You're living in the wrong country Taurus.

Unfortunately Canadian Law doesn't protect us in the way US law does in regards to somebody invading your home and you doing what you need to do to protect your family.

You are absolutely right!! if someone breaks into my home during the night I will simply let them do what ever they want to my family while I look at my gun cabinet and wish we had better laws. Survival is survival, plain and simple. I don't mean to sound like a jerk but as the old saying goes: better to be judged by 12 ...... Once my family is safe I will worry about dealing with the legal side of it after the fact.

Dave,

I agree with the bugging in strategy but unless you never travel having the necessities with you in the van organized in some sort of carry-all bag in case you switch vehicles is essential. We just passed the 1 year anniversary of the James Kim family tragedy so we all must take the responsibility to learn vicariously and prepare.

Also, in my humble opinion you should include your wife and your kids (when they get old enough) in the preparation. If you are incapacitated or wounded they will need to be relatively self-reliant to be safe. Good luck!

~Nemo

Hello BigDaddyTX ~ Thanks for your comments. I haven't really figured out where would be the best place to head to in times of need. I mean other than my parents place in Des Moines IA which is 250 miles from my door to theirs.



I hear ya on this point.

I have some more thinking to do on many of the points that it takes to survive.....

Hi Nemo,



I totally agree. The wifey is kinda getting the feeling that dark days are ahead of us. We are not sure what, but we are trying to be prepared the best that we can... I found a grain mill here in MN that stocks organic hard winter wheat. I am planning to stock up along with some other things.

Dave

One of these properly loaded to distribute the weight would increase your carrying capacity considerably. Balance the load to where you're just carrying a pound or two. Its easier to pull carts over any relatively large obstacles because of the direction of forces and because you can put your legs into it. BTDT with a hand truck loaded with firewood for years. I found out real quick it was easier to pull it onto the porch.

Dan, traveling on foot with young children is your absolute dead last option. If things have deteriorated that badly, you're in big trouble. If it's part of an actual plan..... start over.

You need to make a list of what kind of problems you are likely to encounter where you live, in the order you think they are likely to happen. Then break them down into whether they are shelter-in-place situations, or bug-out situations.

If you live in a high-crime area, you might choose to leave immediately, if you think there is a reasonable chance of rapid civil breakdown (which, in itself, would be half of a double-whammy).

But, before you buy your first backpack or Rubbermaid tub, you have to know where you're going. Just picking a compass point and running in panic is no plan at all. If you and your wife tend to keep at least half a tank of gas in each of your vehicles, and you have a siphon, you would probably have a full tank for one vehicle. Where can you go with one tank of gas? Can you make arrangements with family or friends?

Start with a small core of what you could take with you if you did have to run. Put it in Rubbermaid tubs and stack them in the front hall closet or something. Everything in them would still be usable in a hunker-down situation.

The basics are always the same, sometimes in a slightly different order of importance: First aid, shelter, fire, water, signalling, food. And don't forget toilet facilities.

First Aid stuff can fit in a box or bag. Bright red is good. Just pack what you know how to use.

Shelter can be a tent, or a good-sized tarp and some rope. A fairly large tarp can be both floor and roof, formed into a triangle.

Fire-making for a family should probably consist of multiple ways to start a fire, and something to burn. A pot with a folding handle, a small stove, fuel, paper plates, mugs and eating utensils, and a large spoon and some kind of knife. A cheap BBQ with extra briquets is better than nothing.

Water is easier to store in various nooks and crannies if it is in one-liter containers or smaller. One or two gallons per person per day. Rain can be caught in your Rubbermaid containers with a smallish plastic tarp or cheap emergency blanket hung on clothesline rope with clothespins.

Signalling can be cell phone with car charger, flares, mirror or any of the fancy PLBs, etc, depending on your budget. Where will you be, and whom will you be signalling?

Food should be what you're used to, esp with kids. Stuff to eat cold, heat and eat, or add water and heat. Include comfort foods.

Toilet facilities can be a plastic bag in a large coffee can, a 5-gallon bucket with a clip-on seat, etc.

A tub with just child necessities and diapers.

Just cover all the basics as you go, and increase each as you can.

The big advantage to having your stuff stacked and ready is that you don't have to take time to look for necessities that are scattered all over the house. Lots of people here in the WA flooding failed to plan ahead, and got out with virtually nothing.

Sue

I brought my old 20 gauge back from the farm so I can have something until I can buy something better. Picked up a couple small shotshell carriers to keep a few handy in the bob.

I do have to disagree with that part. Personally, I would never ever count on being able to siphon fuel out of a vehicle’s fuel tank unless I know it can be done with that particular vehicle because of doing it before. It seems that more vehicles have anti-siphon systems than not. The easiest method for these vehicles is to use the vehicle’s own fuel pump and take the fuel out of the fuel injector test port.

Everything else Susan said, though, is spot on (as usual).

You know, I'd never even thought of using the injector as way to get fuel out...

Even if I'll probably never be able to do half the things in the expanded manual for my car, I'm glad I've got it. I'll have to look to see where the port is and highlight the appropriate section.

Once again, I've been reminded that I've been dragged into the 21st century, kicking and screaming....

My car almost qualifies for antique status. Thank you for the correction on the siphoning. It did seem too simple, didn't it?

Sue