Emergency Supplies

[Coffee]

Cool link, Tex!

We really need to have a Crawling Road/Permanent Portfolio camp out, now that the weather is getting nicer.  (Well, here anyways.  It's 75* outside.)

[craigr]

Cool link, Tex!

We really need to have a Crawling Road/Permanent Portfolio camp out, now that the weather is getting nicer.  (Well, here anyways.  It's 75* outside.)

But carrying around all the gold is far too heavy.

[Coffee]

You went and gold-plated your AK, didn't you?

[craigr]

You went and gold-plated your AK, didn't you?

I prefer AR-15s. But I do have some gold bullets in case we are attacked by Keynesian werewolves. It's the only way to kill them.

[moda0306]

You went and gold-plated your AK, didn't you?

I prefer AR-15s. But I do have some gold bullets in case we are attacked by Keynesian werewolves. It's the only way to kill them.

LOL

[MediumTex]

I do have some gold bullets in case we are attacked by Keynesian werewolves. It's the only way to kill them.

I heard they were making a movie about that.

It's going to be called "28 QEs Later".

[craigr]

As a result of my move I will have to rebuild some of my emergency supplies. If I remember, I will post out what I'm doing myself and use some of the ideas here as well for my preps. So keep the ideas coming if you have them.

[smurff]

I keep some of my food and water storage in every room in my house.  Reason:  if a disaster strikes that destroys part of the house,  spreading stuff around increases the chances that some emergency supplies will be safe.

I live in the NYC area.  I carry a tiny emergency supply with me, enough to get by for a day or two in case something happens:  Food, water, medicines, SwissArmy knife, light, SW radio, etc.  I learned to do this after 9-11:  It took Some people as long as three days to get home from NYC after the trains, buses, and coaches were shut down and bridges and tunnels were closed.  I've actually had to use my kit several times since then:  The Great Blackout of 2003, and numerous weather-related infrastructure breakdown events.  (Really, things were so bad a couple of years ago that a mere one inch of rain could disable the MetroNorth trains, and the LIRR Long Island Rail Road was even dicier.  Better now.)

[moda0306]

Smurff,

Stories like yours are a great example as to why a little survivalism is a great idea.  We don't have to have a nuclear holocaust to make use of these things, and often they're usable devices for every-day life.

Much like the "unpopular" assets of the PP, these items work extremely well to cover both periods of unsteady prosperity and periods of chaos... it would take a pretty crazy world where neither cash nor gold serve as legal tender.

[Storm]

The funny thing about the Metro North trains - they were only supposed to last 30 years, yet the cars are something like 35 years old.  Government failure has prevented replacing them for so long that every winter, they completely die and like Smurff said, even an inch of rain will cause complete systemic failure.  It has gotten so bad that when it snows, the trains air intake sucks in snow, which shorts out the electric motors and causes major outages/delays.

Living in the greater NYC area really gives you a sense of how important it is to survive on your own.  You would think city dwellers were the opposite, but the failure of such fundamental survival systems has jaded us to the system as a whole.

[HB Reader]

In his first three investment books HB included very brief discussions about having a "retreat" location (or some pre-existing plans, like provisions in place or a well-stocked camper van) as common sense insurance in case of civil disturbance or chaos.  He caught a lot of flack from mainstream reviewers for discussing this topic, as if he were some kook predicting the looming downfall of western civilization.  Much like the discussion here though, he suggested doing it in a way that fit comfortably within one's existing lifestyle and vacation/recreation preferences.  In the late 1970's he stopped discussing the topic.  He said it was because he was not an expert on the subject and that he had lost his sense of urgency about it after moving to Switzerland, but I suspect he also felt that it had become a bit of a distraction.

A few years later, the press began to write about a new movement called "survivalism" that espoused wilderness survival skills, violent opposition to federal government authority, a strict adherence to the gold standard and thinly-veiled racist leanings.  HB seemed to get tarred slightly with this brush in the public mind, primarily (I think) because of his earlier association with gold investments and libertarian thought.  Interestly, though, nowhere in his writings that I saw did he ever espouse anything even remotely racist, nor did he ever advocate breaking the law or living in the wilderness.  Actually, he was quite tolerant, urbane and very much against violence, whether perpetrated by individuals or the state.  It sure taught me to be skeptical of the vague caricatures that permeate the popular press.                         

[Coffee]

As a result of my move I will have to rebuild some of my emergency supplies. If I remember, I will post out what I'm doing myself and use some of the ideas here as well for my preps. So keep the ideas coming if you have them.

What did I miss? If it's not classified: Where are you moving to?

[Lone Wolf]

HB seemed to get tarred slightly with this brush in the public mind, primarily (I think) because of his earlier association with gold investments and libertarian thought.  Interestly, though, nowhere in his writings that I saw did he ever espouse anything even remotely racist, nor did he ever advocate breaking the law or living in the wilderness.  Actually, he was quite tolerant, urbane and very much against violence, whether perpetrated by individuals or the state.  It sure taught me to be skeptical of the vague caricatures that permeate the popular press.                         

That's interesting.  I'd never known that.

In his radio show, Browne gave an excellent answer to a gentleman that was talking about his extensive survivalist prep.  His message was to never sacrifice the present for a future that can't be predicted.  To do so is to unwittingly set up shop in the fortune-telling business.  (And if there's one thing a PP adherent ought not waste time doing, it's live your life according to fortune-telling.)

