Layering your preps

[mcdaniel]

I reread these threads for the 1st time in a while and thought that I could add something to it. I have come to the conclusion that it is smart to prepare for events in layers. Much in the way you layer your clothes if you know the weather will be changing I think it makes sense to "layer" your preps for changing circumstances.

For example:

I carry a "Go-Bag" in my truck. It has72 hours of food, 1 pistol, 100 rds + 2 mags of ammo etc.

I have a box of tools in my truck too- since these are needed really only for the vehicle I have them in a nice, sturdy rubbermaid container that will be left in the truck should it become disabled.

I have preps at my house too, I am trying to get my 3 month supply of food. This too, is "layered." I have a full freezer- however,
a freezer full of foods is not much good 2 weeks after power goes out in the summer (a la hugo or katrina). So i have a lot of canned goods too. In addition I have a few boxes of MRE's, a camp stove, a grill, plenty of propane, etc. All of these allow us to be the most comfortable should we have an incident of most any type.

I am in the process modifying an ALICE pack for my go bag so a MSS can be dropped or closed up once some of the contents of the bag are used and the capacity are no longer needed. This Modularity allows for wet/dirty/gross things to be segregated from the rest of my loadout.

So that's my thesis, so to speak, on the general mindset I have for preparing for natural or manmade disasters. Hope that is helpful to someone.

 

[Dirk Pitt]

On a similar subject on something that I think is worth taking a look at, how long your supply is supposed to last. Personally I go by three different time lines, 72 Hour kit to get out of Dodge, the 1 month supply until the government can get supplies in and distributed, and the 1 year supply in the event of a massive breakdown in society.

I've got 72 hours of food and water in the back of my SUV along with a pretty extensive tool kit. Back at home though I've got a months worth of MREs and water in jugs. As to the year supply, well for one I think that's prohibitively expensive and two to be frank the idea of a breakdown of society of that level is just not an idea I want to entertain, but mostly I'm cheap

 

[mcdaniel]

I think the question of "how long should it last?" is a highly personal one.

I for one, don't want to eat MREs for a month like you said. Instead, I have a supply of more conventional foods that I have alternative ways of cooking.

As to not buying food because of being cheap- I understand your point 100%, but when faced with the same issue, I looked at the projected food prices and its more frugal long term if you stock your staples now. For example, I eat a lot of rice, My parents are from the gulf between Mobile and New Orleans, So we eat rice with everything. In fact, My grandmother is close to 90 and I ate my first meal without rice at her house last year(not counting breakfast). Well rice isn't super expensive, but its cheaper if you buy it in bulk. I also believe that its cheaper today than it will be in 6 months. So in my estimation I can buy more rice for $20 today, than I can buy for the same $20 in 6 months or 3 years. I am not a tacticool face painted survivalist or anything, I just eat a ton of rice, and prefer to have a lot on hand.

Now rice alone doesn't make a meal, but you can put a heck of a lot of things on a bed or rice and make a pretty damn good improvement. IE - Canned beef stew. That full size can just went from being a 2 person meal to a 4 person meal, just like that- for a nickels worth of rice. And in my opinion, its better. To be fair, I think everything is better with rice though.

So after that long digression, Look at the long term costs, its probably not as expensive as you think.

As for length of time, I think if you have a weeks worth of food you are ahead of 99% of people. I think a month's worth should take care of anything we will likely see in our lifetime. And I think 3 months worth is a HUGE step towards preparing for the most common SHTF issue we are likely to face (in my opinion) and that is a loss of income due to a layoff.

 

[qwikshot]

I'm with you!
My stock contains 30 lb bulk boxes of sushi rice from Sam's.

It has been pre par boiled so I wont need to cook it so long whe I need it.

As for full sized can goods try Save-a-lot. They have canned veggies for .39/can. Buy a whole flat for less than $5.00.
Peaches are .69/can.
They are top quality and tasty too. We have so much of this stuff we eat it all the time. This helps rotate the stock pile.
The first time I went there they had 6 cans of tuna for .99 cents.

 

[Chili]

With some modest planning and judicious coupon cutting, you can buy the majorty of your SHTF food from the grocery store. The up side is you will be getting food that your family will eat at prices cheaper than MRE's and the fancy nitro-pack food. I have nothing against MRE's or nitro foods, but some of your family may have dietary issues that may preclude them from eating them. Also, if you have small kids or picky teenagers, store bought foods might be the better option for the short term (72hrs-6mos) situation.