time for a preppers section?

[scarfell]

no not going to get all political


But seriously, every "preppers" forum i've tried to read for info, seems to be full of articles promoting a single product, and i'm starting to wonder if the whole thing is an ironically capitalist joke being played on people with a nervous disposition?

Doesnt seem to be a "thing" in the UK, but without vast wildernesses (milton keynes doesnt count) i suppose there isnt really much point either?

 

[Corso]

plenty of prepper forums out there if you look - they ALL get political which is thankfully not what this place does

 

[Toddy]

We are among the most urbanised nations on the planet, but that doesn't mean that some forward planning is a bad thing.
Just not the tinfoil hats and waco type stockade type thing.

I have a pantry, I've always had a pantry. It's a family thing. When my Granny died and they cleared out the presses (built in cupboards) there were half a dozen big glass sweetie jars packed full with sugar, down the bottom of one. Granny had lived through two world wars, she was determined she'd not run out of sugar again …sugar's 45p a Kg round here just now though.

British Red has a huge set of tutorials on all sorts of prepping type domestic feeding, etc.
Many others here have 'pantries' too.
I reckon my determination to squirrel is very seasonally activated
Right now there's enough food in the house for months.

I wish my gardens got more sunshine though; I would love to grow more of our own foods.

M

 

[scarfell]

plenty of prepper forums out there if you look - they ALL get political which is thankfully not what this place does

Yeah, i can overlook that aspect of it tbh, but every article seems to end with "i got sent this great xxxx from xxx corp..."; makes me wonder.

I guess that is why i prefer bushcraft side of things, it should be more about what you can do, rather than what you can buy

 

[scarfell]

We are among the most urbanised nations on the planet, but that doesn't mean that some forward planning is a bad thing.
Just not the tinfoil hats and waco type stockade type thing.

I have a pantry, I've always had a pantry. It's a family thing. When my Granny died and they cleared out the presses (built in cupboards) there were half a dozen big glass sweetie jars packed full with sugar, down the bottom of one. Granny had lived through two world wars, she was determined she'd not run out of sugar again …sugar's 45p a Kg round here just now though.

British Red has a huge set of tutorials on all sorts of prepping type domestic feeding, etc.
Many others here have 'pantries' too.
I reckon my determination to squirrel is very seasonally activated
Right now there's enough food in the house for months.

I wish my gardens got more sunshine though; I would love to grow more of our own foods.

M

I'm of a smilar view, preparation is never a bad thing, infact its gotten me through economically challenging times a few times, but for me prep is more about knowing things than owning things, having a pantry full of ingredients and the knowledge of how to turn them into a varied diet is defintly better than having 2 tons of dehydrated food lol (esp as i hate ready meals lol)

I have very little room to grow either at the moment

Have you considered solapowered grow lights? LED light is cheap these days, i built myself a 10,000 lumen LED grow rack for less than 60£ not long ago (equivilent sodium setup would cost thousands)

 

[Toddy]

I like the bushcraft mantra of carrying less by knowing more
It's the same with the pantry. It's gathered basic resources. That carries through to other things too though; basic hygiene, first aid, clothing, comfort, workshop, creativity, contacts and constant learning.
It keeps life interesting

I hadn't thought of LED type grow lights, though we've changed all the house bulbs to LEDs.
Could use a big aquaium as a glass house for fresh salads and herbs

M

 

[boatman]

Am imagining it or isn't this place full of reviews etc of branded products? I like that some bushcraft would be useful for prepping but obsessives with bug-out bags etc no thanks. I have recently acquired an inflatable kayak that could be part of an urban escape plan but prefer to think of it as handy device for enjoying the water when the rigid boats are not handy enough.

Same with the discussions on bows, target and pseudo-hunting, in the UK, fine but one would prefer to avoid the prepping type discussions on the man-killing properties of various arrowheads.

 

[scarfell]

Am imagining it or isn't this place full of reviews etc of branded products? I like that some bushcraft would be useful for prepping but obsessives with bug-out bags etc no thanks. I have recently acquired an inflatable kayak that could be part of an urban escape plan but prefer to think of it as handy device for enjoying the water when the rigid boats are not handy enough.

Same with the discussions on bows, target and pseudo-hunting, in the UK, fine but one would prefer to avoid the prepping type discussions on the man-killing properties of various arrowheads.

