Well, I think this is worth sharing with you all to illustrate what the other side might be thinking when it comes to surviving… I thought I’d heard of every creative survival strategy but this was a new one on me… I get fairly regular direct emails and or “contact messages” from my readers and almost exclusively I’ve had great interactions but occasionally they go differently and this one came in today…

 

 

“Here’s my list of SHTF survival Supplies.

 

1. CO2 fire extinguishers.

2. Oxy/Acy cutting torch.

3. Oxygen mask retrofitted for SCUBA tanks.

 

The CO2 in the fire extinguishers will be drawn into the air intakes of any survival shelters I find and effectively eliminate the survival nut hiding in there. CO2 is a gas just like air, so the filtration units can’t remove it.

 

The cutting torch will open the steel escape hatch that the survival nut enter through.

 

The mask and SCUBA tanks will allow me to raid the supplies in the survival shelter at my leisure.”

 

 

   Hmm, where do we begin on this? Anyone else ever think of this option? Like I said it’s a new one for me and I thought I was a fairly creative thinker… I guess I’d like to thank the author of this comment for corresponding with me as I always like to hear from my readers and do welcome opposing views as long as they’re kept civil. That said let’s think this through and see if we can see the glaring holes in what otherwise is a well thought out plan!

 

   FIRST things first, if you wanted to go to so much planning for SHTF why not just PREP the more conventional way like the rest of us? I do understand that there’s a rumor a foot that “PREPPING is the answer”? SECOND, how would this setup work out as far as mobility? It would appear that to FIND survival shelters, a good deal of driving around would be required? Very few folks have anything near a hardened survival shelter, so I maintain that these goldmines will be few and far between… So to stay mobile will require prepositioned fuel supplies to haul all that gear from score to score… THIRD, after the SHTF event you’re describing there would be some element of the disaster that required this filtered air intake being in use for you to use the CO fire extinguisher on, right? What kind of air are you breathing while you hunt for your easy pickins? I suppose that the SCUBA tanks could be used until you found the first patsy but I’d rethink that and possibly add additional items to the list for the eventuality that a shelter wasn’t found quickly! Additionally, it might be wise to toss in something to re-establish a seal on the escape hatch after you cut it open so you will be able to take advantage of the air supply when the shelter is under your control? Just a thought…

 

   LASTLY, and most importantly I’d like to look one last time at the list of goodies that would be at your disposal after you gas the occupants of the shelter. It’d be prudent to know ahead of time what kinda great stuff the survival nuts would be leaving behind… Most of the survival nuts that I’ve met have their angles covered pretty well – I bet there would be plenty of food! Canned goods and freeze dried meats are always popular and tasty. Water and a way to purify it would certainly be present for the taking. Durable goods like sleeping bags and cooking utensils are probably going to be covered, you might even have more then you need after you hit a second or third shelter… I can see it now, you’re on your way to establishing your empire in the wastelands. Tina Turner would be proud of such an ingenious entrepreneur like you!

 

   Lets see, what else might be there that a guy could use? I bet the survival nut would have a security system with a cool periscope and everything so you could watch for anyone coming to loot your hard stolen goods… You’d never go for some other thug sneakin up on you like that! No way! You’re far to smart for that! Oh wow, cool… The survival nut stored some of those cool handheld radios so he could communicate with his survival nut buddies while he was down in the shelter… Oh yeah and don’t forget to look under the bunk bed, that’s where the best stuff usually is… Anybody want to tell our friend what he might find under the bed… Anyone, anyone?

 

   Alright, I’ll go ahead and spill the beans – That survival nut stores his gun collection under the bed… All SURVIVAL NUTS keep guns under the bed! I bet that as soon as the early warning system detected you outside carrying your SCUBA equipment around looking for the escape hatch the survival nut entered through he’d put up the periscope and see your dumb a– and get on his radio for a little help from his other sucker survival nut friends… Or possibly he could exit through the main entrance while you’re poking around near his “escape hatch” trying to setup your tools. I’m pretty sure that there would be an “escape hatch” too, those survival nuts don’t usually rely on the “one way in, one way out” philosophy… The survival nut would most likely get the drop on you, this being his home turf and all.

 

   What happens then, anyone, anyone? That’s right, YOU DIE! Survival nuts kill people that try to kill them – Wait that goes for Preppers too and I bet a real survival NUT would probably kill you for even thinking about harming them, I understand that they’re all paranoid and extremely territorial about who come’s on to their land…

 

   Food for thought looter! You WILL die! You will never get the drop on anything even close to a survival NUT! A creative guy like yourself should just resign himself to the fact that when the SHTF, you better be ready with your own gear and plans because there are plenty of other dipsticks out there that have similar plans and us NUTS have been onto em for some time now! FAIL TO PLAN = PLAN TO FAIL

 

 

Game Over…

 

Prepper