StrikerV sent me a PM asking these questions, and I decided it would be pointless to just answer him without letting everyone have the same information, so here it is... my best answers... If anyone wants to take on question 3, I'd appreciate it.
StrikerV said:
You talked about abuncha good stuff in the how to survive a depression thread... im wondering if these items are necessary:
All of these are necessary. Good questions... I'll try to answer them all as best I can.
StrikerV said:
1. Water Filter (How long do they last?) What if water shuts off and I dont have a well nearby?
Go find an REI or look for MSR (Mountain Safety Research) online. You'll want to get a 10liter Dromedary bag (black canvas) and an MSR portable water filter pump. There are battery powered ones, or hand pump style... I'd suggest the hand pump unless you have a lot of fuel for a generator and rechargeable batteries to keep it working. The filter medium lasts about a month of REGULAR use I think... I actually have never replaced my filter, but I only used it when camping in the U.P. one time... it was friggen cold, -5*F at noon, and I was camping on the shore of Lake Superior. That was the only time I've ever NEEDED my filter. I do need to buy a bunch of replacement filters though, thanks for asking this question.
StrikerV said:
2. Gardening (This takes good knowledge, yes? What are the ESSENTIAL tools for creating a decent size garden in Oklahoma for example)
Collect scrap plywood and 2x4s from construction sites, or friends, and build ground boxes in your yard. They are basically 4' deep x 2' tall x 8' long, with a south facing, 6 in 1 pitch (starts at 2' tall in the back, and ends up 1' tall in the front closest to the south face. Cover these with corrugated plastic or sheets of plastic drop cloth, and you have yourself some mini greenhouses that can actually grow food through the winter because they are so low to the ground, and wind can't get inside.
Fill the boxes with a good mix of organic soils to the bottom edge of the wood, basically ground level, and get to planting. Follow directions on seed packets, grow vegetables that don't need to grow super tall, vines like pumpkins, squash, and vine tomatoes. Also potatoes, onions, and other underground growers will be good. You'll want to find a good manure supplier (not hard in Oklahoma) and fill those boxes with composted - preferably organic - manure so it is sloped on the same angle as the tops. Plant 2 rows of tomato plants, 1 row each of the other plants, since vine plants grow HUGE, and will kill each other if there are too many of them. Onions and herbs can be grown en masse... learn about them herbs, some have healing properties, others just taste damn good.
Your other option, actually a better one, is to build a large greenhouse, about 1000 sq ft, and set up geothermal hydronic heating inside. That way, it will still be warm enough to grow in winter, even if it's snowing outside, and you can be INSIDE with the plants, instead of outside in the elements tending to the anti-frost boxes. Go buy a new steel horse water trough, fill it with fresh water, set up a trickle filter system that takes water out of the tank and pipes it over your plant rows, waters your plants, then recycles the drained water back into the tank. Wait a week for the water to "clear", go buy some Tilapia fry from Mexico or online =) and start the system running. Using fish waste to fertilize/water plants is called Aquaponics, and the other benefit is that your tank - or tanks - will grow their own algae which you can skim off, and extract oil from for use as biodiesel.
StrikerV said:
3. Silver (What are the best silver coins to get, should I go for pre 65 silver coins minted by US or try to get a private minters coin, how much do these start at?)
Oddly enough, I was just asking this same question in the forums, because I'm a n00b when it comes to investing in anything.
StrikerV said:
4. MRE's should I get only US Military type or are the regular consumer produced just a rip off and dont last? i see all kind of companies producing these things but im wary...
I prefer the military type, they are held to a higher standard of quality control, and when you buy a case, they'll all be from similar lot numbers, and all have a similar expiration date. You can likely find cases of MREs at your local Surplus store, but I've found they are more expensive - by far - than buying online from a MRE dealer.
StrikerV said:
5. Bulletproof vest, think a good idea? hehe!
A flak jacket and a kevlar helmet maybe... but a bullet proof vest... maybe a bit overkill... hehe. I dunno... Level 3 BPVs stop all pistol rounds except for the 7.62x25mm Czech round (they were designed to pierce armor) and all rifle calibers go through BPVs like a needle through a balloon - and do massive amounts of damage to the body once through. Shotgun blasts can be stopped by a flak jacket at anything but point blank range, and it's gonna fuckin hurt regardless of whether you wear a BPV or flak jacket. You're more likely to find flak jackets at MilSurp stores than you are to find affordable BPVs. While you're at it, head over to the local gun show, and buy yourself a CZ-52 pistol and about 200 rounds of 7.62x25mm. Have it inspected and serviced by a gunsmith, and get used to firing it. It is the ONLY pistol caliber that can and will penetrate all types of body armor, helmets, brick walls, and multiple bodies when needed. With a muzzle velocity of 1450fps (that's close to some centerfire rifles) and an 84-grain slug, it has the power to kill small game, varmints, and even small deer and other medium sized game. Personally I'd keep it for defense, but there's nothing wrong with carrying a sidearm while hunting up some grub.
StrikerV said:
Anyways just getting some supplies togethor and gonna start learning some new skills JUST INCASE all this stuff happens, im hoping it wont, shouldnt worry TOO much about it (gotta keep living!) but we should be prepared in case it does happen!
One thing I would add, and I know this will sound very odd... but go find yourself someone who has Opium Poppy flowers... you'll recognize them from the large bulb left at the top of the stalk after the flower petals fall off. Ask to take a few bulbs worth of seeds, or buy them, and when the shit DOES hit the fan, start growing poppies. They are fragile plants, but would likely grow quite well in Oklahoma.... Grow them right in your yard, far away from any other "gardens", and make them look like just pretty scenery... I have them growing around my pond. While you may not have a lot of money, you'll have something everyone will want.... a way to get high and forget about life for a while, which will end up making you money in the short run. Just don't ever bring anyone to YOU to sell it, or they'll rob you blind.
Really, I should take my own damned advice... I know all this shit, and have NONE of it... I am completely unprepared for a SHTF or TEOTWAWKI situation because I don't have the financial resources to do it.
