Preparing for the future, part 01

In this document I will try to explain some concepts that will hopefully enable one to improve one's chances through whats coming over the horizon now....

At the present, as I write, most of the planet's population of humans are in the Limbo-land between denial and realization concerning global warming and its effects.....

Unfortunately, this denial is the main danger to the chances of survival for many, and will be what insures a level of catastrophe never seen on this planet, not even in legends...

For as we continue to deny, we continue to trash the ambient environment.... which raises our “sentence” of bad results to higher levels.......Its a closed system, cause and effect are inescapable......

Currently we are at THE crossroads of human survival.... and our real choices are limited, at the same time that our potentials go nearly infinite.......

We have to clean up our act on all levels, and we have to do it suddenly, and we have to do it right. Will that happen? I wouldn't bet my life on it..... and unfortunately, when the universal realization hits, I feel it will be too little and too late. I'd love to dream otherwise, but to be true, I must be realistic, and that means being prepared for the worst, instead of nervously hoping that things will be OK just because I want them to be...

The good news, is that the cure and the personal insurance policy are one in the same....
We as humans are trapped in a maze of vanity..... Analyze any human problem and one always finds human egocentric thinking at it's heart. Our collective mental illness is ego, and very soon I suspect we will be getting reality checks like clicks on a Geiger counter......

To find one's way out of the maze will require being ready to back up some.....
Back to concepts out of our collective history..... “Retro-Progress”.... it will also require us growing up some too, and taking responsibility for our own part of the collective problem.......And it will require that we acquire more and better forward leaning vision of the future, and learn to manipulate our collective destiny in an improved style....


I will be writing this document on the premise we do not collectively do what is necessary in time to prevent the dire consequences coming over the horizon at us, like a thousand battleships......... But I will also write about solutions........

I dont see it happening now, and I know we should have “solutionized” the problems a generation ago, instead of going into universal greed-head denial....

At this point I'd guess a personal survival reality is the most likely outcome to current social trends.... I also feel that survival ratios will be very low.....
The crux of the issue will be the personal preparedness of each individual....

The Big Secret, to insure personal survival will be in one returning as much as possible to a natural path life-style,and in getting, and maintaining mobility.... I envision the future survivor to be a strange mix, He or she, are very likely to be nomadic. The current refugees point the direction, and with 80% of humanity living within 5 meters of sea level, almost everybody will soon get to try playing refugee........ There are various scenarios which will insist on this, from rising sea levels, desertification and salinization of soils, to increasing quakes and volcanism etc, toppling cities, and forcing human migrations........... A nomadic reality can deal with all these factors........ So the wise person will begin using a nomadic criteria for all their decisions... as a long term investment mobility is an asset of choice..... And those who realize early, and begin moving in this direction will be those who find contentedness and security in times when many are unable to grasp reality soon enough to save their own bacon... An example might be in buying folding furniture instead of some other option.... I observed years ago that humans like to think stationary, and in reality tend to be nomadic.... look at the statistics, how often does the average family move? And do they think to gear their style of purchasing accordingly? Or do they spend months preparing and recovering from moves? Imagine if they had all their materialism geared to the mobile reality, instead of filling huge moving vans with cardboard boxes, overstuffed furniture, and box springs, if they had director's chairs, folding tables, very nice sea-trunks, folding futon furniture etc., Moving would be so much easier....Think Neo-nomadic...

WHAT YOU DONT KNOW ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE.
Is that it can kill you.....or cause you serious problems.... How do I know this? Well, I looked into it at a level a bit deeper than what comes on the T.V., and amazingly not all that deep.... In a college level text book on Oceanography they talk about sea levels and the rise and falls along coastlines etc. with changing temperatures.... they also state that if all the ice were to melt it would raise sea level some 65 meters..... and they go on to talk about thermal expansion of sea water, and that for every degree centigrade of temperature rise or fall, sea level goes up or down between one to two meters.... they also state that 3 or 4 degrees is enough to entirely melt the ice packs...... also in a college level Structural Geography book you can learn about the Antarctic and Greenland ice packs, with the interesting fact, that both continents are pushed down by the ice to below sea level.... Have you ever seen a map of Greenland with out the ice? I suggest you go to your library and research what I am saying... as it will shock you to realize that the Ocean temperatures now rising will soon be melting this ice from underneath.... This is why the Ross Ice shelf cracked off some 15 years ago.... it used to rest on the sea bed, and now it is melting from below, and is cracking and moving with sea levels.... and if you do a bit of studying on volcanism and tectonic plates etc., And apply your thinking to thermal expansion of plates etc. you will realize that there is going to be a lot of quakes to take up that expansion and that what I am saying is the truth.... and you will also learn that the planet produces heat in the core..... and with atmospheric co2 as an insulating blanket, this temperature will go up... it is physically impossible that it do otherwise, I call this the electric blanket effect. And it is already leading to accelerating ice melt in both Greenland and Antarctica..... the earth is warming the ice from below, as well as the heat from air and sea water temperatures...
And why haven't you heard about these facts? Because you are relying on television and Internet for your information sources, and nobody has pieced it together for you, And the governments really dont want to inform you about whats coming, because then you would want something done, besides business as usual, and you would become very skeptical of what they are NOT doing to change things.... Governments are in effect nothing but the best liars and manipulators in suits and ties, working in concert to keep you paying taxes, buying worthless materialism, and doing as you are told to do...... so basically you are being railroaded towards disaster by a bunch of thieves and you had best start getting your own house in order, instead of sitting in front of the television watching a soft and fuzzy version of the future coming at you.... And waiting for somebody else to do something....

Begin now..... Thats my advice in a nut-shell.... get out of your current life-style, one step at a time if necessary, and prepare to become a prosperous refugee.........
Now consider this; that 80% of humanity and 80% of the planet's cities are within 5 meters of sea level..... and if you think sea level is only going to rise one half to one meter in this century, I think you're a little behind the curve on the coming reality.... climate change is going exponential, and we are AREADY at the point on the graph where the flatter line is left behind, and is now going near vertical...... The truth is that the technocult has absolute zero chance of making it through the next 50 years....unless we clean up our trip very fast, and also begin thinking about the future in reality, and not in T.V. Fantasy land style..........I'd suspect the survivors 50 years hence will look more like a “Dances with wolves” style nomadic culture, than it will look like what appears normal now in any city on the planet. So what will you do? Run with the lemmings, or work your way to the edge of the empire? And is it such a really ugly idea to think of being free and roaming the planet, or of living growing a food garden?
If you stay in the cities you will be eventually herded into the work-camps being built now.... And there will be guards, with guns, and very rich people getting the best food grown by the forced laborers.....Who will be everybody lower than the top 5% wealth wise.... I think I'd rather live by my wits, under the sky, and outside the wire....... and be free to start the Post Modern, Post Collapse culture.....


The Warrior's Axiom; “NEVER SACRIFICE MOBILITY FOR SECURITY.”

Think about that axiom, its very very important..... basically its about a truth, a natural law, as certain as two times two being four..... and to phrase it even more concisely, Mobility IS Security..... And women really need to think about that.... I'll give an example, Why do women like diamonds? Well part of the reason has to do with being able to sell them, and its something generally kept on the person...So even if they have to run with no warning, they have at least that..... Money too, is mobile wealth, thats why it acts like security.... paper money is actually worthless in real terms, gold is worthless when there is no food to buy, but pure mobility has real value....

