As preppers we tend to look at a total collapse scenario as a Mad Max or Walking dead type scenario. The truth is, there are far too many variables to say what it would be. So, what would a long term SHTF really look like?

I have heard it said that the more extreme the scenario, the less likely it is to happen. While this may be true, that doesn’t make it impossible. Throughout your life, you have probably witnessed or heard about things you never thought would happen. 911, Pearl Harbor and Nagasaki come to mind for me.

As preppers we prepare for the likely, as well as the unlikely, because it seems the more unlikely a disaster scenario is, the higher the stakes are. Because of this we need to be realistic about how the events might unfold, and how we may need to react.

SPP235 What Would a Long Term SHTF Event REALLY Look Like

This week in the show Lisa and I dug deep into some things that would cause a long term SHTF event, how things might unfold, and some of the variables we need to consider. While our survival is never guaranteed, preparedness is about learning and increasing our odds.

The 3 Major Variables

In any disaster scenario there are 3 variables that will change how things unfold. There variables are other people, the government(s), and yourself. Regardless of the disaster scenario, these will factor into how well, or not so well things go for you.

Other People: It’s probably no surprise to hear that other people will play a big role in how your situation goes. People have proven time and time again that when things get bad, they will do whatever it takes to survive.

Government: Whether we are talking about our government, or other countries governments stepping in, there will be some sort of government to deal with. The people in control will do whatever it takes to maintain power, and who knows what that looks like.

Yourself: The decisions we make, the skills we learn, and how prepared we are, will all play a role in how everything plays out. This is why being honest with yourself about your abilities and skills is so important.

What Would Cause a Long Term Event?

As I stated earlier, the odds of a large scale (country wide) disaster scenario are far less likely than a small scale disaster or personal doomsday, but this doesn’t mean we can ignore it. Just 3 years ago I would have said that the odds of an EMP were very low. Because of countries like Iran and North Korea, I can’t say that today.

In this article I wrote a while ago about possible disaster scenarios, I went over some events that could be both short term, and long term. Events such as an economic collapse, and EMP and war could be long term events.

It’s also important to note that a long term SHTF event could be cause by a combination of events. For example: if an EMP only took out the power grid on the west coast, it could mean devastating consequences for the economy.

Possible SHTF Timeline

In the show Lisa and I went over a SHTF timeline scenario. It’s hard to say exactly how things would unfold, but I think we all have a pretty good idea.

It’s that time of year again when everyone starts making new years resolutions, only to be forgotten about before January even ends. I stopped making resolutions years ago, but I do set a few prepping goals each year, and look back at the goals I had the year before.

I always try to set a few preparedness goals each year because it helps me stay focused on the things that matter to me. Over the course of a year, it can be easy to get caught in the quagmire of different prepping topics and new prepping gear, leading us to lose sight of the big picture.

Setting a few prepping goals each year helps me stay focused on what’s important, and keep my prepping priorities straight. Some of these are easy to attain goals, and some are long term goals where I asses my progress throughout the year.

SPP234 Our Prepping Goals for This Year

This week Lisa and I decided to share with everyone our preparedness goals for the upcoming year. The thought behind this show was to give everyone some ideas, or even a little motivation to become better prepared in 2018.

My Goals…

These may change a little throughout the year, but here are some of my goals that we talked about in the show…

Hands on Learning

Take 3 Classes: My goal this year is to do some more “hands-on”. I want to take a few actual classes instead of watching YouTube videos, and practicing in the back year.  Here are the 3 classes that top my list this year.

Tactical Shooting: At some point thins year I want to take a shooting class (or a few) that isn’t just stationary targets. I think quite a few of us overstate our shooting ability, and hitting a moving target is much more difficult than hitting a stationary one.

CERT Training: I’m not sure how deep I want to go with this, but I at least want to get the training. As their website says: “The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.”

Prepper Camp: We’ve already purchased tickets for Prepper Camp this year, so this should be an easy to attain goal. The great thing about Prepper Camp is that it is a weekend full of preparedness classes, and an opportunity to meet others in the preparedness community.

