a week or two to switch over to completely off grid systems.


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## machinist

Prob'ly wouldn't make it a month. Oh, we have food, water, heat, etc., but we are OLDER THAN DIRT and not up to the sort of life that would probably ensue. Maybe I need to stock some liquor? At least I could go out comfortably. :cheers:


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## seanallen

Good for 2-months family of 6. Have a great tiller and garden but zero seeds. Unlimited water. Totally on grid but have wood heater staning by. Log splitter and gennie. Have to find and buy manual well pump. Med kit. Defense? Good there. Bov: four trucks, baja minibike. Bol: deep woods nearby; emergency only. Skills: decent enough to survive in back woods w nothing but hands and knife. Do i wanna do that? Hell no!


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## LongRider

Magus said:


> Right now, three seconds ago there was an "EVENT". how long are you good for?


Thanks for the topic it motivated me to make an assessment of where are as of today. It took a couple of days to write and unfortunately rather lengthy. Please feel free to point out any gaps you see in self sustainability and security or offer any suggestions.

The short answer is hopefully indefinitely. The long answer is a bit more tedious

Let me preface this by saying that from 1973 to 2003 I was on the BUG OUT bus. I had scouted locations and laid down caches en route. In fact along several different routes over the decades. Over time I developed and honed what I determined to be survival skills, took a host of courses plant identification, harvesting, uses, storage and preparation. I hunted, hiked, camped and fished regularly. Including survival camping fairly frequently. Took courses in carpentry, small engine repair, cooking, sewing knitting, first aid (EMT certified) combat medic trained and basic ER skills, welding, basic metal fabrication, automotive repair, electrical, plumbing, animal husbandry, gardening, sailing, navigation, canning, trapping, tanning, fire arms & tactical training, martial arts, to name a few. For over thirty years it seems I have been a perpetual student. I believe that I could have, would have survived bugging out, because I am a survivor. But that it would be meager, harsh and brutal existence at least based upon my experience when I tried it. If one thing went wrong, death would be eminent post SHTF there would be no one to call to come get me. So not a way of life I would want to sustain long at my age.

Some time in the 90s Working in advertising I found this culture of compulsive consumption, more never being enough, image is everything to be increasingly repugnant. It became apparent to me that a simpler way to live would suit me better. At forty I sold the business and retired. For a number of reasons, we initially decided that we would rely only on ourselves and family. We came to that decision based upon, our experiences and an honest assessment of who we are and what we have to offer.

We spent about five years looking for the perfect location for us. Long story, short is we stumbled onto a home that is absolutely perfect for our needs. It fit our criteria to a T and exceeded all of our hopes. We bought this place in a large part because it is surrounded by state land and national park. Has infinite natural resources in a defensible secure area, so that the need to bug out is not at all likely. We live up at the military crest of hill a bit over two miles up dirt road off of a two lane highway. At 900 feet elevation some folks call it a mountain. On one side of our property is a steep bluff that affords us a spectacular view of the Olympic mountains, Hoods Canal and the wet lands below. At the bottom bordering our property is a salmon rich stream. More importantly it will become Hamburger Hill for anyone attempting an assault us from that end of our property. On the opposite side of our property across the dirt road is just over nine hundred acres of forestry land. The two mile dirt road to our place is the only practical way to our place is easily defensible.

I have very few neighbors as all the lots must be over 20 acres, two thirds of our "hill" is undeveloped state land. Those that live up here are all liberty loving, gun tooting Northwest hillbilly, ********, bikers, LEO and/or combat vets. As our relationship with the loose knit community of families that live up here evolved. We have agreed to come together should SHTF for perimeter security for as long as it is needed because together we can extend out perimeter away from our homes and provide far better security than if we tried to do it individually. The plan is set up a road block on our two lane dirt road where it bottle necks with by steep cliffs on either side. These positions are where our community decided our perimeter is and three similar fall back positions. To that end we clear cut and bulldozed along the entry side of the road where it bottle necks eliminating any hides or cover intruders could use. Two man teams will man the road blocks with another two man team offering support from hides about fifty yards from the blockades. They will be the shooters should anyone fail to comply and leave. If that road is being defended those making the assault will feel like the Persians at battle of Thermopylae. It would take a major military assault to overrun our property.

After the two mile drive up the dirt road to our place our drive way is a good 150 yards through dense trees. The property is clearly posted. Our security is focused primarily on current day to day safety, burglaries, home invasions and the like, with an eye towards defending ourselves long enough to escape if our outer perimeter is breached. Motion sensors and cameras are spread along the perimeter and around the property. Some of the cameras are hidden others are visible all with internet feeds for off site storage on a secure server that out lawyer has access to should we become unavailable. So no matter what happens there is will be pictures of the perps and their license plates. Motion sensors alert us as soon as someone enters the property and where they are. The cameras provide real time feeds so we know what is going on outside. Once in the clearing that our home, outbuildings, shop, garden, pens are another set of motion sensors turn on out door lights and ring a bell inside the house. We have a couple of landing strip lights that I can hit intruders with to blind them if they are uninvited "guests". Before they get out of the car they will be greeted brew of attack turkeys. Don't laugh folks are terrified by those turkeys, no one gets out of the car when they are surrounded by those birds. The dogs are behind a fence that surrounds the house except the front door and driveway. They have their own entrance into the house. The two bitches bark and snarl warnings. The male hides in the house if anyone makes it to him without an escort he does not bark, he bites with teeth capable of shredding bear hide. His bitches will back him up for the feast. At the porch door is another set of cameras and a speaker system to communicate with them if they make it that far, as well as cameras around the perimeter of the house. All the windows are double paned double locked. The doors are all steel with dead bolts into a steel reinforced frame. Except the front door which is a solid oak speak easy style door I made.

