Here are some of my thoughts on lists. I was not able to cover as much as I intended during the Net the other day.
My Thoughts On:
Lists
By Jerry D Young
While some people have photographic memories, or amazing powers of mental organization, I am not one of them. So, I use lists as part of my prepping planning and as an active part of doing many of the things I do as part of my prepping activities.
Some of the ways I use lists are:
1) As a research tool. I will write things down as I find the information I am researching and then organize it into a list. This type of list is often an outline list with primary points, each with sub-points, and the sub-points will often have there own sub-points. (Just a note. I was taught that every level should have two items or more. If a point does not have at least two sub-points, the single sub-point is part of the main point.)
2) As a reminder tool. I simply cannot always remember things that I need to do or things that need to happen in a certain order or before a certain time. By having a list with the necessary information kept handy, a glance every now and then helps me get those things done. This kind of list can be fancied up with color coding, symbols, and other ways to indicate importance or timing.
3) As a safety check. Check lists can be especially important in times of stress and when things must be done in a certain order or a certain way in order to avoid problems, and in some cases to make sure everything goes not only smoothly but safely as well.
4) As a planning tool. Many of my lists are part of my planning for prepping as well as other more mundane things in my life. I keep a set grocery list with the normal things I by.
It is not a specific list for that trip. It is everything I use regularly. With the list in hand, I am prompted to think about each item. I can almost always remember if I need that item now or do not need it. That way I only get what I am reminded that I need, without writing a new list every time.
The planning lists often contain items that I need to evaluate to decide which one will be best of the use at an acceptable price. Items I am thinking about and need to research. Wanted items for a specific purpose. They are the lists so I have a reference when I have some time to apply to prepping planning and can therefore pick and choose what to work on with what I already know, which also gives me information on what I do not know, but might need to look into.
5) As an inventory control tool. Some lists are used to keep me informed of what I have on hand of various classes of items. A companion list of things I need to get to bring the inventory back up to my preferred levels is generated from the inventory list.
6) As an information tool. Several of my lists are simply groups of information all kept together in an organized manner so it is easy available without needing to look through several references to find what I need. Information I use often for prepping, as well as daily life. Precious metals information such as the amount of the precious metal in specific coins, how much water various food plants require, the timing of solar events, and many other things that I have found I used to look up every time in a whole library of books and other sources. Now, most of that information in in a set of lists I just pull up on the computer, or look at in one of my information binders.
7) As a resource tool. I have lists that contain various resource possibilities for all manner of goods and services. Where I can get a certain item, and alternatives if my preferred vendor does not have it in stock. These lists save me a huge amount of time when I decide to get something as I do not have to do all the research right at that moment in order to find the right combination of availability, cost, shipping restraints, and ETA of the item. I usually will have already done the research as I had time, often when I am researching something else and just run into something that I realize I might need at some point.
As a useful tool for many other things. Lists help me think, organize my thoughts, remember things, and often trigger a thought or memory that I am trying to pull up but cannot on the spur of the moment. Many times just looking at a list that I know has similar information will trigger the thought process that leads to what it is I want.
Disclaimer:
I have learned that I need to add a set of disclaimers to most of my lists. Often times people will read them and assume any one or more of several things that are not true. I have now started using a ‘list’ type of disclaimer simply because… well… it is about lists…
1) My lists are Pick & Choose lists. They are not ‘get everything on this list’ types unless noted as such. The lists will often have several options for a specific need, so a person can know what is available and choose the best option for their use. Not everyone needs the same things or can accomplish a specific goal with the exact same way with the exact same thing.
2) The number of items in a list does not necessarily indicate how much space the items will take up or how much the combination will weigh. Because I often make very detailed, highly inclusive lists, they are often long, with many line items. People often simply see the size of the list, and without giving any thought to what the actual items are, decide (and usually declare in a very offensive way) that I am an idiot because all that stuff will need a semi-truck and trailer to haul due to size or weight. Or both.
I have had that said about a kit that has almost one hundred items listed, but fits in a regular sized duffle bag, and weighs less than twenty-five pounds. But that person was convinced it would require a truck. Literally.
3) The number of items does not necessarily indicate how expensive things will be. It seems that to some, the larger the number of items, the more each will cost. A dozen items (no matter what they are) might cost five bucks each. But twenty-five items must assuredly be fifteen or even thirty bucks each, simply because there are more items. While more usually does mean more cost, it does not mean that every item will cost more.
