The difference is, you have the potential to repel attackers but you do not have the potential to repel radiation.

I have way more guns and ammo than I'd need for the apocalypse. But I haven't been buying them for the apocalypse, I've been buying them because I have fun shooting them! I buy large quantities of ammo when it's readily available and inexpensive, like now. That way I don't run out, have trouble finding it, or have to pay exorbitant prices when the political winds shift to a different administration.

But because I have fun shooting firearms, and buy ammo during times of abundant supply, yeah, I'm ready for the apocalypse because of that. But that's not my primary goal.

I've heard that too but a check on Wikipedia seems to indicate that it would take 3 tea candles to equal the BTUs an adult male will generate. I hear that a number of people will burn a candle in a snow shelter/Quinzee to bring the temp up to near the freezing mark. (Hotter than that would ruin the shelter and cause drips.)

Does that mean when someone is said to be "hot"or is described as a "hottie", that they exceed the three tea candle norm? Inquiring minds want to know....

For that matter, you are quoting the BTU output of a male. What about the ladies??

I was gifted the book "The Zombie Survival Guide" for Christmas a few years ago and I really liked it. Then I asked myself if I was being silly and irrational. (Am I the only one who has these moments of self-doubt?) After rechecking my personal/family preparation goals, I realized that I was right on-track. Our basic survival needs are the same, if in different priorities, depending on our location and the disaster at hand.

It took me a while of lurking on the Zombie Squad site to understand and appreciate the zombie concept. There are quite a few people in the world who seem to genuinely obsess over the potential undead, and it can be off-putting, but for more of us preparing for less physically defined zombies is a great way to keep things in check and still meet your ubiquitous and specific local needs at the same time.

Not be overlooked is that fact that we can easily be poked fun at because of a particular disaster or "the end of the world as we know it" scenario we envision, but "zombies" keep our ideas more vague, and protected from the criticism of "You're crazy! Tha will NEVER happen!"

"You don't want to survive a nuclear war?"

A Formica plywood desk is the answer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKOctWC9sIA

Heywood Banks-SCHOOL DESK

(slightly sarcastically political, but funny and sweet)

+1^

Not much point in a hobby if you're not enjoying it. And, if it doubles as a survival skill, more power to you.

I'm pretty sure the lack of those moments is known as "megalomania."

I found an article this morning that's is germane to the topic, but deals more with the food aspect.
Storm-Proof Your Kitchen for Healthy Nutrition

My ideas on food is that you should stock what you normally eat, just more of those foods that are shelf stable. We could eat for a couple months here and not touch an MRE.

$.02

If you haven't had whole grain pasta, please try some before you buy a whole cartload of it. Some people really hate how it tastes. So, yes, I'm in agreement with people who say stock what you normally eat. You don't want to be surprised with a digestive problem in a disaster.