A few years ago we added a 10X10 closet for the wife and a wrap around enclosed porch like those my wife grew up with in Minnesota. In the back we added a deck along the length of the back of the house, out to the cliff. We made the porch heated space so that we could use it year round. The windows offset to the original house windows, so that there is no direct line of sight into the house. Instead of drywall and texture we opted to use a plaster application method used in the 50's with plaster applied over thin metal lath and wire mesh that we put over sheets of scrap KEVLAR we got from a friend who makes insulation covers for the Alaska pipeline. The porch should make the house resistant to small arms fire and act as a choke point for anyone trying to enter the house. My wife's closet has a hidden entrance and is our safe room with an escape tunnel. Before we added the porch and deck we dug a trench and dropped in irrigation culverts big enough to crawl through that we scavenged from local farmers. Createing an escape tunnel that connects the shop/studio to the house and exits over the bluff at a point that we can drop down from or climb back to the house. When we built the shop/studio we put in a safe room that is the only access to our stores in the attic. From the attic there is an exit out to the RV port. The safe room also exits into escape tunnel underneath. Inside we are well armed with weapons on us and within easy reach, locking bedrooms, the a safe room and of course the escape hatch if needed.
In short if you are on my property I
A) Know that you are on the property
B) Know where you are on the property, with a high probability of having a live video feed of your exact location and activity. 
C) I know every trail, nock, cranny and hide on my property. If you go running through the brush you are likely to trip or run over things you did not expect to be there.
D) I have several covert exit and entry points in my home and out buildings. I know where you are. You will not know where I am.
E) My turkeys are highly territorial, they attack, distract, and alert me to your location
F) My dogs hunt, track and attack quietly. It is their nature. Originally bred to attack and kill bears. Dogs that have an intense innate dislike of strangers they do not bark or snarl warnings but attack with teeth capable of shredding bear hide. 
G) While my home is not bullet proof, it is bullet resistant. Your hide isn't.
I) I have you in my sight

We have substantial stores that are continually being upgraded, rotated, used, added to and expanded, in addition to a full pantry that gets replenished from our stores. We are not yet at the level of preparedness with our food stocks as I would like, but we are working on it. We do not have a lot of guns and in the past few years limited the number of calibers. But we have enough to hunt and defend ourselves with. There is a duplicate of each gun we have and spare parts for each. A decent stock pile of ammo, more than a life times supply for each gun. Provided we do not end up engaging in some mad max on going war. Which I think is highly unlikely, contrary to the opinion of some. We have reloading supplies / equipment / manuals and how to books for the calibers we have. All new in the box (on the list of things I need to learn to do). We also have slingshots, pellet guns, compound bows and crossbows, traps, crab pots, shrimp pots, a full compliment of fresh water and salt water fishing gear .

Our well has a back up propane generator and a spare. We have (3) three hundred gallon propane tanks, several 20 gallon RV propane tanks, (2) fifty gallon propane fuel tanks for the truck. A wood stove & propane heater in the shop/studio and house. Wood, metal, machinist, carpentry, plumbing, welding, electrical, tools, machines and equipment. Sheds filled with building supplies, stores of nails, screws, pipes, hangers, etc. Spare parts and replacements for every piece of equipment. Propane generators for power, dual fuel water heaters. With duplicates of most all of our tools and equipment and spare parts to repair most all of our equipment along with appropriate repair manuals.

Our major shortfall is power. We have some smaller solar panels for things like the freezer, to recharge batteries and the like. Our primary power source are our propane generators which with prudent use will get us by for about four years with the fuel on hand. After that we will be a up a creek. With grey skies nine months of the year and surrounded by trees our location makes solar power inefficient and extremely expensive for the return. Currently wind power looks like the most viable long term solution. We are also looking into the feasibility of producing alternative fuels.

For entertainment we have several thousand CD's nearly as many Blue Rays and DVD's. A cupboard of board games. The family room is a library lined with floor to ceiling books on three walls. A crafts room filled with craft supplies. A basketball half court, outside the Studio. The Studio has heavy bags, punching bags, a weight machine, dart board, pool table, A full array of art supplies for drawing painting, sculpting, pottery and wood carving.

Even though our soil is rich it produces primarily rocks so most of our garden is on raised beds as they are easier for us to maintain. We have a Solar Gem greenhouse and a garden shed to help us extend our growing season and keep culinary herbs on hand. We do not grow all the produce we need but each year get a little closer. We have a few turkeys,and chickens. Next year we will be adding milk and meat goats. After I build some pens, shelter and run a water line to it. One thing I learned with the chickens and turkeys is it is a pain to have to lug water daily. We still lack a working breeding program to assure we can keep a genetically diverse population of live stock.

Our 922,561 acre back yard provides an infinite supply of, berries. game animals, medicinal and edible plants, mushrooms, fish, shell fish far to many to list. Each year we try to gather our fair share of

*Berries*
bearberry, blackberry, black currant, black huckleberry, red huckleberry, blueberry, bunchberry, chokecherry, cloudberry, cranberry, crowberry, elderberry, fairy bell, golden currant, gooseberry, hairy manzanita,hawthorn, mulberry, oregon grape, pacific crabapple, raspberry, red currant, red huckleberry, salal, salmonberry, saskatoon berry, strawberry, sumach, thimbleberry, 
*Nuts*
hazelnuts, Pine nuts, 
*Mushrooms*
cauliflower mushroom, chicken of the woods, common puffball, golden chanterelle, hedgehog mushroom, horn of plenty, king bolete, larch bolete, lobster mushroom, morel mushroom, oyster mushroom, pine mushroom, 
*Seaweed*
red cracked bolete, bull kelp, giant kelp, alaria, eel grass, purple laver, sea lettuce, 
*Fish*
rock bass, lake white fish, lue catfish, channel catfish, green sunfish, warmouth, bluegill, fresh water ling, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, yellow perch, white crappie, black crappie, mountain white fish, rainbow, steelhead, salmon, brown trout, eastern brook trout, lake trout, Walleye, arctic graylingmoose, 
*Shell Fish*
Clams, oysters, geoducks, shrimp, crab, mussels
*Game*
elk, deer, bear, rabbit, quail, phesants, turkey, ducks, geese, chuckers, 
*Medicial Edible Plants*
That my wife and now our daughters seem to have an endless store of knowledge about. We have little need for the pharmacy and delicious new flavors have been added to our diet. agoseris, arrowhead, arrow leaved balsamroot, beargrass, bistort, bracken, bulrush, burdock, camas, cattail, chicory, bedstraw, clover, coltsfoot, cow lily, dandelion, devil's club, dock, false solomon's seal, fireweed, goldenrod, ground cone, knotweed, lambs quarter, mariposa lily, miner's lettuce, marsh marigold, mountain sorrel, mustard, pearly everlasting, peppergrass, pickleweed, pineapple weed, plantain, queen's cup, roseroot, salsify, sheep sorrel, shepherd's purse, silverweed, sow thistle, stinging nettle, stonecrop, strawberry blite, sunflower, swamp hedge nettle, sweet clover, sweet gale, sweetflag, thistle, tiger lily, violet, watercress, wild bergamot, wild ginger, wild licorice, wild mint, wild rose, wood lily, yellow glacier lily, yellowcress I am sure the wife can add more than a few others.

In short we have enough natural resources to sustain us even in the event of a crop failure or shortfall. Every year we do get snowed in for a few weeks so we know every thing is up to date, working and maintained. We are working towards being completely self reliant as we can be. Everything it paid for, including the house. Our living expenses are minimal, so we have the resources to upgrade as well as travel and enjoy our retirement. Hopefully able to survive indefinitely. I seriously doubt that a few northwestern hillbillies are worth the air strikes or major military assault that would be necessary to over run us. Our goal is to be off grid self sustaining so that we may continue living a life of relative comfort regardless of what happens in the world around us.


