Family Survival Kits

[Sandtick]

With all the natural disasters, the weak economy and just the plain unknown I feel as if God is stirring me to become a little more prepared. I have been thinking of getting together a basic survival kit for the family.
Was wondering if anyone on here has done the same? If so, what have you included in yours? If not, what would yours look like?

 

[mudpuppy]

Couple schools of thought on this subject. Its very easy to go full down the rabbit hole when it comes to storing up gear for a big Global disaster. There is no end to this driven kind of prep, I do appreciate the folks that do though, and understand. Everybody SHOULD be ready both mentally and gear wise to make it through a week without power, that's relatively not too hard to prepare for...

If you feel the Lord is telling you to get ready, then get ready, we are told he is not the Spirit of Fear, so a Christian persons motivations to prep have to come from somewhere else. Like gaining skills
Family plans are a good idea, everybody should understand where to go and what to have if communications/power fail, shelter in place depending upon the weather and situation.

Skills carried in your head will serve you better than gear carried on your back...at the very least for humans to survive on this Planet is the capability to make fire, shelter, and clean water...the rule of "3's"..
3 minutes without first aid, 3 hrs without heat, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food...are sort of good parameters to think about...

If the whole thing takes a dump, there will be plenty of gear laying around you can help yourself to in a few weeks....heck, most Americans would be dead in a few weeks even in good weather just from the shock of it all...lighting a fire and taking advantage of it is something everybody should be able to do, but I bet most kids would have trouble with this skill, as well as how to use a knife, build a shelter, pay attention to the weather, etc.

Lots of folks are getting the same feelings, not just Christians.

Mud

 

[Sandtick]

Thanks Mud!
I never heard the rule of "3's" before. That helps me out a lot.
I don't think the Lord is telling me to get ready but instead he is nudging me to not be so comfortable. Does that make sense?

 

[mudpuppy]

Certainly makes sense! You are a good Man and Father...this is a fragile World when you think about it...nothing wrong to try to be ready to keep your family as safe and comfortable as possible...lots of historical evidence of disasters that put a hurt on people...just keeping those lighters you find on the beach someplace with a bag of candles for a power outage is more than most folks have. The Lord provides!

After the crash of 08, two guys from Wallstreet that know one of my brothers flew out here for me to put through a wilderness survival weekend...neither had ever spent a night in the woods, or lit a fire, it was pretty strange trying to jam as much in in that short span of time and and least get their heads screwed on straight. Dont know if I succeeded, but at least they left being able to build a fire, and have an appreciation of the comforts that this modern world has given them.
Mud

 

[Sandtick]

Very good to know that you have training in this area Mud. I may PM you, if that is o.k. once I start my kit.

 

[mudpuppy]

Please do! I am no guru or follow any set doctrine when it comes to this stuff, but I have learned a lot from being outside most of my life and did stay at a Holiday Inn express a time or two...

You start thinking about what gear a person needs, then apply Occams' Razor...when you get down to 2 items, one should be a lighter and the other a machete...when you get down to one, depending upon the weather rolling in, in most cases you should keep the machete, lose the lighter, and have some backup abilities ready to go...
Mud.

 

[Sgt. Silverman]

Hey Pete,

First, I'm with mudpuppy on this one. That rabbit hole could hit Pluto... forget China! I understand the premise of the question, for I too have felt a "nudging" if you will. However, I started my "prepping" long before it was a term and I lived by the flesh. When I was on active duty we would train with Special Forces and Rangers who taught us in-depth survival training when I was a Forward Observer, and I was also the Survival Sergeant in our National Guard unit for 2 years. (My Lt. also analyzed the Rodney King debacle and told us that if there was ever any civil unrest and you live in a city, you have anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes to "get out" and "head to the hills" before a city goes on lock-down and anarchy erupts.) The great thing was that when I got out of the Army, I took this "head-knowledge" and built my first "Bug-out Bag". (I made one for Al as well) What's in my (our) bug out bag? Here's the high level view;

5 Types of Fire starting material (Lighter, magnifying glass, Magnesium, 9Volt Battery & Steel wool, water proof matches)
Water purification devices (straws, tablets, etc)
Survival knife (sharpening stone a must)
First Aid kit (large)
Ammo (this can be used or sold for goods) I have 9MM (4 boxes worth)
Slingshot (for hunting small game. Noise discipline is a must in a survival situation)
Junk Silver coins (if the crud hits the fan that badly, I highly doubt precious metals will retain there value, but that's another story for another day )
Contractor Garbage bags (the thick Mil kind, I keep 4 at the bottom of the bag) / Freezer Zip lock bags (Millions of uses)
Animal snares (DISCLAIMER: Please check your state regulations on snaring small game. In some states it's illegal)
Lensatic Compass
Flashlights (Small conventional and the shakeable kind)
Mini Grundig World Radio
GPS (mini)
2 Way Radio
Solar battery charger with rechargeable batteries

Now Pete this is why mudpuppy said this is a rabbit hole. He's right. For you your bug-out bag could be 37 Snicker bars, a flamethrower, a bottle of Ajax and 3 Qtips. It's basically "what do you think you would want to have if you had to "bug-out" of a situation". That is my "basic list" above. I have more items too but it would be a longer list. I also have a rendezvous point for Al the kids and I. (I work 25 miles south of home and if major highways get shutdown, you might want to plan on a meeting place because if you don't have a mini-helicopter in the trunk of your car, getting home might pose a bit of a challenge and could take days to even weeks depending if you have to travel by foot).

