prioritize lifeboat items part 2

PRIORITIZE LIFEBOAT ITEMS 2

Combining the realization that The End Is Nigh and the new and improved Dark Age will be global, along with acknowledging the Oil Age is on its very last leg ( ExxonMobil hasn’t made a profit-and they are best of the top US oil companies-in three years.  And that is just the financial aspect of the many problems ), you might come to the realization that you should get off your flaccid jiggley ass and stock your lifeboat with the basic items that will never be duplicated again in the history of ever.  The first I listed was industrial grown grains.  Screwy weather is global, as is the diminishing net energy of petroleum, as is overpopulation.  You certainly can grow your own grains and you should, but most likely you will be growing vegetables and legumes rather than grains, given our usual lack of land all but a extreme small minority experience.  Growing grains is for after the die-off, stored grain is for during and to cushion against crop failures.  So while you don’t need modern anything to grow grains, only industrial grain is cheap enough to stock a decades worth.

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You could also find a way to grind your grain in a primitive ( rocks ) or salvage specific way ( metal pipes ).  But why should you?  A modern metal grain grinder is under $50 ( my first one in the ‘80’s was actually more, so they are great inflation fighters ).  It won’t force you to eat sand, nor will it take extra calories you can ill afford.  So too, you can easily make a storage unit for your grains out of primitive materials.  And you should have the instructions for such.  Yet, buying the plastic now is-relatively-affordable and will be an invaluable water container after emptied.  So, this is why I recommend buying lots and oodles and gobs of grain NOW, as your first lifeboat item.  Followed by the grinders ( multiples, duh ) and plastic storage containers.  Diatomaceous earth is also a very wise investment.  It is invaluable in your stored grain, and will prove VERY useful against age old problems such as lice or bedbugs.  You can buy the non-food grade at Home Depot, and you should.  They come in a thick plastic bag and can be stored for the day of infestation.  Just get food grade for your grain-you’ll probably need to mail order it and I’d appreciate it if you bought that through my Amazon ad links so I get a commission. 

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Next up of course is ammunition.  There are more firearms than people in this country, and that nicely translates into a lot of surplus firearms after the die-off.  What won’t be in such good supply will be ammunition.  That is a far greater priority than a crap load of guns or magazines or laser sites of FLIR’s or tacti-cool sighting systems.  Given that every swinging cheese dingus out there thinks tactics are spray and pray, don’t expect ammo to last any longer than the surplus population.  That is all you really need to know on the subject ( if you recover or steal ammunition, steel cased ammo is okay in non-CommBlock guns.  On a limited basis, and I’d try to trade the crap myself and only use it in emergencies.  If extractors and firing pins take a beating on harder material steel case ammo, you might damage your gun.  You might not be able to get another quick enough, so don’t be lured into false economics buying this stuff ).

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Next up would be illumination.  You need AA rechargeable batteries, the LED lanterns and flashlights that use them, and some solar chargers.  Because here is the thing.  12v RV batteries are great for using high power items.  You could run a fridge off of a couple of panels and a modified freezer.  You could run a microwave if fuel was an issue.  But 12v batteries do NOT last all that long, AND if you store dry batteries for later use to initially charge them you need much more than a trickle charge off of a solar panel ( so you’ll need a quality generator-that means Honda for a cool thousand bucks-and the gasoline storage now becomes another limited time storage issue ).  It is far better for those on a budget to simply forego using 12v batteries.  With AA rechargeable the batteries can sit in storage forever until you need them, then you can charge from the sun.  You could use candles and oil lamps for tow tech illumination, but the light output sucks and LED’s and rechargeable AA’s are pretty darn cheap.  Plus, low tech light needs fats ( unless you have bees ) you should be using as lubricants or foods rather than for lights.  You are fat and well fed now, but in the future every calories will count like you can’t believe.  Because you didn’t spend $50 for illumination now, you want to go hungry and have your gun rust in the future?  Light is VERY important for psychological health.  Do not discount its need.

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Glass and insulation for building might be a very easy to salvage item, or it could put your life at risk.  What is easier for you to do?  Salvage or stockpile?  These two items will be very important and while glass MIGHT start being made after the Dark Ages, insulation is mostly Oil Age Only ( unless you live in a wool tent, of course ).  And plastic sheeting.  It won’t salvage well, and nothing is better for water proofing.  Most locations with water in this country are going to have cold winters.  Nothing is better for conserving fuel than building dug-outs.  And plastic sheeting is almost mandatory unless you want dark and dank.  I built my Test Pit the wrong way and the bugs and mildew are simple gross.  I wouldn’t want to live in there ( and I can‘t imagine it would be healthy ).  The B-POD was built the right way ( an exposed doorway at the bottom of stairs so you get air movement from the bottom to the top ).  If you build a dug-out like this you shouldn’t have an issue with living underground ( subject to soil and rain at your location, of course.  However, you can build an earth covered shelter completely aboveground with good drainage, so this isn’t completely impossible ). 

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And there is your bare bones, frugal budget, impossible to duplicate items you need for your lifeboat.  Yes, the list COULD be endless.  This is a reality based list, however.  Keep your fantasy confined to your football.

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