----------



## seanallen

LongRider said:


> Thanks for the topic it motivated me to make an assessment of where are as of today. It took a couple of days to write and unfortunately rather lengthy. Please feel free to point out any gaps you see in self sustainability and security or offer any suggestions.
> 
> The short answer is hopefully indefinitely. The long answer is a bit more tedious
> 
> Let me preface this by saying that from 1973 to 2003 I was on the BUG OUT bus. I had scouted locations and laid down caches en route. In fact along several different routes over the decades. Over time I developed and honed what I determined to be survival skills, took a host of courses plant identification, harvesting, uses, storage and preparation. I hunted, hiked, camped and fished regularly. Including survival camping fairly frequently. Took courses in carpentry, small engine repair, cooking, sewing knitting, first aid (EMT certified) combat medic trained and basic ER skills, welding, basic metal fabrication, automotive repair, electrical, plumbing, animal husbandry, gardening, sailing, navigation, canning, trapping, tanning, fire arms & tactical training, martial arts, to name a few. For over thirty years it seems I have been a perpetual student. I believe that I could have, would have survived bugging out, because I am a survivor. But that it would be meager, harsh and brutal existence at least based upon my experience when I tried it. If one thing went wrong, death would be eminent post SHTF there would be no one to call to come get me. So not a way of life I would want to sustain long at my age.
> 
> Some time in the 90s Working in advertising I found this culture of compulsive consumption, more never being enough, image is everything to be increasingly repugnant. It became apparent to me that a simpler way to live would suit me better. At forty I sold the business and retired. For a number of reasons, we initially decided that we would rely only on ourselves and family. We came to that decision based upon, our experiences and an honest assessment of who we are and what we have to offer.
> 
> We spent about five years looking for the perfect location for us. Long story, short is we stumbled onto a home that is absolutely perfect for our needs. It fit our criteria to a T and exceeded all of our hopes. We bought this place in a large part because it is surrounded by state land and national park. Has infinite natural resources in a defensible secure area, so that the need to bug out is not at all likely. We live up at the military crest of hill a bit over two miles up dirt road off of a two lane highway. At 900 feet elevation some folks call it a mountain. On one side of our property is a steep bluff that affords us a spectacular view of the Olympic mountains, Hoods Canal and the wet lands below. At the bottom bordering our property is a salmon rich stream. More importantly it will become Hamburger Hill for anyone attempting an assault us from that end of our property. On the opposite side of our property across the dirt road is just over nine hundred acres of forestry land. The two mile dirt road to our place is the only practical way to our place is easily defensible.
> 
> I have very few neighbors as all the lots must be over 20 acres, two thirds of our "hill" is undeveloped state land. Those that live up here are all liberty loving, gun tooting Northwest hillbilly, ********, bikers, LEO and/or combat vets. As our relationship with the loose knit community of families that live up here evolved. We have agreed to come together should SHTF for perimeter security for as long as it is needed because together we can extend out perimeter away from our homes and provide far better security than if we tried to do it individually. The plan is set up a road block on our two lane dirt road where it bottle necks with by steep cliffs on either side. These positions are where our community decided our perimeter is and three similar fall back positions. To that end we clear cut and bulldozed along the entry side of the road where it bottle necks eliminating any hides or cover intruders could use. Two man teams will man the road blocks with another two man team offering support from hides about fifty yards from the blockades. They will be the shooters should anyone fail to comply and leave. If that road is being defended those making the assault will feel like the Persians at battle of Thermopylae. It would take a major military assault to overrun our property.
> 
> After the two mile drive up the dirt road to our place our drive way is a good 150 yards through dense trees. The property is clearly posted. Our security is focused primarily on current day to day safety, burglaries, home invasions and the like, with an eye towards defending ourselves long enough to escape if our outer perimeter is breached. Motion sensors and cameras are spread along the perimeter and around the property. Some of the cameras are hidden others are visible all with internet feeds for off site storage on a secure server that out lawyer has access to should we become unavailable. So no matter what happens there is will be pictures of the perps and their license plates. Motion sensors alert us as soon as someone enters the property and where they are. The cameras provide real time feeds so we know what is going on outside. Once in the clearing that our home, outbuildings, shop, garden, pens are another set of motion sensors turn on out door lights and ring a bell inside the house. We have a couple of landing strip lights that I can hit intruders with to blind them if they are uninvited "guests". Before they get out of the car they will be greeted brew of attack turkeys. Don't laugh folks are terrified by those turkeys, no one gets out of the car when they are surrounded by those birds. The dogs are behind a fence that surrounds the house except the front door and driveway. They have their own entrance into the house. The two bitches bark and snarl warnings. The male hides in the house if anyone makes it to him without an escort he does not bark, he bites with teeth capable of shredding bear hide. His bitches will back him up for the feast. At the porch door is another set of cameras and a speaker system to communicate with them if they make it that far, as well as cameras around the perimeter of the house. All the windows are double paned double locked. The doors are all steel with dead bolts into a steel reinforced frame. Except the front door which is a solid oak speak easy style door I made.
> 
> A few years ago we added a 10X10 closet for the wife and a wrap around enclosed porch like those my wife grew up with in Minnesota. In the back we added a deck along the length of the back of the house, out to the cliff. We made the porch heated space so that we could use it year round. The windows offset to the original house windows, so that there is no direct line of sight into the house. Instead of drywall and texture we opted to use a plaster application method used in the 50's with plaster applied over thin metal lath and wire mesh that we put over sheets of scrap KEVLAR we got from a friend who makes insulation covers for the Alaska pipeline. The porch should make the house resistant to small arms fire and act as a choke point for anyone trying to enter the house. My wife's closet has a hidden entrance and is our safe room with an escape tunnel. Before we added the porch and deck we dug a trench and dropped in irrigation culverts big enough to crawl through that we scavenged from local farmers. Createing an escape tunnel that connects the shop/studio to the house and exits over the bluff at a point that we can drop down from or climb back to the house. When we built the shop/studio we put in a safe room that is the only access to our stores in the attic. From the attic there is an exit out to the RV port. The safe room also exits into escape tunnel underneath. Inside we are well armed with weapons on us and within easy reach, locking bedrooms, the a safe room and of course the escape hatch if needed.
