9 Places to Scavenge After SHTF

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A complete breakdown of society has several stages. You’ll find in the early stages that people just want to sort it all out. People will probably still be polite with each other during this period. Resources will always be around and customers will shop off their own shops. This step is going to end quickly and give way to the more dangerous parts of a collapse.

Eventually-and it won’t be long in a modern society-a period must come when most resources are depleted. To stay alive you will always need the money. The scavengers are to come up at this stage. You can even be a scavenger if you haven’t trained enough, or if unseen problems arise.

Within a sustainable world of clean, self-sufficient living and scavenging practices the smart prepper would succeed.

Scavenging Scenario

You find yourself bundled up in the cold air of a spring morning and walk out through a quiet field. You are keeping your body close to an old abandoned distribution center. The threat of others is always in your mind.

On your back you have a big pack which is mostly empty. Your aim is to fill that out. There’s a sidearm on your hip, but you have only three shots left, in fact.

A lot of your grocery supplies have been drained by the frosty winter and your home has taken a beating from the strong winds of a prominent winter blizzard. Spring didn’t offer relief. So here you are, exploring every nook in this park for small company. The windows are smashed and most everything is gone, but you’re hanging on to the illusion that there’s a gem just around the corner.

What Will You Scavenge?

Here we will detail some resource categories that you can head out from the fallen planet and scavenge from them. I haven’t mentioned food because I feel like it will still be high on the mind when you’re scavenging out.

HOME REPAIRS

Not only will the nearby Lowes or Home Depot be gone; for some gang or military group it will be picked up cleanly and presumably used as a good base of operations. Nevertheless, you’ll need a house to shield you from the elements, with a roof and walls to keep the wind and rain out. It is important that you keep as much of your home as possible in working order. Consider scavenging things like:

Scrap Metal
Scrap Wood
Insulating Materials
Cloth
Gutters or Irrigation
Tools

MEDICINES AND FIRST AID

Were you aware that any company with on-site employees needs to access a first aid kit? Even the tiny law firm down the street has a first aid kit. You will do well to look at these small abandoned businesses and industrial parks when it comes to scavenging those types of supplies. I think you’ll be pleasantly delighted by what can be found in office desk drawers.

WEAPONS

Whether we are talking about bullets, guns, knives or even baseball bats, you will need to be able to defend yourself from different threats in a collapsing world where scavenging is important. The gun shop might not be the best place to swing around on a scavenging jaunt, but what about a big box retailer’s fulfillment center that’s way out in the country? A lot of guns and ammunition are shipped in the U.S. by mail, and when the crisis occurs the chances there will be weapons waiting to be distributed in the packages. This kind of thinking would be the one that makes scavenging profitable.

DIY PROJECTS (ROOT CELLARS, OUTHOUSES, GARDEN BEDS, WATER CATCHMENT)

If you intend on DIYing yourself through the tragedy, scrap wood, metal, nails and other assorted bits and pieces would be key. The good news about scavenging these things is that the catastrophe and the resulting collapse will possibly leave plenty to be scavenged around.

Homes and buildings that collapse are likely to create plenty of materials to scavenge. Maybe you’re still in the market for items like nails. If you find yourself in an abandoned pallet yard, use the nails and wood you harvest from those pallets to build an entire house!

Smart Scavenging

When you go out to scavenge, there will be a certain amount of danger. Wherever you go, and where the amount of risk you face will be determined. We’ll look at two ways you’ll be able to scavenge smarter. You must be able to do a little work ahead of the collapse and prepare to operate for scavenging at the best possible time.

Location

You’ll want to make a resource map of your local area long before the scavenging starts. These are simple to make. You can mark all the major retailers and business sections in the local area by printing a map of your location and surrounding areas (use Google Maps).

Color-coded markings and a symbol will help you recognize items like medication, food and tools easily.

The market map will concentrate less on big stores and more on small shops and parks for business. Your scavenging performance will come down to how few people you’re running into, so you want to stay away from the obvious places other people are looking for.

Stick to smaller business parks and offices for scavenging. Look also in abandoned homes that can be watched from afar.

Timing

Another really critical factor in scavenging success is whether you want to go out there and do it. Your goal will be to travel when there’s the least amount of people around. The time from 3 am to 6 am is a perfect window for getting stuff done. In most seasons, you have darkness for the most part of this time period. At this time, those who stay up late will be sounding asleep.

Make sure to determine your round trip while planning your voyage. When you arrive at your place, make sure you have plenty of time to scavenge. Don’t blow an entire trip on travel time.