[Dunbar]

How are you going to pass the time?

What ever the scenario; grid power outage, war, mobs, and any other catastrophe. How will you pass the time between hunting, fishing, gardening and gathering?

Scenario - it is December and the sun sets at 5:00 pm, you have cleaned your game, ate your food, made repairs, and told some stories. Are you going to sleep for 12 hours?... You can't trust the darkness.

It can be difficult copping with too much time. This is one element that preppers over look.

How will you pass the time? There were many nights in the Military that I was staring at the stars with my night vision goggles.

I Should be sleeping...
I am watching satellites in orbit...
I have radio watch approaching in a couple hours...
Time stops...
Silence...

An undisciplined person can fail at night. Loosing their sight in the darkness. Do not let the night test your fortitude. Stay focused.

 

[bennettvm]

Id sit up and talk for a good while - couple hours. Make plans for the next day/week, etc. I think that most people these days have sleep disorders because they do not get enough sleep. They are up all hours of the night watching TV, Internet, etc. Imagine how good you would feel if you went to sleep around 7pm every night and got up at sunrise?

 

[AsteroidX]

One of the hardest talks I had with my kid was teaching him how to shift sleep. That when I sleep he is awake and when he sleeps I am awake and why that would be important. That and teaching him to sleep with a gun.

We dont do that today but we spent a week doing it so hed be comfortable if the need arises and he will now always have that in his skillset.

No kid should be learning these lessons out of necessity. A sign of our changing times or bad parenting on my part. I dont care. But from a prepper point of view thats prep 101.

 

[Fuzzee]

It's a good question. Depending on how many people I'm with at the time and the circumstance, how much sleep I'll actually get is another question. Alone, on the move, always watching out for danger, with lots of it around, sleeping will be hard and with no one to talk to I'm sure I'll just be sitting there thinking for most of the night if not on the move still. If bugged in at the BOL, shift watches will be in play and if there's enough people to have a good span of time to sleep and time to socialize, talking, sex, playing cards and board games will be in the mix. Hopefully lots of sex if my day dream fantasy of being bugged out with a dozen modelex, horny, lonely ladies happen to come true, har har.

 

[LunaticFringeInc]

Can you imagine trying to keep a teenager occupied these days?! Most are addicted to TV,Computers,texting and video games. They rarely play outdoors,except in organized sports
and rarely play cards or board games.

Yeah that would definitely be a SHTF situation for a teenager these days...no, TV, no Phone, No internet and no Video games. That would probably qualify for cruel and inhumane punishment these days. They would live though, I know that they just think they wont.

Ill admit for me going a couple of days without power would get kind of old fast in a winter storm, but in a survival situation I am kinda thinking I am going to be too dang exhausted and tired trying to survive all day to be overly worried about entertainment too much once its dark thrity. I think at this point a hot bath even if its a "navy shower" will be welcomed as will a good full nights sleep if I have the luxury of doing that.

 

[Fuzzee]

I've lived through quite a few hurricanes with power outages already and did alot of reading by candle light also. If you've got the books it's a movies in your mind.

 

[Watercanlady]

I think you will be so busy when it's time to sleep you won't have much trouble. You will be more tired than today even just with the stress of it. And if you are alone read a book,make plans, etc. if together cards, board games, learning games etc.

 

[Verteidiger]

A lot will depend upon the security of your living circumstances. If you are in an area where it is unsafe to sleep for long periods at night (nearer cities, one would imagine) then you pass the time doing security checks and catching sleep when your watch ends. If you make it to a place where it is quiet at night, you probably will settle into a circadian rhythm, awake at sunrise, asleep at sunset.

Cultures that are not stress driven, such as Mexico, incorporate the siesta into their day, having a big lunch and taking a nap in the hot part of the day. Most farm animals do the same thing in warm weather. My grandparents, and now my parents, are afternoon nap takers.

You wake up refreshed and get on with your evening.

My own view is when you do not have the constant stream of information flooding your brain you begin to adjust to the luxury of having time on your hands. I have a lot of hobbies. I watched my parents retire after doing 9 to 5 for decades and they had no hobbies. It caused them adjustment issues post-retirement. I decided that I would focus on my passions as hobbies, so my quiet hours will be filled with doing things I like to do. Wrenching on a machine, doing a woodwork project, reeling in a fish or preparing tackle for the next day, cleaning your guns, tending to your animals (or children), doing the daily chores, these fill in the long hours nicely.

