Getting Off The Grid

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Gary Oak
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Getting Off The Grid

Post: # 27362Unread post Gary Oak »

http://www.wakingtimes.com/2013/01/04/h ... us-online/

i suspect t here may actually be a day in my lifetime where people will need to get off the grid. Prject Echelon has been in effect for quite quite a number of years already.


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Re: Getting Off The Grid

Post: # 27366Unread post Blue Frost »

If anything went down where I had to get off the grid I think I would be out of luck, not anything close enough where I could do that.
Maybe if i was near the Rockies
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Re: Getting Off The Grid

Post: # 28515Unread post Gary Oak »

http://offgridsurvival.com/epa-woodburn ... s-illegal/

They intend to outlaw wood stoves ? What are they planning ? They want our guns and they don't want us to be able to live off the land. I heard of a guy who went living off of gold panning in the dirty thirties and was still there in his seventies living off of the land in the Fraser Canyon [ the area of the 1858 gold rush ] in the 1980's. Something is planned and their shiill Obama is picking up the pace in his second term it seems
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Re: Getting Off The Grid

Post: # 28517Unread post Blue Frost »

I would demand a stove if I was up there, the power company does fail from time to time.
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52 Wild Plants You Can Eat

Post: # 40574Unread post Gary Oak »

http://beforeitsnews.com/self-sufficien ... ttedPage=0

If one finds themselves lost in a huge wilderness knowing these 52 plants may save their lives
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Re: Getting Off The Grid

Post: # 40587Unread post Blue Frost »

My garden gets took over every year with Purslane, it is a nuisance, but good to know you can eat it.
The dandeline thread has a nice list I posted yesterday for the Vancouver area. :)
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Maple Seeds For Surviving

Post: # 42822Unread post Gary Oak »

http://www.ediblewildfood.com/blog/2013 ... vival-food

Well this is good to know. If you ever get stuck out in the woods and need to survive then these maple seeds may be able to give you enough sustenance to keep you going until you fiannly find your way out
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Re: Maple Seeds For Surviving

Post: # 42834Unread post Blue Frost »

Gary Oak wrote:http://www.ediblewildfood.com/blog/2013 ... vival-food

Well this is good to know. If you ever get stuck out in the woods and need to survive then these maple seeds may be able to give you enough sustenance to keep you going until you fiannly find your way out
Funny you posted this.
I ate one today :unsure: wasn't that good really as it was an ole water maple. :yuk:
I hate the mess they make here.
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Re: Getting Off The Grid

Post: # 42865Unread post Blue Frost »

You might like this Gary :)

[video][/video]
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Re: Getting Off The Grid

Post: # 55442Unread post Gary Oak »

http://beforeitsnews.com/opinion-conser ... 95300.html

This man and his son successfully got off the grid.
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Re: Getting Off The Grid

Post: # 55450Unread post Blue Frost »

Yeah but look at them, and what a sad story. I posted about them in the news thread, it's so fascinating the people that have done things like that.
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Re: Getting Off The Grid

Post: # 126518Unread post Gary Oak »

I hear people talking about gettting off the grid but so far I have only met one actually doing it.....in recent years. I have met trappers in the Yukon doing it unintentionally. That was just their life.

Hippies, artists and pirates- a peek inside to the oceanside tribe of Sausalito

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Re: Getting Off The Grid

Post: # 126520Unread post Blue Frost »

Obama, and others want that against the law , and have went after people.
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Re: Getting Off The Grid

Post: # 126561Unread post Twilight turtle »

Gary Oak wrote:http://offgridsurvival.com/epa-woodburn ... s-illegal/

They intend to outlaw wood stoves ? What are they planning ? They want our guns and they don't want us to be able to live off the land. I heard of a guy who went living off of gold panning in the dirty thirties and was still there in his seventies living off of the land in the Fraser Canyon [ the area of the 1858 gold rush ] in the 1980's. Something is planned and their shiill Obama is picking up the pace in his second term it seems
It's looking more and more like they're taking everything away from a person and forcing you to be totally dependant on what they decide for us. Once they're in control they can withhold basics and essentials and no alternative to run to. The wood burner thing, it's probably simple, forces you to be dependant on electric only. Yeah, once you're hooked on the one thing, now they're in total control of that one thing.
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Re: Getting Off The Grid

