3 ms·

For me the lack of urgency in “prepping” for existential disasters is that I have far more pressing concerns, like avoiding bankruptcy and homelessness. If I w

For me the lack of urgency in “prepping” for existential disasters is that I have far more pressing concerns, like avoiding bankruptcy and homelessness. If I were sitting on a mountain of cash and hard assets, I would be more willing to invest in prepping. But until then, I’ve got little to protect anyway, and I’m not about to drop $800 on filling a bag with some supplies to last me a week in the apocalypse. Surviving post-collapse would be an adventure for everyone, but an unpleasant one for most. I’ve found the best way to resolve any existential concern is to continue working on long term goals of wealth acquisition and self improvement. Come the apocalypse, I’d rather be the guy with the army than the ex-programmer begging for food in exchange for repairing a home owner’s smart fridge.

jessriedel 5y ago
You generally can get a large fraction of the benefits of preparing for a rare risk of very bad events with minimal time investment. See for instance Rob Wiblin's nuclear war cheatsheet, which takes about 60 seconds to read: https://www.facebook.com/robert.wiblin/posts/801710894825 https://www.facebook.com/robert.wiblin/posts/801710894825 (Pastebin to avoid facebook login: https://pastebin.com/xeyr5CwX https://pastebin.com/xeyr5CwX ) It's not too hard to argue that something like that is worth re-reading, say, annually.
- simonebrunozzi 5y ago
  Upvoted for two reasons: one, excellent comment, and two, you kindly provided the Pastebin. Well done.
ramses0 5y ago
(old) Shoes, underwear, toilet paper, bottles of water, travel hand sanitizer, marine rations, first aid kit, u.s. army field survival guide (book). Basically as much water as you can carry and 2-3 packets/pouches/bricks of emergency shortbread/fake-cake. My threat models are 1) 3-day general disruption in services (water, electricity)... 2) immediate local disruption (fire, tornado), 3) "let's go camping!" Basically pack a "let's go camping" backpack (heavy on bottled water and a few extra of those emergency bricks), and throw it in the car whenever you go "out" for like a hike or a weekend road trip or whatever. The more you actually pick it up, use it, handle it, and travel with it... the more you'll figure some useful adjustments to it. It doesn't have to really cost much money in any case, just don't throw away your next pair of shoes... grab your ugliest "TechBro" free backpack, and stuff 5 liters of water in there. You'd already be way ahead of the game in case of a widespread disruption of services. I tend to keep my "dopp kit" ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toiletry_bag https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toiletry_bag ) in there when I'm not traveling which has my spare razor, q-tips, etc. ...again, total cost is nearing zero to get started, it's usually about making sure you've gathered useful things you already have into the same place.
- TechBro8615 5y ago
  This is good advice, but see, my problem is that I’d eat the marine rations when I run out of food next week, and I’d reach for the toilet paper as soon as it was out of stock at the shop. So now every time I go shopping I’ve got to refill the buffer. And next time I switch landlords, I have another bag to move! Maybe it’s a bit more like the old bear quote. You just need someone else to be prepared…
  - ramses0 5y ago
    Perfect! It's actually better if you interact with it regularly... which reminds me it's time to rotate the rations in my kit. Dessert for the week! :-D Technically you should have multiple bags. One in the car, one by the bed, one in the shop. Again, it's more of a mindset, and what's the cheapest, comfiest buffer you can get away with. For me: water, shoes, toilet paper, marine rations. Sanitizer b/c it's not the earthquake that gets you, it's the diarrhea caused by poor hygiene afterwards.

jessriedel 5y ago

You generally can get a large fraction of the benefits of preparing for a rare risk of very bad events with minimal time investment. See for instance Rob Wiblin's nuclear war cheatsheet, which takes about 60 seconds to read: https://www.facebook.com/robert.wiblin/posts/801710894825 https://www.facebook.com/robert.wiblin/posts/801710894825 (Pastebin to avoid facebook login: https://pastebin.com/xeyr5CwX https://pastebin.com/xeyr5CwX ) It's not too hard to argue that something like that is worth re-reading, say, annually.

simonebrunozzi 5y ago
Upvoted for two reasons: one, excellent comment, and two, you kindly provided the Pastebin. Well done.

ramses0 5y ago

(old) Shoes, underwear, toilet paper, bottles of water, travel hand sanitizer, marine rations, first aid kit, u.s. army field survival guide (book). Basically as much water as you can carry and 2-3 packets/pouches/bricks of emergency shortbread/fake-cake. My threat models are 1) 3-day general disruption in services (water, electricity)... 2) immediate local disruption (fire, tornado), 3) "let's go camping!" Basically pack a "let's go camping" backpack (heavy on bottled water and a few extra of those emergency bricks), and throw it in the car whenever you go "out" for like a hike or a weekend road trip or whatever. The more you actually pick it up, use it, handle it, and travel with it... the more you'll figure some useful adjustments to it. It doesn't have to really cost much money in any case, just don't throw away your next pair of shoes... grab your ugliest "TechBro" free backpack, and stuff 5 liters of water in there. You'd already be way ahead of the game in case of a widespread disruption of services. I tend to keep my "dopp kit" ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toiletry_bag https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toiletry_bag ) in there when I'm not traveling which has my spare razor, q-tips, etc. ...again, total cost is nearing zero to get started, it's usually about making sure you've gathered useful things you already have into the same place.

TechBro8615 5y ago
This is good advice, but see, my problem is that I’d eat the marine rations when I run out of food next week, and I’d reach for the toilet paper as soon as it was out of stock at the shop. So now every time I go shopping I’ve got to refill the buffer. And next time I switch landlords, I have another bag to move! Maybe it’s a bit more like the old bear quote. You just need someone else to be prepared…
- ramses0 5y ago
  Perfect! It's actually better if you interact with it regularly... which reminds me it's time to rotate the rations in my kit. Dessert for the week! :-D Technically you should have multiple bags. One in the car, one by the bed, one in the shop. Again, it's more of a mindset, and what's the cheapest, comfiest buffer you can get away with. For me: water, shoes, toilet paper, marine rations. Sanitizer b/c it's not the earthquake that gets you, it's the diarrhea caused by poor hygiene afterwards.