SHTF for Apartment Dwellers?

[nahfuten]

Anyone preparing for SHTF in an apartment?

My first choice is to pack up as much as possible in the SUV and get my wife and myself to my parents house. But, that includes a 3 hour drive on interstates and at least a half tank of gas, so I am a little nervous.

Please share any tips you have for preparing without a yard, garden, garage, or basement, the lack of freedom to reinforce the structure, and little storage space for excess supplies.

 

[zoglog]

I think this will be an interesting thread. I am a newbie at the SHTF scenarios but here are my two cents.
Keep the tank of your SUV above half all the time. My dad always did that and now I understand why. If there is a problem and you have to get the heck out of dodge you will always have atleast half of a tank. I use that and try to get my other half to also but she knows better We are both college students still but it puts me at ease knowing I can get to her parents at any time since I am always above half. Also having set bags with food, clothing, supplies, and your firearms are probably also a good idea. There are some threads with what other INGO's have in their bags.

 

[Arm America]

Have a backup plan.

Travel may not be an option, may not be safe, may not be legal.

 

[Bruenor]

In a major SHTF situation, don't count on being able to use the interstates. Not only will they be clogged with traffic, but if I remember correctly, the interstates can be closed to everyone but military personnel in the case of a national emergency.

If you have a destination in mind, you need to have a way to get there. That seems obvious, but as the poster above mentioned, you need gas. In a SHTF situation, you won't have time to stop for gas, and even if you had time chances are you won't be able to get through the lines of other people. For an apartment, if you have the option of having a garage, take it. You can store a couple of gas cans in the garage, along with lots of other gear that you would need.

Next, keep that vehicle in good condition. With a BUV, you need to keep it in the same condition as your carry weapon, which should be perfect. I don't mean that some dings and rust are unacceptable, what I mean is it needs to be in great running condition. Do you know what a truck that doesn't run because it needs new spark plugs is? A two ton paperweight. Make sure that it runs, and stock up on common repair items; spark plugs, belts, hoses, oil.

Now that you have a way to get where you are going, know what to pack. You'll need food, water, firearms, and ammo. Those are the ones that people usually think of. What you also need are supplies when you have to leave your vehicle. Count on having to leave it, and you won't be surpirsed. Get good packs, a tent, and basic camping gear (see BOB thread). Get a good compass and map, and know how to use them. Make sure that you have good hiking boots, because you may need to hike for a while.

Last, like I said above, don't count on the interstate. Map out multiple routes to get to your destination. Along each route, plan out side routes in the case you need to detour. More than likely it won't be a straight shot to your destination. Plan on making detours.

Plan it out, and the situation won't take you by surprise.

 

[MoTown]

Accepting the fact that this is a pretty dumb question, I must ask: what does SHTF stand for?

 

[Bruenor]

Accepting the fact that this is a pretty dumb question, I must ask: what does SHTF stand for?

Well, something is hitting the fan, but I can't tell you what because it won't get past the sensors.

 

[infidel]

Anyone preparing for SHTF in an apartment?

My first choice is to pack up as much as possible in the SUV and get my wife and myself to my parents house. But, that includes a 3 hour drive on interstates and at least a half tank of gas, so I am a little nervous.

Please share any tips you have for preparing without a yard, garden, garage, or basement, the lack of freedom to reinforce the structure, and little storage space for excess supplies.

Hey, I'm in the same boat as you! Drive and everything....Kinda hard adjusting to this little place coming from a big ole farm. Anyways - I have a BOB and a truck that can safely get me home - if thats an option. If its not, well let me introduce you to what I call my doomsday closet. Basically anything I would need for 2 - 3 months can be found in this closet. I figure that should either get me through whatever happens, or help me transition to the next phase, whatever it may be. It really doesn't take as much space as you might think if you do it right.

Look around your place when your driving or whatever. Make it a game - "Oh that would be a sweet place to snipe zombies" or "The Russian commies would never find me there". About not being able to reinforce your place - know where the closest hardware store is (just in case).

Also. Being that far away from you BOL, get a map and find a few alternative routes. Backroads and all. This could ultimatly mean the diffence between sitting on a highway/interstate for hours of roadblocks and getting home undetected. Or getting home at all.

Accepting the fact that this is a pretty dumb question, I must ask: what does SHTF stand for?

**** hitting/hits the fan
No such thing as a dumb question pal.

 

[MoTown]

Well, something is hitting the fan, but I can't tell you what because it won't get past the sensors.

Ah, enough said. Common sense probably should have led me to figuring it out. Thanks.

 

[evansvillethompsongunner]

Apartment-dwellers (of which I am) have basically two options, in my view - flee to safer ground (family farm, other family, etc., anywhere more defensible than somewhere with walls about two inches thick...), or entrenchment in one's spot.

Either way is a difficult decision.

