Welcome to another week in “Prepper Nation”, as usual we have a lot of interesting things to be watching in the news. Will we be told to prep for inflation or will it be deflation this time? Are they coming for the guns after all or should we be more concerned with the legalities of collecting rain water off our roof? All kinds of progress being made here in the land of the free and home of the “Debt Slave”…

   Several emailers have asked if there was any word from KC, our friend at basic training, yet? Yes, my daughter heard from him over the weekend on a short call privilege period, he is doing well! I know he’d be happy to hear that people are thinking about him!

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As usual, we can count on Backwoods Home Magazine for good reading… John Silveira nutshells “Hyperinflation”, give it a look!

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/silveira122.html

Peter Shiff says “Don’t bet on a recovery!”

http://www.lewrockwell.com/schiff/schiff75.1.html

Karl Denninger over at Market Ticker says wake up - we’re  already in a depression… Interesting article!

http://market-ticker.org/archives/1993-How-Long-Before-You-Wake-Up,-Politicos.html

This should be filed under what next? Apparently our newest subculture has arrived… I half way expected all of us to be living this way before long but this is a little premature!

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,677121,00.html

This Newsweek 5 part series on whats happened in California’s San Joquine Valley… Interesting “Valley of Shadows”

http://www.newsweek.com//id/211399

In this Business Insider article they report that 70% of age eligible people are not retiring because they can’t afford to!

http://www.businessinsider.com/70-of-the-elderly-arent-retiring-because-they-cant-afford-to-2010-3

The LA Times is describing the US as a fragile empire…

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-ferguson28-2010feb28,0,7706980.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fmostviewed+(L.A.+Times+-+Most+Viewed+Stories)

According to the Wall Street Journal our taxes are about to go through the ceiling.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704240004575085484172848358.html?mod=WSJ_newsreel_personalFinance

Charles Hugh Smith shows us how are constant pursuit of the lowest price has damaged us beyond anything we might have expected.

http://www.oftwominds.com/blogjan10/self-destruction01-10.html

Newsweek debates the idea that California is America’s first failed state – Is there really any debate??

http://www.newsweek.com/id/232575

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Prepper

Two basic laws of the Infantryman and how they apply to Preparedness…

Both of these simple rules I learned as a young Lieutenant.  On the face they are simple, but each has a larger context as it relates to prepping.  The first rule applies to water and the second involves “snivel gear” (the Army term for warm/comforting clothing).

Rule 1: Water.  I grew up in the Army before the days of the CamelBak and other hydration systems.  We had high tech devices called canteens (and no we did not carry muskets).  Each soldier regularly carried 4 quarts of water.  You had a 2 qt canteen attached to your rucksack and two 1 qt canteens on your pistol belt.  The rules for consumption were simple and commonsensical.  The first water to be consumed would be from the 2 qt on your rucksack, even though this was typically the least convenient when you were on the move.  The reason is simple. If you are separated from your pack you will still have 2 FULL canteens on your pistol belt.

Rule 2: Snivel Gear.  No matter how cold and/or how wet you become ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS maintain ONE piece of dry clothing (it could be a t-shirt, sweater, poly-pro top, etc) in your rucksack.  Again the reason is simple.  When you are suckin’…I mean REALLY suckin’…knowing that you still have a dry piece of clothing is a HUGE morale booster and gives you hope that when it gets warmer or stops raining you can change into something more comfortable.  When everything you have is wet and you are cold it is infinitesimally easier to give up and quit!

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How does Rule 1 apply to prepping?  In the simplest form it can be useful advice, but let’s consider the larger context.  Here’s a scenario. The power is out (you pick the reason) and you have the following fuels available for cooking; one 20 lb bag of charcoal, a propane grill with a full tank, 2 gallons of gas in a can for your lawn mower and 1 rick of firewood for your fire place.  Which should you use to cook with first?  My answer is none of the above!  I send my kids to the woods across the street to gather as much dead fall as they can carry home.  The reason is simple.  I save my “convenient fuels” for when I need it.  There will be a time when I HAVE to tap into my convenient preps.  The reasons could be illness, security, weather, etc.  As a result, it is important to save convenient preps. The important point is to make every effort possible to preserve your reserve.  Obviously do not take this to the extreme and die of starvation with a basement full of Mountain House #10 cans.  However, I’m not sure it’s a great idea to figure out if you can shoot a squirrel when you are out of Mac-N-Cheese and starvin’ to death.

