CRAZY PREPARED

[Quercus]

If you were out someplace that was relatively easy to forget about, say northern Idaho or Montana, you might be able to get away with homesteading, in which case some animals would be good. Personally, I think sheep would be a good idea; lots of uses.

[fomenter]

If you were out someplace that was relatively easy to forget about, say northern Idaho or Montana, you might be able to get away with homesteading, in which case some animals would be good. Personally, I think sheep would be a good idea; lots of uses.

[Richter]

If you were out someplace that was relatively easy to forget about, say northern Idaho or Montana, you might be able to get away with homesteading, in which case some animals would be good. Personally, I think sheep would be a good idea; lots of uses.

Sheep would be a good choice, but I'd do goats and chickens first.  Milk and eggs to add a more steady source of protein, then sheep for wool.

[Dr. Paes]

If you were out someplace that was relatively easy to forget about, say northern Idaho or Montana, you might be able to get away with homesteading, in which case some animals would be good. Personally, I think sheep would be a good idea; lots of uses.

Sheep would be a good choice, but I'd do goats and chickens first.  Milk and eggs to add a more steady source of protein, then sheep for wool.

[Golden Applesauce]

http://www.nukalert.com/ worth the $160?
or something else cheaper?

Looks like it doesn't detect alpha radiation so maybe not the best

Wait... isn't alpha the one thats ten times as deadly?

Alpha particles are great at messing up DNA, but they're blocked by your layer of dead skin cells.  Alpha emitters are harmless unless you swallow or inhale an alpha emitter (like polonium or uranium.)

[Requia ☣]

I'm thinking of a different one then.

*ponders* I should see if I can come up with plans yo build your own radiation detectors, some fire alarm models mught have the right parts.

[willem]

Even if we only grow a fourth the food we do now, its still more than we need.  The big risk is that food transportation is interrupted  (IE, the dollar collapses even further, we can no longer afford to import oil, and the government refuses to stop the mass exporting that will result with the value of at a minimum), in which case it matters little what the farmers are growing, since it can't get to the cities.  In fact, meat becomes *more* efficient in this case, since its high calorie density means more people can feed off a narrow pipeline.  Meat, especially cattle, could be taken to a city on foot as well.

Oh, you're talking about the US only. To be honest, I don't particularly care more about the US than any other country.
It's true that the US produces too much and the wrong kind of food. (I'm a Belgian, we have high food standards, sorry. :P )
Hey, why don't we westerners produce less excess food & meat, and spend all that bleeding agricultural support money on transport & energy efficiency. Wouldn't that be great? :P

[Rumckle]

I'm thinking of a different one then.

*ponders* I should see if I can come up with plans yo build your own radiation detectors, some fire alarm models mught have the right parts.

I'm not certain, but I think smoke detectors would detect alpha radiation.

[Requia ☣]

I've determined that remembering how to make a Geiger counter, even in the best possible conditions, is not feasible with my level of memory.  The detector itself is simple, basically a capacitor where radiation closes the gap, but wiring it to 500 volts is less so.  I'd need expertise at electronics in general, so that I'm able to design one from the ground up.

[Richter]

To start a fire: Steel wool + a 9 v. battery, or any battery of higher voltage.  You're basically blowing dozens of fuses (or more) at once to produce heat.  This IS shorting the circuit so be aware of damage to the battery and yourself with higher voltages. 

For those who never had the benefit of learnign when they were younger, keep everything DRY SHIELDED and be ready to slowly feed you fire from twigs and shavings up to a full roaring blaze.  Go slow, it doesn't matter how much fuel you have if you dump it on and extinguish it.

[East Coast Hustle]

at most military surplus stores you can buy a magnesium block with a flint rod embedded in one side of it. shave the magnesium block with your pocketknife (you DO have a good knife, right?), arrange a pile of tinder around the magnesium shavings leaving enough room on one side to stick the flint in there and drag your knife across it. Spark the magnesium shavings and those suckers will burn HOT and ignite the tinder. Most important part is that the magnesium, flint, and knife all work just as well if they're wet.

[Richter]

I keep one of those magnesium chunks in the bag, they work well.  They make some crazy alloy rods that provide much more sparkage, but they don't have the advantage of being able to pile up the shavings.  Makes situations with less than perfectly dry kindling easier.

[Requia ☣]

Waterproof matches seem to work halfway decent, I completely soaked one and it still lit, did not burn as long as a regular match though.  Steel wool also makes excellent tinder in general.

Something else I found at the Army surplus store I had forgotten about, thermal blankets.  Cheap, fit in your pocket, and very warm.  Shiny as hell and could probably double as a signaling device.  Need to see if I can't find one of those cheap emergency ponchos made out of the same material.

*Has been caught outside in a blizzard unprepared before, 50 feet from shelter it a long long way away when you can't see your hands.

Also, I would prefer *not* to be holding a bunch of magnesium in my hands while creating a shower of sparks, do they come with the flint separate?

[Richter]

About the magnesium, it depends.  Remember that it's a metal, and metals conduct heat VERY well.  Magnesium ribbon, like you use in chemistry class, or on a job site to light thermite, is thin, and takes a blowtorch to light it.  Magnesium shavings from the bar CAN light with a spark, only because a spark is a VERY intense, albeit small burning chunk itself, that hits a very small peice of the metal.  The heat of a similar spark to a solid bar will NEVER light it.  It's just spread out too fast. 

I like the blizzard story, and I've done similar.  Last year, during a blizzard that made Worcester un - driveable, I decided to take a walk to get beer.  The liquor store was 2 miles, round trip, over one of the city's seven hills.  I wore good boots, hat, thermals, sweater, duster, etc, so I wasn't going to freeze or soak.
The way there was fine, but the way back got tough.  (I ran into my father buying beer, who admitted he WASN'T going to try to drive me back.  I agreed with him, it would have gotten us both stuck.)  While I was out, the snow had gone from 1 inch to 3, very dense, so going back uphill took dragging my foot through each step.  It tired me out quick, and I started to wondering if I'd be able to push through it all.  Aside from the possibility of flagging down help, or knocking on a door half dead and asking for an ambulance, I figured the worse I'd do was dig into a snow drift, using my duster and pine boughs for cover, and get a bit of rest.  I made the top of the hill and was OK from there, though.   

Snow, although cold, insulates, and snow shelters keep themselves at 32 degrees easily.  Not comfy, but surviveable, and they keep the wind out, especially with more body heat or a small fire. (Just be careful to vent them enough so you don't suffocate.)   

[Cain]

http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/1786256/27467304/

Because it was being asked...primitive bow making guide.  Would still prefer a compound bow with a decent weighted draw, but sometimes you don't get that option.