A topic from the bbc on fungal infection (obviously linked to The last of us). Interesting because it features survivor testimonials.  BBC News – Could a fungal pandemic turn us all into zombies? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-64402102

The numbers of children with hepatitis in the UK is actually one order of magitude bigger than the US for now ( Bbc article here). If history is any indication, this could mean there are at least 500 or more potential cases in the US (a ratio of 5-6 is usually good when translating from UK to US). 

Maybe it is slipping under the radar because our US mods didn’t notice it, but this is dangerously close to breaking the “no politics” rule. I agree with the theme here: you can only ask people to suck it up and choose between heating and eating for so long before something breaks. And the government’s strategy is clearly to hope that the return of fair weather draws attention away from the problem. But unfortunately kicking the can down the road is not politically right or left… 

Completely agree Jonnie. Now there are way too many scenarios to wargame here that it becomes a bit pointless. The base question is:are there significantly less sources of clean water in a city compared to a wilderness setting? Clearly not. Depending on the scenario, these might be easy to access or not, but unless you assume total infrastructure breakdown, a filter and water purification tablets are likely to be more than enough for the short term.  I have seen websites recommending to carry 3 days worth of water… So roughly 20 pounds. This is clearly ridiculous. 

I think that a lot of the thinking in this thread is oriented toward big scale SHTF scenarios, but realistically there are a lot of very local (think neighbourhood or street level) or personal scenarios where you would need to bug out, even if it means sleeping in a hotel or in your car for a few days. For a wonderfully British take on this, the 5 minute video  here is worth a watch.  A BOB is also meant to address these low scale emergencies, actually particularly in a urban setting. For example my parents once had to evacuate their building in the middle of the night due to a fire, and because they did not have a BOB ended up basically in their pyjamas on the street in the middle of winter… I think the first 2 levels of BOB described on TP are not particularly wilderness-oriented, most of the items are just common sense preparedness. Actually, at level 1 the heaviest and bulkiest part of the content are the clothes! Sure, if you end up in a hotel for 3 weeks you might not need tinder or a water filter, but it is so light and takes so little space that it can’t hurt to have it with you. I guess my point is that a well constructed BOB should be able to give you a base for both urban and wilderness emergencies. How you use it to adapt to the situation is a question of skills, which is a nice discussion topic in itself. 

I think the UK has for the moment been shielded from the worst because of the  summer school break. Unfortunately, it will probably take a severe increase in children cases in the coming weeks to force the government to take the right decision. Where it becomes ridiculous is that secondary school starts at 11 in the uk, not 12… So as a cohort 12-15 does not even cover all secondary students… And I share the concern about under 12s. For some reason, decision makers seem to think they are immune, and facts contradict that.

Hi, On the UK not recommending the jab for 12 to 15 year old: the situation is a bit more nuanced than the headline indicates. The JCVI (expert panel on vaccines) basically assessed that at an individual level, there was not enough evidence to recommend it (ie, risk of vaccine side effect vs risk of covid are balanced at that age). They however acknowledge that there is a collective benefit to vaccinating this cohort, but claim that it is not within their remit to recommend on that basis. They have therefore passed the buck to the government to decide. Final decision still has not been taken, although given past history it could go either way… I choose to stay optimistic here. 

A few days ago, I let a piece soak in cold water overnight. It was a bit soggy in the morning, but still held its shape. I pan fried it with some bacon. Even with bacon fat, it is still extremely bland, but perfectly edible. 

Hi, I cooked a batch as a Saturday project recently. The 2 part flour/1 part water worked perfectly, although it is easy to get the dough too wet (I had to correct by adding surgical amounts of flour to get back to the right concistency). Fast cooking also works well with a fan assisted oven, no cracking or excessive browning. The trouble is really with the eating, as I think hard tack is a bit of an acquired taste… The important note is that it behaves a bit like freeze dried food:rehydration times with cold liquid is a multiple of the ones with hot water. I had no luck at all with cold milk even after a few hours. With hot coffee after 30 minutes you get a form of very crunchy biscuit. Still need to try the bacon and hardtack combo. 

Hi, I have now tested the NRG5. They are extremely dry, and cannot reasonably be consumed without an ample supply of water. That is probably the reason for the exceptional 25 year shelf life. I would question the value as an emergency food, except if really you plan to bug in and have a guaranteed water supply. In comparison, the Seven Oceans are lifeboat rations specifically made for situations when water is scarce. Shelf life is shorter, they are slightly less nutritive, but far better value for a bug out bag or short term emergencies in my opinion! 