Currently the biggest problem with global warming is the common human mindset. Particularly the herd instinct. Humans are very group oriented, and unfortunately we add even more in the form of programming onto what is natural. Plus there has been a definite and concerted effort to use mass media to socialize the populations of the planet for sales and control purposes.... this has resulted in a form of over-socialization that most people including Psychologists take for granted, and think nothing of...... this is very dangerous in the current situation, nobody is really thinking outside of the box.....

I observe that the average human is just starting to think about climate change.... and only because they are beginning to be inundated with it via the Television.... I suspect that very few are considering the probability of it's effects on them personally.... if You feel the fear, Why aren't you thinking about what you can do? And doing it......

Unfortunately our time is running out, all the time that could have been used to prepare, has been wasted in denial by the same Greed-heads who have manipulated the problem into existence, ( in order to suck a fat profit out of common folks.....) This will all come to a very sudden halt soon.... but I am quite sure that the status quo will attempt to surf the problem on the backs of the people at the bottom.... which is what they know how to do best.... It is also all they know how to do..... Will that work? For awhile..... but the chances of making it out the far side using that strategy has no chance, and will result in much unnecessary death... First among the poorer classes who are economically pushed out of the ability to buy enough food as prices escalate...... Economics is an amazing invention, but unfortunately the creation of wealth, is also the simultaneous creation of poverty.... and Common Man has gone from “primitive hunter-gatherer”, to “Over-socialized Renter Borrower.”...... All by being sold Grand portions of pie in the sky, with little or no chance of being anything but used by the status quo, disirregardless of what flavor of ideology is sold to them... Economics is the inverse of ecology, but only for awhile, as resources dwindle, it is possible that economy will effectively run backwards...... as water, food, timber, minerals, etc., rise in price to the point they are worth more and more, and wars will and are being fought over them, eventually if you extrapolate this out, what becomes most valuable is safe places to live, i.e. Away from other humans, And food etc. But with the wars, which are an effect of “pack-think”, and we will inevitably be returned by economy, to a few primitives beating each other to death with clubs..... The Economic Boomerang effect to coin a phrase... and its this game that has caused the problems, and its the problems that will finish off the game.... Its like a game of musical chairs, when the music stops, everyone is going to be where ever they are........... So take a look around yourself, and begin to imagine your surroundings and the people that inhabit your little world, and wonder what it will be like when everything ceases to function at once..... No bank cards, No food deliveries to supermarkets, no one willing to come fix your problems in exchange for money... Never Happen you say? The system is too powerful? Surely the experts will come up with technical sollutions? NO! The problem is that human style civilization in a closed system is sure disaster, and the cause is human nature... we have insatiable desires, little monkeys attracted to pretty things, toys, and the human ego wants more no matter how much one has..... So we have a world where the top 3 richest people, have more than the poorest 40 countries.... And if we haven't instituted real social justice by now, we never will...

With climate change, the likely serious problem probabilities begin with food and water supplies, and could end with a world wide mega-quake, and volcanism increasing to the point that the sunlight is shaded out and a nuclear winter type effect, from volcanic ash clouds, that could effectively eliminate agriculture for some time and also result in a die-off of plant life over most of the planet's surface, which would then result in desertification at incredible velocities.......... not to mention alter even more the oxygen-carbon balance in the atmosphere.... Virtually locking the planet into a high carbon ratio until enough animal life dies off to re-balance...........Another possible effect is the volcanic ash shading could continue until the planet goes into an ice age......

MUTATE OR MIGRATE
But even more dangerous, is the nuclear power plants, all designed for the old reality.... When more serious quakes hit we will have multiple meltdowns...... can it be prevented? Yes, by deactivation of the power plants...NOW! will this happen? No of course not, we'll just see talking heads on the tube explaining how safe we are, and we will keep paying our electric bills until it happens... I recently heard on BBC, about the nuclear power plant damaged in the quake in Japan, and the reason given was that it was built on a fault line.... Look in that structural geography book, and you will learn that rivers tend to follow fault lines, now think about the fact that nuke plants are generally built on rivers for cooling water....... just as the cities are built on rivers for transportation, I.E. Most of them are built on fault lines, and so that as an excuse isn't going to save anyone...... If the one near you goes, then its mutate or migrate, and you may only have 15 minutes or less depending on wind direction, And meanwhile the stockholders get to continue to collect their dividends on nuclear power........ And as everything depends on stability, nothing is dependable anymore, like all the bridges built spanning rivers, i.e. Fault lines........
These potentials will all likely play out in the life span of the reader......
And what can you do about it, or do to save your own life? Theres only one possible way at this time, and first it requires letting go of your present lifestyle, and then struggling to get on a more natural path........ A more natural path is the only security for anyone from now on.... Analyze and envision any climate change disaster scenario, and think about how a more natural lifestyle provides more security, than a more technical lifestyle..... The system is going to inevitably collapse, slowly at first, then more and more, and eventually all at once.... and all of the above in the life time of the aveage reader..... and what you dont have is a lot of time.... the first to realize what my words mean and to begin their exodus evolution, will be near sure survivors, in comparison to those who insist on denial and get caught in the final scenes of the Hollywood style disasters............

Rule one of materialism in the future, is that “you only really own what you can transport without fossil fuels”......... Take a look at your collection of material items, how much of it can you possibly transport without fossil fuel based transportation? If a major quake takes out your city, chances are everything you own will be worthless, or perhaps even burnt in the fires that result as secondary effects of the quake.... You will then have a decision to make, stay as a rat in the rubble, or go in search of food, water, and shelter..... Your chances of survival are better outside the city, especially if a nuclear power plant is breached and pluming into the air, or leaking into a river etc. in that case your time to escape and survive is very limited, perhaps minutes mean the difference between life and death.........

So what does it take to survive? Mostly it takes a mental adaptation or change.... when disasters strike its those who are able to grasp the situation and re-adapt who do the best... and as was learned in the Indonesia Tsunami, those who lose more, have a harder time accepting the loss, and a harder time recovering mentally...........

My advice is to begin to lighten up on your materialism now.... it is so much easier to let go of something voluntarily, than to have it all be lost at once..... also there are plenty of people who dont have enough, and so the sale or gifting of your excesses could be a help to others, and if you decided to sell your excess materialism, the money could provide you a way to exchange what you wont need, for some items that you will need in a survival or subsistence situation....... which leads us to the next topic, what materialism will you actually need in a survival situation? The good news is its all fairly simple and basic stuff, and also doesn't have to cost a lot..... Another good effect, is that when one loses excess materialism, it results in a feeling of relief......... the key to success is to not lose what you need, and to get rid of what you dont need ahead of time.........now lets talk about really basic basics; And also realize how little you really need, and that it means that all that other stuff you have, you really dont need, other than to provide life-style for your ego.....Also be advised the planet is heating up, and that when I say “in the tropics” that could mean “ in my future” to you.......


“24 ITEMS”

A BASIC LONG TERM SURVIVAL KIT FOR ONE PERSON.

