What Did You Do Today?

[FreakyStylie]

We had gone shopping at Bi-Mart and decided to leave our van in the parking lot and walk a couple blocks to K-Mart just to get a little fresh air and exercise on such a nice day.

There is a highway between the two that we needed to cross, so we had to wait for the turn signal, and I was getting a little anxious about leaving the van behind. I thought that we might need it in case we found something big at K-Mart, or in case somebody got hurt. This is a huge possibility with two boys, eleven and thirteen years of age.

The light changes, and we start to cross when these two idiots come screaming through the intersection in the wrong lane, like they're racing each other. Then more cars started following them and cars were stopping, backing up, and turning around all around the intersection. I didn't hear any sirens or anything and tried to figure out what in the hell was going on.

I looked up and noticed a giant cloud of . . . something, racing towards us. Giant, as in this thing is probably going at least a hundred miles per hour, but it looks like it's standing still. My blood turned cold, and I damn near crapped myself when I realized that there was a dormant volcano just on the other side of that cloud

Look at all these idiots on the road. Where the hell were we going to go? We were about ten miles from our house, and I didn't know how long it would take us to go that far with these people on the road. "We're about a quarter mile from work, and I'm in charge of emergency preparedness," my mind reassured me as we were running toward the van.

=============

So, I had that dream last night, and I woke up right where that ends, in a cold sweat. I knew I was prepared for a disaster at work, but not so much at home. I have quite the budget at work to make sure we've got everything we need for 100 people to live for 3 days (and then some). I'm in the Willamette Valley, and we do have a volcanic range just to the east of us, so the volcano thing wasn't just my crazy dream.

I know it wasn't a zombie dream, but it made me think about what I do each day to prep for Z-Day. It really gave me a sense of urgency. Just imagine the cloud being a zombie hoard.

==============

So, what did you do today?

Being without a real pack, I have had stuff in various boxes and bags. Today, I put everything together. All of the stuff that isn't properly sorted or organized, a couple changes of clothes that aren't exactly perfect for bugging out, and the inferior backpacks and bags that I have - including my giant military duffle. I'm getting ready for bed, so I'll pack it all tomorrow. It will be way too heavy, will have some unnecessary stuff, and be lacking some items, but what I do have, will be ready.

(Sorry to be so wordy, that dream just really showed me that I needed to step up my game. And I'm tired, so it may be a little incoherent.)

 

[technovapir]

Freaky, your dream wasn't so farfetched. I remember too well when St Helen's blew, and I was working in Seattle. Our counterparts over in Eastern Wash. were calling us in a panic because a big black cloud was coming over their town and it went all dark as ash rained down. People were being told not to drive in it, and not to breathe it - so were basically trapped at work or in their homes for some time. I was too young & uninformed to have formed a plan for myself, let alone to have a BOB or anything, so I'm lucky Seattle didn't get hit that badly. I also think you tend to worry more when your kids are young because you want them to be safe.
Anyway. I agree I need to step up my game too. I have most of "the stuff" but it needs to be organized and ready. Mt Rainier could give us all a big surprise at some point - and the News folk keep saying we're overdue for an Earthquake - Or the Zombie apocalypse could start. I just keep procrastinating...

 

[muttSRT]

Being prepared is not a "zombie" thing. Years ago me and my friends had "Red Dawn" plans. Growing up we had "hurricane plans". My daughter lived in Kansas and had a "tornado plan". Watch youtube and search for preppers, theres hundreds of videos. People are freaking out because of the economy, or 2012 or whatever. We have the Zombie Forum here, which is just a fun way to have a survivalist board. I seriously doubt anyone really thinks the George Romero zombies are actually coming, but it does give us a chance to plan and prep for whatever disasters may arise.

I dont know how rural or urban the area you live in, but BOB's and SHTF Bags need to be packed accordingly. You say you will have a heavy bag, thats not too bad if you are in a rural area, not too many people around and speed is not a factor. Urban areas with lots of people, you need to be more agile and mobile. Thats why I am re-doing the BOB thread. There is no one size fits all when it comes to packing a bag. Obviously, your surroundings come into play, as well as your own physical characteristics.

