mitchshrader
Member
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2005
- Messages
- 56
things that aren't wrong..
Skills aren't wrong. In no particular order..
Knots. Game preparation/cooking. Cobbler/shoe repair
Water finding/testing/purifying.
Fasting. Hiking. Waiting. Guarding. Remaining silent.
Map reading. Driving. Using radios. (ham, walkie talkie, CB)
Barter. Food storage. Making Sprouts. Child care.
Medicine. (Nursing,Diagnostics, EMT) Hydroponics/Cold Frame/Greenhouse/Garden/Smallholder Farming
Animal Care, Riding (motorcycles, horses, bicycles)
Swimming, Lifeguarding, Mouth-To-Mouth ..
an ENDLESS list, and lord knows mine is as flimsy and incomplete as a 2 minute effort produces.
Obviously the skills you DONT have are the critical ones.
Self congratulation on accomplishments is of little use.
Finding workarounds, finding others with appropriate matching skill sets, carrying field manuals & 'How To' books, compensating for missing skills in certain areas by over-supply of high value items..
are all lower efficiency than knowing it. Try teaching someone to swim as they drown and you'll begin to appreciate how important pre-education is.. for survival.
Rural lifestyles tend to require generalists. 'Jack of all trades' is a HIGH compliment in a survival situation. Being the best commodities trader in the city means nothing if the stock markets fizzled. Being able to build and repair a pair of shoes might be a life saving skill.
Foxfire books are useful. Partly because of the techniques they teach. Moreso because they teach you it CAN BE DONE. From making soap to making a water mill (for electricity, for mechanical power, for grain grinding) .. once you know it CAN be done, you're halfway there.
SHTF is an openended concept. Might be a few days of civic disorder, and infrastructure off line.. might be indefinite.
Can't predict. Can't prepare 100%. it's just not possible.
What you CAN do is gain confidence & independence & general purpose tools to survive. You can teach and inspire your family, friends, to do likewise. You can determine who (of all you know, don't think it's very many) is worth clinging to as they'll watch YOUR back, your family, your assets.. when you can't. Who do you REALLY trust? Cultivate 'em. They're gold and jewels..
oh yeah. picking your companions.. that's a huge skill.
be waymore concerned about that, than about whether you have 3 mags or 6..
or you may wake up dead.
Skills aren't wrong. In no particular order..
Knots. Game preparation/cooking. Cobbler/shoe repair
Water finding/testing/purifying.
Fasting. Hiking. Waiting. Guarding. Remaining silent.
Map reading. Driving. Using radios. (ham, walkie talkie, CB)
Barter. Food storage. Making Sprouts. Child care.
Medicine. (Nursing,Diagnostics, EMT) Hydroponics/Cold Frame/Greenhouse/Garden/Smallholder Farming
Animal Care, Riding (motorcycles, horses, bicycles)
Swimming, Lifeguarding, Mouth-To-Mouth ..
an ENDLESS list, and lord knows mine is as flimsy and incomplete as a 2 minute effort produces.
Obviously the skills you DONT have are the critical ones.
Self congratulation on accomplishments is of little use.
Finding workarounds, finding others with appropriate matching skill sets, carrying field manuals & 'How To' books, compensating for missing skills in certain areas by over-supply of high value items..
are all lower efficiency than knowing it. Try teaching someone to swim as they drown and you'll begin to appreciate how important pre-education is.. for survival.
Rural lifestyles tend to require generalists. 'Jack of all trades' is a HIGH compliment in a survival situation. Being the best commodities trader in the city means nothing if the stock markets fizzled. Being able to build and repair a pair of shoes might be a life saving skill.
Foxfire books are useful. Partly because of the techniques they teach. Moreso because they teach you it CAN BE DONE. From making soap to making a water mill (for electricity, for mechanical power, for grain grinding) .. once you know it CAN be done, you're halfway there.
SHTF is an openended concept. Might be a few days of civic disorder, and infrastructure off line.. might be indefinite.
Can't predict. Can't prepare 100%. it's just not possible.
What you CAN do is gain confidence & independence & general purpose tools to survive. You can teach and inspire your family, friends, to do likewise. You can determine who (of all you know, don't think it's very many) is worth clinging to as they'll watch YOUR back, your family, your assets.. when you can't. Who do you REALLY trust? Cultivate 'em. They're gold and jewels..
oh yeah. picking your companions.. that's a huge skill.
be waymore concerned about that, than about whether you have 3 mags or 6..
or you may wake up dead.