1.HACHETT, QUALITY, WITH SHEATH. IF POSSIBLE CARRY A LARGER AXE,
AS THIS IS YOUR MOST IMPORTANT TOOL IN COLDER CLIMATES.
2.LARGE KNIFE, 10 TO 12 INCH BLADE, WITH SHEATH, SIMILAR TO A LARGE BUTCHER KNIFE, BUT WITH HEAVIER BLADE. THIS IS FOR FOOD PREPARATION, AND/OR FOR A SELF DEFENSE WEAPON. AVOID LARGE EXCESSIVELY HEAVY ''BOWIE'' STYLE KNIVES, WITH EXCESSIVE GUARDS, THEY ARE UNSUITED FOR PRACTICAL USE, I PREFER A DROP POINT, OR GERMAN STLYE SPEAR POINT KNIFE, WHICH IS WHAT THE COMMON AMERICAN BUTCHER KNIFE SHAPE IS BASED ON. GET THE BEST BLADE STEEL YOU CAN AFFORD. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A DECENT KNIFE, CHICAGO CUTLERY MAKES A NICE DROP POINT KITCHEN KNIFE OF ABOUT 10 INCHES WITH STAINLESS BLADE, AND RIVITED BLACK HANDLE, THEY ALSO MAKE A NICE 4 INCH PARING KNIFE.... THE KNIFE IS MAN'S MOST USABLE AND MOST IMPORTANT TOOL, IF I HAD TO LIVE WITH ONLY ONE ITEM, IT WOULD BE A FAIR SIZED KNIFE, WHICH WILL PREPARE FOOD, WHITTLE SHAVINGS TO START A FIRE, DEFEND YOU FROM “THE BAD PEOPLE”, AND ALLOW YOU TO BUILD SIMPLE SHELTER, OR TO MAKE BOW AND ARROWS, OR TRAPS AND SNARES FROM AVAILABLE MATERIALS... IN THE TROPICAL FORESTS, A MUCH LONGER KNIFE IS POPULAR AMONG ALL CULTURES, UP TO 28 INCHES. THE BEST ON PLANET IS A 28 INCH RULA (MACHETTE) FROM THE IMACASA COMPANY. ABOUT $5.00, THE COMMON 24 INCH MACHETTE IS THE NEXT BEST THING, BUT AVOID JAPANESE AND CHINESE VERSIONS, GO FOR CENTRAL OR SOUTH AMERICAN MADE, THEY ARE BETTER QUALITY, AVOID RIVITED HANDLES, AS THEY CAUSE BLISTERS, AND THE ONE PIECE MOLDED PLASTIC ARE BETTER, THE 28” RULA IS PERHAPS THE BEST TOOL TO OWN IN THE JUNGLE, AND I SUSPECT IT OF BEING THE BEST FIGHTING KNIFE OR SWORD EVER MADE.... IT IS SPRING STEEL, AND CAN BE SHARPENED TO A VERY THIN ANGLE, AND STILL KEEP ITS EDGE.... IN CENTRAL AMERI CA IT IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT POSSESION IN THE MOUNTAINS, THE PEOPLE GROW ALL THEIR FOOD USING NOTHING BUT A RULA AND STICKS.... IN CENTRAL AMERICAN SPANISH, THE WORD MACHETTE ONLY APPLIES TO THE ROUND SHAPED TIPPED VERSION, AS IS COMMON IN THE U.S.... THE RULA IS DISTINCT, AND HAS A LONGER NARROWER BLADE, WITH A 6 INCH RAISED BACK AT THE TIP, TO ALSO SHARPEN. THIS IS VERY HANDY FOR KILLING THE LARGE VENOMOUS SNAKES, SO VERY COMMON IN THE AREA..... ONE OFTEN STRIKES ROCKS ETC., WHILE KILLING THE BIG SNAKES, AND WITH THE BACK SIDE SHARPENED, ITS A SIMPLE THING TO REMEMBER TO TURN THE BLADE OVER TO SAVE YOUR SHARP SIDE....... IN THE TROPICS, ONE NEEDS A LONG KNIFE MORE THAN AN AXE. AND I HAVE SEEN LOCALS FALLING TREES UP TO 3 FEET THROUGH, WITH NOTHING BUT A RULA 28, WITH THE BLADE “RIBBONING” BETWEEN CUT STROKES, FLEXING AND NOT BREAKING. FEW NORTH AMERICANS UNDERSTAND THE POTENTIALS OF THE LONG BLADED KNIVES. AND IT IS THE ONLY SURVIVAL TOOL NOT MENTIONED IN THE OLD BOYSCOUT FIELDBOOK THAT SHOULD BE... A CULTURAL OMISSION....
3.SMALL KNIFE, 2 TO 4 INCH BLADE, THIS IS A WORKING KNIFE, LIKE A PARING KNIFE, OR SHARPENED AND USED TO CUT ROPE, WHITTLE, PEEL SPUDS ETC. IT WILL BE YOUR MOST USED SMALL TOOL.
4.SHARPENING KIT, 8 INCH MILL FILE, AND 2 SIDED NORTON ALUMINUM OXIDE STONE. ALSO A COUPLE SHEETS OF 400-2000 GRIT WET OR DRY SANDPAPER, (FOR HONING EDGES).....
5.BLANKET, WOOL, HEAVY, DO NOT USE COTTON, OR ACRYLIC, EXCEPT IN THE TROPICS, BUT EVEN THERE, WOOL IS BETTER DUE TO FIRE RESISTANCE.
6.TARP, HEAVY RUBBERIZED, 10 BY 12 FEET. MINIMUM, TYPICAL BACKPACKERS WEIGHT COATED NYLON TARPS AND TENTS WONT LAST 90 DAYS, DUE TO SOLAR DEGRADATION. GET TRUCK TARP QUALITY OR BETTER, AND FABRIC SUCH AS SUNBRELLA IS BEST....
7.ROPE, 3/8'S OR 9MM, NYLON, BRAIDED, 100 TO 150 FEET, I'D recommend 100 FEET OF CLIMBING LINE, AND 50 FEET OR MORE OF UTILITY GRADE. IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY GO SPECTRA OR KEVLAR ON THE CLIMBING LINE.
8.FLASHLIGHT, HIGH INTENSITY DIODE, WATERPROOF, SUCH AS GERBER OR STREAMLIGHT. WITH RECHARGABLE BATTERIES.
9.RADIO, BATTERY/GENERATOR, AM,FM, AND ESPECIALLY SHORT WAVE IN CASE YOUR LOCAL AREA RADIO STATIONS ARE KNOCKED OUT, I RECOMMEND A RADIO THAT IS THE LEAST COMPUTERIZED, DUE TO SUCH ELECTRONICS BEING MORE SUSEPTABLE TO DAMAGE BY MOISTURE, GET A RADIO WITH A PLAIN DIAL TUNING SYSTEM, COMPUTER/CHIP STYLE ELECTRONICS GO BAD VERY RAPIDLY IN THE OUTDOORS... HAVE A PLASTIC OR STAINLESS BOX FOR YOUR RADIO...
10.SOLAR BATTERY CHARGER FOR RECHARGABLE BATTERIES FOR FLASHLIGHT AND RADIO....
11.KITCHEN KIT; A. WOK, CHINESE, 12 TO 14 INCH. A WOK IS THE MOST UNIVERSAL COOKING PAN. B. TEAPOT, 1 TO 2 QUART. STAINLESS STEEL. C.POT, 2 QUART, W/LID, STAINLESS STEEL. D. BOWL, STAINLESS STEEL, ABOUT 8 INCH. E. SPOON, STAINLESS STEEL. F. CUP, STAINLESS STEEL. G. COOKING GRILL OR GRATE. RECOMMEND HAVING A SMALL ONE WELDED UP OUT OF 3/8's inch STEEL ROD. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT POSESSION, AND REPLACES A STOVE. IT KEEPS THE FOOD OUT OF THE FIRE EVERY DAY....H. WATER CAN OR LARGE CANTEEN.
12.CLEANING KIT. WITH SCRUB-BRUSH, POT SCRUBBER, AND POWDERED DETERGENT. THE SCRUB BRUSH IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR WASHING YOUR CLOTHING.
13.HYGENE KIT; MIRROR, HAIR BRUSH/COMB, TOOTH BRUSH, SMALL SCISSORS. TWEEZERS, NAIL CLIPPERS.
14.FISHING KIT. HAND REEL WITH 50 LB LINE, AND 20 LB LEADER, HOOKS, SWIVEL SNAPS, SPLITSHOT SINKERS, AND LIGHT BRAIDED CABLE LEADERS FOR SALT WATER FISHING.
15.FIRST AID KIT; MEDICAL TAPE, GUAZE, TOURNIQUIT, HYDROGEN PEROXIDE, RUBBING ALCOHOL, IODINE ( IN GRAIN ALCOHOL, NOT WOOD ALCOHOL, WOOD ALCOHOL IS HIGHLY TOXIC, AND CAN PERMANENTLY BLIND YOU IF IT FAILS TO KILL YOU.) ALOE VERA GEL, ANTI FUNGUS CREAM, ASPIRIN, GET PLENTY OF ASPIRIN IN YOUR KIT, ITS THE MOST NEEDED DRUG IN SURVIVAL SITUATION, AND SAVES LIVES CONSISTANTLY IN POST DISASTER/WAR SITUATION FEVERS. “ASPIRIN IS THE PEOPLE SAVER” SULFA, AN ANTIBIOTIC, VERY GOOD FOR FOOD POISONING. OR SERIOUS INFECTIONS AFTER “UGLY” TRAMA... WILL CURE NASTY TROPICAL BACTERIAL INFECTIONS IN SKIN OR MUSCLE TISSUE, POWDER THE PILLS AND APPLY DIRECTLY TO WOUND... VERY IMPORTANT AFTER QUAKES ETC. PENICILLIN, INJECTABLE, IN DRY POWDER FORM, WITH DISTILLED H20 AND NEEDLE ECT. THIS IS YOUR LAST RESORT AGAINST VERY SERIOUS INFECTIONS, DO NOT USE YOUR SUPPLY, UNLESS YOU FEEL LIFE IS IN MORTAL DANGER. IF YOU PUT A TOURNIQUIT ON A VICTIM, MARK A LETTER ''T'' ON THEIR FOREHEAD WITH A PEN. THIS IS FOR THE DOCTORS IN TRIAGE UNIT. THE IODINE IS USED FOR EVERYTHING FROM PREVENTING RADIOACTIVE POISONING, BY INGESTING A VERY SMALL AMOUNT, TO STERILIZING DRINKING WATER AT ONE DROP TO THE GALLON. AND IODINE IS VERY GOOD IN THE BATTLE AGAINST FOOT FUNGUS IN THE TROPICS.... THE ONLY SURE WAY TO PREVENT AND DEFEAT FOOT FUNGUS IS KEEPING THE FEET DRY CONSTANTLY BY ANY MEANS NECESARY AND BY KEEPING THE FEET HYGENICALLY CLEAN, SEA WATER ALSO CURES SOME TROPICAL FUNGUS INFECTIONS.