People need to unplug. Electronic gizmos are nice, but real life has so much more to offer.

The world wide world is still vastly superior to the World Wide Web.

On my last day at work, I plan to put my electronic gizmos under the wheels of my truck, and crush them as I drive away.

Then I will go home and watch the sunset and the sunrise, and relish the return of the simple life.

My two cents, anyway.

 

[Old Man]

I believe for me that even with the prepping my family and I have done, we really haven't push ourself toward the real possiblity of live without power. We live through ice storm where the power has be off for days. But not from the point of being off for good. We know it could happen, and understand doing drills are helpful, but for us I don't think it will truly set in until that day comes, and you will have to deal with it good or bad. I believe to a degree we will be shock that it really happen. Shouldn't be, but lets be real.

 

[Condor]

There will be plenty of ways to pass the time when it all falls apart. Security, food production, general chores, etc.

 

[Mudder.Mitch]

Lots of stuf to do after dark that's when some fish are most active so fish for a few hours and you can't hunt after dark now but if SHTF than who is going to stop you night time hunting would b a lot more productive than during the day is use my bow of corse gun would be to loud in my opinion no loud shooting un less you have no choice night time would also be the best time to cheek the perimeter of you BOL any exploring of new places should be Dunn after dark lots of things to do at night use the cover of darkness to your advantage

 

[SSGT]

Lots of stuf to do after dark that's when some fish are most active so fish for a few hours and you can't hunt after dark now but if SHTF than who is going to stop you night time hunting would b a lot more productive than during the day is use my bow of corse gun would be to loud in my opinion no loud shooting un less you have no choice night time would also be the best time to cheek the perimeter of you BOL any exploring of new places should be Dunn after dark lots of things to do at night use the cover of darkness to your advantage

DITTO MITCH!

If SHTF and its LAWLESS....Then we can hunt deer after dark! We already hunt racoon / rabbit and opossum legally after dark! Night Vision rifle scopes arent that costly! You will find more game out after dark than you will during the day! I'd lay in the sun and sleep during the days! LOL!

 

[inceptor]

When everything else is done we have board games and music. I have 3 mountain dulcimers, 1 hammer dulcimer and a mandolin. If there is some kind of power I also have a keyboard. This should keep people happy and occupied.

 

[punch]

sounds good plus theres always something on the shortwave. A guy who made ducimers just closed his shop near my house. I kick myself for not buying one. I like patonizing and supporting local artisans.

punch

 

[punch]

DITTO MITCH!

If SHTF and its LAWLESS....Then we can hunt deer after dark! We already hunt racoon / rabbit and opossum legally after dark! Night Vision rifle scopes arent that costly! You will find more game out after dark than you will during the day! I'd lay in the sun and sleep during the days! LOL!

you're preaching to the choir here brother, Acog and no limit! Happy hunting fellers.

punch

 

[LunaticFringeInc]

Lots of stuf to do after dark that's when some fish are most active so fish for a few hours and you can't hunt after dark now but if SHTF than who is going to stop you night time hunting would b a lot more productive than during the day is use my bow of corse gun would be to loud in my opinion no loud shooting un less you have no choice night time would also be the best time to cheek the perimeter of you BOL any exploring of new places should be Dunn after dark lots of things to do at night use the cover of darkness to your advantage

Mitch makes an excellent point in several ways. The fishing is often much better and more productive at night time especially in the warmer months anyways which is about 9 months out of the year here. In fact almost all of my fishing is done after Dark Thirty and before sun up. Its harder for the fish to get skittish when they cant see you so they spook less. Most fish will come from the deeper waters to feed in the shallows where they are rich in abundent food as well. Hunting game animals at night if there are any left in the area by the time the sheople finally succumb to starvation, will be easier at night in many ways as most game animals will move around pretty freely under the cover of darkness. The other benefit to this is that there will be less people awake to see or observe you hunting and fishing and coming home with food. I often hunt with a bow instead of a gun and I almost always fish from my Kayak at night, having stealth on your side in a SHTF event would most likely be a highly desired asset to ones welfare I would think based on my experience.