If you leave, you had BETTER have a four-wheel drive vehicle... and the higher the wheelbase and lower the center-of-gravity, the easier it'll be, and in a truly SHTF situation, you'll need things to go as smoothly as possible, cause it'll be constantly uphill. Traffic WILL be congested, so you better have lots of sideroads and lots of goods to bribe in the likely case of checkpoint guards - cash may or may not be available, but despite it's worthlessness, I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't take a Krugerrand or two for 'safe' passage (and if you REALLY want my opinion as to WHY gold is worthless, let me know and I'll give a nice, long polemic against why gold and silver are just as worthless as paper currency... but I digress). Gasoline and oil will have to be ON HAND before stepping into vehicle... preferably already stored IN vehicle. Gas tank should have locking gas cap in case marauders try to siphon out some of your precious fuel and you're not able to plant one in their T-box as they're doing so. Biggest problem, IMO, is visibility on the road - what's to keep other travellers from drawing a bead on you as you're tooling down the highway? (Or, more likely, stuck in a traffic jam?) Open carry in a situation like that could keep roving gangs away, or it could draw attention as you have an object which they would then desire. Moreover, keeping alert, especially with family with you, would be almost impossible on the open road - you're bound to encounter entrenched snipers plinking whomever they can to raid vehicles for goods... or worse. All it would take is a single .50BMG round or maybe even just a few lower-caliber rounds through the engine block, and you, my as-yet-unknown friend, are quite probably in an even worse situation than you'd've been in just staying put... and even though it's quite possible to armor-plate your vehicle, this kills needed gas mileage and is ******** cost-prohibitively high to do for all but the very wealthiest among us.

Moreover, the area to which you're travelling might already be over-ran/unsafe... cell phones will not work, guaranteed. Landlines probably won't work, and only an act of God could grant the possibility that you would have the ability or time to take or place a call from those intended to shelter you. Email will be a luxury, and who the hell is going to check Gmail when there's snipers firing rounds at their house? Mail may or may not work, and if it does go through, it's guaranteed to be slow - and thus not real-time, and thus virtually useless in case of rapidly-changing conditions, inaccurate, and highly censored, and definitely not good for detailing locations and conditions, especially if the enemy happens to be the most-feared/most-suspected.

So, if, like me, you've decided to stay where you are/in the general area, prepare for living minimalist, at best. Immediately, there's about a thousand things you can no longer do. I suggest knowing your neighbors beforehand - who's likely to ally up, and who's likely to shoot you in the back for your supply of canned tuna? (At long last, who likely has the tuna?) I would try to ally with whomever you FIRMLY believed trustworthy, two or three family-units at most... and even then, I wouldn't trust anyone beyond knowing that they wouldn't shoot you in the face. If this is not desirable or able to be done (my neighbors are not your neighbors), then if one must go it solo, do your best to reinforce the walls and doors as much as possible. You might not be able to spend the time to use a can opener to pour concrete into soda cans, say, and then to stack them and stagger them to make about one foot of thickness, but you might be able to put up some plywood or copper or other metal sheeting. (Stainless is expensive, but in the right quantities, maybe it wouldn't cost as much? Group buy on stainless sheeting? Heh.) In the end, you might find this to be a waste of time or invaluable - assess your needs. Is sniper-fire likely? Are your door locks adequate? Have you, in fact, underestimated your water/food needs and are now miserably deigned to starve to death? Hopefully not. But despite the fact that not every situation can be planned for, get some ideas of what you need to do NOW, and what must be left until the moment of battle. In reality, everything is situation-specific, but let's give that trite motto some flavor: let us be prepared.

 

[Zoub]

I am a bug in guy, but we all know apartment complexes are never good.

Be able to last 7 days in your apartment, 7 days in your vehicle that is 14 total. Dehydrated food like Mountianhouse is a good option for you.

Keep bulk items at your parents house.

You can use/make furniture that has built in storage space. Water and Gasoiline are your top needs along with cash on hand.

Your vehicle should be a Navigators dream. It is your primary asset right now. Be able to load out in an hour and be ready to drive for 24 hours. On average a vehicle burns a gallon of gas per hour of idling but you are going to avoid idling and the masses.

Move perpindicular to the masses. By doing this I once made a drive in 2 hours that took others 4-5, under normal circumstances it was a 30 minute drive. I also knew the alternate routes ahead of time so I could make quick decisions and keep moving.

This past winter I did this and got home in about 2 hours. Normal drive was an hour. I was the ONLY person I know that made it home. The Govt. had shut down all highways. Big deal, I got off the highway and went around their road blocks. That is because I keep detailed maps in my truck. I pulled off, studied my maps for a few minutes and headed out. I suggest Delorme Gazetters for any state you travel in be in your vehicle at all times, detailed maps of any major city you deal with and of course multiple compasses. It will give you the confidence you need to go for it.

3 hours of interstate: Surely you can get home in 7 hours of backroad driving? Make the drive a few times not using highways. My old man made us do that all the time. Pick the route, estimate ETA and fuel and go............and we got 9mpg in his truck. To this day, even when I drive 18 hours if I am off by more than minutes on my ETA I check myself for a fever because I must be sick!!

