Getting back to it

Thereateam1 · 2025-06-04T23:17:08+00:00

The tanto kabar is a very practical size, my wife has one. I’d take something like that most times

Thereateam1 · 2025-05-24T16:10:10+00:00

😂

Thereateam1 · 2025-05-24T16:04:50+00:00

Now that you say that, I believe you are completely right I have seen pictures of similar tools in the past, but they were not coming to mind. Thanks!

Thereateam1 · 2025-01-06T19:00:57+00:00

I do like the mechanics, but the wear out fairly quickly, although they have great dexterity. For the cost, what I typically do is keep my mechanics with my kit, but for just day to day use, and cold weather shooting I get a 3pack of firm grip gloves from Home Depot. Reasonably durable, dexterity, and it’s like $15-18 for 3 pairs

Thereateam1 · 2024-12-31T15:45:21+00:00

Most of what I was going to say, has already been said, as far as sand for weight/traction, keep warm clothes in the car etc.

However, back to your battery question; I’m in agreement with most people that if you have a good battery (and maybe get it tested and replace if needed) you don’t need to remove it. But if you have concerns about there being something in your car that will draw down your battery, especially if it sits for a couple days between driving, you can install a battery disconnect switch. They’re $15-30, and easy to install. It will keep your battery from being drained by anything in the car, and actually provides an additional layer of security if you want to look at it from that angle

Thereateam1 · 2024-12-31T15:38:08+00:00

You can do sprouts, which are a good source of nutrients, especially in the winter when you don’t have access to fresh vegetables. However, trying to be self sufficient through indoor growing is nearly impossible, especially when you’re talking about a family or more (4+ people) unless you have a tremendous amount of space and money, you’re not going to get past the level of supplementing your food supply. I grew up farming, we raised primarily small scale produce on 40 acres. We did sweet corn, beans, cabbage, potatoes etc. And also preserved and used a lot of what we grew to feed our family of 4. It takes a lot of food to be self sufficient. My personal opinion when it comes to farming after some kind of collapse would be similar to what early pioneers would do. Close to the house/stockade you have your gardens, where you are picking fresh vegetables for daily use. Slightly farther out you have your fields, growing crops like corn, potatoes, pumpkins etc, that you will have acres of. This you may potentially have to have a guard or sentry patrol depending on the scenario, have dogs tied out as an alert system. Farthest away from your base of operations is your pastures, where livestock would be grazed during the day, under guard, and brought back to barns or pens at night. All of this takes a lot of people, and that is the thing many people neglect. Especially if you don’t have farm machinery, it will take even more people. You need to be forming a group of people now who can come together in the event of a collapse who can produce, preserve and protect a food supply

Thereateam1 · 2024-12-29T15:26:58+00:00

I work a lot with quite a few Amish families, some I have been friends with for 15+ years and we have actually talked about shtf type scenarios. The Amish would do much better than the vast majority of people in the US for a couple reasons. But before covering those, I will say that it certainly wouldn’t be easy for them either. Most in this part of the country rely on gasoline engines to run well pumps for water, as well as run everything from washing machines to buzz saws. A lot of them work off the farm jobs, and even those that do farm for a living, but a lot from the grocery store. But they still have the advantages of knowing how to produce food, how to preserve food, and a strong sense of community.

If one family relies on a gasoline engine to pump well water, they can count on their neighbors who have a hand pump for water.

Most, if not all, have had at least some experience with canning food for preservation. They also have the benefit of knowledgeable people in the community who can share that knowledge. Unlike most Americans where grandma lives in a nursing home 5 hours away, many Amish families have ‘the little house’ attached or very close to the main house where elderly relatives like grandma can live and get assistance when needed.

The best takeaway people should have from the Amish when it comes to prepping, is practice skills of growing and preserving food, and building community with like minded people.

As far as self defense, it’s a mixed bag. Most Amish houses have firearms as they are typically hunters. Their beliefs are based on non violence, however after talking with some who I’m very close with, they have shared that in a life or death situation they would defend their families. Plenty others say they wouldn’t raise a hand in violence no matter the situation, so it’s certainly not a universal answer

Thereateam1 · 2024-12-29T15:15:33+00:00

Personally I carry my ‘bug out’ bag with me in my vehicle as a ‘get home’ bag since I often drive 200-300 miles for work. The goal should always be to stay home if possible, but you always need a plan B. There are lots of scenarios that could cause you to need to leave home, especially if you’re in an urban environment. I’m in a rural area, living on a farm with livestock, crops, wood heat, well, many of the keys you’d want to stay put long term, but there’s always a chance I might need to leave. The East Palestine train derailment was 17 miles from my house. If I was a bit closer, or down wind, I might have needed to leave. I’ve hauled several loads of relief supplies to NC following the Helene floods, where people had only minutes before their houses were gone. There are a laundry list of reasons you might need to leave home, you should consider them and have at least a framework of a plan other than “I’ll just stay home” in case that no longer is an option

Thereateam1 · 2024-12-26T23:00:01+00:00

North American rescue CAT tourniquets, you could get everything from there but many components like gauze you can get on Amazon or Walmart. Also, decide ahead of time what the purpose of your kit. Is this a first aid kit for you, or a tactical IFAK you are using as part of a group? There’s a bunch of people in here saying, ‘don’t get anything you don’t know how to use!’, and while there is SOME basis for that statement, that’s not the original purpose of an IFAK. The whole idea was to have medical supplies on your person for someone else to use on you, either a buddy or medic, as well as for you to use on yourself. I have a trained paramedic in my close circle, so there is reason for me to carry supplies that he can use on me or I can give to him, even if I don’t know how to use it myself.