Rule 2 involves Hope and Morale; both in my view are imperative to survival.  The point here is to pick something (and the something should fit the context of your situation) that you preserve until “the end”.  If you like “Zombie Land”…maybe it’s a box of Twinkies.  It could be a pack of cigarettes, can of food, bottle of Jim Beam…whatever.  The point is; keep something to look forward too.  This will help you maintain morale and look to the future.  If you eat all the good stuff, wear all your dry clothes, shoot up all your ammo, or spend all of your silver too early there is no future.  Quite simply, you will lose hope.

On some level these concepts are simple, but I hope it provokes some thought on how you prep and how you prioritize.

JeSter

   I’m back… As I was saying I have come to a couple conclusions as to the trigger events that would put me and mine on the road to our BOL… First, some sort of military or terror attack. Obviously, this would be something unforeseen and the extent of damage would also contribute to our required reaction. Second, the potential for a politically motivated bug out is real in my mind. This could be something like persecution or the highly unlikely tyrannical gun grabs of survivalist lore. My personal feeling surrounding this trigger would be something more like the sheeple finally waking up to the fact our nation is bankrupt. The ensuing economic and political backlash could easily throw society into a very unfriendly place. My main reason for staying in the Seattle area currently would be gone… That reason being my business and thus my families income, seconded by my daughter’s educational needs. With these two cards off the table, we’re gone!

   No matter how we got here, we’re on the road now… Lets see what we might run into that would hinder our progress to the BOL. Starting with the scenario of a physical attack against our nation. My biggest concerns would be that the National Guard would have the main roads shut down. This may very well be the best thing for the .gov to do but it would prevent my progress either way. Another potential issue would be all of my like minded brethren also fleeing the chaos. In addition to either of these potential deal killers, we could add in the element of winter weather to potential driving conditions.

   Let me explain again that I do not have all the answers but I have tried to mitigate these problems as much as possible. First, both of our rigs are capable off road vehicles. Strong 4 wheel drive vehicles aren’t going to get you there all by themselves of course but they will expand the potential number of secondary roads I might choose to take. In that same vein, I have taken a lot of time to travel on multiple alternative routes to my destination. What may look like a dead end to one man may very well be the best choice to another. Not only should good, up to date maps be kept for all potential roads to be traveled but first hand information about each should also be gained, whenever possible.

   As fun as it is to have a real off road capable vehicle, you know, all jacked up, armored underbelly, etc. I’ve elected to keep our vehicles very plain. Both are basically stock but of strong, good quality manufacture. The Jeep has a small lift kit but it doesn’t look intimidating. The reason for this is more than just economic. I don’t want to look threatening to anyone, I actually would prefer to go un-noticed if at all possible. If you don’t notice me, you will probably not think to worry about what I might have for you to steal. I also won’t come across as a fringe “Foil Hat” survivalist running for the hills. We are fully capable of inflicting some sting to anyone that decided to start trouble but when bullets are flying they don’t seem to care if you’re the good guy or not! I plan to be very co-operative with my fellow travelers as well as any government payrolled individuals I meet!

   I attempt to keep my rigs in good running order and never have less than half a tank of fuel. In addition we have extra fuel that will be loaded into the vehicles prior to departure. I keep a box of gear handy that has added equipment that will help us stay moving in the right direction… Tow straps, quality link tire chains for all 4 wheels, fluids and repair materials and of course the shovels and other equipment that I keep in the Jeep on a day to day basis.

