Are there groups of preppers who have agreed to meet up in a SHTF situation?

Homes and Retreats
nightowl
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Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2019 1:25 am

Are there groups of preppers who have agreed to meet up in a SHTF situation?

Post by nightowl »

Just curious really. Not something I've thought of personally, but was wondering if there are any groups of preppers who have agreed to meet up and pool resources, share skills etc in a SHTF situation? I can see certain benefits. One would be a group of people would have more financial muscle to buy a bug out property somewhere. Also the benefits of having a group of people with various skills (doctor, engineer etc) speak for themselves. On the downside you'd have to be pretty sure of the people you were getting involved with... are they someone you are going to get along with probably living in close proximity to for a long time, do you think they can psychologically hold it together in that type of situation etc? Would be interested to hear the thoughts of people on the pros and cons.
jansman
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Re: Are there groups of preppers who have agreed to meet up in a SHTF situation?

Post by jansman »

I am sure that there are some who will join together.Not me though.I am already in a survival group,one of the strongest known to man.Family.Our daughters live in the same village with their chaps.Those two blokes are solid.Daughters take after mum,so that makes them scary! :lol: Over the road are Geoff,a retired nurse and damned good gardener and rifle shot,and Ian,a builder who can fix anything.Both are very,very good friends of many years.

I would never allow strangers into my ' group' in a crisis.Anyone who has read ' Afterlight' by Alex Scarrow will understand that one.
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.
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Deeps
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Re: Are there groups of preppers who have agreed to meet up in a SHTF situation?

Post by Deeps »

Nightowl, who's going to be in charge, who's going to do the crappy jobs no one wants to do (but need doing anyway). As soon as you have a group of people you have the different egos, I'm not saying assembling this group would be impossible but it would be difficult to 'manage' and even harder to 'stress test' to prove it all works. Its all very well having the odd weekend away 'playing' at it but what happens when the group of scruffs turn up and angry and shouty.

As Jansman said, family and friends, they're more of a known quantity rather than some one that you only have prepping in common with. I've got friends that aren't preppers, have the 'normal' amount of food etc in but would be very handy in whatever disaster landed on us. Guys with practical DIY skills, different trades etc. I've got nurses as neighbours... Its not as sexy as running off to some secret bug out location to meet the well drilled and organised militia force of crack preppers but in the unlikely event of SHTF its most likely where I'm going to be or trying to get to. I think a lot of us fantasise about having some bolt hole but unless you've got a hefty bank balance, for the vast majority its going to have to remain a fantasy.
nightowl
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Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2019 1:25 am

Re: Are there groups of preppers who have agreed to meet up in a SHTF situation?

Post by nightowl »

Jansmann, have you discussed your prepping with those family members and what was their reaction? Are they onboard with it? Just wondering if they weren't prepping themselves does supporting them have to come into your planning in terms of food storage etc.

Deeps, similar question. Are any of those useful people around you prepping and, if not, have others come into your thinking when preparing? There might be some people with useful skills nearby but in a SHTF situation you're probably going to have to give them stuff in exchange for making use of those skills if they haven't prepped themselves.
Arzosah
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Re: Are there groups of preppers who have agreed to meet up in a SHTF situation?

Post by Arzosah »

Blimey, nightowl, why on earth would you ever think of bugging out somewhere else! Sounds great!
nightowl
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Re: Are there groups of preppers who have agreed to meet up in a SHTF situation?

Post by nightowl »

Strangely that post headed by my name seems a mix of my questions and someone else's answers :?:
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Deeps
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Re: Are there groups of preppers who have agreed to meet up in a SHTF situation?