> In short if you are on my property I
> A) Know that you are on the property
> B) Know where you are on the property, with a high probability of having a live video feed of your exact location and activity.
> C) I know every trail, nock, cranny and hide on my property. If you go running through the brush you are likely to trip or run over things you did not expect to be there.
> D) I have several covert exit and entry points in my home and out buildings. I know where you are. You will not know where I am.
> E) My turkeys are highly territorial, they attack, distract, and alert me to your location
> F) My dogs hunt, track and attack quietly. It is their nature. Originally bred to attack and kill bears. Dogs that have an intense innate dislike of strangers they do not bark or snarl warnings but attack with teeth capable of shredding bear hide.
> G) While my home is not bullet proof, it is bullet resistant. Your hide isn't.
> I) I have you in my sight
> 
> We have substantial stores that are continually being upgraded, rotated, used, added to and expanded, in addition to a full pantry that gets replenished from our stores. We are not yet at the level of preparedness with our food stocks as I would like, but we are working on it. We do not have a lot of guns and in the past few years limited the number of calibers. But we have enough to hunt and defend ourselves with. There is a duplicate of each gun we have and spare parts for each. A decent stock pile of ammo, more than a life times supply for each gun. Provided we do not end up engaging in some mad max on going war. Which I think is highly unlikely, contrary to the opinion of some. We have reloading supplies / equipment / manuals and how to books for the calibers we have. All new in the box (on the list of things I need to learn to do). We also have slingshots, pellet guns, compound bows and crossbows, traps, crab pots, shrimp pots, a full compliment of feast water and salt water fishing gear .
> 
> Our well has a back up propane generator and a spare. We have (3) three hundred gallon propane tanks, several 20 gallon RV propane tanks, (2) fifty gallon propane fuel tanks for the truck. A wood stove & propane heater in the shop/studio and house. Wood, metal, machinist, carpentry, plumbing, welding, electrical, tools, machines and equipment. Sheds filled with building supplies, stores of nails, screws, pipes, hangers, etc. Spare parts and replacements for every piece of equipment. Propane generators for power, dual fuel water heaters. With duplicates of most all of our tools and equipment and spare parts to repair most all of our equipment along with appropriate repair manuals.
> 
> Our major shortfall is power. We have some smaller solar panels for things like the freezer, to recharge batteries and the like. Our primary power source are our propane generators which with prudent use will get us by for about four years with the fuel on hand. After that we will be a up a creek. With grey skies nine months of the year and surrounded by trees our location makes solar power inefficient and extremely expensive for the return. Currently wind power looks like the most viable long term solution. We are also looking into the feasibility of producing alternative fuels.
> 
> For entertainment we have a several thousand CD's nearly as many Blue Rays and DVD's. A cupboard of board games. The family room is a library lined with floor to ceiling books on three walls. A crafts room filled with craft supplies. A basketball half court, outside the Studio. The Studio has heavy bags, punching bags, a weight machine, dart board, pool table, A full array of art supplies for drawing painting, sculpting, pottery and wood carving.
> 
> Even though our soil is rich it produces primarily rocks so most of our garden is on raised beds as they are easier for us to maintain. We have a Solar Gem greenhouse and a garden shed to help us extend our growing season and keep culinary herbs on hand. We do not grow all the produce we need but each year get a little closer. We have a few turkeys,and chickens. Next year we will be adding milk and meat goats. After I build some pens, shelter and run a water line to it. One thing I learned with the chickens and turkeys is it is a pain to have to lug water daily. We still lack a working breeding program to assure we can keep a genetically diverse population of live stock.
> 
> Our 922,561 acre back yard provides an infinite supply of, berries. game animals, medicinal and edible plants, mushrooms, fish, shell fish far to many to list. Each year we try to gather our fair share of
> 
> Berries
> bearberry, blackberry, black currant, black huckleberry, red huckleberry, blueberry, bunchberry, chokecherry, cloudberry, cranberry, crowberry, elderberry, fairy bell, golden currant, gooseberry, hairy manzanita,hawthorn, mulberry, oregon grape, pacific crabapple, raspberry, red currant, red huckleberry, salal, salmonberry, saskatoon berry, strawberry, sumach, thimbleberry,
> Nuts
> hazelnuts, Pine nuts,
> Mushrooms
> cauliflower mushroom, chicken of the woods, common puffball, golden chanterelle, hedgehog mushroom, horn of plenty, king bolete, larch bolete, lobster mushroom, morel mushroom, oyster mushroom, pine mushroom,
> Seaweed
> red cracked bolete, bull kelp, giant kelp, alaria, eel grass, purple laver, sea lettuce,
> Fish
> rock bass, lake white fish, lue catfish, channel catfish, green sunfish, warmouth, bluegill, fresh water ling, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, yellow perch, white crappie, black crappie, mountain white fish, rainbow, steelhead, salmon, brown trout, eastern brook trout, lake trout, Walleye, arctic graylingmoose,
> Shell Fish
> Clams, oysters, geoducks, shrimp, crab, mussels
> Game
> elk, deer, bear, rabbit, quail, phesants, turkey, ducks, geese, chuckers,
> Medicial Edible Plants
> That my wife and now our daughters seem to have an endless store of knowledge about. We have little need for the pharmacy and delicious new flavors have been added to our diet. agoseris, arrowhead, arrow leaved balsamroot, beargrass, bistort, bracken, bulrush, burdock, camas, cattail, chicory, bedstraw, clover, coltsfoot, cow lily, dandelion, devil's club, dock, false solomon's seal, fireweed, goldenrod, ground cone, knotweed, lambs quarter, mariposa lily, miner's lettuce, marsh marigold, mountain sorrel, mustard, pearly everlasting, peppergrass, pickleweed, pineapple weed, plantain, queen's cup, roseroot, salsify, sheep sorrel, shepherd's purse, silverweed, sow thistle, stinging nettle, stonecrop, strawberry blite, sunflower, swamp hedge nettle, sweet clover, sweet gale, sweetflag, thistle, tiger lily, violet, watercress, wild bergamot, wild ginger, wild licorice, wild mint, wild rose, wood lily, yellow glacier lily, yellowcress I am sure the wife can add more than a few others.
> 
> In short we have enough natural resources to sustain us even in the event of a crop failure or shortfall. Every year we do get snowed in for a few weeks so we know every thing is up to date, working and maintained. We are working towards being completely self reliant as we can be. Everything it paid for, including the house. Our living expenses are minimal, so we have the resources to upgrade as well as travel and enjoy our retirement. Hopefully able to survive indefinitely. I seriously doubt that a few northwestern hillbillies are worth the air strikes or major military assault that would be necessary to over run us. Our goal is to be off grid self sustaining so that we may continue living a life of relative comfort regardless of what happens in the world around us.


Wow! Talk about prepared. Good job!!!


----------



## Wellrounded

smaj100 said:


> Crapp... Is travel still possible? Since I am in the middle of hell right now and would need to travel back to the US....
> 
> The wife n son should be good for 6 months, food and supplies and enough defense's to hold off anyone shy of a platoon trying to breech the house.