16.BACKPACK OR PACKBOARD, MILITARY WOOD LAMINATE, OR MORE MODERN COMPOSITE, OR WELDED ALUMINUM TUBULAR. GO DURABILITY FACTOR ON THIS ONE, AS CHEAP BACKPACKS WONT LAST A WEEK IN SURVIVAL SITUATIONS, YUPPIE QUALITY ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT IT WEIGHS, WHAT MATTERS IS THAT IT WILL CARRY 75 POUNDS AND NOT BREAK. AND CONTINUE TO DO SO FOR AS LONG AS NECESARY IN EXTREME CONDITIONS, SUCH AS GETTING OUT OF A CITY RUBBLED BY A QUAKE. I STRONGLY SUG GEST YOU AVOID THE YUPPIE MINDSET, IT ISN'T A WEEKEND CAMPING TRIP, NO ONE WILL CARE ABOUT YOUR DESIGNER NAMED GEAR, AND THERE WILL BE NO FUEL FOR STOVES ETC., AND YOU'LL NEED TO USE STICKS AND OTHER AVAILABLE COOKING FUELS, AND A ''PUREST'' MINDSET IS FOR OVER EDUCATED MORONS, AND IF SOMEONE COMPLAINS ABOUT YOUR HACHETT ETC. LAUGH AT THEM.
17.WEAPON, I recommend A 5 OR 6 SHOT DOWNSIZED .357 REVOLVER, STAINLESS STEEL. A SMALL WEAPON IS MORE likely TO BE ON YOUR PERSON, THAN A BIGGER HEAVIER ONE, TAKE A GUN COURSE AND GET A CONCEILED CARRY PERMIT, PRACTICE AT BOTH SHORT RANGE AND LONG RANGE OUT TO 100 YARDS, PISTOLS OF EVEN 4 TO 6 INCH BARRELS ARE SUPRISINGLY ACCURATE OUT TO 250 YARDS WITH PRACTICE. I recommend RUGER. REMEMBER THAT THE MOST DANGEROUS ANIMAL ON THE PLANET WALKS ON TWO LEGS, AND AFTER A DISASTER YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN, THERE WILL BE NO POLICE. CARRY AT LEAST 2 BOXES OF AMMO - 100 ROUNDS. I'D BUY PLASTIC BOXES AND PUT THEM INSIDE ZIPLOCK BAGS. IF YOU LIVE IN A COUNTRY THAT DOSEN'T PERMIT PRIVATE OWNERSHIP OF FIREARMS, GET A PASSPORT AND MOVE TO A COUNTRY THAT DOES..... ANY COUNTRY THAT DOESNT PERMIT FIREARMS OWNERSHIP IS TERMINAL PHASE. AS IT MEANS THE STATUS QUO DOESN'T TRUST THE BODY POLITIC, AND INTENDS TO GO FASCIST. IF YOU MUST STAY IN A COUNTRY NOT ALLOWING FIREARMS OWNERSHIP, GET A QUALITY ARCHERY BOW, AND ARROWS, AVOID COMPOUND BOWS, GO RECURVE OR LONGBOW, A BOW CAN PUT RABBITS IN THE POT, OR DRIVE OFF RAIDERS IF YOU CAN MAINTAIN COVER. IT IS JUST AS DEADLY TODAY AS IT WAS AT AGINCOURT. IT IS ALSO SILENT. I SUGGEST THAT YOU PRACTICE REGULARLY, AND KNOW THAT WOODEN ARROWS ARE THE MOST DURABLE, I'D HAVE AT LEAST 2 DOZEN SHAFTS, AND HAVE FIELD TIPS, BLUNTS, JUDO TIPS, AND BROADHEADS, AND ALSO A FISHING ARROW WITH REEL. THEY ARE SUPRISINGLY EFFECTIVE...
18.BOOTS, HEAVYDUTY, HIKING, LEATHER. IN THE TROPICS SANDALS WITH THE NYLON STRAPS GOING ALL THE WAY UNDER AND AROUND THE FOOT AND NOT JUST GLUED ENDS LIKE WITH FLIP-FLOPS....
19.COAT, WOOL, AVOID ANYTHING HIGH TECH. GO BASIC, GO HEAVYDUTY, AND I'D HAVE IT BE GREEN, BROWN, OR GRAY IN COLOR. IF RAIDERS CAN NOT SEE YOU, THEY CAN NOT KILL, RAPE, TORTURE, OR ROB YOU.
20.RAIN GEAR, HEAVYDUTY PONCHO OR CAPE IS BEST, AS IT WILL ALSO GO OVER YOUR PACK. LIGHT WEIGHT TYPES ARE SHORT TERM, ASK A FIREMAN WHERE TO GET THE MOST DURABLE RAIN GEAR. GET GREEN IN COLOR.
21.CLOTHING, I.E. PANTS AND SHIRTS ETC. IN COLDER CLIMATES GET WOOL, LIKE THE GERMAN ARMY PANTS, REMEMBER YOU MAY HAVE TO LIVE OUTSIDE INDEFINATLY, ALSO GO HEAVY WOOL SHIRTS. AND IN COLD CLIMATES ALSO CARRY A HEAVY WOOL SWEATER. ALSO HEAVY WOOL SOCKS.... IF YOU LOOK AT OLD FOTOS OF PEOPLE WHO LIVED OUTSIDE, LIKE WORLD WAR ONE VETERANS, OR AMERICAN INDIANS, THEY INVARIABLY ARE BUNDLED IN HEAVY CLOTHING, THERE IS A REASON FOR THIS..... LIVING OUTSIDE DEPENDS ON EXTRA CLOTHING TO REPLACE MISSING SHELTER. IN THE TROPICS CLOTHING DEGRADES VERY RAPIDLY, THERE, THE BEST IS OF DACRON, LIKE SWIMMING TRUNKS, OR LIGHTWEIGHT DACRON SAIL COVER CANVAS. NYLON DEGRADES RAPIDLY AND COTTON ROTS IN THE HUMIDITY.
22.FIRE STARTER KIT; LENS, GLASS, 4 INCH MINIMUM. (SMALLER LENSES ARE MORE DIFFICULT TO CONSISTANTLY START FIRES WITH...) LIGHTERS ARE ALSO GOOD, BUT AVOID DESPOSIBLE TYPES, WHY CARRY SOMETHING YOU WILL HAVE TO THROW AWAY, WHEN YOU CAN CARRY A REFILLABLE?
IN WARMER CLIMATES THE ZIPPO TYPE TEND TO REQUIRE A LOT OF FILLING, AS THE FUEL EVAPORATES MORE RAPIDLY AS THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE INCREASES, SO IN THE TROPICS, A REFILLABLE BUTANE TYPE IS BETTER, BUT IN COLDER CLIMATES THE BUTANE STLYE WONT LIGHT CONSISTANTLY, AND HERE, THE LIQUID FUEL ZIPPO STYLES WORK FINE.... ALSO INCLUDE A WELDER'S STRIKER IN YOUR KIT, LIKE FOR LIGHTING TORCHES, ONE OF THESE WITH A FEW DROPS OF LIGHTER FLUID , GASOLINE, OR ALCOHOL, IN THE INVERTED PAN, IS THE MOST CONSISTANT, AND RELIABLE LIGHTER I KNOW OF, AND SPARE FLINTS ARE CHEAP, READILY AVAILABLE, AND EASY TO REPLACE.... A STRIKER COSTS ABOUT $1.00 CURRENTLY, AND A PACK OF FLINTS ABOUT THE SAME... AND THERE IS LITTLE THAT CAN GO WRONG WITH THEM. ALSO CARRY A CANDLE IN YOUR FIRESTARTER KIT, THIS IS TO HELP START FIRES, AND NOT TO USE UP FOR LIGHTING.
23.SEWING KIT, ANY SURVIVAL OR OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE IS HARD ON CLOTHING, AND ALSO BACKPACKS LIKE TO RIP OUT, ETC. THE KIT CONSISTS OF A FEW FAIRLY HEAVY SEWING NEEDLES, A SMALL PAIR OF PLIARS, AND AN AWL MADE FROM A SHIRTPOCKET SIZED SCREWDRIVER, SHARPENED WITH 3 SIDES AND A LONG TAPER. THE PLIARS ARE TO PULL NEEDLES THROUGH HEAVY MATERIALS, SUCH AS BACKPACK STRAPS, OR LEATHER. FOR USE IN LEATHER ONE PUNCHES HOLES WITH THE AWL, AND SEWS WITH A BLUNTED AND ROUNDED POINT NEEDLE, MADE BY BREAKING OFF THE NEEDLE'S TIP WITH PLIARS, AND THEN ROUNDING TIP WITH NORTON STONE AND WET OR DRY SANDPAPER. IT IS ALSO HANDY TO HAVE A SMALL PLASTIC RULER AND BALL POINT PEN TO MARK STITCH LENGTHS, FOR THREAD, USE HEAVY 100% NYLON, LIKE BUTTON THREAD, THAT WILL JUST PASS THROUGH THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE.... IN THE TROPICS NEEDLES RUST VERY RAPIDLY, AND MUST BE STORED IN A VIAL OF MINERAL OIL....
24.SHOVEL, A VERY IMPORTANT TOOL, BUT MUST BE FAIRLY SMALL FOR PACKING REASONS, THE MILITARY E-TOOL TYPE ARE FINE EXCEPT THEY LACK THE ERGONOMIC SHAPE FOR COMFORTABLE USE, I PREFER THE RUSSIAN ARMY STYLE, BUT BEING UNAVAILABLE, I CUT DOWN A TILING SPADE, BY CUTTING 3 INCHES OFF THE BLADE, AND 3 OR 4 INCHES OFF OF THE HANDLE SOCKET, AND INSTALLING A GOOD WOODEN HANDLE. I ALSO DID A NICE LEATHER SHEATH.... THE SHOVEL IS NEEDED FOR DIGGING LATRINES, FIREPITS, ETC., AND IN COLDER MID LATITUDE CLIMATES ONE CAN SURVIVE BY DIGGING A FOXHOLE INTO THE EARTH, WHERE THE GROUND TEMPERATURE GENERALLY EXCEEDS AIR TEMPERATURES, IN WORLD WAR TWO, MANY JEWISH PEOPLE SURVIVED BY ESCAPING THE NAZI'S AND GOING INTO THE FORESTS AND LIVING IN HOLES THEY DUG.... ITS ALSO A PRIME TOOL IN THE SURVIVAL GARDEN.....