My 3 Priorities This Year

Ham Radio: This year I plan on getting more involved with ham radio. Almost every year, I say the same thing only to work with it for a month and then slowly lose interest. My solution for this (hopefully) is to join a ham radio club in my area.

Solar Power: This year I want to set up a battery bank for Lisa’s barn. The reason I want to set it up in the barn is because right now we run electric cords out to power the lights, water heater and electric fence. This seems like a perfect opportunity to actually use it, rather than having it sit in the garage.

Canning: I recently purchased the Carey Pressure Canner, and I’m basically playing around with canning. This year I want to incorporate canning into our food storage and prepping diet. I also want to get an outdoor burner and an All American Pressure Canner.

A Few More Goals

Bug Out Vehicle: When I say bug out vehicle I don’t mean the biggest baddest truck I can find, because I can’t afford that. What I want to do is purchase an old beat up truck, fix it up, and basically do whatever I want to it. If I want to add a plow that can bulldoze a concrete building I can!

If your anything like me, after a while your preparedness supplies become an unorganized mess. While some people are better than others with organization, it’s inevitable that things get moved, used or expire.

Over time our priorities also change. This could be because of the changing current events, or it could be because we have learned (or not learned) new skills. Because of this, it’s important to reassess our situation and do a preparedness checkup.

SPP233 Doing a Preparedness Checkup

We tried to make this a helpful show for people just getting interested in preparedness, as well as people who have been at it for a while. Regardless what level you’re at, it’s always a good idea to take a long hard look at your situation, and see where you stand.

If you are just starting out, it could be that you don’t realize how prepared you actually are. As you do an assessment you get a better idea about your preparedness, and uncover the areas you should focus on first.

If you’ve been prepping for a while, it never hurts to reassess your situation. Our situation changes over time, and it’s important to know how prepared we are, not just think we are prepared.

Topics From the Show…

In the show I talked about inventory and rotation, and the worksheets I use for this. This video will explain how to use them, and here are the links to the downloads.

* The Food Worksheet

* First Aid/Hygiene Worksheet

* Misc. Supplies Worksheet

Each one of these worksheets have ideas included, but if you want to start with a clean slate, just delete everything and start your own personalized list.

Challenges That Come Up…

Too Much Clutter: Over time we buy stuff we need, stuff we want, and stuff that we thought we needed. Over time things get moved around, and pretty soon we don’t know where anything is.

Inventory and Rotation: If we aren’t paying attention to our supplies, things can get out of hand quickly. This is why doing inventory and rotation are so important.

Complacency: At one point or another everyone of us have fallen into the complacency trap. This could be because we do really good with preparedness and let off the pedal, or finances could get in the way.

Unfinished Plans: If you are anything like me, you get really excited about something, and then somewhere along the line it fizzles out. If this is the case, it could be time to tie up some loose ends.

Overwhelm: This is a huge problem for people just getting interested in preparedness, but it’s also a challenge for people who have been at this for a while. When we focus on too many areas of preparedness we become a jack of all trades, master of none.

Reassessment and Initial Assessment

Whether you are just getting into preparedness, or have been at it a while, doing a personal assessment is basically the same. As a matter of fact, it may be a little easier at first because you don’t have as much. Here are a few ideas about assessing your preparedness plans that we talked about in the show

List Your Priorities: Over time our priorities will change. This could be because of current events, or changes n the family structure. As we learn new skills and our preparedness level changes, our priorities may change as well.

List Your Strength and Weaknesses: This is especially important as you are starting out,

Over the last couple of weeks Kevin and I talked about trauma kits and supplies. This week Lisa and I continue with the not so basic medical skills and supplies. When I say “not so basic” I mean we are not going to go over band aids and gauze pads, We go over the stuff that you may be confused about.

While some of these are fairly basic, some might be the “I know I need it, but I don’t know why” items, or possibly just a couple that you forgot about all together. When it comes to first aid kits at home, the rule “too much is never enough” absolutely applies.

First aid supplies usually have a very long shelf life, and most are fairly inexpensive. You also don’t need to go out and buy everything all at once. You can get started with the basics, and keep adding to it over the course of time.