Having more people in your group, means more bags, but chances are they are lighter bags. 10 people dont need 10 ssurvival shovels, 10 camp axes etc. Every pack should have the basics for survival- water, fire, shelter, food. After that, the stuff you pack is just luxury.

Example- I have a real nice, 3 piece sleeping bag set up. It has the military bivy sack, then 2 other sleeping bags that go in to each other, then go into the bivy sack. Then i put the sleeping bags into my Hammock Tent...thats luxury. I also have a military poncho with a removeable liner. The poncho and liner can be formed into a basic shelter- thats basic. If I had to lose weight on my pack, the hammock and the sleeping bags go, the poncho stays.

When you start to build your pack, focus on the 4 basics, as mentioned, water, fire, shelter and food. Once you get that, then you can start to add luxury items.

 

[whynotvap]

There must have been something in the aether Saturday night! I had a dream that there was an earthquake and I was on one side of a bridge and my fiance on the other when it started doing the twist. All thoughts of a BOB were gone at that point until I managed to get to the other side. It's amazing how 'realistic' my dream was, down to including all the rain lately making the earth into more of a soup vs solid ground when I had to climb down and then up the ravine. I think I need to go back to not watching the news anymore!

For what it's worth, despite all the thought I put into zombie survival, none of my SHTF dreams have featured them! I've had meteor strikes, breakdown of society, earthquakes, and cartoon characters escaping the TV into our world and turning evil (Dino developed a serious attitude problem and ate most of my family), but no zombies... Maybe I need to make more plans but how do you develop a BOB for evil Flintstone invasion?!?

 

[FreakyStylie]

OK, the last two days I have been fairly busy. I jammed all my stuff, proper gear or not, into my giant body bag. Lots of spare room for a body too.

Today, I stopped by Big5 to look at a couple internal frame packs they had on sale. I really would like to have an external frame pack to keep the heat off me, but I am going to try on as many as possible because I would like to get the comfort of the load down.

I really liked one of the packs they had for one reason only. It had two removable packs that both zipped off. A hip pack and a small, almost child's book-bag size backpack. The rest of it was crap though. It had to have weighed 6 or 7 pounds empty. I'm not the biggest guy, so I'm figuring maybe 60 pounds for extended carry. The pack would be 10% of that weight.

I found one at another shop last week that was great. It maybe weighed 3 pounds, but it was $300, and that's just out of my budget right now. It might seem frivolous to shy away from a mere 3 or 4 pounds, but that would be quite a bit of ammo, a half gallon of water, etc, etc that I would rather have. I have it on my list to get down to Eugene, hopefully this weekend, to try on an ALICE and visit some other outdoor shops to find a good feel/fit.

I didn't accomplish anything tangible today, but I narrowed my search a hair. And yesterday, I got a pack that I could at least drag if I needed to. I've had that thing for 20 years, and it's tough as nails. It's moved me from apartment to apartment, and state to state several times, packed to the gills and the seams look brand new.

 

[muttSRT]

I have too much stuff-thats the difference between a BOB and a SHTF bag. A BOB should be lighter weight, and basically stocked with enough stuff to get you from point A to point B. A SHTF bag is all the stuff you can carry because you are never planning on coming home.

The original Molle pack I was using, just wasnt set up for a big load. You could add bags and packs to it, but it built it out horizintal which made the pack almost unwearable.

I was really stuck trying to find a nice large pack, that could be expanded, but that was built well enough to handle all the gear I plan on using. After lots of research, I finally decided on a Tac Force Ruck Sack Back Pack #S86129. Rucksack Backpack This monster has 15353 ci of cargo space. The 2 side pouches zip off if you need, as well as the top pouch. Between the 2 side pouches and the main sack, there is room to store and carry 2 rifles.
The downside, the pack itself weighs 12 pounds empty. If I add the other pouches and bags I have, the weight jumps to nearly 20 pounds, andthats without any added any items yet. The upside, even with a bum leg, I am a big guy and can carry the weight, no problem.

