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Edited by barefootnavigator on 04/10/2009 22:06:09 MDT.

"I'd donate money to your farorite charity but obama is threatening to take it all away"

Buy me a brand new Scarp 1 before Obama gets to your secret stash, tell Dave you're sorry, and you will again be certified as a Peaceful Warrior in good standing, with all the rights and privileges pertaining thereto.

There seem to have been a lot of chaff threads lately that have degenerated into bickering amongst forum members (this thread is quite tame and good humoured in comparison to some!). It seems to me that the "Chaff" forum is doing more harm than good to this online community.

My suggestion? A very simple one which I think would be effective. How about removing "Chaff" from the "Recent Posts" and "Recent threads" updates? That way, if you really wanted to talk chaff on a backpacking forum you would have to actually go looking for it in the Chaff forum. At the moment, whenever there is a Chaff discussion it is really "in your face" because it keeps appearing all the time on the recent posts page.

I suspect I'm not the only one who would be happy to see Chaff shuffled somewhat out of view. Any other takers? Speak up!

Edited by ashleyb on 04/02/2009 18:52:07 MDT.

o

Edited by barefootnavigator on 04/10/2009 22:06:58 MDT.

Perhaps an even better suggestion (though harder to implement) would be to give users the *option* of removing Chaff from their view of the "recent posts" page.

That would be very nifty actually. You could allow users to customize their view according to which sub-forums they were actually interested in. So if you're not into pack-rafting or photography you could nix those forums from your recent posts/threads update.

BPL -- can it be done?

Ashley:

I totally disagree! Where else are we going to get enlightened on such important issues as charity and gun protection in the backcountry?

Ha, watchout Ben, or we'll have to change your title from "The Gear Enabler" to "The Chaff Master". ;-)

Ouch, that sounds painful.

Personally, I would rename this the Chafe Branch -- to wear away, to irritate...

oo

Edited by barefootnavigator on 04/10/2009 22:00:16 MDT.

I vote not to.

I like the suggestion of having a user able to configure it, or each forum, though.

-- MV

I don't have a bug-out bag, but here's a tip for long term storage of MYO dried food:

Keep it in the freezer, along with all your vital documents. Food in your freezer has at least a chance of surviving a fire or flood, and when dried in a dehydrator will keep indefintiely in the freezer. We keep our emergency dried goods (pasta, rice, noodles, tuna etc...) in the attic. Basements and garages can get flooded, cars can be stolen or flooded. Maybe it's not all in one place, but only takes a couple of minutes to gather it all together and "bug out".

Politics has little to do with it IMHO. Natural disasters, the vagaries of people 'gambling' in stock and housing markets, masses of people living constantly beyond their means (and being vigorously encouraged to do so by creditors), over-population, greed, and media generated fear and paranoia are all big players in destabilising economies. To blame it all on a single politician is naive and plain wrong.

Props to you Ali, for starting this thread and I think it is legitimately placed here in gear, although it has been rather entertainingly supplanted. I actually think this would be an interesting subject and I am curious about the preparedness level of many folk here. I keep things close at hand, but don't have it packed and ready to go. I suppose based on my actions, I don't believe in utter destruction being immediately impending, but I am quite concerned about a number of things happening in this country and world-wide. I also have a family that I intend to protect as much as I am able and this drives me most fervently to seek to be more than minimally prepared for disaster. To me, as a father, it is simply a matter of prudence, love, and responsibility. I would feel that I would be neglecting something that is easy to do now, relative to the consequences - a better investment than most insurance policies, I would say and most of us spend atrociously on many of those, with hopes of never using them.

Back to the gear, albeit a bit generic...

Thus far, I am making sure that each one of us has readily accessible, the following lightweight gear:
- warm clothing and a sleeping bag or quilt, + pad (sub 3 lbs each)
- WPB shells
- fire starting tinder & sparker (mom & dad only ;) )
- water treatment (Iodine and ceramic filter)
- the Bible (on PDA phone and in book form)
- Bushbuddy Ultra stove + alcohol and Esbit
- a few gold coins each
- lightweight backpacks (Osprey Exos, Golite Gust, UL Kids packs, GG Mariposa
- Beercan cook kit
- BPL 1350 ml Titanium Pot for melting snow & group cook
- Smaller titanium utensils and pots for individuals
- Sunscreen
- First Aid Kit
- Compass
- E-blanket
- 2x 3 lb. average 2 person Tents (1 Large Teepee option also)
- Not so much food, but a couple of books on wilderness survival and edible plants. You can go some time without food and there is plenty around in the woods year round here.
- space blanket
- knife (again, mom & dad only for now)
- water bottles
- good socks and other wool base layers

I may have left a few things out, but hopefully this will get the thread back on track.

I know a few neighbors and business associates are who are with the LDS religion and they are all required to have a certain amount of food stored up in their homes, but I don't know if they have any fuel, or other supplies. Maybe I'll ask next time I see them.

Let's sweep up the chaff and get back to the gear & strategy...even though I've enjoyed the little field trip.

Note - some of the gear above is obviously group/shared gear.

Edited by biointegra on 04/02/2009 20:58:48 MDT.

Ideally, when asking a gear related question one would ideally limit the context of the question to the specific gear related issue and not mention the rationale behind the question whether it be political, religious, or some other flammable topic.

The addition of flammable material to a thread (i.e. trolling) may very well result in a moderator moving the thread to the Chaff section. I suggest users wishing to avoid this variety of topic limit the viewing of such threads and limit their angry comments as this will only inflame a troll more.

These comments are not directed at any one individual but are being made in an all-encompassing, generalized manner within the confines of this particular thread. Similar statements will be made in the future of other threads that repeatedly get reported to the moderators.

I'm new here and almost afraid to post.I have been following BPL for quite sometime but prefer to lay low. This is a great topic or atleast it was when first started. All I can say is that if you are not prepared then you are not prepared. The whole UL philosophy switches right over to a bugout bag. Be it another 911 or earthquake or flood or collapse of the dollar which by the way almost happended late last year. I am and will be as ready as I can. As far as naming reasons for needing a bugout bag I can see the cause and effect of the original post. For those cowardly bullys who seem to hide behind the internet to gang up and attack others please save your posts I can see right through you and you are tiny people. Ed

sam,

that kind of reasonableness and clear thinking has no place on the new BPL. you are clearly clinging to the old days when people cheerfully provided tips on how to pitch a Contrail, or the best way to gather tinder in rainy conditions, or seven tasty ways to make mashed potatoes on the trail.

sorry, it's the new BPL. it's all about guns, knives, armageddon, obama-bashing, and i assume shortly abortion, infanticide, even more religion, and the like.

get with it kid. things are rocketing into the Dimly Lit Future.

Bug out to where? I am already near the ends of the earth.

oo

Edited by sethtan on 04/06/2012 20:18:56 MDT.

"You want to prepare for the apocalypse? Make friends with your neighbors."

That is the one statement that actually makes sense in this entire thread!

Edited by ben2world on 04/04/2009 01:11:17 MDT.

"All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.
- Mark Twain"

Bah! Bush tried that and it didn't work. Not even a little bit.

Edited by ben2world on 04/04/2009 09:31:38 MDT.