Post: # 126567Unread post Blue Frost »

You right about being dependent, it's all about control, and not about pollution at all.
A wood stove is a necessary item in my book in colder climates, power goes out you are stuck freezing, and then where is the government ?
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Re: Getting Off The Grid

Post: # 131407Unread post Gary Oak »

I have just discovered this website. It has a lot of info on all sorts of topics related to getting off the grid or surviving if the world goes crazy. There are so many topics on this website that are worth posting that I thought that it is better just to post the website so that it is always easy to find here for anybody interested. :thumbsup:

The Prepper Journal

http://www.theprepperjournal.com/
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Re: Getting Off The Grid

Post: # 139642Unread post Gary Oak »

Are You Prepared for Lockdown? How to Stay Safe When Chaos Erupts in America

This summer is like a movie about how corruption took down a once-great republic and sent it barreling toward civil war. It’s about how the powerful now use deadly robots to do their bidding and how two groups of people have been turned against each other at the whims of the wealthy and the powerful. It’s about chaos and final straws and the shattering of our veneer of civility.

When the rose-colored glasses get ripped away from so many people at once, things are bound to boil over. So, in the manner of never letting a crisis go to waste, the politicians and the media and the powers that be have jumped on the Race War wagon and are flogging the horses to distract all of the newly awakened from the blatant corruption in our government.

Somehow, our beautiful, proud country has become a battle zone. Decades of abuses of power have pushed people to the boiling point. There is war on the streets of America as cops across the nation are the targets of violent attacks in response to the actions of officers who abused their power.

It’s so bad that three countries have issued travel advisories to its citizens about coming to visit the United States. The government of Bahrain used Twitter to warn citizens to “be cautious of protests or crowded areas occurring around the U.S.” The foreign ministry of Bahamas issued a travel advisory that warned citizens to be cautious due to “shootings of young black males by police officers.” The notice went on to advise, “In particular young males are asked to exercise extreme caution in affected cities in their interactions with the police. Do not be confrontational and cooperate.” And finally, the embassy of the United Arab Emirates urged caution. “Please be aware of immediate surroundings and avoid crowded places when possible. Exercise particular caution during large festivals or events, be alert and stay safe.”

Regardless of what you think about how or why the events of last week occurred, it seems that the potential for violence is spreading across our nation in a way that can only be described as a pandemic. While I sincerely believe that this situation is being manipulated for power and political gain, no rational person can deny that it’s happening and the risks are very real. (Last week’s Survival Saturday round-up discusses the how and the why of the breakdown.)

Going into the weekend ahead, there could be plans for protests, which, with emotions running high, could become violent. I wrote an article about the “Day of Rage” that was scheduled in many major cities across the country. In a rather baffling turn, the article I wrote met with cries of “Daisy, you’re a racist hatemonger poop-stirring meanie” as well of accusations that I was a) lying or b) deluded. I know that I’ve hit the bigtime because I even got “debunked” on Snopes. My posts on Facebook were reported as “hate speech” and one woman, bless her fragile little heart, was so upset she claimed to have called the police about my blog. (More about that tomorrow on Survival Saturday.) Either way, you might want to check this list for places to avoid on the weekend. As well, here’s even more evidence that points toward the potential for chaos this weekend.


Pretending that it isn’t happening or hoping to hug it out is not a rational response to the chaos that is coming. I know that some cling to their misguided views on the way the world works with the ferocity of a mother bear protecting cubs, but for the rest of us, there’s this thing called reality. When we accept it, we can prepare for it.

Are you prepared for lockdown?

Which leads me to a very important subject. As the situation in the United States devolves, how prepared are you really? If you had to go into lockdown mode and keep your family safely at home, how long would you last with the supplies you have on hand? If the answer is “a few days” or “a couple of weeks” you need to work on that. Immediately.