   The second scenario of an economic or politically motivated bug out could possibly find the roads blocked intentionally and or require additional documentation to get through. As I write this I have yet to move forward with this plan but it’s on my to-do list. In news stories and certainly popular fiction we see National Guard road blocks to restrict movement in to or out of areas that require it. I could see the time when America may be placed under martial law, curfews and travel restrictions. In my limited experience I would expect that a person would be allowed to travel for the purposes of getting to their home. While our BOL is several hundred miles away, it is reasonable to expect that we could get their even under these potential restrictions. I plan to be living there on a semi-full time basis in the next few years so why not just go ahead and get my drivers hse issued with that address? Possibly we would leave my wife’s license with the city house address. It would seem easy enough to explain why my wife would need to accompany me to our residence, regardless of what address showed on her ID.

   In addition to the potential legitimate road blocks, I believe that under the right conditions we could see local areas blocked of to “Protect” their towns people… Alright, I can respect that but I still need to get through to go on my way to my home, right? As long as I have a reasonable story and the ID to back it up, I’m betting on getting my group through. All of this is assuming we are making this trip shortly after the trigger event happens at the latest.

   What else would be good to have on hand for passage? I have a copy of the Deed to my land in my BOB, bug out bag. This might help with my story if it came down to that… How about a copy of a power bill or bank statement from a local bank in the nearest town? Each of us would have a slightly different set of paperwork but anything that would show a legitimate right to be traveling to such and such, would be a good idea. Especially if it is a home or land that you actually own.

   What if you were going to be trying to reach a friend or family members place? This  might be a little harder but still not impossible. Maybe have that friend give you the old fashion, “Letter of Introduction”… Sounds silly  but anything that will offer the people manning the road block an excuse to let you pass would be worth a try. I would also do a little research on the area your going to be traveling to ahead of time… Knowing the local roads by name and even the local greasy spoon cafe can add credibility to a skeptical Guardsman or farmer, whichever the case might be.

   As preppers we are usually more in tune to the news and stay ahead of the pack when we smell something funny on the wind… It is exactly this behavior that will be our greatest asset when it comes time to “Bug Out”. If at all possible we will want to be the first one’s getting on the road! The ability to stay ahead of the sheeple and or even the government responce is going to be critical to our success. Even a few hours time could change the situation drastically! We have all seen how quickly the roads get plugged on holiday weekends, imagine this except 100 times as bad. We’ve all seen the disaster movies with all the cars that ran out of gas on the highway, we do not want to be in that mess! Yes, we will still have a shot at getting out even if we are late to the party but I’d rather leave early and have to come back a couple days later with egg on my face than to leave a few hours to late and be the guy trying to get around a guard rail or fighting my way over a freeway median.

   I guess to some up what we’ve covered on this topic is… In almost all cases, I’d plan on buggin in! Short term stuff just doesn’t justify leaving home. We should all plan for the worst and have the bug out bags ready to go but don’t neglect the preps to your primary residence. Get to know the neighbors and be prepared to provide for your self on your home ground. I think we all would like to have a BOL and I am fortunate to have gotten mine but there isn’t any rush. Make plans or even a pact with a trusted friend to keep your options open if you need to bail out but be prepared to host another family if that’s the cards that get dealt instead.

   Most likely I haven’t brought attention to anything “new” per se but I hope to always challenge your mind to consider a slightly different perspective. If anyone wants to share their take on this subject, I’m always willing to take guest articles.

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   Speaking of guest articles, we will have an article submitted by JeSter tomorrow. I’ve mentioned before that I get some great emails from readers and I know many of you have a lot to say on these subjects – find your voices and send me something to post! I will gladly share the spotlight with my brothers!!

Prepper

   Hi everyone, I want to start today with an encouragement to all the readers to keep the emails coming! I want to know what you’re thinking and especially what kinds of things you’re facing… Maybe you’re about to start on a project and we could spend the day discussing it or if you have thick enough skin – poke some holes in your idea or just add something you’ve forgotten to consider? I do appreciate all the feed back I’ve been getting but I also want your personal perspectives, I DO NOT have it all figured out and if I give the impression that I do? Just let me say that I am on the same journey that my readers are on and I’m far behind some of you, please share your perspectives and we can all glean from your experiences too!

