CRAZY PREPARED

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

my experience was with squash/zucchini the second year they were the rock hard inedible miniature pumpkins/squash things they sell as Halloween decorations

heirloom is the way to go, sounds awesome

Yesss, that's what I'm talking about... something to know about anything in the squash/melon/cucumber family is that unless you isolate them completely from others, if you start out with heirloom, the following year you'll have hybrids. One year I had some kind of melon/zucchini hybrid... 

Those little pumpkins probably would have made good winter squashes,  though!

[fomenter]

i don't trust the survivalist marketing style that that site uses, there are a lot of them and they all look about the same
the buying seeds and storing them for need is more what i was suggesting for being crazy prepared. if i had the money to spend i would do some research before buying, i had a different heirloom seeds site that was much better but couldn't find it to post

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

The two that I buy most of my seeds from are Territorial and Pinetree; both have really good seed at good prices. One thing that's important is to buy from a supplier in your climate, if at all possible.

[Cain]

OK, my advice is for a more functioning situation.  One with power, and cities, and other people:


USB memory stick.  TrueCrypt encryption.  Names and numbers for everyone you can think of, any bank accounts you have, electronic maps of the surrounding area, with dead drop points clearly marked.  Pick a unique password, preferably alphanumeric jibberish.

Dead-drop points.  Bury tins of food, water and other useful goods or tools you do not want to have to carry.  Mark them carefully.

Condoms. In your wallet.  Not only useful for carrying massive amounts of water, but for safe sex too (and swimming in the Amazon, to stop fish going up your penis and inflating all of a sudden).  And you keep them in your wallet because thats what you take with you pretty much everywhere you go.

Learn how long you can go without food and water before it clouds your judgement or starts to have a physiological effect.

Keep under your bed: a copy of your passport, a fully charged mobile phone with credit and contact details, enough money to get you out of the major legal zone (Eurozone/EU in my case), copies of your bank details, a Swiss army knife (two blades, bottle opener, corkscrew remover, screwdriver and wirestripper at minimum) and a decent amount of cash in acceptable foreign currencies.

Passwords.  Arrange pet names to call friends for when something is wrong, or any sort of innocuous phrase you can sneak into a sentence.  This dates back to WWII, when captured Allied radio operators asked for a bottle of whiskey when command asked them if they needed anything.  This alerted the British to the fact that the radio operator was being coerced by Axis intelligence into giving his or her report.

Always carry a pen, paper, bottle, cash and belt on you at all times.

Good sturdy boots.  Don't skimp on the price, Gore-Tex boots will hurt in the short run, but last forever (I bought mine 5 years ago and apart from relacing and scraping off some mud, they are pretty much as good as when I bought them.  Its scary).

Learn the most widely recognized prayers of every major religion, in the language it should be known where necessary (La illaha ill Allah, Muhammadur Rasul Allah)

Get a detailed map of your town.  Note easily defended areas, major transportation links, food supplies and areas to avoid (typically shopping malls, police checkpoints and government offices)

Get a friend to drop you off at least 50 miles from home with no money (no anything, except the clothes you are wearing) and only one pre-arranged meeting point, say 16 hours later.  Now, try and get home.

Build up a decent supply of aqua tabs.

Practice awareness until it becomes a habit.  Whenever you enter a room you should note all exits, all lines of view, where people are seated, possible locations that can be defended and items which can be used to improvise a weapon.

Get copies of as many of these books as possible, and read them frequently:

Major H von Dach - Total Resistance
B-GL-392-008/FP-001 - Ambush and Counter Ambush

US military Field Manuals (easily available)

Combat in Built up Areas Subcourse IN0531
Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms
FM 1-112 Attack Helicopter Operations
FM 100-14 Risk Management
FM 19-15 Civil Disturbances
FM 19-40 Enemy Prisoners of War, Civilian Internees, and Detained Persons
FM 20-3 Camouflage, Concealment, and Decoys
FM 21-76 - Survival
FM 24-12 Communications in a 'Come as You Are' War
FM 3-06 Urban Operations
FM 3-07-22 CounterInsurgency Operations
FM 3-24 Counterinsurgency
FM 31-20-5 Special Reconnaissance Tactics, Techniques, & Procedures For Special Forces
FM 31-21 Guerilla Warfare and Special Forces Operations
FM 31-70 Basic Cold Weather Manual
FM 34-2-1 Reconaissance and Surveillance and Intelligence Support to Counterreconaissance
FM 34-40-7 Communications Jamming Handbook
FM 34-52 Intelligence Interrogation
FM 34-8-2 Intelligence Officer's Handbook
FM 34-81-1 Battlefield Weather Effects
FM 4-02.4 Medical Platoon Leaders' Handbook
FM 7-100 Opposing Force Doctrinal Framework and Strategy
FM 7-98 Operations in a Low Intensity Conflict
FM 90-3 Desert Operations
FM 90-5 Jungle Operations
FM 34-40-2 Basic Cryptanalysis
MCRP 3-02H Survival Evasion and Recovery
MCRP 4-11.1C Treatment of Biological Warfare Agent Casualties
T-2819070-Military Basics Electronics Course
TM 21-210 Improvised Munitions Handbook

More later

[Quercus]

Learn how to sew and learn basic-moderately advanced medical stuff; when and how to properly stitch someone up etc.

