Last month I mentioned that this year is the twenty-year anniversary of the Great Y2K Scare. I happen to be bopping around the interwebs and came across this dated-but-still-interesting piece about how things have changed preparedness-wise since then.
I like how “…will get you killed.” is the punchline to every disagreed upon evaluation of a piece of gear…”that [AK/Baofong/Sleeping bag/knife/gas can] will get you killed”. That’s pretty much darn near becoming a trope.
The bit about the lack of AR ubiquity has a bit of truth to it. Back then it was pretty much an AR or AK world with the occasional Mini-14 or HK thrown in just to keep the diversity thing going. But if you had an AR it wasn’t nearly the exercise in ballistic Lego that it is now. Maybe you changed the sling around and found a carry-handle-mounted scope. Other than that, it was a stock A2 or CAR. So, yeah, that changed.
I wonder sometimes whatever happened to those people I saw on the news with the desert scrubland retreats that they bought and cavernous basements of 5-gallon buckets. Did they follow through and keep the lifestyle? Or did they pack it all up, ship it to Goodwill, and move on to a different cause célèbre?
I will say, my thinking has shifted a tiny bit since then. While it’s strongly about being prepared, there is a larger note of resiliency. I’ve come to realize, maybe a bit late, that the small End Of The Worlds will happen far more frequently and often than the big End Of The Worlds. Those small EOTW’s look like job layoffs, house fires, illnesses, car problems, etc, etc. And while five-gallon buckets of wheat will come in handy in Mad Max-ville, they aren’t going to do much to get a transmission repaired next week. So…smart spending, smart saving, smart lifestyle….and underneath all of that, the constant and steady incremental activity of getting things more prepared, more resilient, and more resistant to ‘problems’.
Anyway, its an interesting little article and, for those of us old enough to remember, a fun little poke at an interesting time in our shared collective survivalist past.
I preach that you need to be prepared to handle whatever Life throws at you. And if they are still listening, I emphasize to prepare in the order of Most Probable first.
I hear you there Commander! Just recently informed my job is no longer there, so I’m being moved within the company, still the same location and everything…. but still!
You never know what life is going to throw at you, but most certainly a lot more of these smaller challenges.
What’s next on the list for you?
Money. Its the ultimate multitool.
FRNs or real money? Can I get more $5 silver or $350 gold,the bags of Morgans at almost melt were good too. Has almost everyone forgotten the Tech crash ’99-’00 ? That was the real y2k,the computer glitch was only narrowly averted(brother in law worked 6 months straight to prevent the company he worked for to limit the damage,it could have been worse)
Prepping is about cover your all bases for sure, including financial and medical. A good example of that would be the Guru of prepping over in Idaho having to sell one of his pre-ban HK-91 because of some un-expected medical bills incurred by a family member.
https://survivalblog.com/preparedness-notes-friday-october-4-2019/#comments
The most probable because it is already happening is economic collapse. And desert scrubland comes in mighty handy for escaping rent or a mortgage with just a little bit of property tax to worry about. Of course, have a natural source of surface water, with rain catchment back-up. Wells are for suckers. If you aren’t afraid of the cold, there is plenty of desert with water nearby. Not enough to farm, but to live off of your five gallon buckets.
If I weren’t afraid of the cold, where would I find desert with water nearby?
Is it still a desert if it has water?
I agree with Winston. Be ready for the most likely: economic downturn, job loss, burglary, fire, and weather events.
I still have most of those buckets from before y2k,🤷♀️
This is why we have a tool box or a multi tool. Not just a big box of hammers. You can put in a screw with a hammer or play tennis with a frying pan but there are better tools for the job. Have a big box of tools starting with knowledge. Keep your mouth shut. Your Enemy can be your Friend and Your Friend an Enemy. What you own will eventually own you. Lesson Over.
As I’ve grown older, I begin to have thoughts of what I would be surviving if I am lucky enough to be ‘one of the lucky few’. Society can live off the remains of civilization for quite a while, but if it is destroyed wantonly in the beginning – won’t be much left. What good is the best cast iron skillet – dutch oven if there isn’t anything to put inside it ? So yes – food does make a lot of sense. Enough to eat the oldest so it doesn’t get thrown out, but a couple of months of food for ‘just in case’ is good insurance.
Multipiles of multiples of ARs – to me doesn’t make much sense. Will be plenty of cast offs if things kick off between the Haves / Have Nots. Ammuntion and magazines that fit it -yes. A good sleeping bag for the deep cold, extra footwear for when shoes are no longer manufactured.
One size does not actually fit all. It fits most!
“One size fits all” is just another way of saying One Size is All we got.
Not very flexible…
I grew up as a prepper…a survivalist. A kid on a SAC base (ie a primary target for the sovs). Been doing this exclusively on my own for close to 50 years now… It all came together for me in an organized, serious manner in 1977 or so when I walked into a gun store in Los Angeles and saw a copy of Mel Tappan’s “Survival Guns”.
Over the years I’ve been more or less engaged in it, depending. Active duty military, Air Guard, medical school, marriage, kids, moving, etc. All had their effects.
But yeah, I still have my more or less stock A2 AR, and an M1, and a pump shotgun, and a .357 and the rest that Tappan suggested…
Over the years, things have changed, and they have stayed the same. Food storage has gotten better, weapons have gotten cheaper and better, power pro has gotten more complicated and better, etc…Unfortunately, the threats have gotten more complicated as well.
“Be Prepared” Get everything now that you will need when it’s no longer available or costs an astronomical amount in inflated currency. Obviously have prudent amounts and stocks of money and near money to last 6 months if possible – a year is best but few folks have that kind of leftover income. Squirrel away what you can though. ALWAYS try to keep some physically on hand – ATMs aren’t a sure bet. $1000 if possible.
Every paycheck convert a set amount of paper to real and tangible items – tools, food, batteries, ammo, building supplies, TP, junk silver, auto supplies, you name it. Even small scale but disciplined investing will build over time. Make your lists based on what you need in your OWN lives and regions. Don’t rely someone else’s lists that fit their particular lifestyles and goals. Who needs sub zero clothing and sleeping bags when you reside in the Deep South? There are far better things to spend that paper on that will be useful for that region.
I honestly don’t believe we’re going to see full “Mad Max” in our daily lives anytime soon but I do see our society gradually descending into more and more chaos, poverty, lawlessness, and social disintegration if not outright civil war between the Left and Right in the foreseeable future. Look at our big cities for a preview of what you may face. It’s up to you to be prepared to meet the challenges of caring for you family by thinking ahead and “Being Prepared”.
JMHO
The USMC just called up the reserves(irr) for a “domestic emergency”. Might be time to call into work and tell them you’re staying home to clean weapons.
Perhaps not.
http://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2019/10/put-bong-down-man.html
What’s your source other than the Blog link that Zero posted? Seem a little weak, even the Blog post doesn’t offer evidence!!!!
I can’t count the times my preps came in handy over the years. From batteries and lanterns for power outages, to not having to go to the store for a bottle of Tapatio or can of tomato sauce my wife forgot to buy, and discovered missing right before dinner hit the table. I prepare for whatever. My TEOTWAWKI list starts at “When the lights go out and don’t come back on I’ll need…