SPP232 The Not So Basic Medical skills and Supplies

As I was doing research for this podcast I came across a fantastic article from Skilled Survival. This article is so detailed that we ended up talking about it for about half of the podcast. Do yourself a favor and check out the article while you are listening, it goes over everything form the basics, to the more advanced.

Topics Covered in the Show

As I said earlier, many of these items are listed on the page, but these are the ones we talked about. We also covered antibiotics, medications and some of the not so common stuff in the Bug Out Bag first aid kits we sell at the SHTFShop.com. 

Tools In Your Medical Kit

We often think so much about the medical supplies themselves that we forget about the tools that go along with them. In the show we covered some of the most common tools, and why you might need them.

* Head Lamps

* Tweezers & Scissors

* Thermometer

* Q-Tips

* trauma shears

* Nail clippers

* Scalpel with blades

* Stethoscope

* Duct Tape

Antibiotics: We didn’t talk very much about antibiotic because we have an entire episode (and Article) that covers everything you need to know about antibiotics in general, and fish antibiotics in general. We also talked about why having a Nursing drug handbook is such a great idea.

OTC Medications: We spent quite a bit of time on this in the show because there are just so many different uses and medications to choose from. We also talked quite a bit about the differences between aspirin, Advil, and ibuprofen.

Silvasorb Gel: If you have listened to our show, you know Lisa loves Silvasorb and hates Neosporin and antibiotic gels. Silvasorb is a little expensive, but well worth the cost. Curad also makes a lower cost alternative.

Blister Treatment: Having a blister is no laughing matter, especially in a SHTF scenario. There are a few options for blister treatment and prevention such as Molefoam, Moleskin and 2nd Skin, I personally like Moleskin.

Diarrhea and Constipation: In a disaster scenario you will be eating long term food and your diet may change, when your diet changes your body might have issues with that.

Last week in the Survivalist Prepper show Kevin Reiter and I started our conversation about trauma kits and an in depth look at the supplies in them. This week we continue on with the rest of the trauma kit supplies, and some possible injuries you may run across.

In part 1 we went over quite a bit about the why and how of trauma kits, and started to get into the supplies you might want in your trauma kit. The show notes this week are going to be a little short because I went over all the trauma kit supplies in the show notes for part 1.

SPP231 An In-Depth Look at Trauma Kits with Kevin Reiter (Part 2)

As I said in part 1, this podcast is about more than just the supplies you might need, it’s also about the why and when. Make sure and take some time while your driving, cleaning or working out to listen…you won’t be disappointed.

Supplies Continued…

In the first episode we covered how in any sort of SHTF event, sometimes there just isn’t an answer, and doing a patient assessment. We also covered the pros and cons of QuikClot Gauze and Israeli Battle Dressings.

This week we continue on with the trauma kit supplies talking about chest seals, CPR masks, splinting and more of the supplies you would want in a trauma kit. Again, all the supplies we talked about are listed here.

Snake/Spider Bites

This week we also talked about what to do if you are bitten by a venomous snake, and also what not to do. There are a few myths out there about snake bits, and a few supplies that just don’t work.

Kevin talked about why you don’t want to put a tourniquet above a snake bite, and how these snake bite kits that suck the venom out do more damage than good.

Possible Injuries and Supplies to Treat Them

Towards the end of the show we talked about some possible injuries you might face, and what supplies you would need to treat them. Here area few we talked about…

* Fractures

* Head injuries

* Puncture Wounds

Tampons for Bullet Wounds?

Kevin talked about regardless what you might hear on the internet, stuffing a tampon into a bullet wound is not a good option. This video explains why a tampon is unlikely to “plug the hole” caused by a bullet.

 

 

When it comes to medical supplies and first aid, the basics are fairly simple. As you start thinking about the more serious injuries, you need to think about the trauma kits and skills to treat those injuries. This week we take an in depth look at trauma kits with Kevin Reiter of the Wilderness Safety Institute.

Not only are the supplies themselves important, but knowing how to use them, and knowing when (and when not) to use them is more important. Some of these supplies for traumatic injuries have irreversible affects and require medical attention soon afterword’s.

