Keepin warm when SHTF

[Idaho Dave]

Suposed to snow here tonight (though im sure it wont stay long). Wondering how many odf you have a way to keep warm/cook food if SHTF? we burn wood all winter (furnace never comes on lots of folks in these parts havent even got em). spent the day with the neighbor getting a couple of loads. The kids are my son and Daughter the MP. Made a cool video of us falling a big tree but my daughter took it sideways kinda lost the effect. PS theres also a map to my house incase any of you get desprate.firstcut.JPG

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[ArkansasHunter]

Nice to see the kids giving Pop a hand and the pictures look real good.
Did all yall pick up the trunks and put them in the bed of the truck ?
A.H

[Idaho Dave]

Tell you what AH I didnt pic up a one thats what the kids are for. They're tuff country kids but it was a team effort. the real fun is when we split them up

[george_l]

I live in Ft. Lauderdale...I don't really think I'll need a way to keep warm, more likely need a way to keep cool and out of the sun as much as possible.

[just_a_car]

Problem is, if it's true SHTF, there will be displaced people looking for food, equipment, etc... and they will be able to see/smell fire-smoke from miles away and will make a beeline for it.

[ArkansasHunter]

J-A-C Thats what I think too ! You can't hide smoke. Though I live out in the country there are neighbors up and down the road I live on. With all the SHTF threads here I've wondered how you would hide the fact you've prepard, because oviously if your doing well some one will notice. Let's hope a SHFT never happens.

[Burke]

Originally Posted by ArkansasHunter

J-A-C Thats what I think too ! You can't hide smoke. Though I live out in the country there are neighbors up and down the road I live on. With all the SHTF threads here I've wondered how you would hide the fact you've prepard, because oviously if your doing well some one will notice. Let's hope a SHFT never happens.

Yes, having the less prepared "folks" coming knocking is a frightening thing..

Originally Posted by george_l

I live in Ft. Lauderdale...I don't really think I'll need a way to keep warm, more likely need a way to keep cool and out of the sun as much as possible.

You don't know what sunshine is George,,come to Tucson in July..I will show you sunshine..

[mos19k]

Originally Posted by george_l

I live in Ft. Lauderdale...I don't really think I'll need a way to keep warm, more likely need a way to keep cool and out of the sun as much as possible.

I'm just South of you, in Miami, we have a few options to keep cool.
First is a generator for the portable A/C, get one if you can.
Second are a couple of pressurized misters, these will drop the temperature around you by a good ten degrees. Just fill with water, pump to pressurize then mist as needed.
Third is a battery operated personal A/C. Sharper Image used to sell them, you wear them around your neck and they blow cold air on you.
Fourth is a neck bandanna soaked in water, tie it on and as the water evaporates it cools you down.
Some of these are high tech and others are low tech but do remember to keep yourself hydrated as best you can.

[Idaho Dave]

Originally Posted by just_a_car

Problem is, if it's true SHTF, there will be displaced people looking for food, equipment, etc... and they will be able to see/smell fire-smoke from miles away and will make a beeline for it.

I really dont think you understand/belive there is HUNDREDS of miles between us and most people. That really is a picture of where my house is, by the time you walk out of the congested city and wander to me I will be plenty ready (how long would it take you to walk 150 miles with your bug out bag). Beside they would have to go through dozens of little towns along the way and I am sure they will be well weeded out. everyone along the way is going to be armed and looking for people they think are a threat. the canyons leading into our valley all exceed 7,ooo feet. Not every one here in the US of A lives in or even near a city Heck I'm tweenty minutes from the nearest gas station. When we talk about bugging out if we had to we would go to places where most people wouldnt understand how to survive a few days, a gun doesnt bring with it a sense of how to handle ones self in the woods. there are millions of acares of wilderness around us you have a good day finding a blazing fire in that. We live in the country and our neigbors all live on farms with more beef and milk cows then all of us could eat in a lifetime. Our neighbors are prepared because it is our way of life. not just something we think about once in a while. Every single family I know here owns multple firearms and we dont just hobby with them. Not a week goes by that I dont kill something for food, fur or sport. It is really how we live here. It is sad that you would have to think of the neighbors as something to fear. I am as sure as I am of anything that we would get together, hunt and fish, collect food and fuel from the forest and watch for people comming along. We do that now

[mos19k]

Hiding smoke can be done to a certain extent but smell is very hard to cover. If you cook the smell will travel. Think about the times you've been driving and smelled food and that's in a normal environment imagine how much easier it would be in less populated areas. You have to assume that folks will know that you are prepared and you should plan now on how you will handle it.

The way I see it you have two choices. One, fight and run off or kill those that come around. Two, share and run your supplies dry in a short period of time. Those two choices are if you are trying to lone wolf it. If you become part of a community your options tend to grow. People with certain skills can be allowed to join others can be given a few days worth of supplies and told not to return or else. At some point you will most likely have to defend your supplies whether in a group or alone. Hopefully none of us will ever have to make that choice.