4) Many of my lists contain brand name items, quite a few of which are rather expensive compared to similar items on the market. People often complain about this and lament the fact that I do not offer a cheaper alternative. I often do, actually, but the people prone to make the complaint seem to focus on that expensive item, rather than the lower cost item. I do not understand it, but it happens.
5) Another thing about the more expensive items I often use in my lists, especially when there is no alternative listed, is simply that that list of things is too expensive to be practical to use. That no one can (or will) pay that much for those items and that it is ‘best to go with cheaper things and get more other stuff’ in a rather general statement. Nothing about the quality or utility, just cost.
What I have found, however, is that if I list the item that I consider a good value, even if more expensive, because of more utility or better quality, those that simply cannot justify the expense but are willing to think about things rather than reject out of hand, almost always find a solution that gets the job done that the item I selected is listed for at a much lower cost.
People know their area, their needs and wants, their budget, and all the other factors that make prepping highly individual in nature, can find alternatives that I have no way of knowing about. So, just because an item is expensive, do not reject it out of hand. Consider what the use is, and look for alternative better suited for your own situation, budget, and what else is available.
6) As said above, prepping is individual. I know and understand this. My lists are my opinion of what might work for specific things in specific situations based on my experiences, life, knowledge, and research. I know that not everyone will want, much less need some things on any given lists. And will often have other options of which I have no knowledge.
The lists are so people know what is available that they might not otherwise know, might not have thought of simply because it did not occur to them for some reason, and to get people to think about options they might have that also did not occur to them.
The lists are not mandates that you must get something simply because it is on a list. It is your life, your responsibility, and your money. Do your own due diligence research so you will know an item is right for you. Do not take anyone’s suggestions blindly.
7) Take what information you want from any of my lists and make you own list. Simply ignore things that do not apply to you or your situation.
I have been making lists for well over fifty years. A couple of my lists are literally that old, having been modified and upgraded over that time. So, many of my lists, as I have stated, are extremely long, inclusive, and detailed. Simply because they have developed over time.
And rather than cut down the lists when I post one to fit that particular need or request, I pretty much just always post the entire list, on the off chance that someone else will gain something from it, even if the target audience must filter out much of it to get what they want. Not to mention I am kind of lazy and just do not want to do it.
9) Some of my lists have sources for items. As I stated above, some of these lists are pretty old, and I hate to admit it, but I have not updated some of them on a timely basis. If a link or resource is not available now, I apologize. I will, hopefully, get around to correcting everything at some point.
10) Some of my lists, primarily the ones dealing with medical issues, often have items that most people are not trained to use, and items that only doctors or some other specific medical professional can use. In no way am I suggesting that a person get these items with the intention to use them on their own, in some sort of ‘hail Mary pass’ situation to try and save a life. That works in TV and movies, and sometimes in fiction. It almost never works in real life.
When I list the items they are for a person to have and have available for medical professionals so they will have them if they do not have their own due to the disaster.
11) I will never recommend anything that I know is illegal. But since I have lived in places where many things are legal that are not legal elsewhere, I can take no responsibility if someone tries to, or does, acquire something that is illegal in their political jurisdiction. Due your due diligence! If there is any question about something be legal in your area, check it out before you obtain it.
12) I do sometimes do what I consider ‘dream’ or ‘fantasy’ or ‘I just won the lottery’ lists. These tend to not be practical lists for much of anyone, except some billionaires. However, even in these, I do have some practical reasoning. Almost always the basic tenets of the list are still valid, even if the specific items are difficult and very expensive to get.
Two examples. In my ‘dream’ prepper home, I have listed copper sheet countertops and sinks. The reason for this is that copper has some antibacterial properties, and with proper cleaning can help keep down bacterial infections. But only if procedures are followed. In a disaster that prevents people from getting antibiotics, this could be one of the ways to reduce the need for them.
Another example is Roman concrete that I use in some of these dream lists. Roman maritime concrete has proven itself to be extremely durable and long lasting. However, to make Roman maritime concrete a person needs some items that tend to be unavailable, or extremely expensive to acquire if one is not close to a handful of locations.
Volcanic ash and seawater being two of them. Roman concrete is not that practical in most places. But it is what I consider the ‘best’, and therefore goes on the ‘dream’ lists. Anyone perusing one of my ‘dream’ lists should be prepared to think well beyond the actual listed items and focus on the application of the item and the purpose it serves and then consider practical alternatives for that purpose.
