Overt vs Covert Gear in a SHTF Situation

[Moose-Knuckle]

I believe this is what I read.

ETA: If I remember correctly, one of the biggest things that was always a hot commodity was lighters, the kind you get in 96 packs from Costco. It means so little to us now, but when the SHTF, those $.20 lighters are the difference between eating a warm meal and chewing on raw whateveryoufind. Which reminds me, I need to go to Costco...

Thanks to Selco, one of the things I hoard is disposable butane lighters. He used them for barter, after all who doesn't need a quick method of fire starting when you have to start a fire just purify water, make food safe to eat, heat as it get's pretty cold in E Europe during the winter months etc. He keeps his method a close secret but he has said that what made him so prosperous is that he developed a method to "refill" disposable butane lighters. People would come to him to fuel them and would trade him for goods that he needed.

[thei3ug]

This was for both my wife and I. She works in a professional environment. Suits and high rise buildings. I work in industrial. Button downs and jeans. Either way, "Overt" will mean "I do not belong here." We've been snowed away from home, and services were cut. choices on what gear was needed were based on that. Limits are nothing more than we can carry (a 100 lb woman), and that can fit in the trunk without impeding daily life. Individual with caveats. We each pack some overlapping things in our cars. Otherwise how much can I possibly concern myself with before I'm a traveling general store? That means food, toiletries, clothes, baby items. Furthermore it means things that can serve when there isn't some kind of emergency. What happens if I'm covered in say, lead dust like I was two weeks ago? I can't whip out a nice set of digital tigerstripe and head back to work.

The types of clothes we chose were to both be unobtrusive, ie neutral colors, while being professional. Polo type shirts, khaki pants. Camping backpacks. Weapons and ammo are not going to happen. She travels into a restrictive state daily, and I work in a MARSEC area with no weapons allowed and vehicle checks. It's not going to happen. There is no time where being overt would work to either of our advantage. Especially in the blighted area where I work. If anything I want to look like a depressed hitchhiker than mr. with it.

[TacticalTyler]

Not to piss in anyone's cereal , but I believe if you don't live or dont have a job in a remote/mountain/sticks location then why live a survivalist lifestyle or hobby?
Then again, this shouldn't even be a hobby when your life an family's life's matters. Instead of investing your money an time into cool tacticool gear an protocols/bug out locations. Start with moving to a remote location, an getting a near by job in said remote location.
To me this is your best chance of survival.
Guess the idea of living that way is too hard for some?


Anyways here's my plan.
I work about 25 mins away from my home in the mountains.
I carry everything I need in my jeep, I can go full ovart if need be.
AR with mag
dsg chest rig attached to a velocity plate carrier with lvl 4 plates
ammo bag with 6 mags
3 day pack with everything I need to hike home.
Secondary is glock 17 gen 4 with 2 mags on my belt.
My jeep has the suspension/flex/winch/recovery kit to get me anywhere an around any obstacle on my way home.
5 mins from work I can be on a dirt road in the mountains that will take me all the way home, I can by pass any royal areas.
If dirt road isn't feasible I can pretty much flex around or make my own path through the mountains on atv trails or other said trails.

Just the lifestyle/work I chose allows me to carry a loaded down offroad vehicle.

If this isn't possible for you then why bother?
That's if we are talking worst case disaster/survival.
I guess I'm too far gone in the prep/survival life

The big con with this is, I'm a hermit yes... An I'm single an no kids.
I do have a dog though

Maybe experts can chime in on the subject , an tell me if I doing it wrong or too much?
Would really like input , positive or negative I can take it an will change accordingly.

[soulezoo]

^^^^TacticalTyler

Brother, no one can tell you that you are doing it wrong or too much... anymore than you can tell others they are wrong. This is largely conjecture and opinion based upon each individuals preferences and lifestyles. Folks have to adapt to their surroundings and situations. What are you going to do if you are home and your SHTF is a huge forest fire... something like the King fire in California last year and your home is ground zero. What is your prep for that?

[TacticalTyler]

^^^^TacticalTyler

Brother, no one can tell you that you are doing it wrong or too much... anymore than you can tell others they are wrong. This is largely conjecture and opinion based upon each individuals preferences and lifestyles. Folks have to adapt to their surroundings and situations. What are you going to do if you are home and your SHTF is a huge forest fire... something like the King fire in California last year and your home is ground zero. What is your prep for that?

Lol yeah , my prep is to go deeper in the mountains away from the fire.
Luckily , not to divulge my location but I'm in the Appalachian mountains. So it stays fairly wet all summer.
Say if it did happen, then it wouldn't look to good for me, an I would truly be up sh** creek.

[soulezoo]

Lol yeah , my prep is to go deeper in the mountains away from the fire.
Luckily , not to divulge my location but I'm in the apparat ion mountains. So it stays fairly wet all summer.
Say if it did happen, then it wouldn't look to good for me, an I would truly be up sh** creek.

My home is in the Sierras. My home has been threatened twice now by forest fire... once last year by the aforementioned King fire.

I'd say my SHTF is going to be that far sooner than an EMP, hurricane, civil unrest, nuclear blast and etc...

[TacticalTyler]

My home is in the Sierras. My home has been threatened twice now by forest fire... once last year by the aforementioned King fire.

I'd say my SHTF is going to be that far sooner than an EMP, hurricane, civil unrest, nuclear blast and etc...

Yeah , those fires get scary out west. I'm thankful I grew up in the east for that one particular reason.
Although you guys have the better scenery an mountains lol.

[sevenhelmet]

Tyler, this isn't about an "all or nothing" approach- it's about ensuring the protection and survival of you and any family and friends in your area. Just because someone may not happen to live in a wilderness area or be able to carry a multiple firearms in their vehicle is no reason to say "screw it" and not do anything to prepare a security plan for a natural/man-made disaster. That would be a defeatist attitude, which will kill anyone intent on surviving as fast as anything else.

I think this thread shows a variety of circumstances and reasons people might find themselves in, and it's valuable in that respect IMHO.

[TacticalTyler]

Tyler, this isn't about an "all or nothing" approach- it's about ensuring the protection and survival of you and any family and friends in your area. Just because someone may not happen to live in a wilderness area or be able to carry a multiple firearms in their vehicle is no reason to say "screw it" and not do anything to prepare a security plan for a natural/man-made disaster. That would be a defeatist attitude, which will kill anyone intent on surviving as fast as anything else.

I think this thread shows a variety of circumstances and reasons people might find themselves in, and it's valuable in that respect IMHO.

Gotcha , yeah I think I side tracked a little too far on this thread.
I get what your saying an understand where people stand on "their own circumstances"
Basically , I agree with what you said.

[docsherm]

I do understand what you are saying Tyler. I have a very similar set you as you, no jeep....F250 .

I do disagree with the all or nothing point of view. My family has everything set up in the event something happens yet we still live in a nice suburban neighborhood and the kids play soccer and we get pizza delivered on the weekends. I have live long periods in "total survive" mode and it kind of sucks.....but it is better then death. So I try and minimize the about of suck my family has to endure on a daily basis. If the SHTF we will go to our location and live a much harder lifestyle. Yet again it will be better than most people are going to be dealing with at that time.

We do go and spend time on the weekends and during the summer so that everyone gets used to to and it would not a complete shock to the system.

I am prepared so that my family does not suffer, now or then.