Originally Posted By: Jesselp
It occurred to me, that in addition to any skills and equipment that I might have accumulated over the years, it is the relationships with people like these, people nearby who are willing to lend a hand when things get tough, that will add a lot to my ability to survive whatever emergencies might come my way...

Anyhow, I think that our relationships can be equally important to our survival during a crisis as our gear...


Concur 100% on relationships. The priority list for any crisis is:

1) mindset (includes attitude & relationships)
2) tactics (can also include relationships)
3) skill
4) gear

Problem is, it's a lot easier to buy gear (& talk about it on the internet) than do the hard & sometimes humbling work of developing mindset, tactics and skill.

IMO this is why you see so many fat guys at the range bragging about their latest handgun, when losing 50 lbs would go much farther to improve their personal security and lifespan than any gun.