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I'm glad I found this forum. It is nice to see such a gathering of creative and cooperative thinkers. For the last two years or so, I've been preparing for life's troubles here and there. For me this isn't a hobby as much as it is a necessary part of life. I have a story for all of you that might help you get to know me. Here's a true story about just why you NEED to prepare for likely threats in your near future:
Last year for Thanksgiving, I was fortunate enough to be able to visit my family for once. I'm single, 25, and my job pays dirt, so it was a blessing to have some available cash for once and to find a vehicle that was likely to make it from Texas to Topeka, KS. The vehicle was a '90s Toyota Pickup that had seen better days. I had decided to borrow it that weekend instead of using my own vehicle which was likely to fall apart any minute. Needless to say, there was an obvious risk here. Lesson #1: Assess your risks and have a plan in place to deal with them no matter what. There were times during this trip that I could have made more reliable decisions, but my focus was on getting to the destination on time and within a budget. If it weren't for the lessons I learned and the chance to see my family again, I would regret ever having left the house.
While I was confident in the truck, it is always likely for a vehicle to break down on winter road trip. With that in mind, I threw in not only my usual tools, but also a small air compressor and one of those batteries that you use to jump your own vehicle. I also took along a gallon of water because you never leave home without one of those in your vehicle. That doesn't seem like much, but everyone thought I was crazy when I packed the next item: my Bug Out Bag. It wasn't full of guns and ammo, it didn't even have most of the things you might expect in a BOB. All I had in there was a Military Sleeping System, high quality hiking boots,a few gadgets, a tarp, some paracord, a change of synthetic clothing + insulated undergarments, and three days worth of food + water. Lesson #2: Tailor your preparations to your personal needs. The idea was that if the car broke down between cities, I would be able to walk to the nearest town in any weather and survive long enough to get to safety. I also pulled about $200 of cash out of the bank just in case. My friends and family thought I was absolutely paranoid. Lesson #3: Don't worry about what anyone else says. There is nothing wrong with being prepared for the worst.
As I drove north into the cold, the power steering pump was leaking and I refilled it every 50 miles or so. When I got to Tulsa, the weather was getting really bad and I was getting very tired. I figured that this was a good place to stop if any. I couldn't afford a Hotel and the steering really hated working at low speeds, so I just pulled into the nearest parking lot for the night. Lesson #4: If you are traveling, be on the lookout for good places to rest. Out of morbid curiosity, I decided to take a look under the hood and see how the pump was doing. That late at night, I couldn't see much of anything even with my little crank flashlight. I did notice that the pulley on the power steering pump was way off kilter and I knew then that the car would need to be fixed come morning. The vehicle was finally broken down in the middle of the night in the freezing cold and wind. Good thing I was prepared huh?
I broke out the BOB and changed into my survival clothes because I knew I had some walking to do. Lesson #4: When something goes wrong, address it sooner rather than later, and be ready to walk a few miles in any conditions at a moment's notice. I stopped by the local gas station and inquired about the nearest auto parts store. A few miles later in the dark and the cold, I found an Auto Zone. It had a sign on it saying that it would be closed tomorrow for the holiday, but that there would be a location open somewhere else in town. With the last bits of life my phone had, I pulled up a map of the area and figured out where I was, where my vehicle was, and where I needed to go. Lucky for me it was only a few more miles away. Lesson #5: Know where you are and what is around you at all times. On the way back to the truck, I stopped at the gas station to get a drink with some electrolytes and to thank the person who had pointed me towards the Auto Zone. I got back to the truck, got out my Military Sleeping System, locked the doors, and hit the hay.
When I woke up, there was a sheet of ice covering the windshield. My drink from the night before had also frozen over during the night. I thanked my lucky stars that I had brought along a sleeping bag rated at -30 degrees. Without bedding, I could easily have frozen to death that night. When you get through one of those situations, it doesn't matter anymore how much you spent on your gear. If it saved your life it is worth every penny. After a bit of breakfast (remember that I packed three days of food?), I tried to limp the truck to the auto parts store that was supposed to be open. It didn't get out of the parking lot.
I popped the hood and found the serpentine belt tangled all over the engine's fan. I stood there for a moment weighing my options. If I did walk to the auto parts store, I would need to walk back to the truck. I would also probably need something else and have to do multiple trips. I didn't mind walking, but there simply wasn't enough time for all of that. I started looking for ways to limp the truck along, and I figured out something pretty cool. The serpentine belt isn't 100% vital to the engine for short distances in the cold. It provides mostly electricity and cooling, which the battery and weather can provide for just a couple miles. I found my knife cut that belt off like it was made of butter. Lessons 6+7: Know your equipment well, and know how to improvise in a pinch. Also, a knife is useless unless it is extremely sharp and very durable. With the belt off, I started the truck and drove it calmly down the road to the auto parts store. Revving the engine would have only wasted precious electricity and added more heat to the engine than I needed.
The store was open just like the sign had said. It took all day to replace the power steering pump and it involved more walking to find some of the proper tools, but I got it done. I didn't get to Topeka until about 10:00 pm on the night of Thanksgiving Day. That said, I MADE IT. From then on, I knew that preparedness wasn't just a hobby. It is literally a matter of life and death. To this day, I prepare for just about everything that is likely to go pear shaped. It has come in handy more times than you might expect. Oh, and I don't take road trips with old vehicles anymore.
In my opinion, preparedness isn't just about SHTF or WROL or zombie apocalypse situations, it is a lifestyle that can save your rear end more often than you think. It takes more than just some cool gear and a strange lifestyle to protect yourself against the unexpected. You have to have the mental toughness to survive. If you can't forget your fear and work through your problems, no amount of gear will save you.
