101 THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY TO PREPARE FOR AN UNCERTAIN TOMORROW
Photo: d kah @d_kah
GET FIT Personal fitness is one of the keys to personal survival. A strong, and healthy body stands much better odds of facing down adverse times than someone who is over weight, weak, and has no endurance. Make your personal fitness a cornerstone of your preps.
STORE 3 MONTHS OF WATER Water is essential to life. Start today to set aside a water reserve big enough for everyone in your group for three months. 3 gallons of water per person per day. It is a lot of water. Consider a cistern.
BUY ADDITIONAL CANS OF FOOD Each week when you shop for groceries, add a few extra cans of beens, vegetables, tuna, tomatoes, or dry pasta. By spreading this out over multiple shopping trips you slowly but steadily build your food reserve. Use a sharpie pen to white the best before dates large on the cans. Be sure to rotate your stock as you add to it. Move the old to the front, and the new to the back. Use us the old as you slowly increase the reserves you are building. Be sure to but foods that you and your family will actually want to eat.
GET A FEW MORE CANDLES FROM THE DOLLAR STORE Candles are cheap, they store forever, and are very useful when the lights go out. Additionally, they can be used to add heat to small spaces, help reduce toxic fume build up when cooking inside, and are easily transported.
TAKE STEPS TOWARDS ACQUIRING YOUR GUN PERMIT Check what you need to do to legally acquire, use, and store firearms. Permits take time to process. Do it now, not when you need them.
GO TO THE RANGE Practice using your firearms. Become proficient in their use at various distances. Test out different ammunition loads. Get comfortable with your tools. Pistol, rifle, shotgun. Ranges can be a good place to meet other people who share similar interests to you. They can also be a good place to attract attention to you and your firearms. Be aware of who’s who. Consider taking the long way home or change your route as to not be followed home.
INVEST IN A GOOD KNIFE Knives are tools, important ones. They can be used for so many things…defence, offence, skinning, butchery, wood working, medical, hunting, fishing, survival….My recommendation is for a full tang high quality steel with a solid hand grip. SOG, Gerber, Kabar, Ontario, Coldsteel….many options. A good sheath is essential too. Remember the catch phrase, “one is none and two is one.” Consider having a few knifes.
LEARN TO HUNT Hunting gets you outdoors. It reinforces the reality that hunting is not always the easiest way to get food. Hunting gets you using your rifles, shotguns. You learn a lot about nature when you observe it. Hunting re-enforces so much that survivalists glorify. Go out and actually try it, master it.
LEARN TO FISH Fishing, like hunting, brings you closer to the land. It too re-enforces the skills needed to be successful. Better to learn these skills and practice then now, before you need them to survive.
START A GARDEN Growing your own food is hugely rewarding. Not only do you have full traceability about where you food comes from, it is also fun. Kids usually like it too. Learn what to plant for your area, and when to plant it. Take back a little bit of autonomy when it comes to your food. Raised beds, full tilled plots, containers, hanging herb gardens…There are a lot of options. Information about gardening all over the internet. Jump in.
TAKE A BASIC FIRST AID COURSE Basic first aid is just that, basic. But it forms a base from which to grow your knowledge. Many preppers and survivalists have huge family sized medical kits but no real knowledge about how to use the items in their kits. Courses are commonly offered in communities throughout North America and are usually about a weekend in length. Learn now, refresh every 2-3 years.
LEARN CPR Again, pretty basic, but important. Knowing how to properly perform CPR could one day save the life of someone you love. It should be mandatory.
CONSIDER YOUR CURRENT LOCATION Take a moment or more to consider your physical location and what could come your way in a true SHTF moment. Are you living a the hurricane belt? Close to a nuclear reactor? Along an earthquake fault line? Are you in a major urban centre? Do you live along a major transportation artery? Try to envision how people around you will be affected by disaster. Where will people flee? What natural resources are around you? How close is the nearest natural water source? Are you in the eye of the storm or off the beaten path?
SET ASIDE 5 to 15+% OF VERY DOLLAR YOU EARN And then invest that money. Invest in more preps, ammo, firearms, food, medical supplies, training, transportation, gold, silver, crypto, whatever. The idea her is that you pay yourself first, and then you put that money to work for you. Building up a nest egg or a supply surplus is just common sense regardless if the world goes to shit.
MAKE A PLAN WITH YOUR FAMILY A family plan that all members know is just good strategy. If “(fill in the blanks)” happens, then we all know what to do and where to go. What is the plan if communications go down? What is the plan if transportation is disrupted? Putting everyone in your family on the same page regarding emergency scenarios and what to do if they happen makes good sense. Make a plan, communicate it. Write it out. Test it.
BUY A CAST IRON FRYING PAN Cast iron is extremely versatile, and a healthy cook wear option. It can go in the fire, it hurts when you get hit with it, and it is nearly indestructible.
GET YOUR TEETH FIXED Take care of any lagging dental problems you may have. Teeth are for life. Services like dentistry could quickly disappear following a SHTF event. It is also just good preventive health.
GET YOUR EYES CHECKED Like teeth, your eyes are essential for a good quality of life. Keep your prescriptions up to date. Keep back up pairs of glasses, contact lenses and any solutions you may require. Good optical health is also a big part of keeping yourself healthy in general. Don’t count on optical labs post collapse.
KEEP YOUR GAS TANK FULL You never know when you will need to get as far away from where you are. Keeping your tank full also cuts down on humidity build up in your tank. I like to think of the half way mark as empty, never letting it get below half.