Yes its true, but there is a certain way products are "placed" which suggests the article was not a review, but a sales pitch, which is repeated endlessly

 

[scarfell]

I like the bushcraft mantra of carrying less by knowing more
It's the same with the pantry. It's gathered basic resources. That carries through to other things too though; basic hygiene, first aid, clothing, comfort, workshop, creativity, contacts and constant learning.
It keeps life interesting

I hadn't thought of LED type grow lights, though we've changed all the house bulbs to LEDs.
Could use a big aquaium as a glass house for fresh salads and herbs

M

If you have an aquarium, check out Aqua-ponics; grow the food above the fish tank, the fish feed the plants, LED's give light; you wouldnt need more than 100W for an average 4ft growing area; i've had a 4x2ft grow space planted up under an average of 60W (variable intensity) and havent once pushed it to the full 100W available

(heat dissipation is important with LED's, you need the right heat sinks for big 10W LED's, but with a little creatvity, you could recycle the heat into the fish tank )

 

[Laurentius]

Stock up on tea, that is the best thing.

 

[Leshy]

This prepping thread is already brilliant, no prepping required.
Thanks for the tip on the indoor growing with LED lights.
I have been put off before by the price of the sodium lights , so I just abandoned the idea.
I only need a small set up, basically so I can have a medicinal and culinary herb garden indoors.
Yarrow, Comfrey, pepper and spear mints, and for basil, coriander and parsley all year round!
I might have a go...
👍

 

[TeeDee]

no not going to get all political


But seriously, every "preppers" forum i've tried to read for info, seems to be full of articles promoting a single product, and i'm starting to wonder if the whole thing is an ironically capitalist joke being played on people with a nervous disposition?

Doesnt seem to be a "thing" in the UK, but without vast wildernesses (milton keynes doesnt count) i suppose there isnt really much point either?

why are you reading prepping forums? What are you looking for ?

 

[scarfell]

why are you reading prepping forums? What are you looking for ?

Just a topic i find interesting, but trawling through prepper forums is a headache lol


(was also a little joke on recent events without wanting to make the topic about that)

This prepping thread is already brilliant, no prepping required.
Thanks for the tip on the indoor growing with LED lights.
I have been put off before by the price of the sodium lights , so I just abandoned the idea.
I only need a small set up, basically so I can have a medicinal and culinary herb garden indoors.
Yarrow, Comfrey, pepper and spear mints, and for basil, coriander and parsley all year round!
I might have a go...
👍

Easily done mint will need careful seperation from the rest of the growing medium or it'll just be a huge mint garden in a few months haha

Feel free to drop me a message if u need pointers, electronics is part of my job (high voltage studio gear mainly, but i've been rigging up indoor gardens/terrariums/*ponics for a while now as a hobby)

Apart from heat sinking, the only other major consideration is the power supply, cheap chinese drivers are fine as long as they are properly UK certified

 

[Leshy]

Just a topic i find interesting, but trawling through prepper forums is a headache lol


(was also a little joke on recent events without wanting to make the topic about that)



Easily done mint will need careful seperation from the rest of the growing medium or it'll just be a huge mint garden in a few months haha

Feel free to drop me a message if u need pointers, electronics is part of my job (high voltage studio gear mainly, but i've been rigging up indoor gardens/terrariums/*ponics for a while now as a hobby)

Apart from heat sinking, the only other major consideration is the power supply, cheap chinese drivers are fine as long as they are properly UK certified

Thank you Scarfell, I might well take you up on the offer when the time comes.
Thanks bud!👍

 

[Jaeger]

Aye Up All,

I'm with Toddy (and her grandma!).

Consider this - as recently as the 1970's most houses had - RESILIENCE.

A (60 litre) cold water tank in the loft and a (60+ litre) hot water cylinder in the airing cupboard;
A cellar with (half-a-ton of) coal/coke in it;
A fair amount of Raw and tinned food to knock up at least a couple of stews in the pantry;
A (big) box of candles in a cupboard;
Camping equipment in the garage - gas/liquid fuel stoves/lanterns; water carriers; sleeping bags; tents etc. (and camping holidays in the UK at least once or twice a year).

Some of us have already lived through national power-cuts; national fuel embargoes; the 'three day week'.
Some of us have already lived through frequent water outages and had to make do for days at a time.
We managed because of the RESILIENCE stated above.

Some of us have lived through regional water outages and weather related denial of services more recently - think the South and North West.

Now think - combi-boilers; gas central heating; water only from a tap; electric/microwave cooked meals (no gas cookers soon!); LED/power saving lighting; mobile phones; computers; e-mail; package holidays (abroad!).

Now think - major power outage - no electric lighting and heating; no electronic communication AND - nothing to pump gas, water, automotive fuel. NO McDONALDS!

Do we still have (as a nation) the RESILIENCE that existed not that long ago? What do the facts tell you.

Zombie apocalypse? - Nah, don't be silly.
Nuclear Armageddon? - Nah, well. I hope not.

Denial of (utilities) services and food distribution? - Already happened - regionally thankfully - but nationally? - Possible.