SO THERE YOU HAVE IT, 24 ITEMS, SOME ARE KITS, BUT THESE ARE THE ITEMS MOST likely NEEDED IN A SURVIVAL SITUATION BEYOND CITY LIMITS.


NOW FOR A FEW WORDS ON SURVIVAL FOODS...
AVOID THE FANCY FREEZE DRIED FOODS, THEY ARE EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE AND YOU END UP WITH A LOT OF PACKAGING TO THROW AWAY. I WOULD MUCH RATHER HAVE THE SAME MONEY SPENT ON LESS FASHIONABLE FOODS.
IN A LONG TERM SURVIVAL SITUATION THE IDEA IS TO STAY ALIVE, BE ABLE TO TRAVEL OR DO SOME PHYSICAL WORK, AND TO NOT BECOME ILL DUE TO MALNUTRITION. I CONSIDER THE COMMON SPAGHETTI NOODLE (WHEAT) TO BE TOPS ON THE LIST, THEY ARE VERY AFFORDABLE BY THE POUND, AND ARE SOMETHING ''NORMAL'' IN MOST PEOPLE'S DIET. THEY ARE ALSO EASY TO COOK, REQUIRING ONLY BOILING WATER... AN ADULT CAN LIVE FINE, AND WORK, ON A POUND PER DAY.... THEY ALSO HAVE LITTLE WASTED SPACE OR EXCESS BULK.
SECOND ON THE LIST, IS CANNED OR DRIED FISH, IN OIL. TUNA, SALMON, SARDINES, ETC. NUTRICIONALLY NOTHING EQUALS FISH. THEY ARE ALSO FINE TO TOP OFF THE NOODLES WITH. AND A SINGLE CAN MAY BE SHARED BY TWO PERSONS AND STILL BE ENOUGH TO BE A SERIOUS ASSET IN ONE'S DIET.
THREE; PEANUT BUTTER, A VERY RICH SOURCE OF FATS AND PROTIENS.
FOUR; LEMON OR CITRUS POWDER. (NOT ARTIFICIAL!) THIS IS HEALTH INSURANCE.... IT WEIGHS LITTLE AND WILL KEEP YOU HEALTHY. IF YOU CAN NOT FIND CITRUS POWDER, GET REAL LEMON JUICE... OR GO FOR MEGA-DOSE VITAMIN C.......
FIVE;CORNMEAL, OR CORN FLOUR, A VERY CHEAP AND READILY AVAILABLE FOOD SOURCE, AND CAN BE MADE INTO HOT CEREALS, BREADS, DRINKS, ETC. OR EATEN RAW IN AN EMERGENCY....
SIX; VEGGIE OIL, THIS IS MOSTLY USED FOR FRYING AND BAKING, AND JUST A LITTLE KEEPS THINGS FROM STICKING, REMEMBER THIS IS A SURVIVAL REALITY, AND ANYTHING YOU USE TOO LIBERALLY, SOON YOU DONT HAVE ANYMORE.....PUT OIL INTO A QUALITY PLASTIC BOTTLE, LIKE A NALGENE....
SEVEN; SALT, ESPECIALLY IN HOTTER CLIMATES....
SUGAR; THIS IS THE ITEM MOST LIKELY TO DISSAPPEAR FIRST, USE ONLY FOR COFFEE, OR TEA.
EIGHT; HOT PEPPER FLAKES.... SEASONING FOR THE NOODLES... OTHERWISE THEY ARE TOO BLAND.
NINE; ONION AND OR GARLIC FLAKES, WEIGH ALMOST NOTHING BUT ARE A HEALTHY ADDITION TO ALMOST ALL FOODS.
TEN; WHEAT FLOUR... THE MAIN INGREDIENT FOR THE STAFF OR LIFE.
ELEVEN; LEGUMES, SUCH AS BEAN, PEAS, LENTILS, VERY GOOD VEGGIE PROTIEN SOURCE, SPLIT PEAS COOK FAST, BEANS ARE SLOWER, THE RATIO OF LEGUMES TO STARCHES IS TWO HANDFULS TO ONE, I.E. TWICE AS MUCH NOODLES, BREADS, ETC. AS LEGUMES....
TWELVE; COFFEE OR TEA, IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS SOMETIMES THE BEST THING EMOTIONALLY IS TO DO SOMETHING FAMILIAR AND COMFORTING, AND MAKING A CUP OF COFFEE OR TEA IS SUCH A RITUAL....


