these cost about $5, i own two of them. They can be found at canadian tire, home depot, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygfv-nkvjxU
I'd rather have one and never need it, then have none and need one.....
This is a truly great thread. I don't have anything to contribute at the moment, but wanted to get into it so I can find it easily. Only about halfway through reading them and there are so many useful things discussed! I will say that I feel the same way gmurphy, lots of thoughts rolling around. planning out different things and needing info and feedback. Great thread!
so here is another thought i have had recently about a possible bug-out route. Now this may or may not work, but what about walking the powerlines?? OK, so now you think im completly crazy, but wait a sec. lets look at this for a minute, those power lines go from vancouver to kamloops if im not mistaken( somebody please correct me if im wrong) and those powerlines are like a highway through the bush. so would it not be possible for a guy or group of people to get to these powerlines and start hiking. the hiking is not going to be fantastic im sure but i would think that it would be fairly clear. like any other powerlines around the province they are keep cleear of big trees etc. im no expert on this idea, but i think that this option just might work should there ever be a need. Now im not really sure were a person could get information on this kind of thing, id be willing to bet that if you went to bc hydro and started asking questions they might get a little defensive, but there must be somewhere on the net that one can look up this info.( maybe)
Now what about using the pipeline as a route out of town?? if im not mistaken doesn't the pipeline come out of the mountain in the hope area?? im thinking about those pipes that are red and white that go across the fraser river( please correct me if im wrong) what was the name of the pipeline company that maintained the pipeline... transmountain i think??? they have since been renamed. But would this be a good option?? i mean the pipeline hasthose markers in the ground every 100 meters or so( the orange ones that are about two feet tall) and every so often the pipeline comes out of the ground( a joint or something, like a maintence point)
Anyways, just some of my thoughts....
on the bc hydro website check out "transmission system" and then click on "provincal transmission system" these maps might be of some use.
OK, I will post in response to this before I get to work lolol. I too have been thinking of ways to GOOD when the SHTF. At the present time I do not have a vehicle and I am not sure that's the best way to get out anyway. I mean, it depends on the situation, how prepared someone is with extra fuel, how easily one can get out of the city on the roads, etc. I have though of a number of options. I have two daughters, one just turning 9 and the other 10 1/2, and we all have bikes, which might be useful, but again, going out on any of the main roads would require us to be out in the open, which might not be safe. I would rather attract as little attention to our departure as possible and a bike could easily be taken away, especially from children.
I have also thought of getting an inflatable raft, something that could perhaps be stored in a secret location, and bugging out by rafting down the river. However, we would need the time to inflate the raft, although auto-inflate rafts are probably pretty quick. We do live with a km or two of the river.
Our other option is to follow the hiking trail that runs for about 100 km or to the north and south of the city. I would wager to say that most people don't know the trail is there or how far it goes and I could easily take us out of the city on foot, concealed within the trees along the river, and through many areas with farmland, camp grounds, and provincial parks. We could go off the trail if need be and stay relatively safe.
I hadn't thought of the power lines and will try to find a map of those for my are in southern ON. That is a great idea, but I am quite certain that we are closer to the river than the power lines, so the hiking trail is likely our first choice, with the power lines being a backup.
Livingpower what city are you in? Also consider railway tracks. They are designed to never have more that a 3% steep grade. Easy walking, and usually lots of bush on either side that can be dodged into.
Aaronbouge, I am in London. Railway tracks are another great idea. Plenty of those around, although, they do go right through the centre of town, which means total exposure until well out of the main part of the city. I think I would prefer the hiking trail, which also passes through the centre of town, but concealed along the river. I am counting on the fact that I would clue in to the severity of what is happening earlier than most people and by the time they figure it out, which they will be doing in their homes and/or on the main streets of the city, my family will be quietly slipping away along the trails and at least at the edge of town if not already out of it.
ok folks we need to talk safety.... please see the following video for a few examples of tools to be safe....just in case!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS9b5Qg3ohk
😀 😀 ......had to have a laugh
Anywho..... sorry for the sidetrack folks, i admit that i couldn't help myself. I guess sometimes i get caught up in the serious side of things and once in while you gotta" let loose"... hope you all had a chuckle at the above video, i know i did.
Now about train tracks.... I've been wandering the internet for a while and haven't been able to find any good maps of the train tracks in bc or anywhere else in canada for that matter. Am i missing something here?? is the answer i seek right in front of me and im not typing in the right search info?? I agree that train tracks are a very good means of travel. I can think of many places in bc where the tracks run along a river, or go through a tunnel ( both of those can be very handy) should i ever need to, i wouldn't hesitate to use them.
Looking on a regular map (paper) will show you the tracks. Besides you should have one on hand anyway for the trip! I like to keep to books, maps, and stuff like in the old days. Dont get me wrong I sit here alot LOL But still my homesteading books, fixit books,survival books are in the flesh Hehehe Gotta have it in the flesh! It will be awful handy to have it there to refer too when needed. Just cant remember everything.
Check out the map and the legend for the route you desire. Going to be a good bet too. Like aaron said bush to hide just 6 ft away. Game to hunt and level. Can make some good daily ground compared to bushwacking and walking trails on curves and different elevations. HOWEVER you can get back to the checkpoints and roadblocks which im sure will be right at the tracks. This will need to be addressed.
Whatever tomorrow brings,… I will be there! 😉
With aerial printouts, say from google earth of a few bug out options, you could always pinpoint and make notes about strategies ( I think in the heat of the moment in a crisis of that proportion that one is actually needing to be bugging out that opportunities might not be optimized ) , places that might offer resources that may be of help, any potential cache sites that you might actually prepare and have a more success. It is pretty amazing what you can see from aerial views and topographic information you can obtain off the internet.
Had an interesting talk with a coworker the other day. We were talking about the mindset of normal people in abnormal situations. I won't type out the entire conversation but i will put this to the masses. How far are you prepared to go to survive?? Do you have it in you to watch a person struggle, and walk away? Can you stomach watching someone die and simply leave them were they lie and carry on with your day? I know that these things may sound harsh but some of these situations may become a reality.
Not a fun topic, but even the not fun ones need to be looked at........
Are we talking about now, everyday life, or are we talking in a SHTF situation?
Im talking about SHTF type situations....
Ok then. Well today I know the answer. Regardless of the situation I would jump in. Been there done that. Not the smartest thing to do buy any means but that is just me. The changes of personal injury may be relatively high but serious injury and above much less because the rule of law is in place and all but the schizophrenic realise that there will be consequences. Come TSHTF the paradigm changes as there are no societal brakes to apply to any given situation. It would be totally dependent on the situation, numbers involved and chances of success vs. the implication of failure. In any confrontation there are winners and losers. In the basic form a 50% chance of success. Personally I would like the odds a little more in my favor.
Yes i agree, if it were today, then im in, for the same reasons you mentioned. I guess what im thinking about is the darker side of the human mind. The cold, cruel,ruthless place that a person may have to go to, to survive. I dunno, these are just some of my thoughts....
If it happened today, yes I would help, and I would like to think that I always would, no matter the situation, but I am not naïve enough to truly believe that would necessarily be the case in SHTF. I have children to protect, my mother, and myself so that I can continue to protect and provide for them and I imagine that no matter how good a person I am, there would be situations in which I would walk away. I wouldn't like it, but... well... there it is 🙁