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Making a survival plan and stocking up

BCEagleAce

BCEagleAce

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Found some great advice and information on survival planning on the forums. Couple questions though:

1) who has the ability to survive in winter or summer for a good 3+ month period?

2) if stocking up on gallons of water, how long are they good for when stored in a cool place?

3) in a real SHTF situation of no utilities, civil disorder, riots, etc., what type of home security measures will you need? For me, I live on a private circle that is set off main roads. There are 26 houses in my hood, and I know many of my neighbors. If my security system is out, police are nowhere to be found, etc., what types of gun(s), ammo, barricading, locks, etc., do you advise to have in place?

4) I have forced hot air on oil heat... no fireplace or alternate heat source. What is a reasonably cost effective way to change this so I have a back up? I have two small children and need to keep them babies warm!

5)
 
The answer to #2 is that it depends entirely upon your initial conditions. A regular soda bottle that has been cleaned thoroughly with soap and water, and rinsed thoroughly with a capful of bleach (don't forget to clean the cap!), should be good for five years or more assuming dark conditions and chlorinated public water source. If you're drawing from a well, I'd add a teaspoon of bleach to each bottle prior to storage and plan on aerating the water before drinking it, which will allow the chlorine to dissipate. If you were in a SHTF situation and you were only able to get to your "secondary storage" location where the supplies were, say, twelve years old - you'd want to boil the water out or re-chlorinate it before drinking. Hopefully it hasn't absorbed too many polymers by then.

The major risk in long-term water storage is the breakdown of your container's material. This is greatly hastened by sunlight, and the use of a bottle that had Aspartame in it. Hence - no Diet Coke bottles for long term storage! Don't remember where I read that, but I'll stick to it nonetheless.
 
Assuming I'm buying gallon or multi gallon bottles at a BJ's type place, and storing them in a cool basement protected from sunlight? Sounds like if the container is decent, they will last a LONG time then?
 
I think at the current point if I need I can survive without electricity for upwards of 6-12 months*. Of course I need to know this will be the case vs. a short term incident.

Of course after 6-12 months I'd probably be in gear to survive longer as survival skills kick in. 6-12 months is just for what I have in stock.

* Please note I also have more than enough ammo to defend my stock :)
 
BCEagleAce said:
Assuming I'm buying gallon or multi gallon bottles at a BJ's type place, and storing them in a cool basement protected from sunlight? Sounds like if the container is decent, they will last a LONG time then?
Click to expand...

Water in those containers will last for being usable, but I'd rotate it out as the plastic will leach somewhat. It won't really go bad, but may taste awkward.
 
I would not depend on the containers purchased at a supermarket to hold water for more than a year. I had about four of them in my basement and two developed leaks after a year.

Note: store water below everything else in your shelves!

You can get much thicker 5 gallon containers from
this place

http://beprepared.com/
 
Gonzo said:
I got a pocket knife and a lighter. I can hold out indefinitely.
Click to expand...

Til you run out of fuel ;) I have lots of matches [few thousand in vacuum sealed bags] and various other tools to get sparks and start fires.

BCEagleAce said:
What about guns, ammo and fortifying your house for a real SHTF situation?
Click to expand...

I have two entrances that can be easily breached. I can defend both from the same location. The other location I can get from approximately the same location. I could seal them up a bit more in a pinch.
 
BCEagleAce said:
Assuming I'm buying gallon or multi gallon bottles at a BJ's type place, and storing them in a cool basement protected from sunlight? Sounds like if the container is decent, they will last a LONG time then?
Click to expand...

As stated by the Doob and hminsky, gallon jugs are crap for long-term storage. The plastic will leech into the water faster than most other containers, they are quite fragile, and actually physically arranging them is more difficult than with 2-liter bottles. In a pinch, by all means - but you'll have to be actively rotating them in order to make sure you don't have a big mess in your basement, or nasty water. [grin]

If I were buying water for long-term storage, I'd buy the big water-dispenser barrels and hang onto them - I can't see those deteriorating within our grandchildren's lifetimes! I've heard of folks who will "subscribe" to a water service, over-order, and just keep a couple jugs per delivery in the basement until they get their fifty or one hundred containers or whatnot.