Hi Cesar, In Europe our options are pretty limited compared to the US. For my BOB I went for Seven Oceans. Waterproof packaging, very neutral taste, and reasonably cheap. Packs the maximum (healthy) calories per gram. Guaranteed not to create thirst (which is the reason for the low protein content). If you need more fat and protein, throw in a small pouch of peanut butter, but use only if water is the least of your problems.  For other long term prep needs the place that survival rations like these should occupy is a topic of much debate… Personally I think there are tastier options out there! Seb

I actually carry 2 compasses (complete overkill), one in my watch and the other one in my phone (compass app). Should have put the watch in the picture… The Stormpad is really good, paper quality is top notch, without the smell that low grade weatherproof paper can have. And from a UK company as a bonus.  The folding knife is a TBS Boar EDC, also UK design btw.

I’m a male in my 40s, living in the UK. Typically I would carry essentials on my keychain (whistle, torch, Leatherman style CS and paracord) and the rest in my 5.11 rush 12. My FAK has a 4″ Israeli bandage and some compressed gauze, as it takes little to no room or weight and is potentially useful. When I go to the office (not often these days…) I add the 13″ laptop and a charger in the bag, it fits nicely with room to spare.

Hi Robert, I think the mentality around self defence in the UK is that if you are serious about it you should enrol in a Krav Maga class. It is a view widely shared across western Europe, although the UK is quite extreme about it. The English police is known not to carry guns (although they do carry blunt weapons and pepper spray), with only fast response units being trained to use firearms. So that tells you how restricted guns are over here ! The last successful invasion of the UK was in 1066 AD (the invaders still rule the country to this day), but indeed WW2 and the Blitz are the template people usually fall back on when faced with hardship. And despite the children evacuation stories widely publicised by CS Lewis and a few others (don’t get me wrong, I do love Narnia!), WW2 is actually more of a shelter-at-home story for many Brittons. The bit that is still relevant for prepping is the clever use of urban gardens and allotments (community gardens) to grow extra food. Unfortunately everything green I touch dies so my own prepping is mostly based on canned food. I think bug out locations in the UK are quite similar to most other places: people would primarily bug out to a second home, family, or friends (probably in that priority order). Also 15% of the population is foreign born, so likely to try to leave altogether if SHTF, including 5% of European nationals who would probably rush to go back to their home country in case a proper disaster happens. We have seen that with Covid already, more than 700,000 people have left London so far…

I live in the UK, close to central London. A lot of the thinking around prepping in the UK has to take into account the fact that Great Britain is an island, and a relatively small one, meaning that if it comes to real SHTF scenarios your way out will need to involve air or sea travel. Honestly, I haven’t cracked this one so if something really bad happen I am prepping to shelter in place. Being an island also creates some specific areas of vulnerability around food, energy and medicine supply, all of which can be prepped for. The UK has, overall, a fairly mild climate (thanks to that lovely Gulf Stream), although this hides some very wide disparities. London has roughly the same temperature range as Paris or Brussels (-1 Celsius to 35 Celsius), but the north of Scotland is on latitudes comparable to Norway or Finland. Floods are the obvious disasters to prep for, although snow can be extremely disruptive when it happens (think trains stopping mid track for 10 hours and highways clogged with immobilised cars). In the summer, extreme heat is rare but houses do not have air conditioning (precisely because extreme heat is rare…) so this can also lead to disruption if you are vulnerable. In London, the main thing that needs to be prepped for is failure of utilities and transport infrastructure. In case of a real SHTF scenario, the only realistic option will be evacuation on foot as trains will likely be stuck and the road access network will be clogged. Civil unrest is another one, that most people can prepare for by having strong doors and reinforced windows. The UK has some of the most stringent weapon laws in the developed world, and although most blades are legal to own, only non lockable folding blades are legal to carry (yes, your Leatherman Wave can in principle land you in front of a judge because the blades lock). Handguns are impossible to obtain legally if you are a civilian, and you need a hunting permit for a shotgun. Even pepper spray is considered a weapon and forbidden. The main, non man-made realistic disaster scenario for London is a failure of the flood barriers. It is deemed a one in 10,000 years event, but that calculation does not take climate change into account. London is close enough to the sea for the river to be tidal, which means that if a bad flood event happens, it has the potential to be a big one. The main prep for that is paying attention to flood surveys when you choose your place to live, and again enough food/water/power to shelter in place if needed.