I have a question for everyone.

[Dolomite_supafly]

I asked this last night in chat and I figured it would make a great topic here. And the answers might help others figure out their weaknesses.

 

If SHTF, regardless of scenario, exactly when you read this what would you be lacking?

 

For me it would be a neighborhood plan as well as a "common" pistol. I am also lacking in medical supplies. Yes I can probably stop most bleeding but honestly I don't have anything for allergies, the common cold or any other ailments that are not life threatening but can make your life miserable in a SHTF situation.

 

So what are you lacking?

Edited August 18, 2015 by Dolomite_supafly

[Spots]

Rifle and pistol ammo. We have a reloading setup but haven't got it up and going yet and I'm not well off on 5.56 or 9mm. Also need to get my AR finished asap.

Sent from the backwoods

[RED333]

Medical supplies

[runco]

SHTF event.

[Grand Torino]

Medical supplies for sure. We've been attending it to it lately but still have a ways to go.

[Wingshooter]

Gas.

I parked my truck in the driveway near empty, and I have depleted my backup supply this summer. My first plan of action is to stay put, but I'd be lacking fuel if i had to execute plan B or run the generator at this exact moment. Edited August 18, 2015 by Wingshooter

[Omega]

It would really depend on the event.  Right now I am at work, and am on a military base, so am lacking for very little.  So again depending on the situation the first thing is to collect my family into a central location; one is in NC while the rest are in Nashville and Murfreesboro so it may be simple or an ordeal. 

[R1100R]

My wife and I both have medical backgrounds so I'm not lacking there. I need to get a emergency supply of food and water purification source.

[gregintenn]

I don't have a water source on my property except for city water.

[peejman]

A well defined and rehearsed plan.

 

 

I've got modest amounts of food, water, medical supplies (for minor stuff, major trauma would be a big problem), ammo... etc.  If communications go down, getting my family back together might be a problem.  I would assume my wife would default to meeting back at home, but we'd have to collect the kids. 

[VERO1]

Pretty much everything. Guess I better get busy.

[xjsnake]

Pretty much everything. Guess I better get busy.

 

Same here

[JAB]

I am pretty well stocked on first aid supplies and beyond that I wouldn't have the medical knowledge to use anything much more advanced.  I don't have a huge food supply but do have a decent amount of 'shelf stable' foods and there are rabbits and squirrels around where I live (I figure that in a true SHTF scenario survival trumps hunting seasons.)  I have some drinking water on hand, we are on a well (although I need to get another well bucket we can use to manually retrieve water from the one shaft that no longer has a pump over it - although I could probably improvise something if I had to) and we live close enough to a (public) body of water that we could retrieve some from there if necessary.  My mom is my neighbor on one side and my sister is my neighbor on the other.  That is pretty much it for immediate family.

 

Unfortunately, there are certain, prescription medications that I have to take and that there is no way to really stock up on.  So, for a short term SHTF situation - say a week or two, maybe even a month or so - I could probably get by with the supplies I have.  If things went on too long, though, my heart function would drop, again, and I would die from congestive heart failure - assuming something else didn't get me, first.  It might take a few months or even a year but eventually I imagine I'd be toast from that.  So, with that in mind (as I probably wouldn't last long-term, anyhow) what am I missing?

 

Short term:  I need to replace a fuel line on my generator and stock some fuel for it.

 

If things went long term (meaning I'd probably be dying, anyhow):  Several cases of good beer and a big sign for my gate that says "Go the [eff] Away!  Trespassers will be shot.  Survivors will be shot, again."

Edited August 18, 2015 by JAB

[BigK]

All I have is guns, ammo, other weapons, survival tools, camping gear. I have some medical supplies, but no food/water stockpile.

[musicman]

Weeellll....

I had a huge, detailed response typed and deleted all of it. We have some supplies, and am working mainly on better/more dense dry food options and then better methods of water collection and purification. I view that as our main needs. We have basic medical, defense, and shelter options covered. Everything can be improved upon, of course, but if utilities are no longer available, I believe water is my weakest point. We always have enough on hand in bottles, etc for at least two weeks by most measures. However, if poo hits the bladed propulsion device to the point that basic services are interrupted, I don't see them coming back online quickly.

[Dolomite_supafly]

For water you can almost always get the water you need for the day from your yard very early in the morning. There is generally enough of a temperature change that there should be water somewhat regularly sitting on your yard. I took a towel and dragged it on the ground. That one swipe gave me a lot more water than I could have ever expected. And depending on the time of year it could be raining every other day.

 

I posted a how to on making your own hand pump for a well. If I can do it anyone can and it works great.

[leroy]

A "devils paintbrush" and claymores to secure the perimeter...

 

leroy

[Fourtyfive]

My kids and extended family. I would be worried more about them than myself. I can defend the house easily, a creek for water if not contaminated, plenty of food and ammo.

[musicman]

For water you can almost always get the water you need for the day from your yard very early in the morning. There is generally enough of a temperature change that there should be water somewhat regularly sitting on your yard. I took a towel and dragged it on the ground. That one swipe gave me a lot more water than I could have ever expected.

Wow! I had been wondering about some way to collect all that dew in the mornings. Brilliant idea! Just need a sediment filter/let the water settle out.

Also, we have a metal roof on the house now, so rainwater should be pretty clean. In the next few months one of my goals is to source water containment barrels mainly for gardening purposes, but they would also be very handy in a bad situation.

[Johnny Rotten]

Get a swimming pool, water solved

[Hozzie]

I think you could also use one of those blue tarps for water.  Just stake down the corners and let the dew form on top of it.  Then just lift and pour off.  Don't see why that wouldn't work somewhat in a desperate situation along with the other options listed.

Edited August 18, 2015 by Hozzie

[blewbayou]

This is a fairly gross thought, but it is also a fairly decent supply of water...It's just my girlfriend and I so the vast majority of what goes down the drains is water. I have a septic tank. With the proper filtration, there are a couple hundred gallons of water being held in there...

I'm not terribly well prepared, but I'd make do for a couple weeks.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[Omega]

This is a fairly gross thought, but it is also a fairly decent supply of water...It's just my girlfriend and I so the vast majority of what goes down the drains is water. I have a septic tank. With the proper filtration, there are a couple hundred gallons of water being held in there...

I'm not terribly well prepared, but I'd make do for a couple weeks.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

The septic tank would not be a good place for water, you would be having to filter and boil the water make any use of it.  I would rather dig a hole in the runoff area to collect water than to access a septic tank.

[R_Bert]

Everything except Pizza Rolls.  And I would probably get myself killt over them, considering my current address.

[R_Bert]

The septic tank would not be a good place for water, you would be having to filter and boil the water make any use of it.  I would rather dig a hole in the runoff area to collect water than to access a septic tank.

and considering the anaerobic activity, it's a good idea not to asphyxiate ones *** trying to access the "supply".