Dec 01 2005
Bug-out or bug-in?
When disaster strikes what are you going to do?
Do you have supplies? A plan? Any idea what to do?
Tell me how ready you are.
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I don’t see any beer or toilet paper.
Depends on the Catagory# Crap! Earthquake or other natural D-zaz, civil unrest zombies = Bug-In. We have the high ground, water, propane, food and a stove, dirtbikes for rough-terrain transport - and lotsa ammo (but no sweet semi-auto like that, I’ll have to use the Garand.)
Catagory%XXX% CRAP!-CRAP!-Oh-S#*F@-CRAP!, like a dirty bomb or anthrax…run like hell to even higher ground??
I think one of the good things about my house is that we have bars on every window so at least the mobile meat can’t get through. It does, however, allow us to shoot through the bars at them without them being able to get through as opposed to having only regular windows. Great gunports.
With the exception of my In-law upstairs, there are 4 of us here who can shoot so defending the house is not so much of a problem. Hell, even the two narrow windows on either side of the front door are barred. Again, great gunports.
Too bad “Transparent Aluminum” is only the stuff of (Trekkie) stories.
Maybe you should start thinking of doing your own reloads. At least then should you run out of ammo, you still have the necessary components to create explosives. A pipe bomb tossed into a small group of them should be able to at least dis(member)mantle them enough to impede their progress on your property.
How much fun would it be to find the head and shoulder sections of a still animated zombie on your lawn, then go to town on its head with a baseball bat/hockey stick/baton/sap gloves?
You could even cut its head open to see if the brains are throbbing at all then pull it’s eyeballs out to see what happens…sorry, fantasies running rampant again! *GRIN*
Actually, writing about all this just gave me a great premise for a different kind of Zombie movie. I’ll e-mail you the details once I iron them out.
BTW, where is the toilet paper and beer?
Depends on how well stocked the unarmed tenants in my complex are.
Staying in is definately preferable in times of the Zombocalypse. If you can strengthen your stronghold then you’d at least stand some sort of fighting chance — at least until you started running out of food. Water shouldn’t be too much of a problem since just because you’ve got the masses of former humanity shuffling around outside your dwelling doesn’t mean all your amenities will just shut off.
This would only be a problem if all the Hydro techs became zombified and started randomly shutting this and that down in the plant where they were working before the attacks started.
I believe these are times when one should start thinking about setting up a small hydroponics system in their attached garages, cause you obviously couldn’t go out into the yard to tend your plants.
Now the reason I have for having a set up like hydroponics is that when you finally have something set up, you’ll realize just how limited your options for certain types of vegetation/food plants are. Instead of trying to grow as many varieties of edible plants as you can, only grow a few of those but keep the remainder of tray space for growing edibles that can provide you with the maximum daily requirements of vitamins and minerals like tomatoes and other such things. You don’t want to end up with something like scurvy or beri-beri simply because you’re stuck at home for extended periods of time and can’t get out.
If necessary, you can also grow “other things� ‘cause by then, it won’t be illegal anymore and who knows, it comes in handy for medicinal purposes and it’ll probably be a prime barter item, it’s position only behind food and water because it can double as tobacco. The only problem is that it can cause severe depletion of food resources due to a condition known as “the munchies.�
Much of your other vegetable/fruit sources - if you can’t grow them, like peaches, pears apples, oranges, pineapples and the like, can come from canned sources you should have stocked away. The fact that these canned items also come with a certain amount of their own water or liquid means you can save some of your stored potable water (for other things like drinking) when it comes to cooking. You should try cooking rice with the liquid from a can of Green Giant corn or peas sometime. It’s actually quite good as it gives the rice a nice pleasant, almost sweetish flavour.
As you’ve got a child, you might also want to keep a small of washable diapers around since disposable ones will only run out. Make sure you’ve also got a good supply of any over-the-counter meds that Jillian might need (as well as yourselves) such as gripe water, Childrens Tylenol, cold medicine etc. Adults can tolerate a fair bit of pain as we understand why something hurts. Babies don’t.
You may also want to start stocking up on dry bulk items whenever you get a chance. The bulk stuff you can get at any large retail grocery market and can be kept safe by double bag zip-locking it. This can include such items as lentils, soup stock, pastas, food flavourings , chocolate etc.
Stock up on things like salt, pepper and other seasonings at the dollar store where you can often find a deal of some sort on something like 2kgs of salt for $1.00. You can probably find a whole host of other things at the dollar store that can come in very handy all the time.
Other items you can stock up on at said store are things like tin foil, plastic bags and wrap, paper products, candy, cheap batteries (although IKEA batteries are much better cause they’re alkaline instead of dry cell and almost as cheap.), small tools (especially those of the manual variety like drills, saws, axes and chisels etc.), and the list goes on.
You should also have a supply of tarps as well as plastic sheeting ‘cause if you have the chance, you can always construct a solar still or set up a rainwater catchment rig to augment your water supplies.
Since you live in an apartment building, you can always set up on the rooftop with relative safety while Lisa keeps an eye out. I’m in a house but have the advantage of a relatively flat rooftop that I can get to with a step ladder. I can also play sniper from there as well.
All in all, surviving is good but can become a pain in the arse simply because you have to start thinking outside of the box. When you have to find ways to make do with what you have, it can become something of a shock to the system when you subsequently realize you can’t simply go running to a supermarket everytime you run out of a necessity.
Life as a survivor can be extremely stressful. When you finally realize that everything of convenience you’ve taken for granted and that what you once had is only a fading memory, self-dispatchment can become something that doesn’t seem so bad after all.