NOW, ABOUT BANNOCK,
BANNOCK IS A TRADITIONAL OUTDOORSMANS FOOD, BASICALLY ITS A SIMPLE BREAD BAKED, OR FRIED IN OIL, GENERALLY OF WHEAT FLOUR, SALT, SUGAR, BAKING POWDER, OR SODA, I PREFER USING THE BAKING SODA AND LEMON JUICE AS LEAVENING, BUT WITH SODA YOU USE ½ THE AMOUNT AS WITH BAKING POWDER... AND IT DOESN'T WEIGH ANY MORE AS DRY INGREDIENTS, THAN FREEZE DRIED GLOP.... AND ITS SO VERY SATISFYING TO HAVE FRESH BREAD IN 20 MINUTES OVER AN OPEN FIRE... I ALSO MAKE A VERSION WITH WHEAT FLOUR AND CORN MEAL OR CORN FLOUR.... THE BANNOCK CULTURE IS NEARLY A LOST ART IN MODERN CAMPING... AND WAS MENTIONED BY J.R.R. TOLKIEN IN HIS LORD OF THE RING SERIES, ALSO ROBERT SERVICE THE AMERICAN POET MENTIONS BANNOCK, AND IN THE OLD BOYSCOUT FIELD BOOK... IT IS THE ANSESTOR OF THE COMMON AMERICAN BISQUIT, AND IS VERY CHEAP, NUTRICIOUS, AND LIGHTWEIGHT FOOD. LEARN FIRST AT HOME ON THE STOVE, FRYING FIRST ONE SIDE AND THEN THE OTHER, AND TRYING DIFFERENT MIXES THAT YOU MAKE UP YOURSELF.... THE BIG SECRET IS A FAIRLY DRY DOUGH... YOU CAN ALSO MAKE UP BULK MIX, AND PACK IT INTO YOUR SURVIVAL CAMP IN QUANTITY. THERE IS AN OLD ADDAGE, THAT A POUND OF FLOUR MAKES A POUND OF BREAD.... THE SAME MIX WILL ALSO MAKE FINE DUMPLINGS.....AND WITH MORE WATER ADDED BECOMES PANCAKE MIX.... GO CAMPING WITH FRIENDS, AND SEE HOW MUCH FREEZE DRIED STROGANOF YOU CAN GET IN TRADE, FOR HOT FRESH BANNOCK.... I HAVE COOKED OVER AN OPEN FIRE EVERYDAY, FOR OVER A DECADE, AND BANNOCK IS A FAVORITE.... IN THE TROPICS or any warm climate, or warm season, ONE CAN DO A SOURDOUGH BANNOCK VERY SIMPLY, BY JUST MAKING THE DOUGH, WITHOUT BAKING POWDER OR YEAST, 48 HOURS AHEAD, (leaving it age,) AND ON THE SECOND MORNING COOKING THE BREAD, OR ONE CAN DO A SIMPLE SOURDOUGH STARTER TECHNIQUE OF ALWAYS HOLDING BACK STARTER FOR THE NEXT BATCH, AND GET THE TIME DOWN TO JUST OVERNIGHT..... IN THE WARM CLIMATE THE DOUGH FERMENTS BY ITSELF IF LEFT TO DO SO.... AND AFTER THE FIRST STARTER, ONLY TAKES OVERNIGHT.....

