People are depending too much on gear and surivial supplies!

[Oscar Wilde]

I will try that but ....

Dr. Asa .... http://www.drasa.com/ .... trust me, make contact with him.

O.W.

[Bobbie]

I book marked the page you sent so I can read it tonight thanks for the concern.

[myakka]

We want the rifle that will shoot the straightest, the tactical light that will shine the fartherest,
but we don't want to put in the work to have a body that will run the fastest/ lift the most whatever.

I understand RichFL's point that not everyone is an olympic athlete, but does that excuse someone not making what improvements they can? I keep saying this, maybe it is a pet peeve, but how will you forage/ farm/ hunt when you get out of breathe walking to the pantry for another ho ho?
No offense, I just dropped 25lbs myself and I was in pretty good shape. But I wanted to be better.

I want to take the best version of me into the post SHTF world I can. Physically, mentally everything. The whole package. For me that means I have a lot of off-grid homesteading skills to learn.

[Oscar Wilde]

.... I want to take the best version of me into the post SHTF world I can.

This would make a great billboard logo ....

O.W.

[myakka]

Print the T-shirt, I will wear mine! :-D

[no1woodwizar]

The real question I think we all need to ask ourselves is this; When the shtf do you want to just survive or do you want to live. There is a diffrence between the two. In my opinion a large skillset is much more valuable than all of the gear. I have been trying to get my bug out bag down to a minimal size of a shoulder type carry bag by building on my skill sets. The more crap you have to carry and keep track of the slower you will move. And if you start to rely to heavily on your gear when it is gone you will be in a world of shit not to mention the mentall aspect of losing or having your gear taken from you. Here is what I consider the essential skills for life after the shtf. 1. Making fire from friction. 2. Ability to find or make clean drinking water. 3. Fishing and hunting. 4. Hygene. Fire is the key to it all it alows you to cook your food, helps to clean your water, helps in the making of tools, keeps you warm and gives you a sense of security. Something I have always wondered about. If you had ten years of preps ready and the shtf and we had a natural disaster that wiped out your supplies overnight or a large group somehow infiltrated your safe compound and wiped out all of your supplies, What do you think that would do to you mentally? A man with nothing has nothing to lose.

[MGF]

Well, the more skills you have, the less equipment/supplies you need but the equipment/supplies are used to save time and calories.

I know I've said it before but I think the stuff has already hit the fan. We have an oppressive government that's sucking up a huge portion of the fruits of our labor and taking more freedom away every day. Does it get much worse? I'd be in heaven if all I had to worry about was "wilderness survival".

Anyway, at my home we raise chickens, goats and rabbits and we're planting more and more of the property. As time goes on we make more and more of what we use and rely less on the market and the dollar.

The first obvious benefit to that is the skill development. We're trying to be as self sufficient as we can now....why wait? Another benefit that might not be so obvious is that the tax man can't take as much right off the top. I am intentionally reducing my inome in dollars without lowering my standard of living...though you may not measure "standard of living" the same way I do.

[survivalguy]

The real question I think we all need to ask ourselves is this; When the shtf do you want to just survive or do you want to live. There is a diffrence between the two. In my opinion a large skillset is much more valuable than all of the gear. I have been trying to get my bug out bag down to a minimal size of a shoulder type carry bag by building on my skill sets. The more crap you have to carry and keep track of the slower you will move. And if you start to rely to heavily on your gear when it is gone you will be in a world of shit not to mention the mentall aspect of losing or having your gear taken from you. Here is what I consider the essential skills for life after the shtf. 1. Making fire from friction. 2. Ability to find or make clean drinking water. 3. Fishing and hunting. 4. Hygene. Fire is the key to it all it alows you to cook your food, helps to clean your water, helps in the making of tools, keeps you warm and gives you a sense of security. Something I have always wondered about. If you had ten years of preps ready and the shtf and we had a natural disaster that wiped out your supplies overnight or a large group somehow infiltrated your safe compound and wiped out all of your supplies, What do you think that would do to you mentally? A man with nothing has nothing to lose.

I agree with you 100% skill sets are something that will go along way remember they can't take the knowledge from you.

[merlin12921982]

A ranger handbook has alot of useful info....in a small book easy to carry, lite,

[dalewick]

Don't know about currently, but years ago uncle Sam had a funny way of training us for surviving (SERE) teach you what was in the book and then some. Then take you to the middle of nowhere, drop you off with the cloths on your back and a knife and tell you see you at extraction in 30 or 60 days. Good luck. Everyone serious about personal survival should try it at least once. It will test your metal.

[Renee]

Don't know about currently, but years ago uncle Sam had a funny way of training us for surviving (SERE) teach you what was in the book and then some. Then take you to the middle of nowhere, drop you off with the cloths on your back and a knife and tell you see you at extraction in 30 or 60 days. Good luck. Everyone serious about personal survival should try it at least once. It will test your metal.

My husband has told me stories about this training adventure he had, while serving in the Marines. But this was many years ago~ He said he loved it! I’ve gone camping since I was a little girl, and I’m very capable of keeping a stiff upper lip, and I know how to work hard… but, I will say, this scenario is intimidating and I would probably have to constantly make myself stay focused… I think I'm going to go study up on this now...:o

[dalewick]

Renee - I must admit, I also enjoyed the training here in the states. Food was always easy to find. The training overseas, in the jungles - NOT SO MUCH SO. I used to actually like snakes. LOL.

[blkhawk21]

From my years of military deployments and training I like many of you believe that a solid skills foundation is invaluable. The items in my Bob are all pretty simple. As the military saying goes keep it simple.

[nakadnu]

I agree with OP that we should have the knowledge and strive to gain the skills so we are not wholly dependant on modern technology and gear.
On the other hand, gear and technology have been around since the first caveman used a rock to crack open a walnut while his Grandpa called him a wimp for not using his teeth to do it.
If anybody out there thinks you can get by without modern gear I have a challenge for you. For this summer go without any kind of modern firestarting gear. This basically leaves you a bow drill(which if you want to get technical will have to be made using only natural cordage), hand drill or fire trough. Use only natural tinder you find in your immediate area. I am pretty sure you will be back to using modern gear in a very short time. If you think you can make these methods work everytime in any condition you have never tryed them in a real world scenario (rain, wind, snow), or you are some kind of super bushcraft type of guy!
There is a reason man has developed all these modern conveniences. It is because life without them is harsh, deadly, painful and short. Learn as much as you can about the way things were done before technology and even master some of those skills. Just don't forget that there is a good reason we have the gear we have today.

[MGF]

Why limit it to fire by friction? I wouldn't consider flint and steel "modern".

Even so, the friction methodes are adequate as long as you don't wait until you need a fire to start looking for materials to carve a set. The time to prepare for a fire is when you're warm and dry. My bow drill set will get a fire going just fne on a cold, wet winter day.

My most used method is flint and steel with charred natural materials. Aside from the fact that I just like it, it's sustainable. I replace char as needed and I don't have to worry about running out of anything that I need to get from a store. One of my strikers or my knife will last for as long as I will and there are sparking rocks all over the place.