Now, do I believe I will need all of this stuff? I pray not. As I've started dying to the flesh I know that the Lord has Blessed me with every bit of training that I have. Could I survive on just what's on my back? Sure. Why? Because if I do survive, it won't be by my hand but God's alone. For instance; I'm not concerned about food at all. Did God not send Manna? Did Jesus not multiply the loaves of bread and fish? The way I view survival now is through my Spirit man and not of the flesh like I used to. My flesh knows to get out of dodge if the proverbial crud hits the fan, and my flesh knows to head to the boonies with my family away from the anarchy at least for a few weeks until things settle down. (Worst case scenario mind you.) The rest, well, I'm a child of God and he will love me and our family and provide for us. And having true Faith in that provision is what can carry anyone through a tough / survival situation. Thanks for the post Pete and God Bless!

Greg

 

[SeniorSeeker]

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[BePrepared01]

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[BePrepared01]

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[Ma Betty in MO]

n/t

 

[C.J.M.]

Wait until the welfare dries up 48,000,000 people will do withoutPeople will go wild because they are so used to hand-outs ,riots will be breaking out all crime will increasePray the lord will come before that happens

 

[Ma Betty in MO]

Yes, according to God's Holy Word...the great tribulation will be more terrible and disastrous than any time that has been on earth or ever will be again! Let us pray for the lost souls, who will be saved to be saved, and then, "Come quickly, Lord Jesus, and take Your true believers up and away from all the hate and destruction that is coming upon all who are left behind! Thank You, for hearing and answering our prayers for our loved ones and for others who are condemned to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire unless they believe and repent of all their sins and live for You, dear Jesus! Amen! Ma

 

[bossman]

Ok, I'm a Pepper. I have a feeling things will get a lot worse before they get better. I have this problem with my Mom, she says The lord will take care of her. I believe he will but I also think he wants us to help ourselves .I get a lot of stuff at Dollar store. I just pick up a bag beans or a bag of rice when at the store, to hygiene at the dollar store a pack of lighters anything you may need. I have about 3 weeks food ,100 gals water etc. Its a lot cheaper that way.I have a lot of experience if you would like ask I check in 3 or 4 times a day. And Remember you can only depend on God and yourself.

 

[Sandtick]

Thanks Bossman! Never thought of a Dollar Store.
I'm trying to figure out the basics like water and food. Also, batteries and first aid supplies. I think just enough for a couple of weeks.
Was looking at Survival Kits but they are extremely pricey.

 

[bossman]

Radio shack for battery's not real cheap but very good, For an option try hand crank radios and lights. For water I buy 5 gal jugs at Wal-Mart for 5.00 and fill them at Brookshires for 0.29 a gal. much cheaper than bottled water and refillable, also you can drink the water in the hot water heater good for 50-60 gals. Water is life

 

[C. Nyal de Kaye]

I have never heard this line of thought in Australia.

To me, anyway, this "prepping" seems to be peculiarly American.

This comment is not meant to be offensive or critical, but is rather just voicing an observation.

 

[Ma Betty in MO]

n/t

 

[Sandtick]

Hey C. Nyal no offense taken. Prepping for a natural disaster is my main concern.
If my family was without power/natural gas/drinking water for a couple weeks could we survive it. I have never been prepared for this kind of a situation before. City living has given me a false sense of security over the years. About 12 years ago when I was living in the Detroit area we (along with some other states) lost power for 3 or 4 days. It was kind of scary, especially since so many people were affected. Gas stations didn't have power to pump gas and many businesses were closed. No one knew when the power would come back on.
There are a lot of people in the U.S. that are preping for some kind of civil unrest. They are stockpiling guns, ammo, food, water and precious metals (gold and silver). There is a huge ammo shortage right now.

 

[C. Nyal de Kaye]

Thanks for your comments Sandy.

We do a lot of travelling. We began in tents when we were first married and now travel in an off-road caravan. In a way we have had a lot of experience in the bush and the outback so that helps prepare you for some degree of hardship, I suppose.

Because of that lifestyle we have a generator and all sorts of stuff that would enable us to live without all the modern conveniences.

But we have never thought of it in the terms used here.

Anyway mate, I'm just curious about it, that's all.