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[Realbark]

Not TEOTWAWKI but basic home preparations for you and your family. Prolonged power (gas or electric or gasoil) outages. Water? We saw the problems experienced in NI a few weeks ago. Its a different ball game to a few days away in the countryside. Mainly because you probably have more people (maybe young and old or infirm) to look after.

Everyman and his dog will have bought up all the meths, wood, water, bottled gas and the supermarkets empty rapidly - we witness that here during a bit of snow. Without having a gung-ho apocalyptic survivalist mentality it does no harm to prepare your home for an event where you are effectively able to live off grid with your family for anything from a few hours to several weeks.

There is a fair bit of crossover between the bushcraft and home survival skills IMO, which is why i have an interest in both.

My family reckon on being able to be off the grid for 2 weeks comfortably and 3 weeks at a not-so-comfortable push, with water the biggest issue at that stage.

What do others think?

[klause]

I think your point is extremely valid, you don't have to be a "The end is nigh" paranoid wreck to see the problems we could easily face in todays uncertain society. I too have more than enough food to last a couple of weeks (there are six people in our house). i have just a couple of doubts about my ability to see out a couple of weeks -

How would you go about storing water ?
What sort of fuel would you store ?

PS, love the lurcher...

[Realbark]

Allowing 1 gallon per person per day.......5 gallon storage containers. Changed every 3 months or so. Rainwater butts (i have 2) and a hot water tank. Not to be used for toilet or filling a bath! Just work out water requirement per day and x by people in the house and store what you need. We have water out here fairly regularly tho its not been more than 15 hours yet.

Fuel - apart from my meths you mean! I hold 4 propane gas bottles - can be used with with either a calor gas type heater or a cooker. When one is empty i reorder another. Also have several camping/backpackers gas stoves to eke out with about 20 refills. My fireplace has an electric fire BUT the old open fire is just behind it and useable in an ongoing emergency. I have vitrually no wood (being on the fens) but am currently considering storing some or coal. Not tons - just a few bags. As i say im NOT looking at TEOTW just being able to carry on fairly normally in the event of being off grid for a relatively short period.

[JonnyP]

Fully agree with you Realbark.. We are all so dependant on others to supply us with our needs these days.. It doesn't take that much for a disruption in the chain and we lose what we are used to. Be it a couple of hours, or a couple of weeks (like we went without power after the storm of 87), to a full blown major inconvenience.
We keep all sorts here to keep us going for a while..

[spiritofold]

You'd be surprised how many bushcrafters are preppers as well, theres quite a community of them out there ;-)

[Metal mug]

Fully agree with you Realbark.. We are all so dependant on others to supply us with our needs these days.. It doesn't take that much for a disruption in the chain and we lose what we are used to. Be it a couple of hours, or a couple of weeks (like we went without power after the storm of 87), to a full blown major inconvenience.
We keep all sorts here to keep us going for a while.. NO POWER! How can I update my crazy rambling threads! :)

[bigpaul]

we were snowed in for nearly 4 weeks about 3 winters ago, power was ok but couldn't go anywhere apart from walking the dog until it thawed, we have stocks so no problem, when it thawed we just simply restocked what we had used.

[Midge_Fodder]

Yep every year it happens. I get my week away from technology, and wifey goes nuts with the Hoover, if she hears a storm is on it's way. It's daft not to stock up for that kind event. Granted there are things that happen you can't account for (tree through the roof ect). I find though it's not something I think about often as I auto pilot, and I hate shopping so buy enough so I don't have to go back for another month. I think if you live (or have lived) in the sticks, it's second nature as you just have to be more organised, if you forget the milk and it's a 12 mile round trip you learn fast.

[bigpaul]

exactly, its a 20 mile round trip to a small supermarket and a 50 mile round trip to where we do our monthly "big" shop.

[Midge_Fodder]

Aye and the wee village shop is closest to you but never open when you need it........ Always the way I found it

[Silverback]

Plenty of us on here are old enough to remember regular bad winters, coal gas, regular power interruptions and such. We prep and don't think of it as prepping its just common sense....