I am waiting for 2 products to arrive (snake bite kit and a military poncho liner, both ordered April 22nd. Once they get here, I should have all the items on my list and I will do a complete write up. I am taking lots of pictures of each of the items and the write up will probably extremely long winded, so again I will break it down into sections. (I keep saying that, but I really am working on it)

On a different note, the guy I usually hunt with came by and he saw all my gear and asked what I was doing. I told him about the BOB's, SHTF's and zombie bags, and he is starting to build one as well. My new zombie plan has gone from me by myself, to actually involving another person or 2, who I completely trust. The upside to this is, his family owns LOTS of land, including farm land, woods and they already have a stable full of horses. Not being too familiar with horses myself, he is gonna be learning me how to ride.

 

[whynotvap]

I gotta ask, is that rucksack for a BOB or a SHTF bag? That thing is huge and I'd imagine you'd be a walking general store with it on! The large ALICE pack is pretty big, how does that ruck compare in size? I do like that it has provisions for a hydration pack though.
Glad to hear you're expanding the cadre though, more eyes are always better!
As far as riding a horse... The main concern is the same as riding a bike: It's better to be ON than UNDER. But just like a bike, you'll find new muscles that are going to hurt after riding until they're built up but otherwise, same mentality. Don't get too comfortable on one, they'll toss you off just as quick as an iron one if you don't pay attention.

 

[Mac]

In my dreams, everyone is running from me..

 

[technovapir]

In my dreams, everyone is running from me..

Oh Mac, that wasn't just a dream....

 

[FreakyStylie]

I've been really busy, so I'm summing up what I've been doing.

I went and looked at a few trucks, got some more online shopping done for bits and pieces, and tried a few more back-packs. Today I got a folding stove and some Sno-Seal to reshape a leather hat that I'll probably use for Z-Day. My son and I are going to test out different fire starter with the stove this weekend. Dryer lint vs Vaseline cotton balls. If I get really ambitious, I'll dip some matches in wax, and toss those in the bag.

 

[FreakyStylie]

Well, I made kind of an impulse buy today. 1989 Dodge Power Ram 50.

I had been thinking about having as much space as possible in the beginning, but looked back to the days when I could move my whole household in a single trip. I didn't have large vehicles when I was doing that. Besides, an F250 extended cab long bed pickup could get really difficult to turn around on some skid trails.

I changed my gears towards shopping for small trucks. The rest of the family could fit in the bed in an emergency, and I'd gain good gas mileage for daily use. Heck, 500 miles on a 40 gallon tank will get you just as far as 500 miles on a 20 gallon tank. Plus, if I really decided to change my mind . . . for every 3 "for sale" ads, there is an ad for somebody with a full size truck wanting to trade to a small truck due to economy. With gas prices looking upwards, I may have just purchased something that could increase in value.

 

[muttSRT]

You bought a Mopar, so all is good. Pics Please

 

[whynotvap]

It's a Mopar with a Mitsubishi engine... Not BAD per se but you need to know about it's peculiarities vs a 'normal' 4 cylinder. Biggest thing is that you MUST change the timing belt and counter balance belt every 60k miles with a Mitsubishi, not Autozone, O'Reilleys, Advanced Auto or even NAPA, but a genuine Mitsubishi belt along with the various tensioners, don't re-use them. The others will fail and pretty much destroy your valvetrain since the valves will occupy the same location as your piston will at the top of the stroke. The other thing is that oil pump also needs to be checked for wear and replaced if it's wearing along with the water pump and it covers over half the front of the engine block. The good news is that there is a large community dedicated to these engines, the bad news is that you are better off pulling the engine to do all this work if you have large hands depending on how much room you have to work with.

 

[FreakyStylie]

So, here's the truck. Nothing special.

