Too often I read posts from people who really believe
they have a solid plan for when things go seriously south. They have a remote
piece of land with a small cabin. They have a stockpile of food, seeds, and ammunition.
They even include some creature comforts from when life was normal. But, is
this reality? Does this set up truly benefit a family? The reality is that such
a situation is much different than spending a weekend or even a week at your
remote family cabin. Too many people treat it the same except they extend the
timeline of staying at the cabin and falsely believe everything will be
alright. Let’s assume you are a typical family of four to include husband,
wife, and two kids.
Following are important considerations:
Security
So, you are in a remote cabin far away from society. This
means that you are also far away from help assuming that there is help in the
form of police. Chances are you will either not be able to contact the police,
the police are tied up with the crisis, or the response time will be so long
that they will be of little help to prevent violence that is directed at you.
The reality is that you are responsible for your own safety and security. And
here is where the problems begin. There are only four of you. Chances are your
wife and children will not be at the same level you are for handling and
successfully resolving violence. It takes a lot more than just weapons handling
skills. It is important to understand tactics and techniques that will keep you
safe. Additionally, your children, and probably your wife, will be extremely
scared when the time comes to defend their lives. Chances are they will need to
do it at night and your kids will not want to be separated from you or your
wife. The kids may be so scared that their response will be either fight,
flight, or freeze. But fighting is the only viable option in this situation. In
order to get anyone ready to handle such a confrontation requires spending a
lot of time training and practicing. Chances are you and your family have not
invested in this aspect. That leaves you to defend your property and your
family. One person against a dedicated group of individuals who attack you is
not a winning situation.
Hunting
Depending on where you live hunting may be good or bad.
Even if there are animals to hunt it does not guarantee that you will be
successful in your hunt. Look how many hunters go out each year and come back
empty handed. Hunting, trapping, and
fishing is by no means a sure bet for food.
Growing food
Ah, the thought of living of the land and growing your
own food. Not so easy. You need enough water and sunlight to insure proper
growth. It also takes time to grow. A lot of things need to come together in
order to grow your own food. This also means that someone is going to need to
be spending time tending to your garden.
Weather
Depending on where you live you may be dealing with
excessive heat, cold, rain, snow, ice, or wind. All can dramatically impact
your ability to function effectively. High temperatures mean that your water
requirements will be significantly higher. You may not be able to work during
the heat of the day in order to prevent dehydration, heat exhaustion, or heat
stroke. Excessive cold means that you will need fire to keep warm. Hypothermia
is a deadly possibility in cold temperatures. Smoke from a chimney may give
away your location possibly leading to a security situation. Never
underestimate how weather can impact your plans.
Running Out of Supplies
If the situation that sends you to the hills lasts long
enough chances are you are going to run out of some supplies. Then what?
Batteries will die, you will run out of gas, you will run out of medications,
or other needed supplies. Do you have a contingency plan for such
situations? Will you be able to remain
completely self-sufficient for an extended period of time? Have you ever been
in this situation before?
Noise Discipline
Many people may laugh or not understand the concept of
noise discipline. Remember, if you are in the middle of nowhere do you want to
give your position away by making excessive noise such as when hunting. Sound
can travel for miles under the right conditions which could lead to your
location. Do you have a plan for this?
Mr. Murphy
Murphy’s Law is an ever present concern. Like a relative
that just won’t leave you alone Murphy is with you to insure that anything that
can go wrong will go wrong and often at the worst possible time. Your rifle
does not fire, a chain breaks, your axe handle splits in two, your roof leaks,
etc. Embrace the suck!
Conclusion
When things are bad and there are a lot of unknowns it
can be difficult to actually survive on your own for an extended period of time.
There are so many factors that come into play and the reality is that most
people have not properly planned or trained for such worst case scenarios.
If you have a majority of knowledge, skills, and
abilities to handle such situations then you have to ask yourself: “How will your wife and kids do if something
happens to you?” Will they have what it takes to keep going if you are down
and out? Living remotely off the land is a much more difficult task than most
people understand. It takes a lot of work and effort. Now add a major crisis
and the task of survival is even more difficult. Far too many people believe
that their skills are better than they actually are which provides a false
sense of security.
Are you ready when SHTF?
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//TC
© 2013
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