The world will not turn upside down in 24 hours and of all the major cities I have lived in Indy is the easiest to get out of and Indiana is a dream to drive in. The entire state road system is a North/South grid. Sadly we owe that to the French but so be it, it is a damn good layout.

 

[evansvillethompsongunner]

....

The world will not turn upside down in 24 hours ....

Wholly and completely agree with all of what you said except for the above.

You should go back in time and mention this to the French on May 9th, 1940.

 

[SC_Shooter]

With respect to maps, one of the best detailed maps I have found is a DeLorme Gazetteer (Atlas & Gazetteers, by State - DeLorme). These are very detailed for most states (Indiana is one of them) and show back roads, basic topography, water features and lots of other very useful information about locations you might want to either find or avoid.

The maps are just under $20 at Borders, Barnes & Noble or other places like that. You can also order them right off the DeLorme site. I've got an Indiana version in my vehicle and my wife's (we rely on them all the time to find things...even with a GPS in her vehicle), and a set with Indiana, the surrounding states and several other states at home. It's a great reference set to have and even in the non-SHTF days I've used mine several times to find hiking and hunting lands in several states.

 

[RCB]

Best SHTF advice for apartment dwellers? Get out of the city Ok, realistically I would recommend keeping gear stowed in your car and a destination out of your city that you KNOW.

In a really bad situation I would recommend not even to try returning to your apartment if say, you were at work. Just make for the city limits and head for your safe house location, be it family or friend or even a rural park you know well.

If at home, I think you would still be better served getting the heck out of dodge before any sort of martial law comes down.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Anyone preparing for SHTF in an apartment?

My first choice is to pack up as much as possible in the SUV and get my wife and myself to my parents house. But, that includes a 3 hour drive on interstates and at least a half tank of gas, so I am a little nervous.

Please share any tips you have for preparing without a yard, garden, garage, or basement, the lack of freedom to reinforce the structure, and little storage space for excess supplies.

You have to get as much utility as you possibly can out of every single item or ounce of gear. There's no point to having a dozen different kinds of guns stashed around if it's not in the plan to stay there and use them.

I'd keep the gas tank half full regardless of any SHTF scenario. You never know when some one at "home" may need you or you may need them. Standardize your equipment. One or two max so you both have them would be Glock 19 and extra mags. One apiece, read the N.O. guardman's thread, I concurr with him. It makes perfect sense. In fact the list I ask him for would be the perfect list of SHTF supplies for any apartment dweller. A dozen or more pair of drawers and socks ALWAYS washed folded and ready to bag, two sets of BDU. One to wash and one to wear on any trip. A couple jars of peanut butter and a bottle of honey. Keeps forever good and doesn't need refrigeration on a trip. Water bottles and a back packing type water filter would be good, an alternative is water bottle full of plain chlorine bleach. A couple drops in a water bottle and wait an hour or two before drinking could be the difference in making it or not if you wind up walking far. At least one pair of GOOD boots you can walk all day in and a spare pair of last ditch foot wear like a light pair of running or walking shoes to wear while wet boots dry out.

Kiss your mom and dad's butt every time you see them and do every thing you can around the house to be ready when you get there to help in the event of SHTF.

 

[CopperWires]

It all depends on what the disaster is. You need to listen to "The Survival Podcast" Jack will tell you everything you need to know.

 

[Zoub]

Wholly and completely agree with all of what you said except for the above.

You should go back in time and mention this to the French on May 9th, 1940.

I hear ya, but I just don't think the Canadians, Cubans or Mexicans can get to Indy that quick. Having lived in North Dakota and Texas I can honestly say there are some tough people on our 6 and 12!

That being said, all conflicts have their casualties.

Handgun, water, carbs, compass, binoculars, maps and good boots can get you pretty far.

 

[alfahornet]

You're just screwed ... welcome to the club

 

[flatlander]

In a TRULY TEOTWAWKI, I just upgraded to a 16 bedroom 10+ bathroom house once I get some walls taken care of
What if you have NO place to go?

Bob

 

[versuchstier147]

We're pretty much boned. I do have a number of armed co-workers living in my neighborhood. That's a big plus. The rest of the people, I don't know about... All my vehicles are in less than desirable condition. The best one is over twenty years old. And I quit leaving my SHTF equipment in my car - it really drags out those traffic stops. I've never had a single stop that didn't involve a 20 minute cell phone call to the police station, and at least three cars. I imagine it'll be 100x worse getting stopped at a checkpoint in SHTF.

I think - unless the threat is nuclear or chemical, stay where you are. Avoid everyone and everything. Go into hiding.

 

[Zoub]

With respect to maps, one of the best detailed maps I have found is a DeLorme Gazetteer (Atlas & Gazetteers, by State - DeLorme). These are very detailed for most states (Indiana is one of them) and show back roads, basic topography, water features and lots of other very useful information about locations you might want to either find or avoid.

In a relativley small thread 2 of us have quoted these as invaluable to have.

I often give these as Xmas gifts. The detail goes down to even showing long lanes on farms. If you can read landmarks, use a compass and know anything about land navigation these things get it done.