Here it is next to what it will be replacing. I really have a sick feeling in my stomach. I've always wanted a Cougar, and - the rust-bucket that she is - I really wish I could justify keeping it. I guess I can get one that needs a little less "fixing" when I make some more money. I'm already missing the power in the engine. Going from a 302 (4.9 liter) small block V8 to a 2.6 liter 4 cylinder engine might help my wallet and ability to get out in the wilderness, but it comes with many other losses too. :sniff-sniff:

I won't miss those awful wheels though!

 

[whynotvap]

Well, if the lack of power really gets you down... that's the same block as the Mitsubushi Starion, so you could always turbocharge it in the future or get really crazy and do an engine swap. Check out this site, it might lift your spirits a little to know you have a highly desired little truck there! :: Project Zero G ::

 

[FreakyStylie]

Thanks for trying to keep my spirits up! It will just take a little getting over. I've wanted a Cougar for so long, and when I picked this one up a couple years ago, I found my Heaven. It just fits . . . everything except the wiper switch . . . who ever thought of placing it there?!

Because of getting this truck, we didn't get around to playing with fire. All my prep work was in doing some checking on the engine and drivetrain, and moving over some of the stuff from my Cougar. I guess that's OK, we had lots of rain this weekend, so building fires could have been difficult.

Is it wrong to feel like a family member died because I'm going to be losing my Cougar?

 

[whynotvap]

Well you're in the PNW so there's a good chance you'll find another one in good shape. Just be glad you didn't sink 10k into it and have to sell it for 6k. There are tons of classic cars around in the NW simply because they don't salt the roads in winter. I've seen rust free Datsuns running around for crying out loud!

 

[FreakyStylie]

Yeah, my baby is a rust-bucket because I got her from the coast. Sad thing about that type of rust is that it eats from inside out, so you don't see the damage until it's too late. I grew up on the coast and learned that you just can't wash in those hidden spots. A little bubble under the paint appears, and it's all over.

I see really decent ones every now and again, without rust, for around $4,000. And we've got the largest Cougar parts dealer/yard in the country up in Salem, so it's a good place to get another down the line. It's just that she's my first . . . and you always hold a fondness for your first.

 

[FreakyStylie]

Well, I think I'll be stepping up my "what I did today" activity. I don't know why I haven't seen this before today, but if you google "Elenin", there is a comet (that could possibly be a brown dwarf) coming near Earth later this year.

I guess it was recently discovered, and it's alignment patterns have coincided with the Chilean and Japanese earthquakes. The Chilean earthquake happened before the "comet" was discovered. In September, it is due to pass between the Earth and Sun, creating an extended eclipse, come uncomfortable close to us, then leave us in it's debris trail after that.

I'll spare the details for any curious bodies to google. Here's a link to a (somewhat) reputable site. Will Earthbound Comet Fulfill 2012 Prophecy? : Discovery News

Who knows if those earthquakes are actually related, or if anything will happen, but it is just another refresher to the fact that a disaster can happen at any time, and I'm not quite ready enough.

 

[whynotvap]

Well, over the weekend I went to the range for the first time in about a year for some much needed handgun practice. It pains me to say it but, I will never be the guy that pulls that 'miracle headshot' that saves someone a split second before they get bit. Somewhere along the line I've picked up some bad habits that I can't identify yet! My instinctive point shooting is acceptable, 90% of the time I hit within an inch of where I want (the other 10% of the time I hit the 'hostage' right between the eyes ) but when I take the time to actually aim I'm pulling about a foot down and to the left but not in a predictable way. I did get some trigger time with a S&W Sigma though and aside from the crunchy trigger, it was more accurate than my XD in close range point shooting! That surprised me to say the least. What surprised me the most though was that the love of my life, who hates guns (uncontrollable shakes when she SEES one), nailed every shot, every time, with 4 different pistols and a DAO revolver! The good news is that I might be able to get to the range more often if I buy a .22 pistol, bad news is that my ego is horribly bruised... I'll give a quick experience review in the 'tools' section on them.