Questions you had better know the answer to when TSHTF.

hi Flaming Sword....

this biker told me once that when TSHTF all he needed was a hatchet

All i need is butterfly net.

1) Are you in a "safe place" given the distribution and nature of the people around you? Do you have a good relationship with your immediate neighbors? Can you be the leader if needed?

2) Do you have a source of clean water when the tap stops working? Water filter? Do you know several ways to purify water with common materials?

3) Do you have a reasonable store of emergency food? Could you hunt/gather your calorie needs from the land around you? Can you provide for more than yourself? How many more?

4) Will you need to relocate to satisfy any of these three? Do you know where you would need to go? Are you prepared to have to walk there?



And this is just the start...


Putting this out there to get your imagination into working order. Have to go for a few hours but will return to continue the exercise.


What do you think are likely scenarios both general and specific to your area or expertise? Solutions? Complications?

Society as we know it is going to reorder itself either voluntarily or out of necessity...or totally dissolve. What do you think will be the new models? What models will form out of societal habit? What new ones must we develop?



People will perish more from lack of vision and purpose than lack of supplies. Only with your own fire firmly lit can you share the flame to others.

Great thread! Aside from the few that can't be bothered to think positive there's a lot of good info here.

Speaking of being positive - that is one thing that I haven't seen mentioned yet however - though I may have missed it. Maintaining a positive outlook on your situation is very important in any survival situation. In life in general of course, but even more so in a stressful survival situation. Being spiritually prepared and being able to think positive could be the difference between life and death. Many have perished when all around them there are the means to survive because they simply give up and quit trying, quit thinking.

IMHO - being prepared mentally and spiritually is perhaps the most important thing that anyone can do. While we might not be able to predict what will happen, or what types of supplies we'll be able to have available, if one is able to figure out how to utilize the resources around them then their chances of being able to survive, and do so with some amount of comfort, can be greatly increased. Being able to make cordage from the local plants/trees can make a big difference in building shelters, making traps and snares, even fishing. Knowing how to collect water from the surroundings is also pretty damn important. Being able to make fire can save your life if the weather is extreme.

Having a lot of supplies stored up or cash on hand can be helpful in a lot of situations, but how much can you carry with you if you have to bail in a hurry? What if you end up in a situation by accident where you don't have anything with you? You'll always have the knowledge in between your ears - unless you lose your head! ;-) Being able to be comfortable in many diverse situations can make the difference between being able to cope with some style or getting depressed and letting yourself simply perish. They say the Gurkas are one of the best warriors because they can cope with having almost nothing and have still maintain a good attitude.

Another thing that we in the Pacific Northwest have readily available a good part of the year is Mushrooms. Many people have a fungi-phobia however and because of that could be walking by some great food without even realizing it. While there are definitely some mushrooms out there that can kill you, the same goes for green plants as well, yet most aren't afraid of eating greens. While there are some shrooms that are poisonous, there are many that aren't. Many of the ones that aren't poisonous are very easy to identify. Chanterelles are very easy to identify, and are actually harvested commercially. Just go by a grocery store in the fall and many will have them for sale in the produce section fresh. King boletes are another shroom that's not to tough to identify and one king bolete can make a good meal. Plus collecting them is great fun! It's a good excuse to take a walk in the woods and enjoy the day while supplementing your diet with some of natures good eats - and you don't have to worry about what kind of chemicals are sprayed on them to make them more profitable! There are many clubs one can join to learn more about harvesting fresh mushrooms as well.

I read all these prepped up people talking about bugging out.
Why would one become a wandering refugee? I don't get that.