Wishin' you the best. Can you swim?


----------



## smaj100

Wellrounded said:


> Wishin' you the best. Can you swim?


Yeah but that kinda distance I better have a decent raft to hold all my food and gear.  If it wasn't an emp I could borrow some of the nearby yachts and try my hand at cruising home, beats swimming.

:dunno:


----------



## BillS

My stepson has a good job now. He got a big tax refund and bought his first gun. I've told him that it's now his responsibility to prep for his son. His wife isn't a prepper. She's the boss of the family but that's his problem. Not mine. At some point he'll have to get it done.


----------



## BillS

machinist said:


> Prob'ly wouldn't make it a month. Oh, we have food, water, heat, etc., but we are OLDER THAN DIRT and not up to the sort of life that would probably ensue. Maybe I need to stock some liquor? At least I could go out comfortably. :cheers:


Probably your biggest issue is access to prescription medications. I get a 3 month supply every 3 months. Depending on the timing, I could run out within weeks after it hits the fan.


----------



## pixieduster

Family of 6. Looking at maybe 5 to 6 months for food plus garden. 2 dogs, one a well trained working dog(LEO). Rain barrels full. Not enough ammo. Rural area. Plenty hunting and fishing just outside the back yard. Have 2 crappy vehicles. Some fuel stored but not much. Plenty wood and a brick fire pit with a removeable grill top, cast iron pots/pans. Need to build that gravity water filter!


----------



## Magus

BillS said:


> Probably your biggest issue is access to prescription medications. I get a 3 month supply every 3 months. Depending on the timing, I could run out within weeks after it hits the fan.


BillS, find out which herbs do similar things medically and plant them around your BOL.some of them,such as the ones I use to manage my blood pressure actually work better than the pills.


----------



## Woody

Diet also. Changing the foods I eat has cleared up a world of ills I had been taking meds for. I’m down to taking an aspirin for a headache now, no other pills.

Try getting off ALL processed foods and cook/eat as raw as possible for a week or two and see if it helps.

For the herbs, plant a ton of different ones and see which ones work for you. I started out with over 50 and whittled it down to about a dozen that I use. They work differently for different people.


----------



## stayingthegame

LongRider said:


