Friday, January 25, 2013

Survival Craze!

Bucky from Manhauls here...


There has been a huge obsession sweeping the country lately... SHTF scenarios and survival! What's SHTF mean? Shit hits the fan. Well, the bug finally bit my ass. Living in the south (or just being "country" which means you can be from anywhere) certainly gives you a one up on tricks while outdoors or even how to take care of yourself in the wilderness in general, but there are so many things I'm beginning to learn about independent of my experience from living down here. There are two MAJOR categories of survivalists... Gonna call those doomsday preppers (in accordance with the show on tv), and we'll call the others true outdoor survivalists. Doomsday preppers consist of a -super- wide variety of methods and events they prep for... there is a ton of valuable information that permeates each type of prepper (and there are TONS of different ones), regardless of what they're actually prepping for. Some prep for a huge solar flare that EMP's the country's electric grid to totally dysfunctional... some prep for total economic meltdown, and some for World War 31 with nuclear fallout etc. They all seem like extremists, but I assure you... if you dig deep enough, you can find a prepper that will have a fear that specifically appeals to your personality type and sounds totally reasonable!!! I'm an EMP / solar flare type guy myself. True outdoor survivalists are the type that know how to survive off the land using basically a knife and some rope and not much else. Those are the guys I find myself more aligned with.... but it's gonna take a bit of both sides to feel totally prepared.

(Below is an example of how far reaching the solar flare's EMP would reach if it were to hit)

                                             

DID YOU KNOW?: 

It may not strike you as reasonable to fear a giant EMP that permanently kills everything that runs electronically... but, I was watching one of those science shows about space and junk on TV recently that stated there was at least a 12% chance that this type of solar flare could happen in the next 50 years. 1 out of 10 chance!!! Freaky, right? So, for me it all started with the will to be slightly more prepared than I was for it. Keep reading stuff like this blog and watching TV shows or reading survival / SHTF forums, and you'll KNOW what it means to have the survival bug bite you!

I have concluded it will take a -heavy- dose of both methods of survival-ism to feel totally prepared. One thing I can say is that I don't subscribe to the storage of 3 years worth of food for your family. Sure, stock pile a month or three worth of food to give you time to adjust to the new world, but if you don't teach yourself how to forage for food, grow food, or even kill animals and clean them... then you're sunk after that 3 years of stored food. The more I've read the survival blogs and forums out there, the more I become aware that buying tons of gear is less important than the knowledge and practice side of surviving. 

Here are Bucky's -current- tips on survival. THE FUN STUFF!

Gear you will need: 

  • Backpack / rucksack
  • Quality fixed blade and folding knives
  • Rope (550lb para-cord is a good one)
  • Quality boots with 2 pairs of socks
  • Rain gear
  • Tent with rain coverage
  • Water carrying device
  • Fire starter like a magnesium / flint stone
  • Firearm(s) of your choice (cleaning kit and materials for them) Firearms make things easy, but aren't 100% necessary if you know how to trap. Guns are very heavy, and weight of what you carry is crucial to keep down when trying to survive and stay mobile)
  • Something like a deck of cards for mental entertainment (very necessary)
  • Perhaps a survival guide like the one below
  • Remember: people are your biggest asset AND your biggest liability. They could be good and helpful, or they could be hostile and wish to take what you have. 


                                                     


I could make this list very long, and I'm sure I've missed a few essentials... but as far as I can think about on the spot like this, the rest would be "luxury" type items. One thing that you may find absurd is the deck of cards. One of the biggest enemies is time and boredom and stress when things seem bad. It is literally vital that you find an easy way to keep your mind somehow preoccupied or elsewhere at times. It is widely accepted as a necessity to train yourself to stay positive. This would be my choice.

Welp! Ran out of time to type, folks. Enjoy the fear I have purposefully instilled in EACH of you! Muhuhahahahahahahaha












4 comments:

Unknown said...

Dude, I've got the bug too...but I'm leaning toward more of the Outdoor/Primitive survival type myself. I'm learning Archery, Bowery (making your own bows and arrows), and any other kind of hand to hand or hand vs weapons survival, also the basics like killing and field dressing animals, trapping, and creating leather from said animals. I think the leather is essential if you live in our climate or above since we need to be able to use every ounce of the materials we have available. If you kill an animal you should be able to use all of it for something. Also basic woodcraft (knowing what to eat or wipe your butt with) for our area is good knowledge to have for survival. Honestly the only thing you have to have to survive is A) a good knife (or sharp pointy stick), b) land that you can hunt on... other than that it's just luxury... You can make everything else you need with those two things if you know how.

Unknown said...

I agree with you that ultimately a knife is all you'd truly need, provided it is really good steel. But i'll tell ya what, the other stuff we could all easily acquire in a trip or two out to prepare and it would make life a TON easier. Not to mention, that is a minimalist approach and would all be very easy to tote around no matter who you are. (save the guns) lol.

Unknown said...

You're talking -serious- hardcore shit, Zach! love it.

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