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  Back on track with the topic at hand. So your rig is all loaded and you just pulled out of the driveway… What now? Where are you going? Are you hooking up with another party to caravan? Did you remember to get those short range radios off the charger or were you going to count on the cell towers? Alright CB radio, hmm – I wouldn’t bet those frequencies will be available in an emergency. Not to mention that you don’t need every other vehicle for miles to literally hear you coming. I’m not going to get bogged down in the communication arena right now but it is something you should be thinking about…

   For the sake of argument and keeping this topic progressing, I’ll use my BOL as a destination. I’m going to trust all of you with some of my personal bug out plans. Some of you already know me and I know I’ll be meeting more of you as the months go on. These plans though are my personal plans and as thus are only an example. Like most all of this prepping we do, each of us will have customized plans to our exact situations. What we discuss here today is a fair generalization of some things that the road could throw at us just when we are in need of no more surprises.

   Since we are using me as an example, I’ll be driving my 3/4 ton pickup w/ canopy and I’ll be followed by my wife in the Jeep. We will each have a 2 way radio as well as a cell phone for back up if they are still working. The radios are kept on chargers all the time and would be grabbed on the way out the door. For the sake of brevity our vehicles will be loaded with the remaining self sufficiency gear from the house along with our Bug Out bags and all the food from the house. Lets just leave it at that so we don’t get to far off track!

   Our journey will take us from our current home to our stocked and fairly secure BOL. Our primary route would take us over a mountain pass and could very well be in the middle of winter… What should we expect to find during the time we travel “The Road”? Sounds dramatic but I think we might be surprised to find the highways and byways we all travel everyday to be a much different place during an emergency.

   First off, when did we finally hit the road and get this 2 car caravan underway? Did we beat the disasters worst or are we trying to make up for some lost time, putting us out in the thick of evacuation traffic? Is the road going to even be open? Could we be facing a political disaster that would make the likelihood of road blocks higher than blocked roads? Like I said I haven’t got it all figured out but I have spent a good deal of time pondering the possibilities and used these pondering to develop my plans…

   As preppers we should always deal with the most likely scenario’s first and work our way out from there. As you know we live our day to day life in the Seattle WA. area and so we need to take a moment to assess the possible troubles our area might face. We have the full range of weather and natural disater possibilities. We are surrounded by military bases of every shape and size. We are blessed to have a variety of large corporations in our region as well. The Boeing Company, Microsoft to name a couple but there are many companies big and small that are contributors to the military and related fields. We have 2 large ports as well as a slew of smaller regional air fields. As you can see we have no shortage of potential targets for legitimate enemy nations or terror attacks.

   As I was saying about the idea of a true long term bug out, weather related and or regional disaster would most likely not trigger a reaction as drastic as pulling up stakes to make a run for it. The military strike possibilities have potential and of course the very real possibility we all face of society finally pulling the plug and causing a breakdown on a scale that I would throw in the towel and get moving. What I have come down to when deciding what would put me and the family on the road is most likely a military attack or political breakdown of large proportion. The only other potential for leaving would be financial… If I could no longer support myself and or find gainful employment in the area, I would head for the BOL as a way of preserving my ability to provide for my family long term. This last option would however be more of a matter of just moving away as opposed to “Bugging Out”…

   Having identified the reasons that would cause me, personally to be out on the road, I can come to a few conclusions. Nothing can be ruled out but we are going to deal with the more likely challenges first and then go back to figure out some of the long shots.

   I’m going to pick this up again tomorrow but I will say that the conclusions I have arrived at for potential issues are relatively few. No one could prepare for every eventuality but I believe I have covered the most likely but I will again encourage you to knock some holes in m plans… I’d rather it was you doing me the favor than deal with that Guardsman one dark night… Oh well, see you tomorrow!

Prepper

   OK then, what were we discussing? Oh that’s right, you still think that hitting the road for points beyond the pavement is a better solution to TEOTWAWKI – The End Of The World As We Know It? Maybe your right? If we truly do see a life changing event, I’m with you or should I say I’ll be seeing you because I’m outa here too!