> Thanks for the topic it motivated me to make an assessment of where are as of today. It took a couple of days to write and unfortunately rather lengthy. Please feel free to point out any gaps you see in self sustainability and security or offer any suggestions.
> 
> The short answer is hopefully indefinitely. The long answer is a bit more tedious
> 
> Let me preface this by saying that from 1973 to 2003 I was on the BUG OUT bus. I had scouted locations and laid down caches en route. In fact along several different routes over the decades. Over time I developed and honed what I determined to be survival skills, took a host of courses plant identification, harvesting, uses, storage and preparation. I hunted, hiked, camped and fished regularly. Including survival camping fairly frequently. Took courses in carpentry, small engine repair, cooking, sewing knitting, first aid (EMT certified) combat medic trained and basic ER skills, welding, basic metal fabrication, automotive repair, electrical, plumbing, animal husbandry, gardening, sailing, navigation, canning, trapping, tanning, fire arms & tactical training, martial arts, to name a few. For over thirty years it seems I have been a perpetual student. I believe that I could have, would have survived bugging out, because I am a survivor. But that it would be meager, harsh and brutal existence at least based upon my experience when I tried it. If one thing went wrong, death would be eminent post SHTF there would be no one to call to come get me. So not a way of life I would want to sustain long at my age.
> 
> Some time in the 90s Working in advertising I found this culture of compulsive consumption, more never being enough, image is everything to be increasingly repugnant. It became apparent to me that a simpler way to live would suit me better. At forty I sold the business and retired. For a number of reasons, we initially decided that we would rely only on ourselves and family. We came to that decision based upon, our experiences and an honest assessment of who we are and what we have to offer.
> 
> We spent about five years looking for the perfect location for us. Long story, short is we stumbled onto a home that is absolutely perfect for our needs. It fit our criteria to a T and exceeded all of our hopes. We bought this place in a large part because it is surrounded by state land and national park. Has infinite natural resources in a defensible secure area, so that the need to bug out is not at all likely. We live up at the military crest of hill a bit over two miles up dirt road off of a two lane highway. At 900 feet elevation some folks call it a mountain. On one side of our property is a steep bluff that affords us a spectacular view of the Olympic mountains, Hoods Canal and the wet lands below. At the bottom bordering our property is a salmon rich stream. More importantly it will become Hamburger Hill for anyone attempting an assault us from that end of our property. On the opposite side of our property across the dirt road is just over nine hundred acres of forestry land. The two mile dirt road to our place is the only practical way to our place is easily defensible.
> 
> I have very few neighbors as all the lots must be over 20 acres, two thirds of our "hill" is undeveloped state land. Those that live up here are all liberty loving, gun tooting Northwest hillbilly, ********, bikers, LEO and/or combat vets. As our relationship with the loose knit community of families that live up here evolved. We have agreed to come together should SHTF for perimeter security for as long as it is needed because together we can extend out perimeter away from our homes and provide far better security than if we tried to do it individually. The plan is set up a road block on our two lane dirt road where it bottle necks with by steep cliffs on either side. These positions are where our community decided our perimeter is and three similar fall back positions. To that end we clear cut and bulldozed along the entry side of the road where it bottle necks eliminating any hides or cover intruders could use. Two man teams will man the road blocks with another two man team offering support from hides about fifty yards from the blockades. They will be the shooters should anyone fail to comply and leave. If that road is being defended those making the assault will feel like the Persians at battle of Thermopylae. It would take a major military assault to overrun our property.
> 
> After the two mile drive up the dirt road to our place our drive way is a good 150 yards through dense trees. The property is clearly posted. Our security is focused primarily on current day to day safety, burglaries, home invasions and the like, with an eye towards defending ourselves long enough to escape if our outer perimeter is breached. Motion sensors and cameras are spread along the perimeter and around the property. Some of the cameras are hidden others are visible all with internet feeds for off site storage on a secure server that out lawyer has access to should we become unavailable. So no matter what happens there is will be pictures of the perps and their license plates. Motion sensors alert us as soon as someone enters the property and where they are. The cameras provide real time feeds so we know what is going on outside. Once in the clearing that our home, outbuildings, shop, garden, pens are another set of motion sensors turn on out door lights and ring a bell inside the house. We have a couple of landing strip lights that I can hit intruders with to blind them if they are uninvited "guests". Before they get out of the car they will be greeted brew of attack turkeys. Don't laugh folks are terrified by those turkeys, no one gets out of the car when they are surrounded by those birds. The dogs are behind a fence that surrounds the house except the front door and driveway. They have their own entrance into the house. The two bitches bark and snarl warnings. The male hides in the house if anyone makes it to him without an escort he does not bark, he bites with teeth capable of shredding bear hide. His bitches will back him up for the feast. At the porch door is another set of cameras and a speaker system to communicate with them if they make it that far, as well as cameras around the perimeter of the house. All the windows are double paned double locked. The doors are all steel with dead bolts into a steel reinforced frame. Except the front door which is a solid oak speak easy style door I made.
> 
> A few years ago we added a 10X10 closet for the wife and a wrap around enclosed porch like those my wife grew up with in Minnesota. In the back we added a deck along the length of the back of the house, out to the cliff. We made the porch heated space so that we could use it year round. The windows offset to the original house windows, so that there is no direct line of sight into the house. Instead of drywall and texture we opted to use a plaster application method used in the 50's with plaster applied over thin metal lath and wire mesh that we put over sheets of scrap KEVLAR we got from a friend who makes insulation covers for the Alaska pipeline. The porch should make the house resistant to small arms fire and act as a choke point for anyone trying to enter the house. My wife's closet has a hidden entrance and is our safe room with an escape tunnel. Before we added the porch and deck we dug a trench and dropped in irrigation culverts big enough to crawl through that we scavenged from local farmers. Createing an escape tunnel that connects the shop/studio to the house and exits over the bluff at a point that we can drop down from or climb back to the house. When we built the shop/studio we put in a safe room that is the only access to our stores in the attic. From the attic there is an exit out to the RV port. The safe room also exits into escape tunnel underneath. Inside we are well armed with weapons on us and within easy reach, locking bedrooms, the a safe room and of course the escape hatch if needed.
> In short if you are on my property I
> A) Know that you are on the property
> B) Know where you are on the property, with a high probability of having a live video feed of your exact location and activity.
> C) I know every trail, nock, cranny and hide on my property. If you go running through the brush you are likely to trip or run over things you did not expect to be there.
> D) I have several covert exit and entry points in my home and out buildings. I know where you are. You will not know where I am.
> E) My turkeys are highly territorial, they attack, distract, and alert me to your location
> F) My dogs hunt, track and attack quietly. It is their nature. Originally bred to attack and kill bears. Dogs that have an intense innate dislike of strangers they do not bark or snarl warnings but attack with teeth capable of shredding bear hide.
> G) While my home is not bullet proof, it is bullet resistant. Your hide isn't.
> I) I have you in my sight
> 
> We have substantial stores that are continually being upgraded, rotated, used, added to and expanded, in addition to a full pantry that gets replenished from our stores. We are not yet at the level of preparedness with our food stocks as I would like, but we are working on it. We do not have a lot of guns and in the past few years limited the number of calibers. But we have enough to hunt and defend ourselves with. There is a duplicate of each gun we have and spare parts for each. A decent stock pile of ammo, more than a life times supply for each gun. Provided we do not end up engaging in some mad max on going war. Which I think is highly unlikely, contrary to the opinion of some. We have reloading supplies / equipment / manuals and how to books for the calibers we have. All new in the box (on the list of things I need to learn to do). We also have slingshots, pellet guns, compound bows and crossbows, traps, crab pots, shrimp pots, a full compliment of fresh water and salt water fishing gear .
> 
> Our well has a back up propane generator and a spare. We have (3) three hundred gallon propane tanks, several 20 gallon RV propane tanks, (2) fifty gallon propane fuel tanks for the truck. A wood stove & propane heater in the shop/studio and house. Wood, metal, machinist, carpentry, plumbing, welding, electrical, tools, machines and equipment. Sheds filled with building supplies, stores of nails, screws, pipes, hangers, etc. Spare parts and replacements for every piece of equipment. Propane generators for power, dual fuel water heaters. With duplicates of most all of our tools and equipment and spare parts to repair most all of our equipment along with appropriate repair manuals.
> 
> Our major shortfall is power. We have some smaller solar panels for things like the freezer, to recharge batteries and the like. Our primary power source are our propane generators which with prudent use will get us by for about four years with the fuel on hand. After that we will be a up a creek. With grey skies nine months of the year and surrounded by trees our location makes solar power inefficient and extremely expensive for the return. Currently wind power looks like the most viable long term solution. We are also looking into the feasibility of producing alternative fuels.
> 
> For entertainment we have several thousand CD's nearly as many Blue Rays and DVD's. A cupboard of board games. The family room is a library lined with floor to ceiling books on three walls. A crafts room filled with craft supplies. A basketball half court, outside the Studio. The Studio has heavy bags, punching bags, a weight machine, dart board, pool table, A full array of art supplies for drawing painting, sculpting, pottery and wood carving.
> 
> Even though our soil is rich it produces primarily rocks so most of our garden is on raised beds as they are easier for us to maintain. We have a Solar Gem greenhouse and a garden shed to help us extend our growing season and keep culinary herbs on hand. We do not grow all the produce we need but each year get a little closer. We have a few turkeys,and chickens. Next year we will be adding milk and meat goats. After I build some pens, shelter and run a water line to it. One thing I learned with the chickens and turkeys is it is a pain to have to lug water daily. We still lack a working breeding program to assure we can keep a genetically diverse population of live stock.
> 
> Our 922,561 acre back yard provides an infinite supply of, berries. game animals, medicinal and edible plants, mushrooms, fish, shell fish far to many to list. Each year we try to gather our fair share of
> 
> *Berries*
> bearberry, blackberry, black currant, black huckleberry, red huckleberry, blueberry, bunchberry, chokecherry, cloudberry, cranberry, crowberry, elderberry, fairy bell, golden currant, gooseberry, hairy manzanita,hawthorn, mulberry, oregon grape, pacific crabapple, raspberry, red currant, red huckleberry, salal, salmonberry, saskatoon berry, strawberry, sumach, thimbleberry,
> *Nuts*
> hazelnuts, Pine nuts,
> *Mushrooms*
> cauliflower mushroom, chicken of the woods, common puffball, golden chanterelle, hedgehog mushroom, horn of plenty, king bolete, larch bolete, lobster mushroom, morel mushroom, oyster mushroom, pine mushroom,
> *Seaweed*
> red cracked bolete, bull kelp, giant kelp, alaria, eel grass, purple laver, sea lettuce,
> *Fish*
> rock bass, lake white fish, lue catfish, channel catfish, green sunfish, warmouth, bluegill, fresh water ling, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, yellow perch, white crappie, black crappie, mountain white fish, rainbow, steelhead, salmon, brown trout, eastern brook trout, lake trout, Walleye, arctic graylingmoose,
> *Shell Fish*
> Clams, oysters, geoducks, shrimp, crab, mussels
> *Game*
> elk, deer, bear, rabbit, quail, phesants, turkey, ducks, geese, chuckers,
> *Medicial Edible Plants*
> That my wife and now our daughters seem to have an endless store of knowledge about. We have little need for the pharmacy and delicious new flavors have been added to our diet. agoseris, arrowhead, arrow leaved balsamroot, beargrass, bistort, bracken, bulrush, burdock, camas, cattail, chicory, bedstraw, clover, coltsfoot, cow lily, dandelion, devil's club, dock, false solomon's seal, fireweed, goldenrod, ground cone, knotweed, lambs quarter, mariposa lily, miner's lettuce, marsh marigold, mountain sorrel, mustard, pearly everlasting, peppergrass, pickleweed, pineapple weed, plantain, queen's cup, roseroot, salsify, sheep sorrel, shepherd's purse, silverweed, sow thistle, stinging nettle, stonecrop, strawberry blite, sunflower, swamp hedge nettle, sweet clover, sweet gale, sweetflag, thistle, tiger lily, violet, watercress, wild bergamot, wild ginger, wild licorice, wild mint, wild rose, wood lily, yellow glacier lily, yellowcress I am sure the wife can add more than a few others.
> 
> In short we have enough natural resources to sustain us even in the event of a crop failure or shortfall. Every year we do get snowed in for a few weeks so we know every thing is up to date, working and maintained. We are working towards being completely self reliant as we can be. Everything it paid for, including the house. Our living expenses are minimal, so we have the resources to upgrade as well as travel and enjoy our retirement. Hopefully able to survive indefinitely. I seriously doubt that a few northwestern hillbillies are worth the air strikes or major military assault that would be necessary to over run us. Our goal is to be off grid self sustaining so that we may continue living a life of relative comfort regardless of what happens in the world around us.


