I've been putting a kit together for a while now, going to implement the dehydrator and vacuum sealer this summer to make up some food stores that don't take up much room too. I've got a stash of the essentials, a kit for the car (that I might eventually own, lol) and basics for the house that would be fairly easy to take along with camping gear if necessary. I don't store a lot of food so far though, raw vegan doesn't exactly lend itself to this format very well. Most survival food requires cooking to reconstitute and while that's not something I'd turn my nose up at in case of an emergency, it makes replenishing supplies (by using up what you've got and replacing it with fresh stuff) sort of funny, a waste if you won't eat it unless you absolutely have to.

Anyhow, wondering about your plans, ideas, tips, stuff you're doing or would like to do or have heard of others doing. Feel free to share whatever.

This book looks pretty good. [www.amazon.com]

It's my goal this summer to somehow stash about a month's worth of stuff, just in case a mothership flies out of the sun and the grid goes out.

I'm very interested in survival, but very unprepared. =( Other than, I can recognize dandelion greens!

I'm really into stocking up on powerful medicinals, too, so should I ever have to treat myself...

I've got a local contact who might be interested in guiding some wild edible walks and survival classes this summer. I'm thinking I'd like to learn how to shoot and use a bow and arrow as well. Not something I thought I'd ever be into but those are good skills in the "just in case" realm.
One bottle of high quality vodka would be enough to tincture many herbs but knowing how to ferment your own alcohol is also a good skill to have. It was be used to disinfect as well as preserve things.
Do you have any wild edible books? The Peterson feild guides are good, full colour plates instead of sketches. It can still be hard to ID plants that way, a wild edible walk class is such a great thing.

The wilderness survival sounds neat.
But as far as a disaster,if the good earth wipes me out in a disaster,then it was my time to go.

vinny

Vinny, the preparation is for a time when the good earth Didn't wipe you out and you've got to take care of yourself and other survivors. If you're gone, you'll never know it but if you are still alive after a disaster you're gonna get hungry and thirsty and need shelter right quick. Many non-catastrophic disasters knock out power and prevent travel to resources for a week or a month or longer (ie: ice storms this winter, some people had no power or access to supplies for nearly a month). Being prepared to practise self-sufficiency during that time is the goal.

I get something to add to my supply just about every time I hit a store. Some things I have in my "go bag":

-lighters
-seeds
-gun and ammo (not my style in peaceful/stable times)
-a good, big knife knife with full tang
-rope
-Leatherman multi-tool
-merino wool long undies
-a good water purifier
-these are an excellent deal and very handy. the light on them is surprisingly strong, not only for illumination but also for quickly blinding creeps. [www.amazon.com]
-always have a good pair of comfortable, durable survival shoes ready.

If you're going to learn to hunt, I recommend going the gun route first and foremost. It's more effective and more humane. With bow hunting, you need to hit a vital organ or the animal will run into the woods and die a slow, painful death. Of course, you'll also come up empty-handed. Nothing worse than killing an animal for no reason. Then again, you might not want to draw attention to yourself with the sound of a gun.

Think in terms of items that you'll be able to barter. For example, lighters are small and light enough to carry/store a ton of them and will be incredibly valuable. You need to take on a post-apocalyptic entrepreneurial mindset.

Start camping now. It will toughen you up and give you confidence for whatever comes your way. It'll also give you a chance to better understand the local terrain.

You don't need quality vodka. Bottom shelf vodka will do as long as it's at least 100 proof. You'll also need dark bottles to store the tinctures. You should probably start making the tinctures now. I know I am.

Learn to conquer fear. That's your absolute worst enemy while positive thinking is your best friend.

If you have the cash, you might want to take an on-line course in herbalism. Rosemary Gladstar's "Sage Mountain" has a good course for like $300 or something. Dominion College offers a good N. American herbs course.

Thanks for the info, I'll look into the programs you mentioned. Frankly, I find the amount and variety of stuff available online overwhelming, it's nearly impossible for me to know what to choose.
I already make some natural products but medicine is certainly an area to specialize in. I've got a friend who is an emerg doc, going to pick his brain about how to stitch and do other minor surgery (I've got level 2 first aid). Another friend will take me fishing and hunting if I can stomach it. Not so sure I can. I'll have to be very desperate to even go along and observe him on one of his trips.
We camp out at the cottage in summers, it's pretty luxurious though since we're in the yard of my mom's cottage, lol. The kids are soft little creatures but I'm tough, I delivered both of them at home on my own .

One tricky issue is having gear for the kids. I aim to buy quality but they grow every year so it all needs replacing annually, I don't know the way around this aside from searching for second hand deals. I am a dressmaker by trade so can make a lot of things myself but again, I aim for quality so the raw materials themselves can be pricey. I salvage used material wherever possible. I've been researching how to make shoes and boots myself, durable, waterproof, traditional gear. Hard to find a way around the use of hide there too. I've got a bug in the ear of the thrift store gals to set aside any leather goods that come in damaged and aren't sellable. It's jacket quality, not boot quality though. Old tires make good shoe soles if you've got the right sort of glue.

I could go on about this forever.