Can you imagine having to pack everything you would need for several months into a wagon like this one? How would you balance your food needs with your tools, clothes, personal possesions and everything else you might need? Would you pack light on the food and hope you could hunt and forage what you need? Would you lighten up on the tools and hope nothing went wrong? Would you leave behind your possesions and completely start over? What would be essential to you? your children?
I would like to think that I would only pack essentials, but I know that if there were room, I have a lot of sentimental things I would really like to take. Luckily supplies are usually in packages that don't take up as much room now. Take the gun powder for example. Several cases of bullets would take up way less space than one of those barrels of gun powder. Pots and pans will usually stack fairly well. I would want a sewing kit with several different kinds of patches. Water would be a problem in our area but I think we could cut down on storing water by having a nice water filter to make water we find along the way safe to drink.
Flour and sugar and other dry goods can now be stored in containers that fit better in small spaces and can also be much more waterproof than those sacks. Instead of packing corn, you could take cornmeal which would take up less space and actually leave you with more food. Quilts and blankets would be a must and still take up just as much room. Clothing would also be a problem. I am a bit spoiled and could wear clothes for days on end without washing them, but I really wouldn't want to have to.
Tools are much more compact and effeciant than they used to be. A screwdriver and a hammer and ax or hand saw would probably be suffecient to fix most things. A gun cleaning kit would be nice. If you can't shoot your gun, you can't get fresh meat. I have a spinning wheel that is small and compact and I would like to take that if the SHTF.
This picture I just had to add because I don't think I have ever seen 50 lbs of lard at one time. I don't imagine that barrel would be pleasant to be around in 100 degree weather. I am so grateful that I didn't have to travel the way the pioneers did. Even if our family ended up walking across the desert, things would still be much easier than it was then. Or would it? Have we as a society become spoiled enough that it would actually be harder? What do you think?
I would like to think that I would only pack essentials, but I know that if there were room, I have a lot of sentimental things I would really like to take. Luckily supplies are usually in packages that don't take up as much room now. Take the gun powder for example. Several cases of bullets would take up way less space than one of those barrels of gun powder. Pots and pans will usually stack fairly well. I would want a sewing kit with several different kinds of patches. Water would be a problem in our area but I think we could cut down on storing water by having a nice water filter to make water we find along the way safe to drink.
Flour and sugar and other dry goods can now be stored in containers that fit better in small spaces and can also be much more waterproof than those sacks. Instead of packing corn, you could take cornmeal which would take up less space and actually leave you with more food. Quilts and blankets would be a must and still take up just as much room. Clothing would also be a problem. I am a bit spoiled and could wear clothes for days on end without washing them, but I really wouldn't want to have to.
Tools are much more compact and effeciant than they used to be. A screwdriver and a hammer and ax or hand saw would probably be suffecient to fix most things. A gun cleaning kit would be nice. If you can't shoot your gun, you can't get fresh meat. I have a spinning wheel that is small and compact and I would like to take that if the SHTF.
This picture I just had to add because I don't think I have ever seen 50 lbs of lard at one time. I don't imagine that barrel would be pleasant to be around in 100 degree weather. I am so grateful that I didn't have to travel the way the pioneers did. Even if our family ended up walking across the desert, things would still be much easier than it was then. Or would it? Have we as a society become spoiled enough that it would actually be harder? What do you think?
I remember the choices you had to make in the oregon trails game. Very serious stuff with little room for error. Some stuff now is a lot more compact for sure. With tools keep in mind that they generally had bigger more substantial needs for theirs. We need to hammer in a nail and put some screws in while they built houses from scratch and grew their food out of the ground. Lots of folks had better skills back then. Great post.
ReplyDeleteI can just imagine someone with todays knowledge trying this... probably start off trying to figure out how to pack more efficiently... hmmm, can you put shelves into a wagon? :)
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