need any boarders? will bring medical training and the philosophy that " it ain't broke till I can't fix it anymore". will also bring as many supplies as I can carry.


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## machinist

Vet supplies can take care of a lot of things. Do your own due diligence there!

We don't take ANY prescription meds. Wife controls her high blood pressure (checks it 6 times a day) with diet and exercise. Once in a while I get some bronchitis, but that yields to tetracycline. I have some damaged joints that periodically want a dose of strong Chondroitin-Glucosamine and a rub with Dit Da Jow. That has kept me going for many years. We keep enough of those things around to last a while.

We do use some vitamin supplements, but could do without that if we are careful to eat right.

Our weakness is electrical power, some of which I am replacing with solar panels, but other power needs, like garden tillage and grinding grain depend on gasoline. Not good, but haven't found a good alternative. I COULD crank the grain mill, but I wouldn't get much else done that day! Even the Romans used water power to get out of that drudgery. Cheaper than slaves, even, to use water power, but we don't have that available.

Some tasks take a LOT of power. Gardening is very labor intensive without gasoline. I've been gardneing for going on 60 years, and have not found any easy way to get ground plowed. All the hype about mulching, raised beds, and such will NOT grow a any significant amount of grain. You might get the veggies done that way, but you'd have a tough time feeding the chickens enough to be productive. The best alternative to petroleum for farming, logging, or gardening is a horse, based on our experience farming with tractors and horses. We don't have room for one, but probably could trade for that need. I much prefer the horses for logging!

Before somebody takes exception to the above ideas, let me say that a homesteading life is both labor and TIME intensive. You may well be able to do the gardening the hard way, but you run out of time and energy to do the other 129 things that need done. You have to choose your battles wisely to succeed.

Get thyself a copy of this: http://www.amazon.com/PDR-Herbal-Medicines-Thomson-Healthcare/dp/1563636786
And, a copy of this: http://www.amazon.com/Back-Eden-Jet...8&qid=1362782344&sr=1-1&keywords=back+to+eden

Grow some herbs, and forget the doctor and his poisons.


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## machinist

stayinginthegame, 

Can you make decent Jambalaya? Could you make it to Indiana? 

I do love me some Cajun cookin'!

Our neck of the woods is infested with whitetail deer and wild turkeys. Lots of Morels and puffballs, the rivers and lakes have catfish, panfish, some bass and turtles. Hardwood forests and lots of water--streams and lakes, with about 40" to 44" of rain a year. Hickories, walnuts, blackberries, raspberries, and persimmons grow in abundance. Crawfish and cattails in the backwaters. Got Sassafras, too, for file' gumbo. 

Indiana grows a LOT of corn and soybeans, a lot of beef and pork, and zillions of chickens. If you go hungry here, it's your own fault...


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## LongRider

seanallen said:


> Wow! Talk about prepared. Good job!!!


Wow thanks, hope the post was of some help. There are several members who are far better prepped than we are and serve as inspiration for us. Honestly with the time and resources we have invested it really is more about the quality of life we have now than whether or not SHTF. For us a simpler self reliant way of life is a more satisfying way to live.



stayingthegame said:


> need any boarders? will bring medical training and the philosophy that " it ain't broke till I can't fix it anymore". will also bring as many supplies as I can carry.


You're on the other side of the country. Between here and there are far better set ups than ours. More importantly you can do the same for yourself. If this is really a way of life that you want. Forget all the reasons you can't and commit to making it happen. You'll be surprised how quickly doors will open up for you, if you are willing to make the necessary sacrifices. Good luck on your journey.


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## LongRider

machinist said:


> Our weakness is electrical power, some of which I am replacing with solar panels, but other power needs, like garden tillage and grinding grain depend on gasoline. Not good, but haven't found a good alternative.


Same here power is our major shortfall. Have you considered propane? Much easier safer to store large quantities of. I can not even imagine trying to store 1,500 gallons of gas. Propane is no problem. Your equipment will last longer require less maintenance as well. Wind power is looking promising to us as I said our location makes solar pretty expensive and inefficient.



machinist said:


> Some tasks take a LOT of power. Gardening is very labor intensive without gasoline. I've been gardneing for going on 60 years, and have not found any easy way to get ground plowed. All the hype about mulching, raised beds, and such will NOT grow a any significant amount of grain. You might get the veggies done that way, but you'd have a tough time feeding the chickens enough to be productive. The best alternative to petroleum for farming, logging, or gardening is a horse, based on our experience farming with tractors and horses. We don't have room for one, but probably could trade for that need. I much prefer the horses for logging!


True story about grain. We do not even try to produce grain. Wheat and feed are our biggest stock pile. Acorns/Cattails provide our largest source of wild food flour and is labor intensive reserved for those long winter nights. What about goats? Boar goats get to be upwards of 250 pounds they are used for pulling carts, wonder if they can be used to pull a plow. For a small homestead like ours, a goat would be more efficient use of resources than a horse.



machinist said:


> Grow some herbs, and forget the doctor and his poisons.