By planning ahead, we can avoid the fear, panic, and confusion that leads people to rush to the store and clear the shelves like a horde of hungry locusts. We can stay away from the angry masses, the rioters who will use any excuse to steal, and the hungry people who are determined to feed their kids no matter who stands in their way.

Whether the next few weeks lead to pandemonium due to violent protests provoking some type of martial law, a prepared mindset, a defense plan, and a well-stocked home can help to keep you and your family out of harm’s way.

Keep in mind that the decision may not be entirely in your hands. In a martial law situation, it’s not unusual for the authorities to force people to stay in their homes. Remember in Boston when law enforcement was searching for the young man who, with his brother, was accused of setting off the bomb at the marathon? Residents were not allowed to leave their homes due to a “shelter in place directive.” The directive was presented as voluntary, but if you didn’t wish to have SWAT teams pointing guns in your face during this period of de facto martial law, staying home was the only option. Some people ran out of supplies the same day. Don’t be one of those people.

This isn’t the first time I’ve written about the potential need to lock down. It’s a viable response to a variety of crises. For example, had the Ebola cases on US shores turned into a pandemic, a lock down period would have been the very best way to keep your family safe.

With situations of civil unrest, it isn’t as clear cut. It depends on where you live. In a small town, far away from riots and protests, your lock down area could be much greater than your own home. It could encompass your immediate community, too, and life might go on as it always has for you, aside from the need to stay just a little closer to home than before.

However, if you live in a city or suburb, it may become essential to make a decision quickly. Do you lock your doors and stay home? Or do you get out of Dodge? It is a question only you can answer. One thing that is very important is this: if you need to go, do NOT miss your window of opportunity to do so safely. If the entire city feels the same way, you’ll most likely be stuck in traffic and trapped in your car. Protesters have shut down the highways more than once in recent years, and you’ll be far safer behind the brick and mortar of your home than you will be in your car.

By the way, there’s always someone who chimes in with a snide remark about how cowardly it is to lockdown with your family in order to stay safe. If you want to go get involved in a battle to make a political point, that’s certainly your prerogative. However, my priority is the safety of my family, and as such, I hope to avoid engaging altogether.

First, get home.

If you happen to be away from home when violence erupts, your first task is safely navigating your way home. In a perfect world, we’d all be home, watching the chaos erupt on TV from the safety of our living rooms. However, reality says that some of us will be at work, at school, or in the car when unrest occurs. You need to develop a “get-home” plan for all of the members of your family, based on the most likely places that they will be.

Devise an efficient route for picking up the kids from school, camp, or daycare. Be sure that anyone who might be picking up the children already has permission to do so.
Keep a get-home bag in the trunk of your car in case you have to set out on foot.
Stash some supplies in the bottom of your child’s backpack – water, a snack, any tools that might be useful, and a map. Be sure your children understand the importance of OPSEC.
Avoid major thoroughfares. If you need to go through the city, avoid the areas that are most likely to be the subject of unrest. Listen to the local news and traffic reports to help avoid the worst areas. Take the safest route, not the shortest route.
Find multiple routes home – map out alternative backroad ways to get home as well as directions if you must go home on foot.
Find hiding places along the way. If you work or go to school a substantial distance from your home, figure out some places to lay low now, before a crisis situation. Sometimes staying out of sight is the best way to stay safe.
Avoid groups of people. It seems that the mob mentality strikes when large groups of people get together. Often folks who would never ordinarily riot in the streets get swept up by the mass of people who are doing so.
Keep in mind that in many civil disorder situations the authorities are to be avoided every bit as diligently as the angry mobs of looters. Who can forget the scenes of innocent people being pepper sprayed by uniformed thugs in body armor just because they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Know when to abandon the plan to get home. Sometimes, you just can’t get there. Going through a war zone is not worth it. Find a different place to shelter. Pay attention to your instincts.
Prepping for lockdown

Once everyone is safely home, you need to commit to your decision to lockdown. This could last a day, a week, or longer. There’s really no way to predict it. It’s most likely that you will have electrical power throughout this crisis, but you should be prepared just in case the grid goes down due to damage during riots or attempts by the authorities to gain control of the situation.