SPP230 An In-Depth Look at Trauma Kits with Kevin Reiter (Part 1)

This week I talked with Kevin about what supplies you might want in your trauma kit and how each of these medical supplies works. We also talked about the types of situations we might find ourselves in, and how to treat a few common injuries.

Sometimes There Just Isn’t an Answer

When we think about trauma kits, and prepping in general, we sometimes think about a full blown SHTF event…I know I do. The truth is, the odds are far greater that the SHTF event is personal or local, and not a complete societal breakdown.

Car accidents, natural disasters, civil unrest (riots) and terrorist attacks are far more likely than a sudden economic collapse that brings society to it’s knees. The one caveat to this is North Korea and their increasing ability to hit the U.S. with an ICBM, and the possibility of losing all or part of the power grid.

In a situation like this, where there might not be medical help available, and items like quick clot can’t (or shouldn’t) be used. Some of these items and injuries require immediate medical attention, and in a complete SHTF scenario, that may not be an option.

As preppers we try to find an answer for everything, but sometimes the only answer is trying to avoid the situation in the first place. By planning ahead and staying focused, we may be able to avoid some of these injuries all together.

Distracting Injuries (Patient Assessment)

If something happens to you personally, you probably know what’s wrong. If you are helping someone else who is injured, you might not know the full extent of their injuries. This is when the MOI (mechanism of injury) comes into play. The MOI could be something simple like falling off a ladder, or something more complex like injuries from a car accident.

In a car accident, injuries can be caused by many things depending on how the accident occurred. There could be head injuries caused by an airbag or windshield, shoulder injuries cause by the seatbelt, or leg injuries from the car damage.

This is why it’s important to do a complete patient assessment, and not just focus on the obvious injuries. In the show, we talked about how some minor injuries are more painful than some more serious injuries, and how the stress of the situation, and the patient themselves can distract you.

Important Trauma Kit Supplies

In this week’s show we covered some of the basic supplies you might want in your trauma a kit and how important it is that you know how and when to use these supplies if you are going to have them. In the show we went into quite a bit of detail about each of these, so make sure and listen when you get a chance.

I’ll leave the full list here, but in part 1 we only got to pressure dressings and Quick Clot. In part 2 (coming out next week) we went over the ...

If we had our choice, none of us would want to bug out and leave everything we own behind. With that being said, there could be situations that require us to get out of dodge for a few days, or even longer. Natural disasters, civil unrest or man made disasters could make bugging out necessary, so what is the perfect bug out location?

The truth is, there is no 1 correct answer to this question. We all have different needs, different finances and different challenges that come with picking a bug out location that is best for us. It would be nice to be able to purchase a cabin up in the woods, but that isn’t an option for most of us.

SPP229 Tips for Picking the Perfect Bug Out Location

This week we talked to Andrew and Phil from the Matter Of Facts podcast about some different options for picking a bug out location, and went over some of the recommendations you hear about what makes a good bug out location. Below are some of the topics we covered in this weeks show.

Bug Out Location Options

Option 1: This is the “Oh Crap” Location. This option means you haven’t planned anything in advance, or you can’t get to your better option. If you have to use option 1 as your bug out location, you better plan on living like the homeless and being a refugee.

In a natural disaster type situation, this might mean traveling out of the affected area and renting a hotel room. In a societal collapse scenario you could look for secluded areas with abandoned buildings, old warehouses, old farm houses etc. This would be a very short option, and just a place to spend the night.

Option 2: We hear all the time about how you shouldn’t plan on going out in the woods and surviving. While it’s true if you don’t have basic survival skills, at some point you may not have an option. Keep in mind that in a situation that requires something like this, many other people will be thinking the same thing.

The main goal of bugging out is getting away from people, so a popular campground may not be the best option. There is however a lot of land out there off the beaten path. We can scout these places out now, and have a few emergency options when and if that time comes.

Option 3: Just because your area might be affected doesn’t mean that everyone is in a bug out situation. Make a list of people you know that might be willing to take you in during an emergency. These people could be relatives or friends that live away from urban areas, but close enough to you for you to safely get to them.