True that, and of course learn what grows wild in your area. The First People in your area are a priceless source of knowledge about grows locally and how it is gathered, preserved and used.

Good thing about being old is all we have to do is make it thirty years max before the maggots move in. Be interested in hearing your thoughts.


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## machinist

There are wild herbs in the woods here. Goldenseal is the most important to me, as a broad spectrum antibiotic, and can even be used as an eyewash, when properly prepared. There is ginseng, blue cohosh, mayapple (aka, Indiana banana), bloodroot, Indian Turnip, and a lot more. 

It's hard to say what would be the first problems we would face in a SHTF event, but we do have a lot of the bases covered.


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## Justaguy987

Wow, I can hardly believe I just read this whole thread. I can say I have more prepared than some, less than others. But, I am always adding to what I have and I think that is what is most important-growing and preparing.


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## machinist

Longrider, 

All the alternative stuff gets too complicated. Biodiesel, wood gas (lots of wood here), steam engines, windmills, are all machinery that is prone to break down. That's what I like about animal power. It's simple, and very reliable. It has drawbacks, too, but I learned how to manage them. I can make the machinery to farm with horses using only what I find in the woods. We don't own horses, but there is a team set of harness at our place and anothe rnew set at our daughter's place. She grew up using draft horses and training them. 

We have grid electric, but are working on solar panels and also have a stash of kerosene and some lamps. We keep extra soap on hand, but also make some each year with fat saved from cooking. We don't raise pigs, but we have friends who do. And we have a hoist, gambrels, butcher knives, a lard rendering kettle, and a lard press that will stuff sausage, too. As a family, we have done all the butchering and processing thing over a wood fire in the back yard.

We selected where we live because of the overall picture--climate, growing capability, the self reliant nature of folks here, and other things. There is a lot of forest for building materials and to use for heating and cooking. Lots of the locals know perfectly well how to make that work. There is abundant surface water and adequate rainfall, some very good ag ground, and enough wild areas to have a healthy ecology without predators larger than coyotes. 

Our old age plan relies on our skills, ingenuity, foresight, and our kids. I trust family a lot more than other folks, despite the normal family squabbles, which are few. We raised our kids to be self reliant, so that helps tremendously. Daughter and her hubby are off-grid, and have their own business. They cook and heat with a 1948 Home Comfort wood range that also has LP gas burners and the oven works on either gas or wood, too. 

I tend to think in terms of backup systems, so our alternative plans are mostly modern technology with antique backups. Such as our home heating that is electric resistance, but with a wood stove that is fully heating the house this winter. Wood cutting can be done with a couple good chainsaws, or a collection of pristine hand crosscuts, or with an axe. Got extras of everything, and what it takes to maintain it all for a very long time. 

There is a table saw, jointer, belt sander and many hand power tools for working wood and metal, but also a complete set of antique woodworking hand tools, from felling saws to finishing planes and scrapers, all used regularly. 

I have a machine shop that is not CNC, but old manual crank machines. Any of it can run on generators we have, but most things I can get done without electricity. There are cranked drill presses and grinders, lever and foot shears, lever operated punches and sheet metal machines. I have a blacksmith shop and a stash of local coal, but can also use homemade charcoal. I keep spare parts for everything on the place. 

We have city water hooked up (turned off for the past couple years), but use our own cistern water collected from the house roof. I can get water out of the house cistern with an electric pump, a hand pump on the back porch, bail it with a bucket, or gravity flow into the basement where we do laundry in a wringer machine. Also have laundry tubs and scrub boards. We collect water from other buildings into an irrigation tank for the gardens, that is gravity flow. 

It's the old belt AND suspenders idea that makes sure my butt is covered.

You cannot store enough food or water to last a lifetime, so we aimed at producing things for the long term.


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## LongRider

machinist said:


> You cannot store enough food or water to last a lifetime, so we aimed at producing things for the long term.


Exactly could not have said it better.

All the rest we are pretty much on the same page. Though wind power is looking increasingly appealing to me. The equipment seems to be pretty durable. Simple to maintain and repair in the rare cases that it needs it. We will of course have spares and plenty of parts if we go that route.

Of course we have kerosene, candles and the like. As I said propane is our primary power source. Based on your comments about animal power I have added another reason that goats would be a good livestock option for us. Like you we keep parts, spares, replacements or alternatives for our tools and equipment. Don't have near the machine shop or skills you seem to have. Pretty much limited to welders and grinders there. Shop is limited to construction, wood working, automotive and repair. Had a friend once marvel at my "antique" hand tool collection. Was shocked when I told him that they were not a collection they were tools I used.


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## stayingthegame

machinist said:


> stayinginthegame,
> 
> Can you make decent Jambalaya? Could you make it to Indiana?
> 
> I do love me some Cajun cookin'!
> 
> Our neck of the woods is infested with whitetail deer and wild turkeys. Lots of Morels and puffballs, the rivers and lakes have catfish, panfish, some bass and turtles. Hardwood forests and lots of water--streams and lakes, with about 40" to 44" of rain a year. Hickories, walnuts, blackberries, raspberries, and persimmons grow in abundance. Crawfish and cattails in the backwaters. Got Sassafras, too, for file' gumbo.
> 
> Indiana grows a LOT of corn and soybeans, a lot of beef and pork, and zillions of chickens. If you go hungry here, it's your own fault...


use white wine in my jambalaya. make my own habanero sauce too. natchitoches meat pies..... need some okra for good gumbo. we have family in tell city. if you grow, it I'll cook/can it. you kill, it I'll fix it. what about some squirrel gumbo or maybe just over rice as a stew? :droolie:


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## machinist

stayinginthegame, 

Sounds good to me! We're getting so dad-blasted old I may have to yell at you for help. Yes on the tree rats, not so much on habeneros--I'll leave those for you.  We do grow some Okra and Cayennes, though. 

Tell City ain't so far away from us, so you know the kind of territory.


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## weedygarden

*Let her take it!*



TheLazyL said:


> 3 hours and 21 minutes later I'm still explaining to the wife why we're not taking her hair blow dryer......


I always say, don't argue with someone who doesn't really know. Just let her take it. She will not understand NOW that she won't be able to use it, but if you say, "Sure, take it," both of you have moved on to more important things. Some people argue and argue and argue and can't let go. In emergency situations some people do not react well. They get stuck. I have many examples. Watch people in simple situations such as a bee in a room or house. Some people go freaking crazy. Their brains just short circuit.:dunno:

Our understaning that this is human nature helps us get people past stuff and all of us to a better place.


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