Post by Deeps »

nightowl wrote: Sun Feb 17, 2019 11:51 am
Deeps, similar question. Are any of those useful people around you prepping and, if not, have others come into your thinking when preparing? There might be some people with useful skills nearby but in a SHTF situation you're probably going to have to give them stuff in exchange for making use of those skills if they haven't prepped themselves.
I know a few that would fall under the 'prepper' umbrella and I've discussed aspects of it with a couple mates (one lives less than 10 miles away and one about 20 so not exactly neighbours). Some of the neighbours know I'm into my camping/walking etc which is great for why I have so much 'outdoorsy' stuff and that we're both keen cooks and have an allotment etc. I've been happy to help neighbours with bits and bobs and had neighbours do bits for us too so the initial trust is there, we're lucky that we haven't had any bad neighbours in the immediate area.

I'd say trading for skills would be quite common in the unlikely event that things got seriously bad, why wouldn't you trade your skills, if you could set up some alternative power source like a solar system for somebody, you'd be expecting something for it. If you have food to trade it would be up to you (perhaps only to an extent) what you were willing to take for it, in the short term it might be gold/Rolex's/cash...

These more extreme scenarios aren't really what I prep for but if you're prepared for the more mundane problems, its going to help if things do go seriously Pete Tong. I need to keep a roof over my head 'now' so I'm not sure that would change, after the zombie uprising there might not be a bank to tell me I've defaulted on my mortgage but I'll still need to put food on the table and make things as comfortable as I can for me and mine.
jansman
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Re: Are there groups of preppers who have agreed to meet up in a SHTF situation?

Post by jansman »

Arzosah wrote: Sun Feb 17, 2019 12:50 pm Blimey, nightowl, why on earth would you ever think of bugging out somewhere else! Sounds great!
That was my reply to a quote Arzosah.When I posted it there was a ' system error' - that is where I live! Don't know what happened there.I have deleted that bit as it is rather confusing.Sorry folks.

To reiterate,Prepping is about more than storage.
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.
Arzosah
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Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:20 pm

Re: Are there groups of preppers who have agreed to meet up in a SHTF situation?

Post by Arzosah »

Thanks for clearing it, jansman :) I thought I heard your voice in part of it, but I didn't want to put my spoke in :)
hedgerowpete
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Re: Are there groups of preppers who have agreed to meet up in a SHTF situation?

Post by hedgerowpete »

i know four other families within the west midlands and birmingham area. we work with each other to help each other out but without the ego or the boss alpha male.

We met via the internet and slowly came to met each other and talk and deal with each other.

at fruit harvesting time we combine kit and equipment to process fruit quicker and faster. i have tools to process 400kg of apples in a morning to freezer packs and wine, ( no cider) I also know what is in season and where to collect it, last year the four families collected 300kg of elderberries in one day out as a combined effort and social event with a bbq afterwards, kids as well as wives and dads all worked well together.

last year i helped build two sheds, one very large.
guided people with planning permissions,
helped design structual calculations for under ground tunnel works,
garden foot path design and construction
as well as a lot of other jobs done for me in return

two years ago the one family were close by to a factory fire and were kicked out by the police, as no one would provide accomodation over night and they were kicked out with out notice the wife and kids called my wife, who collected them, everyone stayed at my place for the two days and two nights the scrap yard was on fire for and went home. bug out bags only work when you have them, the lady had popped out to collect the kids and came back to a blocked off street and on allowence to get to the house.

it works well, we dont fall out but then again we dont keep asking for tons of stuff or one directional flow of favours, sometimes we say if someone is asking to much and normally that gets a positive re action back. but thats normally brought on by planning a large project to be done in too larger a chunks to be done safely

it can be done we use each others kit and equipment and buy the parts that are needed for it.

i use someones vacuum sealer thats a kitchen professional jobbie, its the size of a large photo copier and really does a great job, but its way past my price range, then i have a fruit press that does 50kg of plup and uses a 25t hydraulic jack

the two naughty words to avoid is management and leadership, as soon as someone starts to plan or organise people i am off. it suits me to talk to these people often but not religously every day. it suits us to share skills, equipment and knowledge, as soon as the suitability is enforced its dead