It’s also important to make sure they know you plan on coming. Cell phones may not be working in a situation like this, and showing up unannounced may not be the best option. You don’t need to tell them they are your “bug out location”, you just need call it an emergency location.

Option 4: Joining a prepper group with someone who has property might be a good solution for people that don’t have the money to purchase property right now. It may take some time to find the right group, but this comes with other benefits as well.

A group that has a pre planned location means more like minded people who understand where you are coming from. More people working together will increase your security, safety and overall preparedness.

Option 5: A goal most of us have is to move as far away from people as we possibly can. For some of us this means the suburbs, and for some it means a little further out. The larger the distance you can put between your self and population, decreases the odds of something bad happening to you and your family.

Option 6: If you are like Lisa and I, your goal is to purchase some bug out property and eventually ...

In today’s podcast, Lisa and I welcome Sara Hathaway back to talk about where our society is headed, how our changing culture is adding to the increased violence, and why these are important to pay attention to.

Preparedness is not only about food and water storage, it’s about paying attention to what is going on around us, and being ready when the inevitable happens. We can do our best to prepare for each disaster scenario, but people truly are the X factor. 

SPP228 Society Culture and Prepping with Sara Hathaway

This weeks show is more of a conversation than an interview. We talked about why we prepare, rather than how to become better prepared. I added some bullet points from the show below, but you’ll need to listen to get the full picture.

Battle For the South

At the beginning of the show Sara let us know that her newest addition to the Changing Earth book series will be out on Black Friday. The book is titled Battle For the South, and picks off where Walls of Freedom left off.

Much like a television season finally, Sara caught a little heat about the way Walls of Freedom left off. For those of you who have been eagerly anticipating this book, your wait is almost over. For those of you who haven’t read her books, I highly recommend you do. Have a look here at Amazon and see what she has available. 

Sara also does The Changing Earth Podcast where she talks about chapters in her books, and has a different guest each week. Along with Lisa and I a couple times a year, she has had Rick Austin, James Heart, Dr. Bones and many more well known preparedness professionals.

Topics From the Show

We started off the show asking Sara how her and her Husband got interested in preparedness. This is something I like to ask everyone because we all have different reasons, but quite a few underlying similarities.

Why Preppers Get the Crazy Label: Because of shows like Doomsday Preppers and extremists like Timothy McVeigh, preppers have been labeled extreme, overboard, crazy and overreacting. The truth is, the majority of preppers is nothing like this.

Not Learning From the Past: These days Americans are losing sight of the big picture and trading freedom for safety. To me, this is a product of having everything be so good for so long, that we forgot about what it took to get here.

What Gun Control is Really About: Because the issues surrounding why people do what they do these days is so complicated, everyone goes to the simple answer…gun control. People who advocate for “common sense” gun control are not seeing the big picture, and why the second amendment is there in the first place. This is another example of giving away our rights, and trading freedom for safety.

Government Corruption and Big Business: In the show we talked about pharmaceutical companies and out pill popping society. Because these big companies can line the pockets of our elected officials, the laws and regulations benefit them, not us.

When it comes to prepping supplies that will “save your life” there is literally no end to what we can buy. While we all know that skills will be more valuable than gear in a disaster situation, there are some supplies that we shouldn’t skimp on.

When it comes to buying supplies that help you become better prepared, there is a difference between getting a good deal, and skimping. Price doesn’t necessarily equal quality. You can spend $100 on a few Sawyer Mini water filters, but if you live in an urban environment, it won’t do a thing for you.

On the other side, you can find some great deals at thrift stores, garage sales, eBay and Craig’s List. The bottom line is, if the product fits your needs, and is going to work when you need it to, that’s more important than what you paid for it.

SPP227 Prepping Supplies You Can’t Skimp On

A SHTF or survival scenario is no time to find out that that cool little gadget that you just had to have is not all it’s cracked up to be. Most of the time, the tried and true method is the simple one, and the more we know, the less we need.

