Lizard Farmer wrote a post called The Wave: Bugging Out? Some Things To Think About that I definitely recommend reading. Sometimes when I see something particularly interesting on another blog and or my thoughts would be a lengthy or complicated post I do a post on it. This is one of those times. To me the post breaks into two distinct areas, groups and beginning survivalism both in general and for young people.
On the topic of groups my thoughts that apply here are prety simple. There are two broad ways you can expect to get invited into a group: if you have something to offer or have a close connection with the group. Close connections like family or long term friends are typically something you have or don't.
An intentional survivalist group is not going to be interested just in your sparkling personality. They will want folks who bring something to the table. Typically if they are a group worth joining, they will want people with at least some basic skills, equipment and stuff. What is desirable to a given group will vary widely based on the group. A group that is formed around a bunch of ex Army buddies probably doesn't need shooters but might need a medic or somebody with legit food production skills. A group with 2 doctors and 4 nurses doesn't need an EMT but may really need somebody who could organize their security and lead individual as well as team/ squad training. A group that is really squared away logistically might be more able to sacrifice on your individual 'stuff' to get a healthy able bodied person with some decent but not amazing individual skills. I was in a situation like this for awhile. A friend was very logistically squared away but getting older and aweful short on 'group'. For any chance at security they needed more shooters and for any chance at primative living they needed healthy younger folks. We would have obviously brought everything we could but showing up with just the clothes on our backs would have increased their chances for survival.
As to beginning survivalism. My observation is that age (assuming you are over 21 and thus able to buy guns, etc) is not the biggest factor or even on the list. Time one has been seriously preparing (we could make this a matter of degree but lets keep it simple) and discretionary income available are what matters. A 26 year old who has been seriously into survivalism for 5 years with X discretionary income will be better prepared than a 50 year old who has been into it for 2 years with a disposable income of 1/2X.
However as to my generation they have had less adult time to prepare than older folks due to age and typically their incomes, and correspondingly discretionary income, are lower than older folks. The answer on how to get going is simple though.
Figure out what you can afford and buy something you need at regular intervals. TEOTWAWKI Blog is running a $40 a week series that would fit this situation well. Almost all 20 somethings have some flexibility. Most can cut their lifestyle a little bit or figure out how to earn a little more money without doing anything extreme.
While getting your gear together work on skills. Make a list of skills you might need and look at the ones you have then work to close the gap between the two. Find a group or take a class or give somebody you know a call. Start Geocaching or going on day hikes. Join a backpacking group or attend an Appleseed. Learn to build and fix things.
As you do these things look at your area's vulnerabilities as well as what is worrying you. Start to come up with plans for probable events like a Hurricane on the gulf coast or an earth quake in California. As you get further along pay some attention to the Black Swan's like an EMP or whatever.
Anyway those are my thoughts on that. Yours are of course welcome.
On the topic of groups my thoughts that apply here are prety simple. There are two broad ways you can expect to get invited into a group: if you have something to offer or have a close connection with the group. Close connections like family or long term friends are typically something you have or don't.
An intentional survivalist group is not going to be interested just in your sparkling personality. They will want folks who bring something to the table. Typically if they are a group worth joining, they will want people with at least some basic skills, equipment and stuff. What is desirable to a given group will vary widely based on the group. A group that is formed around a bunch of ex Army buddies probably doesn't need shooters but might need a medic or somebody with legit food production skills. A group with 2 doctors and 4 nurses doesn't need an EMT but may really need somebody who could organize their security and lead individual as well as team/ squad training. A group that is really squared away logistically might be more able to sacrifice on your individual 'stuff' to get a healthy able bodied person with some decent but not amazing individual skills. I was in a situation like this for awhile. A friend was very logistically squared away but getting older and aweful short on 'group'. For any chance at security they needed more shooters and for any chance at primative living they needed healthy younger folks. We would have obviously brought everything we could but showing up with just the clothes on our backs would have increased their chances for survival.
As to beginning survivalism. My observation is that age (assuming you are over 21 and thus able to buy guns, etc) is not the biggest factor or even on the list. Time one has been seriously preparing (we could make this a matter of degree but lets keep it simple) and discretionary income available are what matters. A 26 year old who has been seriously into survivalism for 5 years with X discretionary income will be better prepared than a 50 year old who has been into it for 2 years with a disposable income of 1/2X.
However as to my generation they have had less adult time to prepare than older folks due to age and typically their incomes, and correspondingly discretionary income, are lower than older folks. The answer on how to get going is simple though.
Figure out what you can afford and buy something you need at regular intervals. TEOTWAWKI Blog is running a $40 a week series that would fit this situation well. Almost all 20 somethings have some flexibility. Most can cut their lifestyle a little bit or figure out how to earn a little more money without doing anything extreme.
While getting your gear together work on skills. Make a list of skills you might need and look at the ones you have then work to close the gap between the two. Find a group or take a class or give somebody you know a call. Start Geocaching or going on day hikes. Join a backpacking group or attend an Appleseed. Learn to build and fix things.
As you do these things look at your area's vulnerabilities as well as what is worrying you. Start to come up with plans for probable events like a Hurricane on the gulf coast or an earth quake in California. As you get further along pay some attention to the Black Swan's like an EMP or whatever.
Anyway those are my thoughts on that. Yours are of course welcome.
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4 comments:
Groups. Gotta admit that's probably best for your survival odds in a true dog-eat-dog, EOTW situation. Personally, just not a very good leader nor a very good follower for any legth of time, so I'd be bad for morale (and splintering off) before long.
Your 'years X income = preparedness level' formula is true from what I've seen. For the real dedicated, maybe weight the years heavier, anyone planning for years would have the advantage over a newb with a fat wallet that hasn't looked at his gear in years.
Wouldn't count out the 'survivalists that don't know it' category of people for an informal group either. Got a buddy that can't keep any food in his frig with 3 teenagers in the house, let alone store any, but a good deal of his groceries come from what he and the kids hunt, catch, or grow. His firearms battery consists of a 12 gauge duck gun and a .22. But give him and his family an hour notice to bug out, and I'd bet you'd find them just fine a month later - living in tents in the woods with food to spare. They call that a vacation now. Another is a natural with long guns, no combat training, but wouldn't have a concern if he was backing me up from behind cover. They know they'd be welcome at our property, and I'd be hoping they showed up. But just couldn't do the full-blown "survivalist group" thing. Later Ryan.
5:53, On groups. I am definitely for groups. A group can pool resources and benefit from varied skill sets plus also it has more guns. However I tend to lean more towards groups based around family and pre existing clumps of people like churches or friends. I do have some concerns with the kind of group where folks put out an ad on the internet or in some magazine or whatever to find random strangers to survive the end of the world.
Those were really good comments made by Lizard Farmer. If you don't have anything to bring to the table, not many groups would care for you or your party to join them.
A shame about their kids though, especially infants or very young kids. I'm sure a lot of parents would have trouble turning away groups with younger children like that.
Its going to be a very harsh life.
Ryan -
Thanks for the link to the $40 a week series, and to the Lizard Farmer's entry. Good reading.
I think group composition becomes more important depending on what kind of scenario you're preparing for and what level of isolation you're going to try to obtain.
Total apocalypse requires more and different skills than something less dramatic.
50 miles in the boonies versus a small town/community has different skill requirements. A small town might be able to form up some kind of barter/service economy, so you could (potentially) leverage Joe the Mechanic, Bob the Vet, and so on, and not need to replicate those skills within your group.
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