Is it Prepping or Common Sense?

So I have been thinking about it a lot lately, Should I start storing food and supplies or not.  The more I think about it and the more I read and watch the news the more I say YES.

Now do I think a huge asteroid is going to fly out of the sky and take out 1/4 of the earth.......NO.  Do I think North Korea is going to shoot a nuclear weapon in the atmosphere and cause a EMP blackout that would take out all items containing microchips......NO. Do I think there is going to be an economical collapse where the Dept of Homeland Security is going to use its 2 Billion bullets, over 7000 AR15s, and 2700 Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles against us........ UH........ WELL.............no?  But it is curious on why the DHS is purchasing all of this.......Its not for the Military ,we have ours..... its not for the Military Reserve units, they have theirs....its not for the National Guard units, they have theirs too.  So why would the DHS need all this? I have no clue they are not a military organization.

Ok now that I have all of that off my chest, back to my question.  Is it prepping or is it common sense?  Now I credit my father, the Boy Scouts, and the US Army for teaching me how to live in the woods, make fire, build a crude shelter, and purify water.  What about my kids, what about my wife, what about my family?  Now I have 3 external framed backpacks that I use when I go hiking and inside all of them I keep what I think is common sense items.  Fire starter, whistle, compass,  crude fishing kit, first aid kit, 550 cord, gerber, knife, ect. (if you want a full list let me know)  the reason I put all of this in each one of our packs is if something happens and we get split up, fall off a cliff or what ever each one of us should have the items we need to survive a couple of days until help arrives.(how many news stories have you seen on the news about lost hikers/campers)

So I would think I need to apply these same principals to my home.  Now I know I am in the Army and you are probably saying "you are in the safest place possible" and you would probably be right, but have you ever gone shopping on a military payday? The shelves are BARE!!! That got me thinking what would happen if the lights went out for a week due to a storm? what would happen if a fuel depot blew up like the propane tank place did a while back? Now I am sure that the military base would help us out that live and work here..... but I have stood in line for HOURS just to do an on base Easter egg hunt! How much worse would it be if EVERYONE wanted the same items at once.


So I have decided to start storing some food items, not 20-30 years worth but enough to survive on for a decent amount of time if we need to.  Did you know that if you put rice, beans, noodles, hard whole grains, powdered milk, or potato flakes in a mylar bag and add an oxygen absorber packet in, then seal the bag the food last almost indefinitely!!! So if we store a couple of 5 gal buckets of those items along with a few extra can goods each payday if something does end up happening then it is there to use. (I will do another blog on how to store food in mylar bags).  If you end up coming upon hard times and cannot afford food due to not being able to work you at least have a good amount of sustainable food until things get better.  Water is also another item you should keep on hand, if the power is out the faucet wont work, and you know how fast Walmart will run out.  Although I cannot do it here you can also collect rainwater in a SEALED container then boil it if you need it. I have seen 275 Gal water tanks on Craigslist for less than $99

 

So if you end up storing some food, water and wood/charcoal you should be able to handle any situation that comes up for a while till things get better.

 

What about personal security, well its up to you.  Do you think that if other people know that you have all the provisions to keep on going for weeks/months when Walmart and Kroger doesn't that they will just say, "man they where smart, I guess I will just go back home and starve"?  I don't think so.........look back at all the looting during the New Orleans flooding, the Boston Marathon, and hurricane sandy.  You just cant trust people anymore, it is more every man for himself than the community sticks together of yesteryear.

 

So I would say Prepping IS common sense.  I do have some great resources if you are interested in Mylar bags, prepping websites, and what to do in case of a disaster. Just shoot me a comment, message, or email.

 

So what do you think? Is prepping common sense or is it a waste of time? Comment below and let me know



Our new toy

So Germany has a regulation for US Troops against bringing privately owned weapons into Germany. Don't get me wrong you can bring them over if you want to go through a dog and pony show and ALOT of red tape.

AE Regulation 190-6 says:
"It is prohibited to bring firearms into the Federal Republic of Germany until they are properly registered with U.S. Forces and German authorities. This cannot be done prior to being stationed here and completing the German Firearms requirements."

so if you do decide to get your FBI background check and approval from your first O-5 in your chain of command you can fill out the paperwork and then you:
 "Obtain a German Hunting License (Jagdschein) by attending and passing a local U.S. Forces Rod and Gun Club sponsored German Hunting Course, or obtain a Sport Shooter's Permit (Waffenbesitzkarte). The Jagdschein establishes need for rifles and shotguns and up to two pistols."
Once you complete all of this you can have a "authorized licensed gun dealer" mail them to you in Germany. Then after you register them with your local German town and with the MPs you are good to go. WHEW!!


This all seems like a lot to mess with if you just want something to protect your family with.  So after a little reading a research I figured out you do not need any special authorization or requirements for this.........

Yep that is our new toy/home security, its a PSE discovery 2 compound bow.  I chose this model at the Archery store because it can be used by all of us in the house.  It does not have a cam lock, it has a constant 30lb draw strength so it can be fired from any draw length up to 30".  Which for those who are clueless like we were, Jonah at age 10, kim and I can all 3 shoot this with out it having to be re adjusted to each individual person.  For me it pulls real easy I can fully extend my arm and have a proper draw with no issues. 

Here is Jonah with the professional at the Bow shop teaching him proper techniques.  He did very well. Although with the constant weight on the string he fired about 5-6 times and got tired.

If you look back at the first pick we also bought 2 FLU FLU twister arrows. These are urban backyard arrows.  The extra large fluffy flights on them slow the arrow down considerably when fired.  The sales clerk said to put a couple of rocks in a milk jug and have someone throw it in the air and try to shoot it with the FLU FLU arrows.  If you tried that with a normal arrow and missed there is no telling how far that arrow would go.

 

So what personal protection items do you prefer if you cant take a firearm?