[bigpaul]

it was what my parents did in the 50s only it wasn't called prepping then it was called common sense!!:rolleye:

[Midge_Fodder]

Still called common sense as far as I'm concerned, but I'm sure my younger cousins will have some acronym for it ......... #POAT (power out again Tonight)

[Silverback]

Here's a good acronyn.... DART

Damn Another Resurrected Thread

[Midge_Fodder]

I think that's going to stick #necropost

[bigpaul]

necropost?? sounds like something to do with dead bodies!!!:off-topic:

[Midge_Fodder]

Posting on a dead thread

[Silverback]

necropost?? sounds like something to do with dead bodies!!!:off-topic:

The resurrection of very old threads. Like this three year old one

[bigpaul]

that's a good one. I wouldn't know Sapper I haven't been here 3 weeks never mind 3 years.

[Silverback]

that's a good one. I wouldn't know Sapper I haven't been here 3 weeks never mind 3 years.

The original posting date and date of the last post are on every thread easy to spot how old the thread is...remark was made on another thread of a similar vintage early on in your posting history

[Chubbs]

Just wondering.

Does it really matter how old a thread is if you are going to comment on it. Whether the thread is two weeks or three years old surely the previous info is still relevant, otherwise whats the point in having libraries and reading books.

I thought all info was relevant or is it different for internet forums.

[Silverback]

Suppose it depends on the original post...ie 'wow look at the snow' or 'tories win election' as opposed to useful updates to useful info

[midas]

Here!here!Chubbs,Also an old post may not of been of interest to you 3years ago,but relevant to you now,or one might be new to the forum,n have something to add!.How many times do you read a good instructional book.??discovering something new/of interest each n every time??

[Silverback]

And to juxtapose Mike what's wrong with calling thread necromancy - particularly on threads which amount to nothing more than 'there was this one time at band camp' or worse still people who troll ancient posts for cheap laughs or to tot up posts to hit the sales section requirement - these are things that have happened before and happen more frequently than one would imagine.

[Midge_Fodder]

That's a true one, it seems also on other forums the height of distaste to necropost. Don't know why if the information is good, just when are on more than one forum the rules are often confused.

[Chubbs]

I wasn't trying to stir a can o' worms. Just wondered while been a member of this forum that there is quite often a reference to dead threads, thread necromancy and the like. Never seen it before on other forums that I frequent.

[Midge_Fodder]

Ohhhhh jings, try going on the guitar forums. They will put up the zombie cat picture if you even ask a relevant question.

[Silverback]

I wish all dead threads actually contained useful info but this one doesn't except that big paul was snowed in once and has a 50 mile round trip to the shop once a month and midge fodder isn't much better off.. ;) Now a thread revive with the new dosages for dental abcess with amoxycillin would have me in raptures, or let's make biofuels from fish poon or a useful stoick rotation system, safety around water....you get the picture guys

[jus_young]

The resurrection of posts will always have its place when a relevant, valid, or informative comment is to be made. The problem we keep getting on the forum is multiple threads reappearing with comments along the lines of 'fair point', 'like that one', 'good photos', and before you know it there are 40 new posts to scroll through before anything constructive or even interesting is found.

For us Mods the problem is worse as we have to try and monitor every comment made for inappropriate content or dodgy spammers, bu that is the role we took on.

[Chubbs]

Ohhhhh jings, try going on the guitar forums. They will put up the zombie cat picture if you even ask a relevant question.

" This thread is dead, this thread is dead !!"

11806

[jus_young]

http://www.naturalbushcraft.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=7881&d=1366150916

[Silverback]

11807

[jus_young]

11807

Mmmmmm.... stew!

[Silverback]

Doesn't help when some folks see mod baiting as a sport.....

[jus_young]

Big shoulders and a bigger patience my friend

Do my ears look big in this?

11808

[Silverback]

I have very large shoulders Jus....but very lacking in patience at the moment

[Midge_Fodder]

Well while I'm here household prepping is in my humble opinion common sense, not a new idea at all, that's why I keep those lightbulbs scottish power keep posting, and always have coffee mate for the mrs.