How ready is ready ?

[SHOOTALL]

Ok we have our supplies , bags , tools and weapons/ammo all ready or do we ? How much effort will it take to get it loaded ? How safe is it stored ? You BOB or return home bag can you grab it and go ? or will you need to add items ? I keep a bag in my truck and also keep other items in the truck I would like to add to the bag . I also have slide out drawers in bed tool box that I secure the bag in. I think in certain situations it would or could be hard to access the bag. It might also not be enough time to add items . It could be caused by civil unrest , weather , chemical spill or attack . How ready are we if we can't grab the bag and go if need be ?

[blind ear]

I worry more about my home being robbed while I am not there than I am about needing a  b o b. They would get the  b o b  to probably. ear

[SHOOTALL]

you know that is a real concern . If forced to leave you would be swing the door open to thieves.

[Couger]

 
Everybodys' situation is individual and UNIQUE!
 
The question was raised, when is fellow ready?
 
 
 
 
Is that when he possesses all his necessary gear?
 
Has it loaded?  (in the BOB, the truck, the house, the secret place or retreat?)
 
 
 
Does that include fresh rations?  new fresh water?  batteries?  extra $$ kept onhand, but was replaced after being "short" last month?
 
And what about the wife eating or drinking something?  Because it was convenient and she knew it was there (gonna chew her out?)
 
Or your teenage son thought a few rounds of .22 ammo wouldn't matter ..... etc., etc.!
 
 
I know I'm still not as ready as I would like.
And stashing/carrying that BOB 24/7 .....
 
One thing I want to do if my rig was how I want it, would be to bolt a military ammo box to the floor behind the driver's seat! 
 
That is lockable ......
 
Besides being a place to securely store a weapon [or purse?, lap-top puter, valuables, or smallish BOB] ......
 
If pulled over, the cops could not search that locked-box (as it would be part of your private trunk!), without a legal warrant! (and understand, I don't break the law - altho I DO worry about PRIVACY!)
 
Those who have read "Molon Labe" by Duncan Long (great read for the politically-minded!    )  The krap in the story started when an over-bearing cop declared he had probable cause when seeing a fired rifle case on the floor of a vehicle he pulled over for a burnt-out brake light.
 
Every since reading that book I ALWAYS carry anything related to firearms locked in my trunk when transporting them!  (to the range, hunting area, regardless!)
 
But my ideas aside ..... Other than needing the few seconds necessary to unlock my lock-box or rear trunk ...... then 'grabbing' and 'going' ...... is what I think helps to be ready. 
 
In a crisis, if I manage to drive home without mishap or inconveniece, maybe thats just lucky whether or not I realize it at the time!  As my attention would be focused at home.
 
But if I get seperated from my vehicle and become a pedestrian,
 
will be a crisis upon a crisis!

[Couger]

 
ADDED:  As for 'securing home' or being sure at home ..... takes on a whole new set of challenges!
 
I've been lucky I'm sure, but I also have never lived in a 'high crime area' too!
 
 
 
We could have have multiple threads [perhaps] that talk about home security.
 
 
But two things I always try to maintain is appearing like the 'grey man' no one notices too much ...... (staying under the proverbial RADAR so to speak!),
 
#2,  I also never brag to anyone what guns I own, ammo stashed, my financial situation, etc. 
 
I NEVER discuss in public or with most friends and relatives ...... private matters!
 
And when making the home SAFE, is a LAYERED process ..... (good lighting outside, secure MULTIPLE locks, motion lights, alarms, dog!, etc., etc., etc.! ...... Then finally, a gun!
 
***  Also, when buying a big expensive [alledgedly] secure safe, why brag about it? 
Or show it off? 
 
And why not place it in the home where it isn't readily seen?
 
Isn't that also how to stash emergency $$$CASH?  and the wife's jewelry?
 
Then why not also one's most treasured guns?  And other things?
 
 
Alsio having valuable papers, deeds, titles, hierlooms, pictures, etc. (for quick evacuation in event of a fire, etc.) might also help one to be ready!

