Where should I go in case when SHTF

How are you preparing
fightfear
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2018 5:12 pm

Where should I go in case when SHTF

Post by fightfear »

Hi all.
I think this forum is a great initiative and I would like to ask you for some help.

I was wondering where would you guys recommend to go in case of SHTF situation - say a mega solar flare knocks out all the electricity in UK (so infrastructure is still there but nothing works etc). If I'm based in Croydon at that time what would you recommend to do? Stay indoors and try to ride it out and count on authorities to manage the situation? Or get away from Croydon or London altoghether to avoid trouble that would inevitably follow? Are there any places within London or near by that I should consider?

Let's say I have access to 40x2l bottles of water and food that can last a couple of weeks (at a stretch). I don't have access to a car or a motorbike that would be likely to function after such event (don't actually have a car or motorbike myself at all). I have a wife and we're both healthy and fit (I'm very fit whereas my wife is reasonably fit but relatively weak). Say I have no weapons other than what's in the kitchen/tool box. I trained and competed in boxing/Muay Thai/Grappling and MMA. I don't have many friends that I think would be of much use in such situation.

If you could be so kind to let me know that would be much apprenticed.
kevprep85
Posts: 69
Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2017 7:52 pm
Location: Manchester

Re: Where should I go in case when SHTF

Post by kevprep85 »

I live in Manchester but I have worked in that area.
To me you have two options.

.option 1 prep to bug out. In an area like that things would get very dangerous very quickly get a couple of cheap second hand bikes camping equipment ect

.option 2 bug in. If you can't get out quick enough staying hidden will be key you will need long life food and water as well as the means to cook EG gas camp cooker.

I'd also get yourself something for defence guns are everywhere in that area but to stay on the side of law get yourself a crossbow there very cheap. You might never have to take it out of its box but it's always better to have. Good luck
failure to prepare is preparing to fail.
grenfell
Posts: 3950
Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 7:55 pm

Re: Where should I go in case when SHTF

Post by grenfell »

What to do could very well depend upon when a flare hits the earth and what transport you could utilise and if you have somewhere to actually go.
If the cars are stuffed then it's pushbikes , shanks pony or even perhaps real ponies although as there would be a few days notice it should be able to use ICE vehicles or rail to remove oneself . This is assuming you have a destination to go to where you can be safe (er) and hopefully be able to thrive.
However , if you don't have a secure place to go and it's the middle of winter with snow and ice on the ground then your best bet would be to stay put. In this case alternative cooking , heating and to a lesser degree lighting should be something to seriously look at. Keeping a stash of cash ready to hand will be a good idea alongside food and water . Either way it could still be better to stay put given that as the modern grid has never been "tested" in this way and opinion is still divided as to just how much disruption will happen and it could be a case of waiting to see how it all unfolds . Or take the gamble and leg it .
jansman
Posts: 13621
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:16 pm

Re: Where should I go in case when SHTF

Post by jansman »

kevprep85 wrote: Thu Aug 30, 2018 3:49 pm I live in Manchester but I have worked in that area.
To me you have two options.

.option 1 prep to bug out. In an area like that things would get very dangerous very quickly get a couple of cheap second hand bikes camping equipment ect

.option 2 bug in. If you can't get out quick enough staying hidden will be key you will need long life food and water as well as the means to cook EG gas camp cooker.

I'd also get yourself something for defence guns are everywhere in that area but to stay on the side of law get yourself a crossbow there very cheap. You might never have to take it out of its box but it's always better to have. Good luck
I could delete the last paragraph, but I will leave it there as an example of UK Preppers policy about discussing ‘weapons’ and ‘’self defence’ In short: we don’t discuss the topics(s) in line with English Law.
In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life: It goes on.

Robert Frost.

Covid 19: After that level of weirdness ,any situation is certainly possible.

Me.
User avatar
xplosiv1
Posts: 426
Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2012 2:12 pm
Location: Scotland

Re: Where should I go in case when SHTF

Post by xplosiv1 »

Personally I'd probably hang out where I am, I'm pretty self sufficient here. If I was in London I'd be running for the hills lol.

you'd really have to judge the response if and when it happened, if you were heading away from London it would be better to have somewhere to go or head off to meet someone you know you can stay with as smaller towns with limited resources are not going to be very welcoming to a few hundred thousand (possibly a few million) people exiting London.