13) I make lists all the time. And update old ones fairly often. But just because I have a list does not mean I have everything on every list. Much of the equipment that involves life-and-death issues, health-and-safety issues, I have either tested myself, or discussed it in depth with people that have, or done deep due diligence research on the item to the point where I trust what I have learned and will include it in one of my lists.
Okay. A list of lists:
1) Disaster list
2) Trade-goods list
3) Field Equipment Master List
4) Personal Field Equipment List
5) Individual First-aid Kit
6) Individual Trauma Kit List (Blow-out Kit)
7) Threat Matrix List/Spreadsheet
MAG Organization List
9) MAG Member Information Sheet List
10) AI (Artificial Information) Defenses List
11) Personal Ethics List
12) Personal General Library List
13) Prepper Library List
14) Karaoke Song List
15) Field Rations List
16) Individual Event Preparedness Lists (Dozens of them.)
17) Preferred Weapons Battery List
18) PAW Recovery Steps List
19) Prepper Skills List
20) Evacuation Vehicle List
21) Water Purification Systems List
22) Financial Planning List
23) Favorite Movies List
24) Prepper Movies List
25) Non-Precious Metals Prepper Storage Metals List
26) Useful Prepper Weapons Calibers List
27) Useful Hunting Weapons Calibers List
28) Prepper Myths List
29) Make A Plan List
30) Prepping 101 List
31) Multipurpose Kit List
32) Vehicle Stranded Kit List
33) Camping Gear Master List
34) Master Garden Foods List
35) Preferred Garden Foods List
36) Prepper House List
37) Dream Prepper House List
38) Prepper Property List
39) Dream Prepper Property List
40) PAW Useful Chemicals List
41) Useful Prepper Alcohol Products
42) Useful Prepper Fuel Choices List
43) Minimal ‘Remote Hunting Cabin’ Alternative Location List
44) Full Alternative Location List
45) Solo Long Term Living In The Wilderness List
46) Custom Items List
47) Vehicle Defenses Equipment/Techniques List
48) Home Defenses/Techniques List
49) Personal Defensive Equipment/Techniques List
50) Documents To Keep List
51) Urban Highrise Emergency Equipment List
52) Civilian Disarmament Survey Questions List
53) Hospital Stay Equipment/Supplies List
54) Red Cross Shelter Stay Equipment/Supplies List
55) FEMA Shelter Stay Equipment/Supplies List
56) Gray Man Techniques/Equipment/Supplies List
57) Homeless Techniques/Equipment/Supplies List
58) Needlecraft Equipment/Supplies List
59) Alternative Power Powerhouse List
60) Master Tools List
61) Individual Needs Tools Lists (Dozens of them.)
62) Communications Gear Master List
63) Individual Needs Communications Gear Lists (Several of them.)
64) Prepper Acronyms List
65) General Acronyms List
66) Fire Starting Techniques/Equipment/Supplies List
67) Preferred Investments List
68) Windfall Money Distribution List
69) PAW Skills List
70) Skills I Need To Improve
71) Master Sharps Selection List
72) My Preferred Sharps List
73) Potential Part Time Businesses List
74) Prepper Store Design List
75) Prepper Store Stocking List
76) Sniper Defense Techniques/Equipment/Supplies List
77) Personal Camouflage Techniques/Equipment/Supplies List
78) Vehicle Camouflage Techniques/Equipment/Supplies List
79) Structure/Property Camouflage Techniques/Equipment/Supplies List
80) Clandestine Tools List
81) Expedient Solutions List
82) Comfort Items List
83) Women’s Needs List
84) Hard Assets List
85) CME/EMP/HEMP Prepping List
86) Oxygen Producing House Plants List
87) Primitive Skills List
88) Orchard and Perennials List
89) Non-Radio Communications Systems List
90) Crime & Punishment In The PAW List
91) Types Of Food Preservation Techniques List
92) Foods Preservation Equipment/Supplies List
93) Phases Of A Disaster List
94) Ten Commandments Of Prepping
95) Types/Classes Of American Citizens Considered ‘Potential’ Terrorist List
96) Long Term Foods Comparison List
97) Food Production Self-Sufficiency Land Requirements List
98) Zombie Event Gear List
99) Alternate Anti-Vehicle Devices List
100) Only-Aid Medical Kit List
Well, that is the first one-hundred. I need to stop now. I will attach a few of the lists just as examples.
If anyone has any questions feel free to ask.
Just my opinion.
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