[geezerbiker]

I'm too old and beat up to bug out. Also I live in a small town on the edge of the sticks so unless there's a big tidal wave that goes over the coastal mountains here in NW Oregon, there's not much reason for me to do so.  On the other hand I have an emergency kit I take with me when I think I'll be more than 1 hour from home.  It packs down into 2 parts.  A 6 gallon bucket with a screw on lid and a bag that looks like a briefcase.  The bucket has freeze dried food in it and the bag has a stove, cups, paper plates, matches, a lighter, a back packing stove and some other bits.  Add a few gallons of water and it would support 2 people for 3 days.  The bucket looks at home in the back of my truck (it has a canopy) and the bag fits nicely behind the front seat.

I consider it a stuck out bag rather than a bug out bag.  I'd rather stick around home if at all possible.  My thinking is it wouldn't take much of an earthquake to knock out the bridges and leave me stuck somewhere.  I don't leave town very often but there's not much around here and I can go a couple hundred miles on a supply run...

Tony

[GrassLakeRon]

This topic seems to pop up a lot.  Where do you feel most secured?  If it is at home then stay home....if not go to where you feel secure.  If it gets bad enough your toast anyway.  Many peoples homes are not as secured as they think, big windows, full glass doors, right next to a road and made of wood. Six inches or less between you and them.  You don't live in a jail or armory.  You will fight to keep you $200,000 home which is worth half and half that to actually build it again.  What is the most important things in your life?  Bet it is not what the bank still owns.....

What do most third world populations do?  Leave.  They figured out life is king and the few things they can carry is to keep life going.  If they stay they die.  We are so used to material wealth that we forget often the most important thing is life, not the 55 Chevy you rebuilt or that record collection you have, etc....

Take a bad situation you are readying for.... now think, how fast will you area be like a third world country and for how long.  If it is more then a couple of days, you will be down to your last round of ammo in days assuming that there is no large group that want what you have and their not armed..... what is key?  You skill set and clear minded thought.

Me bugging out would be key.  Your insurance doesn't cover uprisings so if you live pay check to pay check you won't be fixing your place anytime soon.  Those belongings that you charish are material things that in a crisis won't keep you fed when people want food not your new welder.  In a crisis the basics are as good as gold.  Think of the value of tp six weeks into a problem when it ran out five weeks ago.

If you do run, where?  Highways will be impossible for the first few days.  Panic will cause people to seek out basic needs.  What is close and can be defended? Or is there a place away from the madness this is remote enough to keep you out of harms way?
The true cost of your 55 Chevy is what you have into it plus every round of ammo plus your life defending it.  For the wife and kids yes....for the rest,no.......
Ron

[GrassLakeRon]

Continued.....

Your six thousand dollar TV is worthless, to someone who wants food.  In a bad crisis there is no electricity so it won't work and even if you have a genny who are using up resources and drawing attention to yourself.  So it can go.... how about those cool neon signs in the man cave....or the new Xbox....shopvac.....mixer.....beer can collection..... you can't get any money on Craigslist right now for them so in bad times.....yep you guessed it.  Remember that when you buy them....do I want to defend them with my families lives?  Now FDR said it, the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.... do you live in fear?  Then get rid of the toys and live a basic life....one that if you have to move it won't kill you.... it is working for the other 6,000,000,000 people.....why not you.

Ron

[GrassLakeRon]

Skill sets needed:

1) urban survival.  Go live on the streets in big city without the aid of a gun.  You will see quickly what happens when you have nothing and need much.

2) BFE survival.  Been minimalist camping.

If having a gun is what you believes keeps you from being a statistic dream on.....

Pick a new skill set and work on it. Take your items in your bag and see how long you can survive.  For me it is a week.  After that it is kill it and grill it.

Ron

[Couger]

Skill sets needed:

1) urban survival.  Go live on the streets in big city without the aid of a gun.  You will see quickly what happens when you have nothing and need much.

2) BFE survival.  Been minimalist camping.

If having a gun is what you believes keeps you from being a statistic dream on.....