I think i'm far enough away that the exodus wouldn't affect me but I suppose I could always head north, I know a few places I could camp along the way, I've already got all the gear, i'm fit enough to do it in a few days and I have friends living way up there in the middle of nowhere that would be happy to see me turning up on their doorstep..... all that said if there was 2 feet of snow on the ground and it was -15 I wouldnt be going anywhere, i'd just have to make the best of a bad situation where I am.
Area 11

Endure the pain of discipline or Suffer the pain of regret.
User avatar
Deeps
Posts: 5797
Joined: Sun Nov 09, 2014 8:36 pm

Re: Where should I go in case when SHTF

Post by Deeps »

The whole 'bug in' V 'bug out' thing is oft debated. I don't think anyone can tell you the right answer. Personally it would be a last resort for me to bug out, I've spent a lot of time and money on both Casa Deeps and my preps so ideally I'll be hanging around to take full advantage of both. Yes, staying in your gaff while the world collapses around you has its perils and it would be up to you how much you integrate with those around you, we'll all have our own view on how doable that is. That has to be balanced against living out of a rucksack for a period of time, maybe longer than you intend. You could still end up interacting with people who will want to part you from your stuff. I don't think there's a 'right' answer, you might have to make the call though.
kevprep85
Posts: 69
Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2017 7:52 pm
Location: Manchester

Re: Where should I go in case when SHTF

Post by kevprep85 »

jansman wrote: Thu Aug 30, 2018 5:48 pm
kevprep85 wrote: Thu Aug 30, 2018 3:49 pm I live in Manchester but I have worked in that area.
To me you have two options.

.option 1 prep to bug out. In an area like that things would get very dangerous very quickly get a couple of cheap second hand bikes camping equipment ect

.option 2 bug in. If you can't get out quick enough staying hidden will be key you will need long life food and water as well as the means to cook EG gas camp cooker.

I'd also get yourself something for defence guns are everywhere in that area but to stay on the side of law get yourself a crossbow there very cheap. You might never have to take it out of its box but it's always better to have. Good luck
I could delete the last paragraph, but I will leave it there as an example of UK Preppers policy about discussing ‘weapons’ and ‘’self defence’ In short: we don’t discuss the topics(s) in line with English Law.
My apologies
failure to prepare is preparing to fail.
User avatar
korolev
Posts: 606
Joined: Thu Jul 06, 2017 2:18 am
Location: Land of the South Saxons

Re: Where should I go in case when SHTF

Post by korolev »

Like many others I'm sure, I have thought about decamping to the woods with a rucksack full of survival gear carrying my favourite knife/leatherman/torch in my pockets. The reality is, though, that living in the South East its very densely populated and there are likely to be loads of other people about, many of whom will be eying my well stuffed rucksack with envy.

I've come to the conclusion that the only reason I would leave my house is if there were a direct threat to my and my family's safety by staying put; Even in the depths of winter it is warmer, drier and more secure than any tent.

As long as you don't stand out from the rest, you are, IMO, far safer at home.

As for being trained in all that boxing/MMA, that is very useful but is it any good against three or four people, possibly armed ? (I'm not decrying your abilities BTW, I wish I'd stuck at Karate when I was at school).
fightfear
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2018 5:12 pm

Re: Where should I go in case when SHTF

Post by fightfear »

Many thanks for all the answers guys. I take everything on board and it gives me more stuff to think about.

As for the martial arts I agree that it would probably be close to useless in a SHTF scenario due to the likelihood of facing multiple and/or armed opponents. Plus I'm quite small and light.
Arzosah
Posts: 6323
Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:20 pm

Re: Where should I go in case when SHTF

Post by Arzosah »

I've looked at this thread a couple of times - it's a difficult issue for some scenarios, isn't it. But unless your house or flat is burning down, or you can literally see looters down the road going from house to house, I'm sure you're better off staying put and staying quiet while the madness is going on, and I think in the scenario you mention, it will. So, the issues:
- being able to see what's happening around you - people down the street, or creeping up from the back.
- having at least one escape route - emergency ladders are for sale on Amazon, we all discovered recently :mrgreen:
- having notice that someone's broken in - I watched the very first episode of Doomsday Preppers last week :lol: and one new thing I heard of was a "nightingale floor" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightingale_floor which could be a useful concept. The guy in the tv programme used broken glass :roll: and I don't think that fulfilled the need. But if you had quiet robbers walking down your hallway, if you had lots of decorative glass beads in front of your front door, maybe even gravel if things were getting really tricky, then that might give you notice.
- keeping your BOB with you, to be able to run. If the toerags invading your property are armed and you go up against them with MMA skills, you'll die.
- for now, making your place more secure (security film on the windows against rocks lobbed in, better doorlocks, bigger screws on the door and window frames, there are lots of threads on here) plus making sure that you don't look especially attractive to burglars and that none of your preps show - light, noise, even warmth if you feel okay about opening the front door for someone. Being "the gray man" (American term, American spelling :lol: ).

And your original question - where should you go, though you can see that most of us are saying **if** you have to get out. If you do - well, keep thinking about it. To me, its about trying to get through to relatives. My nearest relly is only 10 miles away - but there's no guarantees about them or the solidity of their situation. In a nationwide event, not even all preppers can be guaranteed to make it.