His advice, essentially, was to hedge, hedge, hedge, but only in a way that dovetailed with the life you wise to live today.  Having some junk silver coins, a firearm, and the basic essentials for a few weeks of an "interrupted normalcy" was a great idea.  These things cost you very little and in fact are essential hedges against everyday life.  Silver works just fine as a small portion of the PP.  Occasionally, people will behave violently toward you and the police may not be able to help you.  Sometimes society's systems temporarily break down and you have to look to alternate arrangements.

But you can't ever let that stuff distract you from the world as it is, which has lots of "ups" to go along with the "downs".  He emphasized that if something gets in the way of you living your life as it is and as you wish it to be, discard it.  It's easy for survivalism to become a very expensive form of live-action role-playing.  When things reach that point, it's good to listen to Browne's advice (and maybe just go play some paint-ball with your buddies to get it out of your system.) 

It sure taught me to be skeptical of the vague caricatures that permeate the popular press.

Absolutely.  Sometimes the conventional wisdom is right but sometimes a lot of what "everybody knows" is nothing more than lazy shorthand.

[craigr]

As a result of my move I will have to rebuild some of my emergency supplies. If I remember, I will post out what I'm doing myself and use some of the ideas here as well for my preps. So keep the ideas coming if you have them.

What did I miss? If it's not classified: Where are you moving to?

Just down the road from where I used to live. I'm now in the city downtown and no longer in a more rural setting.

[Coffee]

As a result of my move I will have to rebuild some of my emergency supplies. If I remember, I will post out what I'm doing myself and use some of the ideas here as well for my preps. So keep the ideas coming if you have them.

What did I miss? If it's not classified: Where are you moving to?

Just down the road from where I used to live. I'm now in the city downtown and no longer in a more rural setting.

Can you elaborate on that?  Was it for personal reasons, or did you find that "Living the Good Life" was not all it's cracked up to be?

The reason I ask is because I want to move to a more rural location.  Or at least some place close to a city, but with an acre or two so that I'm not right on top of my neighbors, can grow a large garden and raise chickens.  But I'm not 100% sure I haven't just bought into the romance of how it's described in some of the "back-to-the-farm" and "urban homestead" books being pimped, these days.

[MediumTex]

But I'm not 100% sure I haven't just bought into the romance of how it's described in some of the "back-to-the-farm" and "urban homestead" books being pimped, these days.

The thing I always notice when I get away from the cities is that I feel like I have stepped back in time anywhere from a couple of years to several decades.

Although I spent plenty of time in the country growing up, today I find it difficult to locate people I can relate to and communicate with in rural areas. 

Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places.  With a much lower population density, however, it seems like if you are looking for that 1% of the population that thinks like you do, it's just statistically more difficult out in the country, simply because there are fewer people.

[Pkg Man]

But I'm not 100% sure I haven't just bought into the romance of how it's described in some of the "back-to-the-farm" and "urban homestead" books being pimped, these days.

The thing I always notice when I get away from the cities is that I feel like I have stepped back in time anywhere from a couple of years to several decades.

Although I spent plenty of time in the country growing up, today I find it difficult to locate people I can relate to and communicate with in rural areas. 

Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places.  With a much lower population density, however, it seems like if you are looking for that 1% of the population that thinks like you do, it's just statistically more difficult out in the country, simply because there are fewer people.

I find that I can easily relate to folks in the country -- probably because I'm one-generation from the farm -- although there are certain conversations that would just never happen.

I've always thought that living in the middle of a large city or in the country would be better than the burbs (which is where I live).  If it wasn't for work I would certainly not live where I live now.  A rural area within close proximity to a larger city would be a good alternative.

If you decide on chickens PM me and I will give you some tips that might save you from learning the hard way.

[craigr]

What did I miss? If it's not classified: Where are you moving to?

Just down the road from where I used to live. I'm now in the city downtown and no longer in a more rural setting.

Can you elaborate on that?  Was it for personal reasons, or did you find that "Living the Good Life" was not all it's cracked up to be?

The reason I ask is because I want to move to a more rural location.  Or at least some place close to a city, but with an acre or two so that I'm not right on top of my neighbors, can grow a large garden and raise chickens.   But I'm not 100% sure I haven't just bought into the romance of how it's described in some of the "back-to-the-farm" and "urban homestead" books being pimped, these days.

Personal life changes. I got tired of living out in the middle of nowhere. I'm not a farmer and don't want to be one. I like being closer to the city as there are more opportunities for work and I feel more energized to work on ideas.

But I live in a medium city with very low crime. If I was near somewhere like Detroit I would definitely live as far out as possible.

I tried the livestock/chicken thing. It's extremely time consuming and constricting. Most people are better off using their minds for other things than living like 17th Century Agrarian society members. IMO.

[MediumTex]

I find that I can easily relate to folks in the country -- probably because I'm one-generation from the farm -- although there are certain conversations that would just never happen.

Both of my parents are from the country and most of my family still live there.  It's not that I can't relate to them, I suppose, I just find most of their lives to be boring and dull.  They seem to feel the same about it as well.

Maybe if I lived in another country I would find rural life more interesting.  I could pretend I was an anthropologist doing field work.

[Coffee]

I've lived in Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia.  You're right: Even when you're doing boring things, you're doing boring things in a foreign country.  I.E., "Yeah... I just laid on the couch reading a novel, yesterday-- in my condo in North Bogota."  I don't know... it just sounds more interesting, doesn't it?