Personally, I go through Coca Cola regularly, and just keep/wash/bleach/refill all my empty bottles. Date and rotate, of course!
 
Do all of you guys seriously live that far from a water source? Wouldn't be wiser to stock up on simple water purification tools (iodine pills, filtration systems, a pot) and use the space you save for something that would be much harder to find in a bunkered-in situation (like ammo)?
 
Gonzo said:
Do all of you guys seriously live that far from a water source? Wouldn't be wiser to stock up on simple water purification tools (iodine pills, filtration systems, a pot) and use the space you save for something that would be much harder to find in a bunkered-in situation (like ammo)?
Click to expand...

Exactly, it either rains or snows here every other day. It's not like we're in the Mohave Desert
 
Got a recommendation from somebody on guns. He argues:

1) one handgun per adult member of the family and in a SHTF situation they have this at ALL times with back up mags. 500 rounds per gun stored.

2) at least one "home defense" type shotgun like a moss 500 or 870. 500+ rounds stored.

3) at least one hunting quality rifle with a good scope. In a prolonged or indefinite disaster, you may have to hunt for your food and would want at least 1000 rounds of ammo.

Thoughts on these?
 
BCEagleAce said:
Got a recommendation from somebody on guns. He argues:

1) one handgun per adult member of the family and in a SHTF situation they have this at ALL times with back up mags. 500 rounds per gun stored.

2) at least one "home defense" type shotgun like a moss 500 or 870. 500+ rounds stored.

3) at least one hunting quality rifle with a good scope. In a prolonged or indefinite disaster, you may have to hunt for your food and would want at least 1000 rounds of ammo.

Thoughts on these?
Click to expand...

I can't vouch for the ammo quotes, but I'd consider getting back up guns for each gun, plus parts, mags, etc.
 
BCEagleAce said:
Found some great advice and information on survival planning on the forums. Couple questions though:

1) who has the ability to survive in winter or summer for a good 3+ month period?

2) if stocking up on gallons of water, how long are they good for when stored in a cool place?

3) in a real SHTF situation of no utilities, civil disorder, riots, etc., what type of home security measures will you need? For me, I live on a private circle that is set off main roads. There are 26 houses in my hood, and I know many of my neighbors. If my security system is out, police are nowhere to be found, etc., what types of gun(s), ammo, barricading, locks, etc., do you advise to have in place?

4) I have forced hot air on oil heat... no fireplace or alternate heat source. What is a reasonably cost effective way to change this so I have a back up? I have two small children and need to keep them babies warm!

5)
Click to expand...


2. Water - As others said we have a lot water in this area. Do you have gutters? If so a couple of rain barrels would keep you supplied with plenty of water. You would just have to filter and treat it. Do you have a well? Look up well buckets. They are cheap and easy to make. I would store a few of those blue Reliance jugs and rotate it every few months for shorter term issues.

3. There is a lot of info on the net about hardening ones home but remember that you may need to get out of it in a hurry oce the MZBs torch it. Guns, a couple of handguns for the adults and long guns for most everyone. .22, shotty, .30-30, AR whatever. Trick is to ensure everyone is proficient in their safe use. Ammo, buy what you can afford without giving up money to buy food. Cant eat ammo and the odds of you surviving an engagment that lasts through several hundred rounds is very slim. Realistically it sounds like in a true long term scenario you are in trouble. I would bet that 23 of those houses dont have enough food to last a week. What are they going to do when they see that you arent starving? Have you discussed this with any of your neighbors?

4. Heat- Does your furnace have a chimney or a power vent. If it has a chimney you could set up a wood or coal stove that you could rig into the flue and at least heat the basement. No chimney do you have propane of nat gas? Might be able to get a heater that could tie in to that. Maybe a heater that burns HHO? Dont know if one exists though. Portable kero and propane heaters are nice but storing enough fuel is tough.

Other thing to think about are sanitation, light, and food.
 