Pick a new skill set and work on it. Take your items in your bag and see how long you can survive.  For me it is a week.  After that it is kill it and grill it.

Ron

I think about these topics
But I also worry sometimes how we also maintain PRIVACY!  And live freely to exercise our 4th and 5th Amendment rights without having to worry about Big Sis and the growing police state!    (domestic or international       ) 

[mcwoodduck]

My thinking is for a get home bag is not for civil unrest.  My thinking is for an earthquake that stops normal operations of the city for a few days and once the shaking is over I will have some time to use my car till I hit an impass and then can rummage trough my car for the stuff I have and change shoes to hiking boots and start walking.
In a civil unrest situation I do have a seperate bag that has my pistol, my ammo, some silver, a flashlight and a water filter.  If a civil unrest has me leaving my car, (the lakers actually win a game this year and the locals celebrate with a riot) I can grab the gun bag and walk / run out of the area.  Find a cab, bus, rental car, and be home using credit cards.  The above is based on no power and it taking time to get from point A to B with out normal activity.  Civil unrest is going to be local to an area, like the Rodney King riots or the championship riots in many cities.  Leaving the area would not be like the zombie attacks in the movies where it would be run and gun the whole way back home.   In Oakland when the dirty loosers marched from the occupy site to the port we had time to leave, had it envoloped us walking two to four blocks away had you out of the area and the problems. 
A complete collapse of the economy will take a few hours to set in.  If the Dow lost everything in 20 minutes it would take hours or days for the colapse of society when it did not go back up the next day.  By then you would be home. 

[45-70.gov]

i have my credit card  a few $k   and a guna  and ammo


i guess that will fix anything

[mcwoodduck]

i have my credit card  a few $k   and a guna  and ammo


i guess that will fix anything

Depends on what you think will be broken.
You have a tool box based on what you think you will need to fix what is broken, you do not own every tool ever made just in case you ever get sa space shuttle and need to make it work again.  You have the tools needed to make basic repairs, you prep for the most likley problems   You are not going to be prepared for a elephant stampeede in Kansas, is it possible, yes!  Is it probable, no.

[45-70.gov]

if the cash  or the credit card  fail


i use the   357 to get a fifle  or what ever else  i need

[reliquary]

Store some generic things: basic long-term-storagefoodstuffs, supplies such as seeds and gardening utensils, guns & ammo, fishing supplies, candles & batteries, medications, first aid items, etc...but there isn't any practical way for the average householder to store everything needed in order to confront all possible scenarios.
 
Pick the most likely disaster scenario for your area...here in East Texas, it's seasonal storms...and plan for that as much as is practical.  Hope for the best, trust in God, be prepared for a generic emergency, and then try handle whatever comes as best you can.
 
A get-home bag is a good idea, and we have one.  A bugout bag isn't practical for us (disabled wife), but I have one packed for  last-resort-use anyway.

[gypsyman]

Food,water,tp,guns,ammo, some meds. Chickens laying eggs, garden and canning. Think I have enough, always forget something. gypsyman

[SHOOTALL]

long term vs short term and no light at the end of the tunnel vs no help in sight both may come into play. If you find yourself more than a couple days out your stash bag might need more items . If you know in advance you can supplement or as the crisis comes you may need to secure items on the run.  tools are good my truck has a load for work. The problem would be parts. If I were to set a truck up for such a time it would be a diesel before electronics were added , have an engine kill button or a gas truck with points and condenser and spare of each. Most other trucks would need to be flashed etc to get computers going and matched. A bolt gun would be the most rugged and less prone to break and a hand full of parts would be good insurance.
 But in reality if you are out far from home and forced to walk a radio might be a great aid. It would allow you to have information which is worth it's weight in gold . If you know and can show others the crisis is being addressed by those bring in help and supplies and your condition will only last a few more days people will be more willing to share what they have as they see the light at the end of the tunnel. On the other hand knowing no relief is in sight may cause you to acquire food and supplies by any means possible.
 the guy with some food and water and a hike with out confrontation may fare better than the guy with all the right equipment , gun etc but little water and food.
 River crossings would seem a major concern in a crisis , a choke point where police could check on travelers . A place to let them remove weapons etc from people. Even take extra food to re distribute .

