Rawles, at SurvivalBlog, had a good post [1] earlier this month that included reader-submitted comments on survival lessons from the homeless. Check the link to read the advice, which mostly contains thoughts on street survival as the homeless see it, how to score a free shower, etc. Let’s flip this line of thinking around and brainstorm on how staying dirty could be a SHTF [2] survival technique.
If (when) the world is your enemy, deception [3] is your ally. I think this is particularly pertinent to urban dwellers, but it could be valuable for everyone. WTSHTF [4] – dress like a bum. Post-doomsday:
George: (whispering) – “Hey Bill, look over there.” (readies his rifle) “A bum, should we take him?”
Bill: (whispering back) – “Nah, look at him. Our clothes are in much better shape. He ain’t got nuthin’. Save the ammo.”
Remember in Parable of the Sower [5] [by Octavia Butler] the doctor dude that dressed like a bum and wheeled around his cart that contained a big pile of cash and a full-auto? That dude knew what he was doing. Don’t make yourself a target. Make it so people want nothing to do with you. You can act deranged, appear diseased, wear dumpy clothes, rub yourself in dirt, etc.
Similarly, remember that television series from 1984 called “V” [6]? The one where lizard-like aliens came to Earth pretending to be humans for the purpose of harvesting our bodies for food? There’s one scene in particular that I remember where one dude was smuggling some people in his truck. He comes upon a road block and quickly starts munching a raw onion. When roadblock dude starts questioning him, he is quickly taken aback by the onion breath. He moved the truck along quickly, never finding the people buried in the back.
Make yourself undesirable, and don’t show your preps off. The Golden Horde [7] will want what you have. I know you’re all just itchin’ for s**t to hit the fan so you can look at everyone else scrambling for gear, food, and fuel and yell, “Ha! Told you so!” as you sit behind your dining room window fortified with sandbags, dressed in fatigues, and sipping a juice box, but resist the urge. Depending on the circumstances you may want to play down your preparations. When the entire town is starving you’ll want to look gaunt. I don’t care how much food is in your basement. When everyone is walking, don’t drive. I don’t care how much fuel is in your F-350.
You get the idea. Think outside the box, creativity is your greatest asset. – Ranger Man