You should be set up with the following (at the minimum – hopefully you have these supplies and more):

Water
Necessary prescription medications
A well stocked pantry – you need at least a one-month supply of food for the entire family, including pets
An off grid cooking method like an outdoor burner, a barbecue, a fire pit, or a woodstove)
Or food that requires no cooking
A tactical quality first aid
Lighting in the event of a power outage
Sanitation supplies (in the event that the municipal water system is unusable, this would include cleaning supplies and toilet supplies)
A way to stay warm in harsh winter weather
Over-the-counter medications and/or herbal remedies to treat illnesses at home
A diverse survival guide, a very thorough preparedness book, and a first aid manual (hard copies in case the internet and power grid are down)
Alternative communications devices (such as a hand-crank radio) so that you can get updates about the outside world
Off-grid entertainment: arts and craft supplies, puzzles, games, books, crossword or word search puzzles, needlework, journals (here are some more ideas to keep the kids entertained.)
If you are completely unprepared for this type of thing, order some buckets of emergency food. Keep them in the back of your closet – they last for up to 25 years. This is absolutely the fastest way to create an emergency supply. Choose a high-quality product like the ones from Preppers Market – you don’t want to make yourself sick eating poor-quality food if you normally eat healthfully.

Try to stay under the radar.

Your best defense is avoiding the fight altogether. You want to stay under the radar and not draw attention to yourself. The extent to which you strive to do this should be based on the severity of the unrest in your area. Some of the following recommendations are not necessary in an everyday grid-down scenario, but could save your life in a more extreme civil unrest scenario.

Keep all the doors and windows locked. Secure sliding doors with a metal bar. Consider installing decorative gridwork over a door with a large window so that it becomes difficult for someone to smash the glass and reach in to unlock the door.
Put dark plastic over the windows. (Heavy duty garbage bags work well.) If it’s safe to do so, go outside and check to see if any light escapes from the windows. If your home is the only one on the block that is well-lit, it is a beacon to others.
Keep pets indoors. Sometimes criminals use an animal in distress to get a homeowner to open the door for them. Sometimes people are just mean and hurt animals for “fun”. Either way, it’s safer for your furry friends to be inside with you.
Don’t answer the door. Many home invasions start with an innocent-seeming knock at the door to gain access to your house.
Keep cooking smells to a minimum. The goal here is not to draw attention. The meat on your grill will draw people like moths to a flame.
Keep the family together. It’s really best to hang out in one room. Make it a movie night, go into a darkened room at the back of the house, and stay together. This way, if someone does try to breach your door, you know where everyone is who is supposed to be there. As well, you don’t risk one of the kids unknowingly causing a vulnerability with a brightly lit room or an open window.
Remember that first responders may be tied up. If the disorder is widespread, don’t depend on a call to 911 to save you – you must be prepared to save yourself. Also keep in mind, as mentioned earlier in the article – the cops are not always your friends in these situations.
Be prepared to defend your family.

If, despite your best efforts, your property draws the attention of people with ill intent, you must be ready to defend your family. Sometimes despite our best intentions, the fight comes to us. (Have you seen the movie The Purge?)

Many preppers stockpile weapons and ammunition for just such an event. I know that I certainly do. Firearms are an equalizer. A small woman can defend herself from multiple large intruders with a firearm, if she’s had some training and knows how to use it properly. But put a kitchen knife in her hand against those same intruders, and her odds decrease exponentially.

When the door of your home is breached, you can be pretty sure the people coming in are not there to make friendly conversation or borrow a cup of sugar. Make a plan to greet them with a deterring amount of force.