[mcwoodduck]

Food,water,tp,guns,ammo, some meds. Chickens laying eggs, garden and canning. Think I have enough, always forget something. gypsyman

Salt.  Store some Kosher Salt.  It can be used to make jerkey and make those eggs taste better, as well as give you the minerals you need to live. Remember the Romans Paid their Soldiers in SALT.  It was a universal trading good.

[reliquary]

Good idea about the TP.  We have 180 rolls stored in an otherwise unused and out-of-reach cabinet...takes up a lot of room.  Also have a waterproof garbage can full of old newspapers, primarily used for garden mulch, which could be "pressed into use", so to speak... 
 
Does Kosher Salt really have the trace minerals?   There was some discussion about "bulk salt" one one of the other threads, but I don't recall all of it and am too lazy to go look. 
 
I have 4-5 bags of the pool-salt sold by W-M which doesn't have the minerals, but which can be used for preserving meat...less than $6 each, easy to store.  Also have 10 lbs of Morton's, which will last a long time when just used to furnish the trace minerals.

[mcwoodduck]

 
Does Kosher Salt really have the trace minerals?   There was some discussion about "bulk salt" one one of the other threads, but I don't recall all of it and am too lazy to go look. 
 
I have 4-5 bags of the pool-salt sold by W-M which doesn't have the minerals, but which can be used for preserving meat...less than $6 each, easy to store.  Also have 10 lbs of Morton's, which will last a long time when just used to furnish the trace minerals.

I like the way kosher salt works, good crystals and you do not need a lot to make food taset good.  The Mortons when it rains it pours has Iodine in it.  To stop you from getting a Goider.  I find the Mortons too salty.   I use about 3 pounds of Kosher salt a year to make standard food for me and entertaining,  as well as making dry rubs and the like for BBQ.
And Salt is salt.  There are some with trace minerals that is what gives it the color and the flavor.  But you need salt to live to ballance your electrolites.  The different grades of salt is what seperates them.  Dirty salt gets sold cheap and used for roads, Pure salt is pure salt and all salt came or comes from the oceans. 
If you were to cut out all salt from your diet and drink only distilled water you would die. As your body will eliminate the salts through sweat and urine. 

[Ranger99]

the salt i use comes out of the ground about
1 hour east of me.
it's my understanding there is enough salt
in that one mine to supply the united states
for several thousand years.

[MTNRGR]

I'm fairly ready to stay in place, however I have no big bug out plans, I dont want to go insane trying to think of all the scenarios and different strategies for bugging out as well as the additional cost. So I guess my plan is to D.I.P (die in place).

[SHOOTALL]

If you can't get salt use blood from the critters you kill for food. That was how blood pudding came about.

[Empty Quiver]

I have all of my hunting gear more or less ready packed year round. It's a cold weather camp that is small enough to horse pack, and good for four people less bedding and food. The food is separate and I try to keep about two weeks worth in a tote.


It's a tight fit but the entire mess will go into the Expy along with four adults. If I can get the kids and wife to help it takes about a half hour. Who am I kidding, give it a good six hours if the girls need to "get ready".

[SCRooster]

Ok we have our supplies , bags , tools and weapons/ammo all ready or do we ? How much effort will it take to get it loaded ? How safe is it stored ? You BOB or return home bag can you grab it and go ? or will you need to add items ? I keep a bag in my truck and also keep other items in the truck I would like to add to the bag . I also have slide out drawers in bed tool box that I secure the bag in. I think in certain situations it would or could be hard to access the bag. It might also not be enough time to add items . It could be caused by civil unrest , weather , chemical spill or attack . How ready are we if we can't grab the bag and go if need be ?

The myth is being prepared for anything and everything ... that's usually when Murphy's Law kicks-in and kicks your butt.