Just a bit more to think about.
I’m fully kitted out, much like you, with water, food, personal weapons, clothing and arranged roughly into two configurations: Bug out and bunker in place.
The first and most important piece of my bug out kit is preplanning and prepositioning. She Who Must Be Obeyed and I have worked out a time delay plan of three days: If one of us hasn’t reached the home RV by Day 3, the other carries on with the kids to Stage 2. Stage 2 is where we move up the canyon to Cache Creek, where I’ve made concrete arrangements with Mom and Cowboy Lawyer to be waiting there if the Lower Mainland is hit by a major earthquake and hold in place there for two weeks. I know that I can hike from Vancouver to Cache Creek in that time period or that if I drive on a helf tank of gas, we’ll be dead out of gas in Cache Creek. I figure that short of a full scale nuclear exchange, no disaster would cripple both the interior and the Lower Fraser Valley. Alternate options have also been arranged with the in-laws to preposition in Princeton.
The bug out kit is designed to support myself and the family in an expeditionary manner for at least 2 weeks, up to 6 weeks if able to be vehicle mobile. I also used to be a wilderness survival instructor: Once we get out onto the road, I can live forever with little difficulty.
The bunker in place option is simply the bugout kit plus the contents of my house.
Good ideas above, is an interested observer in this site I’ll add that I have similar “kits”. If something hits the fan and I have my truck w/me, I keep some camping/backpacking stuff in my “go anywhere” toyota tacoma, and it provides a shelter with a rock-solid camper top. In the truck I keep basics that I could get by for 1-3 days if necessary: camp stove, -20F sleeping bag, some canned food, coffee, water purif tabs, water, and random backpacking/ski gear (live in Colorado, never know when you’ll need it or want to ski). Oh, and a (very well-concealed) “spare” 9mm.
I have to ask: what if “bug out” doesn’t allow you to get home?
But if bug out from home becomes an option, I have 20gal fresh water in the basement, and a rubbermaid bin with canned food/rice, toiletries, extra camp-stove butane, some dogfood, an old but warm wool sweater and old insulated snowboard pants, and generic survival/1st aid stuff. Oh, and there’s a fifth of jack daniel’s. You never know when you’ll need that. And that stuff’s right by the ZPD (zombie protection device) case.
Bug-in: I have all of the above plus a pretty well protected basement, lots more canned food, more booze, reading materials, etc.. And enough armaments for most of the neighborhood.
I’m still trying to get my house prepared for the earthquake. My family looks at me like I’m a nut. I think that the idea of bunkering down in a wood house might not be the way to go. Zombies can still tear down stuff. Patrick, your idea of bars is okay for the short term but never think that they would make good gun ports as the walls are not bullet proof. we always asume that zombies won’t know how to use guns but what about alien take overs and their zombies know how to use guns. Have a bunch of sandbags ready to fill with dirt in case of floods or alien take overs. I would also be concerned about fire. Waco, anyone. Oh and Greg, Cache Creek huh. Strengh in numbers buddy.
As much as i hate to say it, other than guns, no, i don’t have any supplies. (Even ammo. I have around 500 rounds of .40S&W, 100 of which is defensive loads, 500 WWB of .45ACP, and a couple thousand rounds of .22LR plinker. Only about twenty rounds of 5.45R, which scares me.)
Got a little wrapped up with real life there, my response has been long overdue.
Our homestead is really only stocked for a few days of total self sufficiency.
I have to admit that my plans were significantly influenced by the 2003 Blackout. While it ranks as a relatively minor (in duration anyway) disruption of service, it was enlightening to see how ill-prepared most of us were (and in fact, still are) once the conveniences we take for granted disappear.
With the bulk of stores closed, and those that open doing “cash” business (as interac and credit systems were not online with no power) alot of people were stuck with left-overs for meals until the power was restored.
As the power was typically restored within 24 hours this did not become a major problem (in fact I managed to cook up an outstanding “7-11 Sheppards Pie” using corned beef, instant potatoes and canned mixed vegetables obtained from the local convenience store - which was sold out of almost everything else). Had the power been out much longer, I have little doubt things would have slid downhill rather rapidly.
I never had any concerns that Lisa and I would starve, add Jillian to the equation however and my concerns grow. Formula, baby food and milk may be a little tough to find in a pinch.
These days we’re stocked for 3 days minimum. I’m adding to the supplies little by little, but three days I consider minimum acceptable levels.
I’ve made a habit of picking up some extra random canned goods on each shopping trip (on top of the staples of corned beef, beans, ham, stew are additions for variety like condensed milk, fruit, mandarin oranges, and assorted “desert” type supplies. We also have extra formula for Jillian, and a number of 10 litre bottles of water).
Added to this is my aborted bug-out bag supplies, including water purification tablets and some other camping style odds and sods (some concentrated dehydrated foods and so forth).
Other mundane supplies include matches, candles, a large and assorted collection of batteries, small first aid kit (in the house, with a larger one in the car), a pile of flashlights and shelves full of books.
It ain’t perfect, and I add to things as we go, but it’s better than a kick in the teeth with a frozen mukluk.
Keep up on building the supply. Never can tell when something weird is gonna happen and you might have to rely on what you’ve got ‘camel-humped’ away in your closet.
At least if nothing major happens for at least a few years, you might actually have a chance at collecting MOST of what you need.
Prepare for the Days of Tribulation!
“Let every head of every household see to it that he has on hand enough food and clothing, and, where possible, fuel also, for at least a year ahead.”
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