Gonzo said:
Do all of you guys seriously live that far from a water source? Wouldn't be wiser to stock up on simple water purification tools (iodine pills, filtration systems, a pot) and use the space you save for something that would be much harder to find in a bunkered-in situation (like ammo)?
Click to expand...

For me, the main draw for storing assloads of water is a nuclear situation. I'm not spending any money, and my dirt floor basement is useless anyway, so I might as well keep a supply running. [grin]

If the family and I ever need to "hunker down" in the event of fallout, I want to be sure that we literally do not have to exit the sheltered area for a couple weeks, and not have to leave the house for a month or more. I'd hate to survive a nuclear event just to get cancer years after the fact because I kept having to drink tainted runoff water or run outside to draw from storage.
 
doobie said:
I have lots of matches [few thousand in vacuum sealed bags]
Click to expand...

Doobie,

I've got an enormous quantity of wooden matches (a few /hundred/ thousand). Each box is the bulk size (250 ct) and each box is in turn stored within it's own Diamond "Safe Sound" weather-proof match box container.

I've considered using the Foodsaver to seal them but given they are all in a tightly sealed plastic container already, I haven't done so. Are you sealing them to prevent the O2 from breaking down the business end of the match or is it simply for weather proofing?

Thanks
-ed

PS: The matches and containers are so dirt cheap they become a compulsive buy every time I shop this particular store up North in ME.
 
Mainer said:
Doobie,

I've got an enormous quantity of wooden matches (a few /hundred/ thousand). Each box is the bulk size (250 ct) and each box is in turn stored within it's own Diamond "Safe Sound" weather-proof match box container.

I've considered using the Foodsaver to seal them but given they are all in a tightly sealed plastic container already, I haven't done so. Are you sealing them to prevent the O2 from breaking down the business end of the match or is it simply for weather proofing?

Thanks
-ed

PS: The matches and containers are so dirt cheap they become a compulsive buy every time I shop this particular store up North in ME.
Click to expand...

O2 breakdown, humidity, insects... anything that could harmthem.
 
BCEagleAce said:
Found some great advice and information on survival planning on the forums. Couple questions though:

1) who has the ability to survive in winter or summer for a good 3+ month period?

2) if stocking up on gallons of water, how long are they good for when stored in a cool place?

3) in a real SHTF situation of no utilities, civil disorder, riots, etc., what type of home security measures will you need? For me, I live on a private circle that is set off main roads. There are 26 houses in my hood, and I know many of my neighbors. If my security system is out, police are nowhere to be found, etc., what types of gun(s), ammo, barricading, locks, etc., do you advise to have in place?

4) I have forced hot air on oil heat... no fireplace or alternate heat source. What is a reasonably cost effective way to change this so I have a back up? I have two small children and need to keep them babies warm!

5)
Click to expand...



Step one: I moved out from the burbs of Nashua to the burbs of Western NH. I live on 5 acres surrounded by about 30 acres of forest. I have a yr-rd running brook, that I plan on taking advantage of to incorporate an electro-hydro unit for full house power. I have a well, and a whole house genset, with 50 gallons of gas stocked, that I rotate out and replenish. I plan on eventually converting the gen to propane since I have a large tank that the stove/oven is hooked up to.
I have no neighbors. I have my own plow truck for my driveway.
People constantly drive past my long driveway, not realizing that there is even a house set back in the woods.
Living in NH allows you a measure of freedom when it comes legally owning firearms, and large capacity magazines.
I have a stock pile of food, and water (even with the well). I do need to purchase manual back-up well pumps for back-up.
I have been saving cash for when there is no power to access an ATM.
I installed a wood burning stove myself, and, as a MA Lic. GC, I save all the lumber I have from jobs. I use this FREE wood to supplement the heating cost in my home.

All of this was done, not out of fear, or paranoia. I love living in the country, and I have always believed, simply in...."self-sufficiency".

You know the old saying: Hope for the best...plan for the worst.

I am a pacifist, that believes in protecting my own life, and the lives of those I love.

I don't have the best plan that can be made, but, at least .....I have "a plan".....
 
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