Non-Fiction book - any input?

[Graywolf]

So, some of you know I'm writing a book about how to start prepping. I did ask this on my facebook page but then I thought you guys could give me a different focus and maybe I could continue this thread as I go along.

I'm trying to keep things as uniform as possible. Here's what I have for major categories at the moment:


## Food
## Water
## Protection from the elements
## Fuel and power
## Navigation
## Security
## Communication and signal
## Tools and equipment
## Sanitation
## Medical

I'd like the categories be the same for each section, whether it's bugout bag gear, bug-in equipment, stuff at your bug-in location, cached supplies, vehicle supplies, homesteading skills, EDC, etc. I realize some won't be really all that appropriate.

What are your thoughts?

[dangerdan]

Having information on your computer is great until it doesn't work anymore .
Books and binders with printed information can save the day along with a spair pair of glasses .
DD

[Graywolf]

I'm definitely gonna be covering that. I use a kindle so I can easily hold a CRAPLOAD of information and a thumb drive with all that as well as digital backups of my information. Then I print out the most important pieces of those.

[Tex]

Hey Wolf, I remember the guys talking about this when they were all here in October. I think it is a great idea. I've seen several books on the subject and even have a few that I've bought over the years. One thing I have noticed in quite a few books is that the authors tend to spend more time on the subjects that they know better, while lightly touching on some others. In my opinion, there isn't any one subject or topic that is more important than others, except for maybe health and the shape a person is in should the SHTF.

In your list above you covered almost everything, but I didn't see anything about personal protection unless that falls under the "Security" heading. Security covers a very wide range of topics that alot of people WILL need help with. Too many people tend to think that because they have went out and bought themselves a veritable armory, they are good to go should the apocolypse ever take place. Having guns and being proficient with them is all well and good, but they won't solve all of the problems one is liable to face.

Having a sustainable food sourceis just as important to security as having the proper weapons. You already know all of this though, so I won't waste your time on that. I think that what you are doing is great. Should you need any help at all, don't hesitate to ask. The Hostile Native and I are both well up on our homesteading skills as well as a few other things one will need to know if they find that things have gone to hell. I wish you the best of luck and look forward to seeing the finished product.

Tex

[Graywolf]

Hi Tex,

Yeah, protection/tactics is under security. I'm mostly gonna mention things like securing your home, combat multipliers such as signaling tripwires etc but it's a beginner's book so I'm not gonna go too deeply into it. A beginner should really be going out and learning about that stuff from an expert in person, not from a book.

I'm starting to get a bit more flushed out and I'll update you when it seems to fit together. I've added finance and barter for one.

[Tex]

It is sounding interesting, Wolf. One thing I never see stressed enough in the books, is the need for a network and friends. All of the "Tactidorks" on all of the boards seem to think they and their family unit will head to the woods or bug-in on their little homestead and Mom and Dad will be able to handle everything that comes down the pike. That type of thinking will get people killed quick.

There is alot that the Hostile Native and I can do, both individually and together. Between the two of us we know about alot of things. That doesn't mean we will not need the help of others though. Everyone I know who has the ability to feed several people would need help. if with nothing else, atleast security. You can't work the cattle or till the garden if you are having to worry about security. I'm a welder and a pretty good blacksmith. We are also going to be getting a milk cow soon and I am working toward building a small dairy herd. with all of that being said, I am not a mechanic. I don't have alot of medical skills.

I can't think of a longterm situation where a single person or a family will be able to sustain without the help from someone else. No matter how good a person is, they can't prep for every eventuality. All of the money in the world can't buy them the peace of mind they will need to make it through the possibilities. Whether it is a localized event or a true EOTWAWKI, to survive, people will need a network of friends and community. People need to throw the Rambo mentality out the window and start developing relationships that can be beneficial should the need arise.


Tex

[Graywolf]

Working with a team is a whole section on its own. You definitely can't do it on your own if SHTF. There's just too many things to do, too many hours in the day and too many skills to learn.

[Tex]

Working with a team is a whole section on its own. You definitely can't do it on your own if SHTF. There's just too many things to do, too many hours in the day and too many skills to learn.

That is the truth. One of my goals this winter is to learn how to tan hides. If the SHTF though, all of my time will be spent tending to the cattle and protecting them. I will also be tending to the milkcows. The Hostile Native and my niece would be tending to the all of the small livestock and the garden around the house and barns. Eventhough I would have the hides and they would need to be utilized, none of us would have the time or energy at the end of the day to mess with them. There will still be predators around, and probably morebeing as others like us wouldn't have time to hunt the. Somebody would be needed to deal with them as well as run some traplines.

In the old days, each town or community would have a blacksmith, a baker, a butcher, a milkman and any number of other types of people to keep things running smoothly. It was because there were not enough hours in the day for people to do everything they needed to do inorder to survive and prosper.

I really hope that you can get this book off the ground and going. There are still too many sheep out there and the more people there are prepared, the better off we will all be. Alot of people pull their heads out just long enough to acknowledge that, yes, there is a problem, but then they see what all be prepared entails and they get discouraged and put their heads right back in the sand. Preparing is hard coming at it as a newbie. Once a person can get their heads around it though, they start thinking differently and then doing differently.

This is definitely a good place to come for feedback and advice. Let me know if I can help you in any way.


Tex

[Graywolf]

The economy of specialization with division of labor is what allows societies to have free time for enjoyment and advancement. You can't do that unless you have enough people to be able to afford someone to sit down and perfect a trade - and then teach it to an apprentice. You also gain from economies of scale with larger groups.

kinda makes dating easier too.

[Graywolf]

Here's what I have so far so you can get an idea of where I'm going with the book. The categories on the left will be duplicated in pretty much all the chapters except the last one, which is more of an appendix at the moment. I couldn't embed it here with this stupid iPad so here's a link...

Book outline mind map

Anyone see any holes in it so far? I know it may be hard to envision with just this pic. Hopefully you can read it. If you click the link above, it opens a big pic.

[southernmom]

It looks great and I'm really interested in reading it when it's ready. I am particularly interested in defense-combat multipliers. Will you be touching on 'if you don't have a raging arsenal at your disposal'?

[JulieNY]

Is this going to be a book about the steps you should take to beging prepping or is there going to be instructions in there as well? I would like to see bigger sections in books about trapping and snaring small animals. There isn't a lot of good information about tying snares.

[Tex]

Julie, I will start another thread for that stuff if folks are interested in trapping and snaring.


Tex

[Tex]

Graywolf, I like the outline you have came up with. It looks as if you have everything just about covered.


Tex

[W.Lynn]

Tex, do it!