What we all endeavor to do is to be as prepared as possible, for any conceivable event or circumstance.  Some preps overlap one another, while others do not.  Some preps are dictated by age, others by location, others by health, still others by climate zone and/or geographical location.

We do the best we can do and then we pray and hope for the best - provided we've put ourselves in a good position to win - and that includes prepping for all those you may be responsible for post shtf.  The general rule of thumb is that only the flexible survive and it is as much mental as it is physical.  If you are too locked-in to any one thing, your chances of lasting decrease in the first 14 days, or less for many.  But if you are flexible and innovative and you have some experience ... as long as you have firearms, food and water and a way to produce more ammo, food and water, your chances increase as your competition fails and begins to die-off.

[reliquary]

I spent 15 years of my military service with two bags packed.  Then, we called them the A-bag and the B-bag.  I spent quite a bit of time on 36- or 24- or 18-hour standby.  Even those weren't totally sufficient, since we added last-minute things to the rucksacks as time ticked down.
 
My point remains:  we can't be prepared for any and every eventuality.  Surviving is going to take some basic, generic "prep" and a lot of seat-of-the-pants, on-the-spot "getting by and getting there". 
 
Evaluate what your most likely scenario will be and make some plans for it.  When you get to the point that you have more things than you can carry, you've gone too far.

[SHOOTALL]

very true but over time we learn how to get by. A Leatherman tool is no tool box but it is a good thing to have in a pinch. A good idea of what is around is also a good thing to have. Where to get things . Do you let things run out or do you keep a supply on hand ? Gas in the tank.

[mcwoodduck]

very true but over time we learn how to get by. A Leatherman tool is no tool box but it is a good thing to have in a pinch. A good idea of what is around is also a good thing to have. Where to get things . Do you let things run out or do you keep a supply on hand ? Gas in the tank.

And that is the problem.
If you think that as the Zimmerman case moves on and that when he is aquited there will be black Roits like during the aquital of the officers in the Rodney King beating trial.  The keeping a full tank of fuel in your car and refuleing every night as you pull in for the night may not be a bad idea. 
Having a go bag and a place to go to get away fro mthe race riot that will insue like the LA riots would be a good idea especally if you live in or near the most likely effected area,  and make sure your excape route does not go through the areas that can or will be effected to get where you need or want to go. 
During the OJ trial I kept a shotgun in the truck and was ready to put it together and the day they announced there was a verdict I had a Pistol loaded in the car with me.  A day pack with water, ammo and was wearing Merrel hiking boots that day for work rather than my usual hard shoes. 
Your plan may not be to leave but to get home and meet up with neighbors and be ready to defend yourselfs mutually.  And now would be the time to deside if you cna work with your neighbors or if you should figure out a bug out plan to somewhere outside of the inner city that is most likely to explode.  And knowing your neighbors may be critical as to what you would do. 

[SHOOTALL]

Here we have Richmond which has seen race riots several times and 20 miles South Petersburg with about the same history. So heading East or west is the plan depending on your location . Either way it might be a drive but you can loop back home and miss either city. Richmond can be driven all the way around in 45 min on the belt way so it's not hard to avoid it . Petersburg can almost be avoided if you know a few back roads . Then there is I295 a route around both N-S. I can't imagine trying to get out of some of the big cities I have been to.  Just rush hour traffic is bad enough.
 Back when I run a diesel pu truck I had a 50 gal. storage tank at home. It was a pain to use and keep filled so I went to 5 and 6 gal cans . As I switched to gas I got several gas cans and keep them full , rotate thru. the truck to keep fresh. It would be easy to sit the cans in the truck as I pull out if ever I had to.

[Old Syko]

Like I've said before, I ain't leaving.  Here is where I'm prepared to stay.  On the subject of being "ready" I've realized I only have to be better prepared than those I'm going to encounter and home field advantage speaks volumes.  Then again, I'm no subdivision or city dweller and having like minded neighbors helps.  Preparing for intruders from a well known home base is more logical to me than entering an unknown area and thinking I may come out ahead.  Like others, I normally carry enough crap to get me back home.