[Triggerjerk]

Well...this is my survival problem, too. In New Hampshire it gets cold and snowy. One town was hit by a really big ice storm years ago and they had no power for weeks. I am not really worried about a SHTF scenario as much as blizzards. My wife and I hole up in the living room near the fireplace, and I have indoor approved propane heaters just to keep the pipes from freezing. They do not keep the rest of the house comfortable, but it does not freeze. Cooking is done on the propane fueled range.

[Idaho Dave]

Originally Posted by mos19k

Hiding smoke can be done to a certain extent but smell is very hard to cover. If you cook the smell will travel. Think about the times you've been driving and smelled food and that's in a normal environment imagine how much easier it would be in less populated areas. You have to assume that folks will know that you are prepared and you should plan now on how you will handle it.

The way I see it you have two choices. One, fight and run off or kill those that come around. Two, share and run your supplies dry in a short period of time. Those two choices are if you are trying to lone wolf it. If you become part of a community your options tend to grow. People with certain skills can be allowed to join others can be given a few days worth of supplies and told not to return or else. At some point you will most likely have to defend your supplies whether in a group or alone. Hopefully none of us will ever have to make that choice.

Once again I feel bad for you people who live in a place where social cohesiveness is so low that you would need to worry about your neighbors hurting instead of helping. and agin I reiderate good luck finding us country boys by smelling the smoke ect. YOu really have to be out in the middle of no where to realize how big the middle of no where is unless you have a four wheeler or a horse you're just not going to walk here. hundreds and hundreds of miles of nothing and in the winter with out a fire all would die it frequently dips down to -30 (that is the temp limit where the close the school). lone wolfers wandering around will quickly realize those tv shows and movies were bs. But dont fear if you are forced to leave the city swing by walmart and get me some supplies like entertainment stuff (I may be able to live out of the mountians but darn I wish I could go to walmart anyday). We would welcome anyone who came honestly looking for someplace safe and willing to pich in. food isnt even a question there is really no way I can explain it, we live in an open range state there are beef cows everywhere you look. for the unprepared and uninformed the forest is a scarry nasty place easy to get lost in and die if you grew up there it's kinda like walmart only freeIdaho_population_map.png our place is in one of the dark green areas. and the surornding states are just like this out here you can get away from people in a big hurry

[aris_unlimited]

We have plenty of blankets and warm clothing that we can wear and neither of those put out smoke. That and as for cooking I have a lot of canned soups and other goods in the house that can be eaten without cooking. I am also planning on ordering some MRE's sometime in the near future.

[Triggerjerk]

Where I live you'll need heat. Sooner or later your house will assume the same temperature as the great outdoors and you will eventually freeze to death. Gloves and boots will only keep your body heat in for so long, then the little digits will fall off. Your nose will probably go, too. Your soup will be frozen at some point, too. I'm not in hiding, so I don't care about smoke. Everybody in New Hampshire will have thier wood stoves going!

[samuel]

If you just snuggle up with that woman that went crazy because of SHTF in the other thread you will solve both problems.First you will keep warm and second you may be able to get her mind off whatever is making her crazy,unless its you that is making her crazy. sam.

[ezearln]

Here in South Texas we do get the occasionally bitter weather (temps down to single digits), a fireplace helps to keep the house and us from freezing but it is hardly comfortable, if we've bugged out we'd most likely be living out of our little camper with a propane furnace and we have electric throws which run off the campers inverter for extra warmth. I'd expect if the situation were long term we'd have to resort to a fire as the most reliable source of heating.

[Stopper]

have family in Rathdrum near Couer d Alene, they tell stories of how cold it gets. They use wood also or they would go broke heating with gas. Gawd, that is beautiful country, need to get my arss up there and visit, a smarter move would be to move there....

[Idaho Dave]

Originally Posted by Stopper

have family in Rathdrum near Couer d Alene, they tell stories of how cold it gets. They use wood also or they would go broke heating with gas. Gawd, that is beautiful country, need to get my arss up there and visit, a smarter move would be to move there....

Wood heat saves a fortune on gass. some freinds live where they can get natural gass and it cost them 600 a month in the winter. I have a propane tank for the water heater and the furnace if I ever let it come on and we pay about 40 dollars all year round

[ArkansasHunter]

As I read this I'm thinking of alternative fuels to burn such as alcohol, propane these fuels do not make smoke and I wonder if Natural gas will be be available.
Burning wood might not be so bad because if other fuel sources are not available during cold weather then folks will prolly be burning everything they can think of to stay warm.

[ezearln]

The FoxFire series of books has blueprints/instructions on how to build a methane production generator. Relatively simple and in any but the most severe of conditions should produce enough methane to heat and cook with in the average sized home.