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19 and want to start prepping

2K views 13 replies 10 participants last post by  StarPD45 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi,

I'm 19 years old and I'm about to end my studies at a local community college for personal reasons. I live in central Louisiana with my GF (19 also) and currently I'm searching for employment. I am skilled with technology and as such I'm trying to find a system admin job or something tech related. She currently works as a cashier at our local walmart.

I have a car but no guns. What do you guys recommend?

Edit-

I plan to bug out and keep moving. Unless I find a spot I like for long term settling. Otherwise our time will be spent salvaging gas and food and constantly moving.

I think my biggest concern is a WROL situation with everyone but me with a gun. ...I feel like such a dumbass for pawning my shotgun for an entertainment product. At the time I was living in the dorms and wanted to kill some time. Anyways I digress.
 
#2 ·
Head to your local walmart and spend $25 and get as much food and other simple supplies as you can. It is a very simple start. Each time you go shopping, pick up a few things here and there to add to your supplies. Very simple. As for guns, that is really a preference. It is always good to be able to hunt with a shotgun/rifle. That way you can feed yourself.
 
#5 ·
With 19 and no job you would best use the time to learn skills. You said you'd bug out and keep moving; I would think your best chance is landing some where - where your skills would be needed and in exchange for those skills you will earn what you need to sustain.

I'd budget 10% of every pay check to preparations once you get them coming in. You can learn about that here, water is of course key, then food, and defense (my order not everyones)
 
#10 ·
You should focus less on prepping and more on self improvement. Go study a trade. For example, I might not have the most preps or am completely done with preps but I have skills that most people do not. I'm only 32 but started studying electrical technology since I was 16. Since then I've moved my way up from a basic auto installer into an engineering technician who builds particle accelerators for a living. I have comprehensive knowledge and experience building electrical control systems from the component level on up including coding.

In a SHTF scenario, my skills would be extremely useful in getting communications, control systems, vehicles, planes, tanks, or any electrical infrastructure back up and online. My skills are not limited to electrical, I have a vast experience in mechanical engineering too. With that said, much like a medic, my skills can outweigh "preps." People like me, and much like medics, military personnel, weapons experts, woodworkers, etc would be highly valuable in a community of survivalist.

My bottom line, you're still young and in a position to focus on your career of self development to contribute to you/gf's or a community's survival. A truly skilled individual can survival without preps. In my opinion, preppers without useful skill are as good as dead in a SHTF scenario. Just pick a trade and do it. Don't spend your teens and twenties thinking about what to do with your life. Just pick something now and go with it.
 
#11 ·
I know you will probably balk at this, but have you thought about military service. Great training including firearms, probably career start, decent money considering. Education benefits are worth while, and might help you mature into the man you want to be. I know that was worth a lot to me in 1972 when I got out of Air Force.
 
#13 ·
OK, at 19 do you have any other skills besides your IT training?
Have you ever backpacked? Camped by walking with a pack on your back with everything you need to stay alive while you are out? Ever fished?
You have a lot of learning to do and the first thing is that the most important things are:
1. Shelter, 2. Water, 3. food, 4. fire, 5. defense
When you have shelter, water for the duration or a means to get it on your own, food for the duration or the know-how to get it in the wild, can build a fire in the middle of winter from the wood around you in the trees and make it safe from spreading, then you should consider a gun.
The first step in getting a gun is a gun safety course. Then you have to be real about what the gun is for. A shotgun is the most diverse and powerful weapon available to "normal" people. A 12 ga pump is great if you can handle it but that girl of yours may not be able to, so get a 20 ga pump and then you have to practice with it. Get good with it - when you can hit 20 out of 25 skeet you are just starting. You will need lots of ammo for it - 2000 rounds stored and then whatever you use to practice with on top of that. All this time you need to be storing more food - learning about wild foods and how to prepare them. You need to learn where to find water - no mater where you are.

At 19 I had already learned how to shoot, spent weeks in the mountains living off the land, and eated things that most people would think would kill them. It was all just second nature to me. I knew how to set traps, snares, and I had even made my own bow. You need to decide if you want to "play with guns" or learn to be prepared for whatever comes.

That may sound a bit harsh but the truth of the matter is - you don't need a gun to survive and a pistol is NOT a good survival weapon. The first three weapons you need are a 12 ga shotgun, followed by a 22 rimfire bolt or pump action rifle, followed by a hunting rifle of 6mm to 35 caliber that you can shoot accurately at 200 yards (2-3 inch 5 shot groups) After you have those guns and are good with them - THEN it is time to think about handguns.
 
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