SHTF Newbie

[Ripon83]

About 15 years ago I was buying silver at a coin shop, and my brother in law was with me. He was in a cash intensive business and bought 2 20 ounce tubes of the same coin I did....Canadian Maple Leafs. Last weekend he finds them, calls me up and says wow....those things are worth almost 2 k. We had dinner Monday and I found out that's all the precious metal has, and thus I convinced him to hang on, and maybe look into some junk silver US coins like I have some of. I showed him the you tube sales pitch on silver based on the doom sayer who believes or pitches that our monetary system is at risk. After that my brother in law starts reading into SHTF stuff. He owns not one single fire arm and does not feel he could use one very effectively and has 0 gun experience at age 60.

So we talked about SHTF and I always thought of his home as bug out destination one and told him as much. If things got really bad I'd let him follow with us to property we have in NW Nevada where I'm confident I could enjoy the rest of life if I had too.

Now, guns not included, he wants to know what he should buy for him and his older kids, and grand kids for SHTF.....? My situation has always been so different I don't know where to tell him to start. For me it's always been me, mrs, and k9 period, and we've already proved 10x over we can live on the Nevada land my dad acquired in the 70's. All ive ever had to worry about is getting there..and I'm set. He has 20 people in his family with kids and grand kids.....I told him to start with a back up generator on his well because he has no city services other then power.....?

[problemchild]

Fire up that generator and you might as well shoot off a signal flare. If he is not going to buy a gun and get trained up there is no point buying everything else. I doubt you would ever make it to his local in shtf type situ's. And if you did make it all you would find is a burned down empty house. He refuses to protect himself and his loved ones. Last person I would want to be around. The road becomes an ambush zone for those who are have nots.

Better rethink your strategy.

[Ripon83]

Problemchild...I understand...he's my wifes brother and the kind of guy I'd go to war for....his property in the foot hills from me is less then 60 mintues with multiple routes available. I always figured I'd get to his place before things were that bad - maybe I'm wrong in that. In fact I suspect he wouldn't need the generator until I got there.

I'm a 22 collector, have a dozen old fun bolt action 22's, even a novice like him and his high school kid could be taught to use them pretty quick. I think his kids will take too that better then he will...

[bruce_ventura]

Ripon83, sounds to me like you're all set. You just have to look at the situation a bit differently.

You've got a naive relative with kids and property who trusts you and can't defend himself. If the big one hits, head on out there and resupply for the trip to Nevada, because in a week or two, you're gonna to need some fresh meat!

[GrizzlyGuy]

It's always good to start someone out on the basics: beans, bullets, band-aids (and water). Have him work on all those areas gradually at the same time, vs. trying to do them one after another. For example, have him focus on getting all of those in place so that he and his family could survive for 3 days. Then move on to 3 weeks, 3 months, etc.

That sounds like a nice piece of property you have in NV. My family has 80 acres over by Pyramid Lake that my grandfather won in a poker game (true story). I can't think of anywhere worse to be in a SHTF situation than that gawd-forsaken piece of land.

[Kid Stanislaus]

My family has 80 acres over by Pyramid Lake that my grandfather won in a poker game (true story). I can't think of anywhere worse to be in a SHTF situation than that gawd-forsaken piece of land.

That'd be where I was burying caches of food, water, guns, etc.

[xgi1991]

Everyone has had some valid points, I would go the same as grizzly though, start them out small, help them put together a 72 hour kit, and explain how to grow it. Have them take baby steps first, other wise they just get overwhelmed, next thing you know he will be calling you trying to figure out weather he should have a night vision scope for his M-forgery. After all, once they actually fall down the rabbit hole, everything changes. Good luck, and if there is a way I can help, let me know.

[GrizzlyGuy]

That'd be where I was burying caches of food, water, guns, etc.

Interesting idea, those caches would be secure. That chunk of land is so ugly that not even a zombie would be caught dead on it.

[Ripon83]

Pyramid Lake

That's resort territory.....were due north of there....my dad bought a railroad section they unloaded in the 70's....it goes up to the Idaho border, 5176 acres, and all the wildlife you could eat. We still can't find the first condo we built as a family there in 78..... Maybe this year we'll find it

My wifes bro will start with a generator, and so we know we can pull water there before bugging out to the wastelands....

Interesting idea, those caches would be secure. That chunk of land is so ugly that not even a zombie would be caught dead on it.

[gorblimey]

Send the BIL to Appleseed or do it together:

http://www.appleseedinfo.org/search-states.php?filter=CA&statename=California

It is a really good program on many levels.

[Joewy]

Interesting idea, those caches would be secure. That chunk of land is so ugly that not even a zombie would be caught dead on it.

Secure is secure. as long as you have access to potable water you are good to go.
You can always raise rabbits. Not the best but Ill tell you if you start out with 2 male and 5 female you will have thousands by the end of the year. And they eat almost anything, are easy to kill and not only do you get the meat you get the fir. You can even raise them inside of a small apartment.
Just learn to can and stick them in a jar after they are 4 months old and they last for many years. The manure is great fertilizer too

[Oceanbob]

How much Gold..?

About 15 years ago I was buying silver at a coin shop, and my brother in law was with me. He was in a cash intensive business and bought 2 20 ounce tubes of the same coin I did....Canadian Maple Leafs. Last weekend he finds them, calls me up and says wow....those things are worth almost 2 k. We had dinner Monday and I found out that's all the precious metal has, and thus I convinced him to hang on, and maybe look into some junk silver US coins like I have some of. I showed him the you tube sales pitch on silver based on the doom sayer who believes or pitches that our monetary system is at risk. After that my brother in law starts reading into SHTF stuff. He owns not one single fire arm and does not feel he could use one very effectively and has 0 gun experience at age 60.

So we talked about SHTF and I always thought of his home as bug out destination one and told him as much. If things got really bad I'd let him follow with us to property we have in NW Nevada where I'm confident I could enjoy the rest of life if I had too.

Now, guns not included, he wants to know what he should buy for him and his older kids, and grand kids for SHTF.....? My situation has always been so different I don't know where to tell him to start. For me it's always been me, mrs, and k9 period, and we've already proved 10x over we can live on the Nevada land my dad acquired in the 70's. All ive ever had to worry about is getting there..and I'm set. He has 20 people in his family with kids and grand kids.....I told him to start with a back up generator on his well because he has no city services other then power.....?

Do you mean to say he has 40 ounces of Gold?..(Maple Leafs)

[problemchild]

Do you mean to say he has 40 ounces of Gold?..(Maple Leafs)

40oz of gold for 2k. Ill give you 4k each for both sets.

[Ripon83]

Silver maple leafs....not Gold....I have 5 gold ones but hundreds of the silver. He, my BIL, bought 2 tubes of the silver ones when I was buying some back at 6 an ounce....or less

[Erin]

buy him a couple sks's or somthing like that. cheap gun cheap ammo. novice simple sights and maintenece. can hunt most anything with it and could defend with it.

rabbits. ive thought about this befor. i had two rabbits as a kid that were suposedly both females... we had a dozen rabbits soon. also constant fertilizer sourse, and they live on grass... cant imagine them inside my apt though. one we get to our final destination ill try it again.