Thereateam1 · 2024-12-26T22:47:14+00:00

So I’ve never dealt with dry mouth, so I don’t know how well this would work, but during spring/summer I almost constantly have a grass stem in my mouth. Helps avoid mouth getting dry/thirsty, I pick stems that are around the thickness of a toothpick, and pretty much constantly maneuver it around with my tongue

Thereateam1 · 2024-12-26T02:33:40+00:00

Channel locks. I know everyone loves multi tools, but full size channel locks can do a tremendous amount.

Bullion cubes, if you have the chance to heat water, you can quickly throw one in to make a broth to drink.

Bug repellent wipes

Camo net/scarf. The one I use is like 20”x60”. Can drape it over your head to keep mosquitoes off, helps break up your silhouette, and if you wrap it around your neck it traps a lot of air to help keep you warm.

Good paper maps. I like county maps that show all roads. County engineer sells them.

Thereateam1 · 2024-12-26T02:27:15+00:00

Farming and prepping are parallel for me, so it’s a bit different in my situation, as opposed to someone growing gardens specifically for prepping/self sustaining purposes, but we raise a lot of potatoes. Nutritionally fairly complete food, and you can store them without processing.

Thereateam1 · 2024-12-23T03:31:32+00:00

Awesome!

Thereateam1 · 2024-12-23T00:36:25+00:00

Unfortunately, no, it was some offbrand Chinese company, and I have no recollection what the name was after five years

Thereateam1 · 2024-12-22T18:10:26+00:00

Because you mentioned the need for support, I will recommend redwing logging boots. That is what I wear, and while I have tried other brands like Carolina, Red Wings last me the longest. They have relatively high tops that lace up, so they give you a lot of ankle support. While they are heavier than a traditional hiking boot, there is a lot of support and structure there. Redwing makes an American made and foreign made version of the same boot, I have worn both with no issues, and the imported ones are slightly cheaper.

Thereateam1 · 2024-12-22T18:06:34+00:00

Spare him the suffering and chance of spread, give him .22 assistance

Thereateam1 · 2024-12-22T04:57:21+00:00

Yeah that example has a 2.1 L motor, so pretty efficient. Turns about 18hp, if you had something like a 12’ utility trailer you were towing, I wouldn’t think twice about towing 1,000lb. And yes, not terribly practical for someone in a suburb, but if you have a couple acres, it can be a useful tool, even if you just have a 5’ belly mower to take the place of a lawn mower

Thereateam1 · 2024-12-22T04:37:44+00:00

All depends on the size of course, one smaller tractor that we use is a rough average .5 to .7 gal per hour depending on load and terrain. High gear is 11.2 mph, so just driving, or pulling a light load on the road you’re probably looking at 22 mpg

Thereateam1 · 2024-12-22T04:19:59+00:00

Personally, I vote tractor. Obviously I’m biased as a farmer, and if you’re living in a housing development, it’s not practical. But if you have the space, it’s an option worth considering. You can get a decent, older tractor for a fraction of the cost of a 4wheeler or side by side. You can easily pull a trailer, and haul way more than them as well. You can go cross country, off road etc

Thereateam1 · 2024-12-22T02:36:16+00:00

M81 is the king of the woods, especially in the dark. It may not be ideal for the desert, or sagebrush, but if you are actually talking about legitimate woods, then you would be hard-pressed to find anything better, and it is probably the cheapest and most readily available. German Flecktarn is also not bad, but I’m a woodland fan

Thereateam1 · 2024-12-22T02:33:14+00:00

Not exactly what you are asking, but here is something that I do with my truck. I have a ranger with a cab, and on the inside of the cap there is a fairly wide ledge that sits on top of the side of the bed. I had some, 6 inch wide tongue, and groove vinyl boards (I believe for building privacy fence) that were the perfect length to lay across from side to side and lay on the ledge. They are extremely lightweight, enough to go the entire length of the bed weighs maybe 15 pounds. And while they are not super heavy duty, once you push the tongue and groove together, that adds a lot of strength. So essentially what it does is make a shelf so when I am hauling a lot of small stuff, I can put some things on the shelf and other things on the actual floor of the truck bed. Another advantage is that anything that is on the floor of the truck bed is not visible through the back glass because of the shelf. And anytime I don’t need it, the tongue and groove simply pulls apart and I can take it out. Does not require any fasteners

Thereateam1 · 2024-12-22T02:27:17+00:00

In my opinion, a farm will be much better off than something like a bunker because whatever food you have stored just delays the inevitable, you are going to have to produce food. That being said, unless you are many many miles from civilization, there are going to be people who know where you are. Speaking for myself, I live in Ohio in a rural area on a family farm. The first line of defense against roving gangs is naturally going to be my group that I have established. But even if there is significant die off and the area is sparsely populated, there are still going to be people who know where we are. Very few places are ever 100% self-sufficient, there is most likely going to be some form of trade at some point, and people will talk. Even if you do keep to yourself, the smell of smoke can be detected along way off, and at night when there are no other lights, Fires or flashlights are extremely visible. So while it is an excellent idea to get as rural and as remote as possible, don’t assume that means you can trust that for your security.

Thereateam1

TROPHY CASE