YOUR FOOD IN YOUR EMERGENCY KIT IS WHAT WILL WEIGH THE MOST. MY ADVICE IS TO HAVE ALL YOU CAN CARRY, IF POSSIBLE HAVE A CASHE OF FOOD OUTSIDE OF THE CITY AT FRIENDS OR RELATIVES. IN MOST EMERGENCY SITUATIONS THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO IS GET OUT. THIS MEANS WALKING. IF YOU CAN, HAVE A CART OF SOME SORT. ANYTHING FROM A WHEELBARROW TO A BIKE CART. THIS WILL ALLOW YOU MORE GEAR, AND MORE FOOD. ON ONES BACK ABOUT 75 POUNDS IS THE PRACTICAL LIMIT FOR A MEDIUM ADULT MALE, BUT THE SAME PERSON CAN MORE EASILY TRANSPORT 250 POUNDS IN A GOOD QUALITY PROFESSIONAL CONTRACTORS GRADE WHEELBARROW... I once read a story about a woman who after world war two walked across Germany with her children, pushing everything she owned in a baby stroller..........Recently the the Government of Australia is recommending that all citizens pack a bag to have ready in case of disasters....... The accepted term for this bag or pack among long term survivalist types is “a bug-out kit”..... I tend to call it a refugee kit....
And will explain a bit of the mindset necessary when purchasing or making items for your survival kit....



COOKWARE
First, is that all your gear needs to have maximum durability factor.... backpacker quality gear would be a sorry excuse for what it really takes to live day to day in a survival situation.... an example is cooking gear, could you imagine trying to cook from now on for yourself and family using some flimsy aluminum or titanium cookware? Aluminum cookware tends to get beat up and dented rapidly, it also scorches food very easily.... and if you are washing it in a creek or river, say using sand as cleanser, it wont be long until its full of holes............. Yes, weight is an important factor in a nomadic situation, but durability factor is more important..... another common error with camping cookware is the nesting kit mania..... it tends to entice one to carry things you dont really need because its part of the kit..... I've found that its better to buy common kitchen weight items, and keep the number of items minimal to keep weight and bulk down.... also the quantity of people that depend on the same cookware affects the correct sizing..... if you are a mother with children, very small backpacker sized cookware will result in very small portions for a group..... I personally have started a collection of restaurant sized cookware, why? I expect a refugee kitchen situation.............. Like a military field kitchen....

COOKING FUELS AND STOVES
Another fallacy to the camping equipment mindset is the now ubiquitous backpacker stove, in a survival situation will fuel for it be accessible? Propane? Maybe, but not likely for very long...... every one with a propane stove will all have the same need at the same time.... white gas or unleaded gas capable stoves? Maybe better, as you can siphon fuel from any car. But its still dependent on the technocult and the fossil fuels delivery system... the fuel supply is finite, and also its the very thing causing the global warming, and I hesitate to think that its a good idea to continue trashing the ambient ecosystem....... Personally I think there are two correct possibilities, first, learning to build a simple and small wood fire, and if possible a small folding solar reflector oven might be worth its weight in gold, if your group is large enough to have the ability to carry one..... Building fires from wood is a skill..... it isn't like lighting charcoal briquets with fire starter fuels.... The best text on this and many other survival skills is in the boyscout fieldbook, and also perhaps it is a good time to mention that the boyscouts need to come back into style as a parent / child activity... Think about it..... its a fun way to prepare for what is coming, and very good for your child's mental and physical growth.... Get involved..... Another similar possibility is to study martial arts, be it boxing, wrestling, or oriental styles... when the food supply dwindles, so does civilization.... and a person with martial arts skills has a much higher survival rating than a person who thinks calling 911 is all they'll need...
Another good Idea is to take up camping or hunting/fishing as a hobby... you can hunt with a camera if you're a vegetarian type..... its having the skill thats important....
Also if you or your family are confronted by a refugee situation, having a history of camping for fun, will soften the mental shock.... and small children may even not realize the difference.... Besides, camping is a lot of fun, millions do it for vacations from the system.... And if one Analyses the coming reality, What the scouts teach is what the people will need most first......... And its all there....... In the old field book............


SMUDO

In survival logic and mindset, I have a saying I've used for years, '' SMUDO'', which comes from Simplify, Minimize, Upgrade, Downsize, and Organize.... the mental formula of preparation for more balanced levels of materialism.... Its important that you realize that you are not preparing for a weekend camping trip, that being a refugee is going to be a permanent thing, and if you think well, plan well, etc., you can begin a seamless evolution into the coming nomadic/ neo-indigenous reality...


Basically what I am advising is a change of course.... that instead of taking the kids to soccer, take them to scouts.... and instead of staying in hotels on vacations, learn to camp.....
I also think horses will soon come back into style as transportation, so if you've always dreamed of riding lessons, or of owning a horse or pony, now you have the perfect excuse.... I personally love horses, they tend to be calm and fairly good hearted hoofed folks if they haven't been abused.... also I think that having a dog in one of the larger more protective breeds is a good idea for the future..... my personal favorite is the German Shepperd, they tend to be exceedingly protective, especially of women and children. Dogs are also good pack animals..... and able to carry about 1/3 rd of their own weight in well designed “doggie packs” which you can buy from REI camping equipment company...


Another area of study is archery..... the bow and arrow has worked for thousands of years, protecting the home, putting meat in the pot, winning major battles, and providing a sport that all can share, with proper equipment... it is also a serious weapon that is under-rated by most people on the planet.... its still as deadly and as quiet as it ever was....... and requires no ammunition factory to keep it going..... Making arrows is a fairly precise hobby, but very rewarding, especially when you make your own shafts from scratch..... to go from a hunk of wood to a finished and fletched arrow of good quality, is a skill thats worth being proud of..... I have learned how to make good wooden shafts with nothing but a split of wood and a small block plane, using a board for a backing stiffener... I have also built a guide for the block plane out of ship-lap siding thats ripped and reconfigured with a channel for the block plane and proper spacing for the arrow diameter.... to go from a split to a blank shaft takes about an hour to hour and a half of careful work.......

Such truly organic weapons are indispensable to the would be survivor...... and again, an example that finding one's way out of the Technocult, is like a maze, sometimes we must back up some....in this case relearning the skills of survival culture....

I also recommend that one take up gardening if possible.....being able to grow your own food is very important... and gardening is something kids tend to like to learn and do....
What I am suggesting is that you begin to move away from whats normal now, and towards what will enhance your survival statistics in the future...... avoid chemical agriculture, as it requires the technocult supply line, Organic is better for a survivalist, and the materials are at hand almost anywhere, and you wont be feeding your family on a steady diet of insecticides that were originally a spin-off of the nerve gas weapons industry.... safe? Never!

The best source for Organic gardening information is Rodale Press.... Start a library, collect some nice tools, and buy some land in the country, or work out a deal with someone beyond the suburbs that allows you to have a garden..... I would avoid for now labor exchanges, they dont tend to work... later, when motivation increases with personal danger, the average person may be able to keep good balance between themselves and a land owner, for now the problem is differing expectations......

I also suggest avoiding some types of survivalists, the ones who like the thought of a more violent world..... a good soldier is not violent, and good policeman doesn't like to order people around, and a good survivalist isn't looking for thrills or to be able to intimidate other people..... a good survivalist is looking to help themselves, and also to help others..... and not for personal gain.... egocentric thinking is what got us into this mess and it will require more real co-operation and helping others to increase all our odds in the future, but do remember to analyze the people around yourself, and ask yourself if these people are your best choice for a survival clan? It may be time to even consider changing spouses..... and arrogant denial-head with a “me-me-me” mindset is a grave danger in the future..... Money will no longer be security, so maybe its time to look for a partner that is a real human, and not just a consumer........ I suggest you look for heart, honesty, humility and intelligence.... and anyone who is vain, self-centered, or insists on stupidly continuing on their present path, should perhaps best be set aside, and left behind.....
Relationships are like materialism, those that are excessively burdensome, result in relief when left by the wayside....... They are a form of emotional baggage.....