[Cain]

Indeed.  One of the things I did forget to mention was to get hold of a good anatomy book.  Useful for knowing what to do when things go bad, and also for 'reverse engineering'.

[Elder Iptuous]

There's this fellow who goes by the name of FerFAL that is a survivalist type down in Argentina.  He's been able to put his hobby to use and see what works and what doesn't in that particular economic meltdown....
here's his blag, 'Surviving Argentina':
ferfal.blogspot.com
there's a bunch of info by him scattered around the survivalist type websites, too.
interesting reading, the little bit that i've done....

[East Coast Hustle]

there is one (and ONLY one) sure way to survive and thrive in the coming bad times.



that is to join my cannibal army.

[rong]

there is one (and ONLY one) sure way to survive and thrive in the coming bad times.



that is to join my cannibal army.

. . . . wait a minute

[Richter]

there is one (and ONLY one) sure way to survive and thrive in the coming bad times.



that is to join my cannibal army.

TRUF!
Of all the groups rolling on long pork when the feces hit the air farm, yours will DOUBTLESS have the best cooking.

What would you recommend for recipes? I've heard a vinaigrette espoused to soften the meat (Thanks to the late Jorum Goldspoon, an excellent fellow), but not many other serious suggestions.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I almost forgot water bottles. Shit tons of them. Tarps. Rope.

Although he's kind of turned cheesy in the last decade or so, Tom Brown Jr.'s Field Guides are great introductions to wilderness survival, and almost everything can be translated to urban areas. http://www.amazon.com/Browns-Field-Guide-Wilderness-Survival/dp/0425105725

I have to admit that, as a kid, that book was my bible. I lived in the woods, occasionally for days at a time, much to my mother's chagrin (although since she moved to another town and left me alone in the cabin when I was 15, it must not have bothered her that much...) and applied most of the techniques. I loved sleeping in trees! There was a point in my life, between 11 and 13, when what I learned from Tom Brown Jr. helped keep me fed because my mom was too busy boozing and whoring to bring home leftovers from her waitressing job.

I know there are better books, but I have a definite soft spot for that one.

[Kai]

I almost forgot water bottles. Shit tons of them. Tarps. Rope.

Although he's kind of turned cheesy in the last decade or so, Tom Brown Jr.'s Field Guides are great introductions to wilderness survival, and almost everything can be translated to urban areas. http://www.amazon.com/Browns-Field-Guide-Wilderness-Survival/dp/0425105725

I have to admit that, as a kid, that book was my bible. I lived in the woods, occasionally for days at a time, much to my mother's chagrin (although since she moved to another town and left me alone in the cabin when I was 15, it must not have bothered her that much...) and applied most of the techniques. I loved sleeping in trees! There was a point in my life, between 11 and 13, when what I learned from Tom Brown Jr. helped keep me fed because my mom was too busy boozing and whoring to bring home leftovers from her waitressing job.

I know there are better books, but I have a definite soft spot for that one.

I used to read those too.

[Rumckle]

A couple of books I'd think would be useful are, Steal This Book, and some kind of depression era recipe book.

[rong]

not exactly apocalyptic, but the have more plan is chock full of information - much of it useful and related

[Richter]

i don't trust the survivalist marketing style that that site uses, there are a lot of them and they all look about the same
the buying seeds and storing them for need is more what i was suggesting for being crazy prepared. if i had the money to spend i would do some research before buying, i had a different heirloom seeds site that was much better but couldn't find it to post

You and Nigel dropping in the info on seeds has been great.  Lots of folks just don't focus on how necessary they will be if your given chunk of the world needs to regress to pre - industrial levels of technology and food production.

Also, I really agre with being wary of the "Survival" marketing tag.  It can mean anything from a bush pilot's kit with water / food / snubnose .50 cal to a "Rambo"  knife so packed with features it's virtually useless for anything knife - like.

IMHO:
"Survival" = get out of a bad situation quick, back into your primary area of support / infrastructure.  1 week duration.  Pray the flares, dyes, mirror signals, or bright markers are seen.  After that your powerbars and water packets begin to run out, and the multitools begin to break.   

"Fieldcraft" = Setting up your own long term support.  Tools on hand should be tough and versatile.  A "Survival" kit, might save you time and energy so you don't have to carve your own bone fishhooks just yet, but you need to start making your own everything, and setting up with other people to assist as possible.