Today in the show we talked about some of the prepping supplies we shouldn’t skimp on (or be cheap like me sometimes) and some that we don’t need to break the bank on. We also mentioned a couple buying tips to help you make good purchasing decisions.

Buying Tips

Do Your Research: When you are making a purchase, don’t just take the manufacturers word for it, they are trying to sell you on their product. Look for honest reviews from people who have used the product. Amazon has a good review system, and if the product has enough reviews, you can get a good idea about the product.

Impulse Buying: Before you buy something “you just have to have” give yourself a little time to think about it. The same principal applies at your local grocery store. They put chips, gum, candy and gadgets in your face while you are waiting in line to try and get you to buy 1 more thing before you leave.

I try to give myself a full day to think about something before I buy it. During that time, I might decide I didn’t really need it, or find something else “I had to have”. Sometimes these companies will even send you an email saying you forgot something in your cart, and offer you a discount.

Check Expirations:  The fact that we can but just about anything on line these days is both good and bad. People can sell things online at a super low prices when they get their hands on something that is expired, or near expiration.

Water purification tablets, MRE’s and medical supplies are all examples of supplies that the seller should disclose the expiration date. If they don’t, you should probably move on.

Gimmicks & Hype: Because we get advertised to just about everywhere we go these days, it’s harder than ever to avoid hype, scams and gimmicks. This is where doing your research and avoiding impulse buys is important.

We have all probably been burned a time or 2 in the past, and we will probably get burned in the future as well…I’m pretty use I will haha. If we take our time, and do our research, we can save some time money, and headaches down the line.

Skills: This probably goes without saying, but knowing how to use your supplies is more important than the item itself. If you don’t have a lot of knife skills, you can get away with a lower cost model…for now. The one exception would be if you need the supplies to learn something. I did this with my...

As preppers we are always trying to figure out the perfect combination of living simply, while taking advantage of today’s technology. There is quite a bit we can learn from how people lived a century ago. If an EMP, CME or something else took down the power grid, we could easily find ourselves in that type of situation.

In the early 1900’s, unless you lived in the big city, or had big money, you probably didn’t have refrigeration (1930’s), electricity, running water, automobiles, or grocery stores. While we try to become more self-reliant just in case, back then it wasn’t a choice…it was a necessity.

Life was simpler in the early 1900’s. The population was smaller, there was less technology, and nearly half the population were farmers. The typical family size (or household) was bigger out of necessity, their diets were different, and transportation was walking, horses and a few cars.

Because of all this, most people were a lot less dependent on others for their survival. In today’s society, people have become dependent on technology, and others for their survival. This is why if the power grid went down, 90% of the population would not exist.

SPP226 Preparing For the Future By Learning From the Past

In order to give ourselves the best chance possible to live through a larger grid down event, or even just get through a smaller power outage, we need to learn how they did it 100 years ago. We don’t necessarily need to live like they did 100 years ago, or go back to the old west, but we need to learn how they did.

In today’s show Lisa and I talked all this, and how there are a number of scenarios that could take out the power grid, and how as a society, we are completely dependent on technology.

Lessons We Can Learn

Preparedness is about marrying the new with the old. We have the technology to harness solar power and communicate (ham radio) so why not use it. What we don’t want to do is be dependent on water coming from the faucet, food being at the grocery store, and the light coming on at the flip of a switch.

The basics of preparedness are pretty simple. The gadgets and trinkets are great, but won’t save your life. When it comes to any sort of disaster or SHTF scenario, life will be different, like it or not. We all try to do things today that will make life easier then, but we need to learn to live differently, and learning from the past is a good way to do that.

The 6 areas of preparedness

In the show this week Lisa and I broke this down into the 6 areas of preparedness, and how we can prepare in each of those categories. By taking the knowledge and supplies we have today, and coupling them with how they lived in the past, we can make life much easier when and if something goes down.

Were are a few topics we covered in the show…

Food

Liberty Gardens: Most people in the early 1900’s gardened to one extent or the other. During WW1 people began to plant Liberty Gardens. This was to help feed the soldiers, and also because most of the farmers were sent off to war.