   Bugging Out is by far the more talked about solution that I see survivalists come to. Unfortunately, I don’t hear a lot about the details that will be involved if and or when that fateful day did arrive… 99% of any disasters we are likely to be involved in would not be best handled by “Bugging Out”. Think this through for a moment… What are the most likely emergency situations that any one of us is likely to find ourselves facing? Earthquakes, a hurricane or even the meltdown of our economy… With the exception of damage that could be sustained to your shelter by that weather event, bugging out would be only for a short time to stay out of harms way while the winds were actually blowing. Even economic upheaval would often find you required to show up for work or looking for a position to show up for…

   I know what you’re thinking… Prepper was going to talk up the “Bugging Out” option today? Be patient, I am going to talk about that but I have to be clear, bugging in is the better choice up until we hit a real meltdown… Short of an event that allows you to truly say screw it and walk away from your J-O-B with no intention of be able to come back to it after whatever is happening quites down again, bugging out isn’t the right choice. Also for clarity, bugging out to the next town down the highway while the flood waters recede isn’t the “BUG OUT” were talking about today. When I say “Bug Out”, I mean you have one shot at loading the family and leaving… You can take one load with you and that’s it, whatever you can’t get loaded or don’t have room for gets left behind for the scavengers. By scavengers I mean your neighbors that had no choice but to “bug in”…

   Have all of you “Bug Outers”, really thought about what it means to really bug out? There would be no way you could take everything you might need or even half of that pile of stuff you thought we didn’t know you had under the house. Face it as prepperswe have a lot of stuff. That stuff represents a huge amount of time and money. Often we have spent years acquiring the items we feel necessary to protect ourselves and our loved ones from the uncertain future. Just leave it behind, I doubt it! I bet your like me and have assumed that the back of the truck would hold more gear than it actually will.. How about weight, be honest – you and I both know those cases of ammo weigh a lot more than we wanted to admit when we were carrying them out to the car after the gun show…

   Planning to take the family dog with you when you leave for good? You better be if you know whats good for ya, those kids are going to pitch a fit if you try to leave the mut behind. How much space will the dog and its “stuff” be taking up? What are the kids going to have to bring if they can’t be convinced that you’re just leaving for the weekend? You and I both know the kids have a way of getting the better of us because we don’t want to see them unhappy for long! If you haven’t got a quick answer to these questions than you are NOT ready to choose a “Bug Out” for your primary disaster plan! Yes, if pressed we will all bug out if the need was desperate but again I’m talking about this being our desired solution…

   So when would I agree with you that a bug out is the best choice? If you have a real poor chance of surviving where you are now. Inner city neighborhood or even an apartment in the suburbs would probably have me convinced that leaving would be better. That situation would have me asking myself what am I doing in an inner city neighborhood or this crappy apartment long before the disaster was at hand though. Either of these type of current dwellings is perfectly acceptable but should be for a reason and recognised as a less than optimal survival retreat and thus a bug out plan would be appropriate. It may still not require that you make the BIG jump to heading for the hills, possibly just a short jump to a relatives place that is better situated for a bug in. If these options are all contemplated before hand that short trip to your brother in laws place could be putting both families in a better position. Just think it through now while the fires are still small and the truck isn’t being repacked for the 6th time trying to find a place for all 3 of your kids, you did remember that they are accustomed to riding INSIDE the vehicle, right?

   OK, enough of the pessimism about your short sighted “Bug Out” plan. You’re leaving your driveway witheverything in place just as you planned. The truck is fully fueled and both spare tires for the bug out trailer are in place so you can change one in record time while the oldest boy keeps a close watch for approaching MZB’s. With the exception of the sadness you feel for having to leave the house you’ve lived in since the kids were little, everything is going just as you had drilled for it to go…

   Are we getting anywhere, I didn’t think so… The next thing we’ll get into is the – WHERE? As in where are you going now that you are loaded and ready to head down the road. Are you really as prepared for what that road may bring to the equation? What about when the National Guardsman is standing at your window asking you to produce -what? Let’s spend a little time on these issues tomorrow… Just so you don’t think I’m against the whole “Bug Out”, remember I have the BOL. I’ll be Buggin Out for sure and I’ll share all of the things I’ve come up with to get that plan to where it is today…

See ya tomorrow!

Prepper