ON NOMADIC SHELTER.

Nomadic shelters come in various types, from the tiny nylon backpacker's tents that will last about 90 days in direct sunlight, to a yurt with a sunbrella skin tarp that will go 20 years. I have lived in all kinds of nomadic shelters; wall tents, tipis, yurts, etc. and find the yurt to be the best. The most common problem with nomadic shelters is the cover rotting, degrading, etc. I currently live in a wood frame wall tent, covered with a rubberized truck tarp, which lasts about 5 years. When I build a new shelter it will most likely be a yurt roofed with the same green truck tarp material, as its something I can afford, and is locally available.... I think the best frame and rafter-pole system is to use common lumber and rip a taper on the lumber to be somewhat like tipi poles. “inch and a half” standard lumber. For smaller shelters of less than 16 feet across, standard one inch is plenty strong for frames and poles. Yurts are easy to build, and require little lumber, unless you are trying to evolve the design into a house.
A nice large yurt of say 24 feet diameter will all bundle up and fit fine on a Japanese sized pick-up truck. With room to spare for other stuff.
A smaller 12 foot is horse packable. For those people limited to being on foot, and packing everything, such as city people in quakes, I recommend just a small tarp, of rubberized cloth, i.e. Truck tarp..... about 10 feet by 12 feet if possible. And enough utility grade nylon rope to string it up between trees or expedient poles.........What you need is dry area, and not some tiny tent you scrunch around in, and you bought because it gives you privacy in a public situation...

Backpacker tents are nice for one weekend a year, but they are wet in rainy conditions, degrade incredibly rapidly in sunlight, and you can't cook in one with a fire.

But a yurt or wall-tent with a small wood-stove is “good living” anywhere reasonable on the planet.....
And its sure a lot cheaper these days to rent or buy, or borrow land and put a porta-dwelling on it than try paying for a ranch style like the Joneses..... And I wouldn't bet much on the Joneses making it through whats coming.... The game from now on is getting away from the Joneses, and not doing what the Joneses do..... Counter, or Anti-herd thinking....


Also with the housing market/bubble/crunch finally happening now, porta-housing would make a better safety net, than having to live in your car... many more people will soon be homeless..... wouldn't it be better to be more comfortably mobile instead? The mobility will pay dividends, even if you only have to do a career change, and for now if you're doing ok, could be mostly hobby, and “camping equipment”.........Another factor to nomadic housing is that round lightweight structures are the most quake resistant, and a nomadic structure collapsing is likely to spill the soup into the fire-pit, but other than an upset cook, its no big deal, not likely to kill anyone, and you can have it re-erected in a couple hours, while those in the Ivory Towers will get the 9/11 treatment.... And the average permanent structure on the planet is a poor place to be security wise, from now on....


HUMANITY HAS A TECHNOCULT FUTURE.

Humanity does have a potential future more than living like neo-barbarians......
And it hinges mostly around the Space Elevator technologies, In effect we either move our Capitalism into space, and so solve all our problems, or we bicker until the final whimper of humanity.....
In Space, energy, resources, and cubic real-estate are all in effect infinite... some of these take a bit of collecting, but maybe its worth it, considering that these are the self same building blocks of Economics, and Economic expansion, I.E. Capitalism............. The companies who bust into space and boot up the first elevators, will dwarf the I.T. Companies when it comes to growth or profit, the space race is in fact THE arms race of the business world, and any company who ain't operating accordingly is “dinosaurish”.............. Humanity is about to go to seed..... And its the only way we can have universal life extension, solve food and climatic problems, have plenty of good paying jobs for everyone, and provide unlimited opportunity for our capitalists, is to boot up the carbon nano tube cables....
There is also a nationalistic potential; first country that has a functioning elevator is sure to make a fat profit lifting the cargo for the construction of everybody else's..... there are also military applications and military imperatives to the technology..... For thousands of years we have been fighting and killing each other..... 'kinda stupid use of our potential if you ask me, and a bit risky considering that we don't have a clue whats ''OUT THERE'', and that could show up any minute to cause us serious problems.... Gee? Guys, might it not be better if our military was facing outwards, and we not have all the guns pointing at each other?
I Imagine a near future where we build cities in space, industrial cities, faster than the Chinese are building terrestrial cities now.... I suspect their experience at high velocity construction would give the Chinese serious advantage if they get up an elevator, and they are certainly owners of plenty of motivational reasons to do so.... Could be them doing endless expansion and endless breeding, while everybody else is visiting the Employment office..... and limited to one child...... Far fetched? No, at the current rate of progress on space elevator technologies we are about 15 years from putting one up.... that could be sped up, with more private investment.... And I think we will be very lucky if we have 15 years before climate change trashes us......

The potential is mentally staggering...... and to make it happen, who will succeed and become incredibly wealthy by planetary standards? And who will live and work there, in the cities of the stars, and enjoy high pay, comfort, and very long lives?

Funny enough it will likely be the same mobile nomadic types.... Its homesteading......
Also the people who invest in such technology are who will get the dividends checks.....
And nothing says one has to wait on that.... plenty of companies and universities headed in that general direction, and if their stock or grants go up, they can do more faster, and I'd certainly consider it wiser investing, than some bogus derivatives scheme based on pie in the sky, (instead of a cheap and reliable lifting system in it.....) we can have thousands of elevators, and millions of people waiting with their boarding passes in hand, on their way to better lives..... For a long term investment its the best ever...... and has the potential to be so lucrative...

There is also the potential for FREEDOM out there..... nothing would stop the Catholics, or the Muslims, or the Sports Syndicates from having their own Nirvanas out there....
Plenty of room for all, plenty of expansion potentials, no need to fight anymore folks, the tech eliminates the excuses to do so..... and personally I'd love to do some tourism of say Muslim or Catholic style Architecture adapted to zero G............

Space is also a potential outlet for the restless type humans, humanity needs hope, and not Psychiatric drugs..... Plenty of space out there for one to Homestead, And the elevators would provide incredibly cheap “Lift Fees” .... And I could envision families doing collective projects, and establishing themselves some economy in the process..... Universities could perhaps use a little vacuum to prime themselves into the future..... No doubt plenty of technical problems to sollutionize, and imagine the experiments and also thesis potentials?

Do I think its likely that we bootstrap ourselves out and beyond our problems.... NO! We are collectively wasting too much TIME, and it will be too little too late...

So what am I advocating? That a wise person will begin now to move towards mobility that doesn't rely on fossil fuels, systems of self defense that dont rely on police, or ammunition factories, and food supplies that dont require working a job, a credit card, and lots of nasty chemicals.......... Thats the long term thinking, in the short term, its a good idea to prepare a refugee kit, and get your head into a better space, than sitting watching on TV, things that program you to want things you dont really need...

Its a bi-polar reality, and we also have to try to push the space elevator thing, so that even if we fail, we know we tried....



About the author; Gris Bosque has lived for over a decade ''open air''' in Costa Rica, going there, after becoming disillusioned by the system... He has camped from the shores of the Bering Sea, to the tropics..... And has now evolved a very comfortable minimalistic permanent camping lifestyle, not requiring holding down a regular job..... He is now writing, to try to help other people prepare personally for what is coming..... if you encourage him, he will continue writing, and share some more of the secrets he has learned about living outside and beyond the palisades of the TECHONUCULT....

THE ONLY THING WORTH BUYING, IS YOUR FREEDOM........