[heracles1100]

So I have been debating with my brothers lately what is the top 5 best skills/professions to have in a SHTF scenario, so I will ask you guys. What is your top five on the best Skills to have if SHTF (Let's said a nuke hit the US ) occurs?

 

[comrade]

first three would be easy - medical, survival/military, psychology/public speaking. then the hoarding skill should kick in and make use of all the ammo and parts kits one bought over the years - hence manufacturing (as long as ones hands does not grow out of an a$$)

 

[IMBLITZVT]

Clearly the skill to unplug the fan... don't want that fan blowing it everywhere.

Oh if a nuke hits, lets assume you are in the blast zone. Then you don't have to worry about your skills.

 

[L999here]

...skills vs prep..

Obviously,staying alive and survival after a nuke is #1....along with medical supplies and knowledge to use them.
#2-having breathable air,drinkable water and a food supply are the next priority....in that order.
#3-shelter that is defendable and appropriate for the weather conditions. You can survive the heat...but not freezing w/o warmth.
#4-access to firearms. Long range rifle/s,handgun/s and the ability to reload primary cartridges. This is not only a necessity,it may also be
your only means of barter or trade. A bow,arrows,spears and cutting instruments can also bridge the gap between self defense and long
term survival.
#5-communication and transport. You cannot survive very long by yourself on a 24/7 schedule. Having at least 5-adults available for this
is critical to long term survival. Being able to contact others is a part of this. Having transport is also critical if your position is untenable
and travel is necessary to escape a dire situation.

Serious prep is an art and no amount of money can replace survival skills. If you can start a fire,hunt game or fish,keep warm and stay safe,
your chances of survival are better than most folks can even hope for after a nuke.

 

[ScottD]

Physical readiness. As in, being in shape. I'm not talking going to the gym 5 times a week, but not being a fat out of shape slob.

All of the weapons, water, food and gadgets wont do you ANY good if you cant walk around the block without getting winded.

Think about it...if Armageddon hits, you need to be able to move and respond to any kind of emergency and depend on no one but yourself. Just some food for thought.

 

[lonegunman]

Medical skills will be of great value, farming, the ability to cook, can, smoke and otherwise prepare food for long term non-refrigerated storage. The ability to make soap, candles and other products from fats and oils. Chickens or goats woul dmake great edible pets, if you have the room. Decent physical shape will be handy as well.

When residents of Sarajevo were interviewed after the city was under siege for years, they commented on how important soap, toilet paper, shampoo, cooking oil and dried beans or rice were to them. Most people who have a year's supply of grain, have three rolls of TP and five bars of soap.

The lack of potable water will doom most people in short order.

 

[heracles1100]

i know a few things about Herbal medicine. i can walk into the woods and spring up pain killer and antiseptics.

 

[MSG]

Physical readiness. As in, being in shape....

This was my first thought also. If you can't do 50 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and run an 8 minute mile, you better be on the good side of several people who can. Also, if you're on maintenance medications, what happens at the end of the month when they're all gone?

After basic health and fitness, next you need the ability to hide. The grocery stores only have a two day supply of food. Once that is gone, the locust will swarm out of the cities. If you live in an urban or suburban area, the only way to survive the onslaught is if they pass you by. Hide. Do you really want to kill several hundred or thousand people to protect your 3 - 6 month supply of food? Do you think you can? They may just kill you first.

Those with "bug-out" plans: given the effect of a few finder benders on rush hour, do you really think you're going anywhere during a full fledged panic?

Best skills? Health maintenance, fitness, camouflage, hording/stockpiling, collaboration with like minded people, basic firearms skills.

I live on a peninsula. We'll just block the road at several places, and covertly guard the narrowest point. It necks down to less than 100 yards, with clear fields of fire - but it's best if no one ever feels the need to walk down the road. MSG

 

[Kentuckyguy]

#1. Excellent physical condition.
#2. Dont stay in the area and "bug out" "rough it out" and get to a normal living area where there is sanitation and medical facilities.
#3. Under no circumstances should you be young or old, and dont be "hoofing" 75 pounds of gear on your back, you wont last 1 mile.

I see many fantasies on the internet and at local Cabela's of "surviving SHTF scenarios". You want to see real examples of SHTF and combat? Look up any civil war and see for your self how long does the general public last.

If you happen to be a young man in great shape and you think you can hoof it out in the bush, you can see what happened to millions of men that were in great shape and young in WW1-2, Korea, Vietnam, etc.

Those things bring me back to my suggestion of do your best to make it to areas that are not affected by SHTF where they still have sanitation and stable normal life.

 

[xdevildog]

Back to the skills question, may I submit that gunsmithing will be in demand? Being able to make and properly heat treat basic parts to build or repair firearms appears to have been common knowledge before the advent of electricity. Don't know if that means I need to get busy putting together a man-powered lathe and mill. I do know you can build a Winchester Model 1885 high wall by hand with basic machinery that will safely discharge any reasonable caliber of smokeless cartridge because that is how John Moses Browning did it. Granted, not the best response to incoming assault rifle fire, but much better than a spear.

 

[ScottD]

Back to the skills question, may I submit that gunsmithing will be in demand? Being able to make and properly heat treat basic parts to build or repair firearms appears to have been common knowledge before the advent of electricity. Don't know if that means I need to get busy putting together a man-powered lathe and mill. I do know you can build a Winchester Model 1885 high wall by hand with basic machinery that will safely discharge any reasonable caliber of smokeless cartridge because that is how John Moses Browning did it. Granted, not the best response to incoming assault rifle fire, but much better than a spear.

There are more than enough firearms in this country (and most of our arsenals) that firearm repair or manufacture will be a moot point if SHTF. I think medical skills, followed by basic mechanical knowledge would be the best 'skills' in the end of the world situation.

 

[Cheddar]

Seed storage and farming knowledge would be close to the top of the list. Primitive societies did not expand in population size until the ability to farm and keep seeds through the winter took hold. Also close to the top, tool making - fish hooks, nets, picks, awls, grinding stones, points for sewing, mallets, etc. etc. Leadership skills also tops - ability to bind a society together. Guns are great but if the world hits reset, kiss all the modern manufacturing ability good by. It'll be back to smokepoles and mining saltpeter from bat guano for gunpowder. Sure, they'll be ammo for years but it'll be gone eventually.

 

[Mpulse2005]

I would say, aside from regular prepping needs/wants...the skills best suited to assist in a SHTF scenario would be things like hunting/trapping, farming, knowing your manual of arms for your firearms and how to make weapons when the rounds run out, physical fitness, first aid/medical, and outdoor survival skills such as fire building/starting and shelter construction. Those are skills...everything else is just stuff