Don’t rely on 911. If the disorder is widespread, don’t depend on a call to 911 to save you – you must be prepared to save yourself. First responders may be tied up, and in some cases, the cops are not always your friends. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, some officers joined in the crime sprees, and others stomped all over the 2nd Amendment and confiscated people’s legal firearms at a time when they needed them the most.
Be armed and keep your firearm on your person. When the door of your home is breached, you can be pretty sure the people coming in are not there to make friendly conversation over a nice cup of tea. Make a plan to greet them with a deterring amount of force. Be sure to keep your firearm on your person during this type of situation, because there won’t be time to go get it from your gunsafe. Don’t even go to the kitchen to get a snack without it. Home invasions go down in seconds, and you have to be constantly ready.
Know how to use your firearm. Whatever your choice of weapon, practice, practice, practice. A weapon you don’t know how to use is more dangerous than having no weapon at all. Here’s some advice from someone who knows a lot more about weapons than I do.
Make sure your children are familiar with the rules of gun safety. Of course, it should go without saying that you will have pre-emptively taught your children the rules of gun safety so that no horrifying accidents occur. In fact, it’s my fervent hope that any child old enough to do so has been taught to safely and effectively use a firearm themselves. Knowledge is safety.
Be ready for the potential of fire. Fire is a cowardly attack that doesn’t require any interaction on the part of the arsonist. It flushes out the family inside, leaving you vulnerable to physical assaults. Have fire extinguishers mounted throughout your home. You can buy them in 6 packs from Amazon. Be sure to test them frequently and maintain them properly. (Allstate has a page about fire extinguisher maintenance.) Have fire escape ladders that can be attached to a windowsill in all upper story rooms. Drill with them so that your kids know how to use them if necessary.
Have a safe room established for children or other vulnerable family members. If the worst happens and your home is breached, you need to have a room into which family members can escape. This room needs to have a heavy exterior door instead of a regular hollow core interior door. There should be communications devices in the room so that the person can call for help, as well as a reliable weapon to be used in the unlikely event that the safe room is breached. The family members should be instructed not to come out of that room FOR ANY REASON until you give them the all clear or help has arrived. You can learn more about building a safe room HERE. Focus the tips for creating a safe room in an apartment to put it together more quickly.
Even if your plan is to bug in, you must be ready to change that plan in the blink of an eye. Plan an escape route. If the odds are against you, if your house catches on fire, if thugs are kicking in your front door… devise a way to get your family to safety. Your property is not worth your life. Be wise enough to accept that the situation has changed and move rapidly to Plan B.

Stay home.

If trouble comes to your neighborhood and you decide to stick around, stay home.

It’s the number one way to keep yourself safer from during a civil unrest situtation. If you find yourself in an area under siege, the odds will be further on your side for every interaction in which you avoid taking part. Every single time you leave the house, you increase your chances of an unpleasant encounter. Nothing will be accomplished by going out during a chaotic situation.

http://www.zengardner.com/prepared-lock ... s-america/
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Re: Getting Off The Grid

Post: # 139719Unread post Gary Oak »

THe video shows you how to make a fishing spear. As I have said , i hope I never have to use this knowledge but I do believe that it is better to have this knowledge and be prepared just in case.


The Quick and Easy Way to Make a Fishing Spear

Civilization makes life so easy, because you only have to be specialized in a handful of skills to survive. And the money those skills bring in will pay for everything else that you need in life. If however you’re ever stuck in the wilderness, you’ll find that you have to juggle countless responsibilities to survive. You have to build your own shelter, gather your own wood, protect yourself from predators, procure and clean your own water, and you have to find your own food.

And when it comes to food, you’ll require another layer of diverse skills. You’ll need to know how to forage and how to tell which plants are edible. You’ll have learn how to set traps and how to properly clean and cook the animals that you kill. And among many other skills, it would be useful to know how to catch a fish.

Obviously, if you’re struggling to survive in the wilderness, you won’t have a fishing pole and a tackle box. All you’ll have is your own bare hands and what you can make with them. While you could make a rudimentary fishing pole, in many cases your best bet would be to simply wade into some shallow water and spear the fish yourself.

While an ordinary sharpened pole can work well for this task, you’ll be more successful with a four pronged spearfishing pole. Fortunately, they aren’t too difficult to make out of the typical vegetation you’d find in the forest. Here’s how it’s done:



http://readynutrition.com/resources/the ... _17072016/
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Re: Getting Off The Grid

Post: # 139736Unread post Blue Frost »

I think he needs to whittle them to a sharper point unless he is going for a very very large fish.
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