Last year for Thanksgiving, I was fortunate enough to be able to visit my family for once. I'm single, 25, and my job pays dirt, so it was a blessing to have some available cash for once and to find a vehicle that was likely to make it from Texas to Topeka, KS. The vehicle was a '90s Toyota Pickup that had seen better days. I had decided to borrow it that weekend instead of using my own vehicle which was likely to fall apart any minute. Needless to say, there was an obvious risk here. Lesson #1: Assess your risks and have a plan in place to deal with them no matter what. There were times during this trip that I could have made more reliable decisions, but my focus was on getting to the destination on time and within a budget. If it weren't for the lessons I learned and the chance to see my family again, I would regret ever having left the house.
While I was confident in the truck, it is always likely for a vehicle to break down on winter road trip. With that in mind, I threw in not only my usual tools, but also a small air compressor and one of those batteries that you use to jump your own vehicle. I also took along a gallon of water because you never leave home without one of those in your vehicle. That doesn't seem like much, but everyone thought I was crazy when I packed the next item: my Bug Out Bag. It wasn't full of guns and ammo, it didn't even have most of the things you might expect in a BOB. All I had in there was a Military Sleeping System, high quality hiking boots,a few gadgets, a tarp, some paracord, a change of synthetic clothing + insulated undergarments, and three days worth of food + water. Lesson #2: Tailor your preparations to your personal needs. The idea was that if the car broke down between cities, I would be able to walk to the nearest town in any weather and survive long enough to get to safety. I also pulled about $200 of cash out of the bank just in case. My friends and family thought I was absolutely paranoid. Lesson #3: Don't worry about what anyone else says. There is nothing wrong with being prepared for the worst.
As I drove north into the cold, the power steering pump was leaking and I refilled it every 50 miles or so. When I got to Tulsa, the weather was getting really bad and I was getting very tired. I figured that this was a good place to stop if any. I couldn't afford a Hotel and the steering really hated working at low speeds, so I just pulled into the nearest parking lot for the night. Lesson #4: If you are traveling, be on the lookout for good places to rest. Out of morbid curiosity, I decided to take a look under the hood and see how the pump was doing. That late at night, I couldn't see much of anything even with my little crank flashlight. I did notice that the pulley on the power steering pump was way off kilter and I knew then that the car would need to be fixed come morning. The vehicle was finally broken down in the middle of the night in the freezing cold and wind. Good thing I was prepared huh?
I broke out the BOB and changed into my survival clothes because I knew I had some walking to do. Lesson #4: When something goes wrong, address it sooner rather than later, and be ready to walk a few miles in any conditions at a moment's notice. I stopped by the local gas station and inquired about the nearest auto parts store. A few miles later in the dark and the cold, I found an Auto Zone. It had a sign on it saying that it would be closed tomorrow for the holiday, but that there would be a location open somewhere else in town. With the last bits of life my phone had, I pulled up a map of the area and figured out where I was, where my vehicle was, and where I needed to go. Lucky for me it was only a few more miles away. Lesson #5: Know where you are and what is around you at all times. On the way back to the truck, I stopped at the gas station to get a drink with some electrolytes and to thank the person who had pointed me towards the Auto Zone. I got back to the truck, got out my Military Sleeping System, locked the doors, and hit the hay.
When I woke up, there was a sheet of ice covering the windshield. My drink from the night before had also frozen over during the night. I thanked my lucky stars that I had brought along a sleeping bag rated at -30 degrees. Without bedding, I could easily have frozen to death that night. When you get through one of those situations, it doesn't matter anymore how much you spent on your gear. If it saved your life it is worth every penny. After a bit of breakfast (remember that I packed three days of food?), I tried to limp the truck to the auto parts store that was supposed to be open. It didn't get out of the parking lot.
I popped the hood and found the serpentine belt tangled all over the engine's fan. I stood there for a moment weighing my options. If I did walk to the auto parts store, I would need to walk back to the truck. I would also probably need something else and have to do multiple trips. I didn't mind walking, but there simply wasn't enough time for all of that. I started looking for ways to limp the truck along, and I figured out something pretty cool. The serpentine belt isn't 100% vital to the engine for short distances in the cold. It provides mostly electricity and cooling, which the battery and weather can provide for just a couple miles. I found my knife cut that belt off like it was made of butter. Lessons 6+7: Know your equipment well, and know how to improvise in a pinch. Also, a knife is useless unless it is extremely sharp and very durable. With the belt off, I started the truck and drove it calmly down the road to the auto parts store. Revving the engine would have only wasted precious electricity and added more heat to the engine than I needed.
The store was open just like the sign had said. It took all day to replace the power steering pump and it involved more walking to find some of the proper tools, but I got it done. I didn't get to Topeka until about 10:00 pm on the night of Thanksgiving Day. That said, I MADE IT. From then on, I knew that preparedness wasn't just a hobby. It is literally a matter of life and death. To this day, I prepare for just about everything that is likely to go pear shaped. It has come in handy more times than you might expect. Oh, and I don't take road trips with old vehicles anymore.
In my opinion, preparedness isn't just about SHTF or WROL or zombie apocalypse situations, it is a lifestyle that can save your rear end more often than you think. It takes more than just some cool gear and a strange lifestyle to protect yourself against the unexpected. You have to have the mental toughness to survive. If you can't forget your fear and work through your problems, no amount of gear will save you.
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