Here is a simple one for you - 5 days into a denial of services event how would you know what time it was?
Still got a watch? - Wind up type? Radio 4?

Do we as individuals/families need the resilience (insurance) of the previous generations or will the government come swiftly to our aid?

Perhaps it's Bushcrafters who will inherit the Earth?

(Name and address withheld! )

Any government contingency planners on the site?

 

[santaman2000]

....Do we still have (as a nation) the RESILIENCE that existed not that long ago? What do the facts tell you.

Zombie apocalypse? - Nah, don't be silly.
Nuclear Armageddon? - Nah, well. I hope not.

Denial of (utilities) services and food distribution? - Already happened - regionally thankfully - but nationally? - Possible.

Here is a simple one for you - 5 days into a denial of services event how would you know what time it was?
Still got a watch? - Wind up type? Radio 4?

Do we as individuals/families need the resilience (insurance) of the previous generations or will the government come swiftly to our aid?

Perhaps it's Bushcrafters who will inherit the Earth?

(Name and address withheld! )

Any government contingency planners on the site?

I expect y'all would have no problem knowing the time. Unless something has changed since I left almost every village had a church with a mechanical clock pealing the time every quarter hour.

Now I'd like to ask a question or two:

What type of prepping situation/scenario would be realistic there? I've posted loads of time about hurricanes or other natural disasters here but what would be the most likely event in the UK?

You mentioned gas central heating. What's the ration of folks with gas tanks vs gas mains? By the way either one here is extremely reliable even during our natural disasters (apart from wildfires) as the mains are buried.

 

[Jaeger]

Hahaa Santaman2000,

1. You asked what has changed?

The UK's energy infrastructure is in dire straits -

North Sea Oil & Gas is running low;
The UK relies on natural gas from overseas; (Anyone note the recent price hike in butane gas cylinders?) Or is that due to our steel industry on the verge of collapse?
Nuke stations are past their sell-by date;
Fossil fuel stations are running down; (Not in China though!)
No meaningful hydro-electric generation in the UK;
Solar generation (mass) a joke in the UK;
Wind generation - only part-time.

2. Ratio of piped gas to gas tanks? - I don't know the figures but I live in a semi rural area and I reckon it is massively in favour of piped gas.
Oil tanks? - great if you know a Shiekh!
Kero/paraffin - in real decline here - I recently saw kero here sold at more per litre than petrol!!!!

3. Most likely event in the UK? - As stated previously - mains power failure - we rely on electrickery for just about all the other services to get into our homes - or out of it - think sanitation - no pumps - no sewage clearance!!! (And to get food to the shops and from the shops to home).
Only a couple of years ago following a fairly cold winter it was predicted that if that occurred over several more winter seasons high demand might see the need for grid power cuts. Or we buy it in from overseas hiking up domestic bills!

Earthquakes; Hurricanes? Probably unlikely in the UK but who knows?
Floods knocked out ONE elec sub-station here recently and it knocked out the power to thousands of homes.
Solar flare events? It happened in Canada I believe.

My point isn't that a major event will/won't happen - it is that here in the UK we no longer have the large scale domestic resilience to outlast even a minor event i.e. a water outage 'cos someone's hit a mains water pipe!

PS re the church clock - I know of two in my area that haven't worked for years!

Who was it that said -

The moral of the wise -is,
Be prepared for surpris-es.

 

[Robson Valley]

McBride is at the end of a 500 mile power line. Any mention of "grid" is a joke = it will never happen.
Worst a few years back was a 30 day failure when forest fires burnt the line. Are you ready?
Don't panic but are you ready?

 

[boatman]

Don't despair just yet.

http://www.independent.co.uk/enviro...city-coal-power-stations-uk-sun-a7344326.html

 

[Jaeger]

Aye Up Boatman, Robsonvalley, Scarfell

Boatman - Just read that - and the 71 comments - quite amusing and informative at the same time.

As a former sparky (among other things) involved at various times with power generation I'm no stranger to the fossil fuel alternatives and their pros and cons (I use some of them for my own small scale activities) but to think that they will replace (or are already contributing substantially to) the national electrickery grid is a stretch.
Two books I read recently - The End of Oil and The End of Food raise some very interesting arguments on both.

Robsonvalley - A 30 day (national) electricity outage - now that would test the resilience here!

Scarfell - back to your OP - prepping is a thing in the UK - intentionally or indirectly - I'll bet you that there are many within 'bushcraft-world' it is just another form of insurance arguably driven by - 'what-if' the nanny state can't provide.

As far as promoting a single product goes - maybe, sometimes. I have seen some that are just forums for like-minded individuals - no products advertised.

Now where do you keep that jar of sugar Toddy