CONSIDER KEEPING EXTRA JERRY CANS OF FUEL Some people like to stockpile gas. Not a bad idea, but tricky to store. You also need to make sure you have a good rotation plan. Gas starts to break down after around 6 months. Fill Jerry cans when the price dips, and clearly label the date. Use up older gas in your vehicles as you keep a rotation going.
START A SURVIVAL KNOWLEDGE JOURNAL My survival knowledge journal is a personal notebook that contains my preparedness notes and plans. It also stores useful information such as: routes, important locations, important numbers, notes on seasonal foraging, hunting, and fishing, useful medicinal plants in my area, weather patterns, cache locations, grid coordinates of importance, and so much more. The idea here is to consolidate the information and detail side of your preps. Makes handing the knowledge to someone else in your party easier too.
LEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE BY MAP AND COMPASS When the lights go out, batteries will die, and GPS will stop working. Knowing how to navigate the natural world by using map & compass during the day and night will become a force multiplier for you and your group. Advanced militaries the world over still teach this, still use this, and for the simple fact, it is analogue in nature. A valuable skill to posses.
QUIT SMOKING Smoking kills, and it is a huge waste of money. Smoking keeps you from realizing your full physical potential. Imagine being chased by someone who trains everyday, takes their health and fitness seriously. That person is coming for you post collapse. Quit now, save you health, save your money. Keep your extra packs for barter when money stops working.
QUIT DRINKING ALCOHOL Alcohol is linked with so many cancers now it seems unreal, but it is true. Again, think of how the money you spend on booze could be better directed to ensuring you and your family’s future. Alcohol keeps you slow and far from your full potential. Again, keep some bottles for barter post collapse.
GET TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOURS Knowing who your neighbours are used to be a thing, less so nowadays. Be a good neighbour, help out, share, befriend. No one is saying you have to be best friends, but friendly. When someone or something that does not belong in your neighbourhood comes in and starts looking to take what you have worked hard to build, who do you think you will rely on? Be a good neighbour.
START A SEED BANK Start storing heirloom seeds. Heirloom seeds are seeds from plants that grow and produce new seeds, and so on indefinitely. As opposed to GMO plants that produce fruit that is seedless, or non reproductive seeds. Seeds keep for different periods of time depending on plant varieties. 2-3 years is a good rule of thumb. Rotate you seeds, but keep some in reserve. Learn how to collect your own seeds. Doing so saves you money and teaches you now for later. Seeds are also excellent items for trade in a world without money.
LEARN HOW TO TRAP Trapping is a very energy efficient means to acquire food. Set the trap, comeback and check it. Learning to do so successfully is a skill that needs to be practiced. Hunting is more physically intense and more sporadic. Guns also make a lot more noise. Trapping is very quiet, does not require non renewable resources (ammo) and can be a very very effective way of putting food on the table. Almost an essential skills for Northern Survivalists.
PREP YOUR GO BAG Everyone talks about go bags, or grab bags, of 72 hour bags. There is good reason for this. Emergencies happen, and often happen quickly. Being ready in advance of that need just makes sense. Prepare sturdy, quality backpacks for all members in your party. Items to consider: Flashlight, knife, pistol, ammo, water, nutrient dense food (protein bars, chocolate, nuts, etc), sunscreen, prescriptions, spare glasses, sunglasses, toothbrush and tooth paste, change of socks, underwear, a hat, maps, compass, duct tape, snare wire, notebook and pencils, a deck of cards, some form of money, items for trade, lighters, a medical kit, water purification, fishing gear, the list goes on. The main idea here, have a bag that is ready to go if you have to leave in a hurry. Keep other versions of this in your car, at your work, as well as at your home.
ENROL IN A KRAV MAGA OR BRAZILIAN JUJITSU CLASS Learning how to fight and defend yourself is always better done before you need to fight and defend yourself. Seeking the training now will only aid you later. It will increase your confidence, increase your overall fitness, and give you skills that could one day save your life of the life of someone you care about. Invest the time now to learn. Highly recommend this to everyone. Also a great way to meet like minded individuals.
GO CAMPING Camping is a good, safe way to flush out your bushcraft skills before you need them for survival. Camping gets you into using the gadgets you thought you needed and makes you realize what you really do need. Camping is also a good way to judge other members in your family and how they may respond to a life lived in nature. Practice making fires, cooking food over them. Learn to recognize the natural world, the sounds, the weather. Go outside, go camping.
GO HIKING / BACKPACKING Getting use to walking through various natural terrain with a bag on your back is best done during peaceful times. The reality of a true TEOTWAWKI event will force many people out into the wilds carrying bags full of supplies and hoping for the best. Get your bag sorted out now. Get use to carrying a load for days on end. Backpacking through the wilds for multiple days is both rewarding and exhausting. Try it out now.
TRY TO GO 1 DAY WITHOUT USING ELECTRICITY We have all lived through electrical blackouts. It sucks, it is inconvenient, especially if it goes on for extended periods. Electricity will be one of the first things to go in chaos, be it war, storms, or deliberate attack. Get used to living without it. Challenge your family to go a full 24 hours without electricity. It is a great way to preview the future. It will also expose you to potential holes in your preparations and thus make you adjust or rethink your plans.
GO FOR A WALK AROUND YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD A walk around the block; good for health. Also good to help you establish a baseline of what is normal. Which makes recognizing things that are a-miss that much easier. Walking around your neighbourhood also exposes you to your neighbours. You learn who is who. You also learn in detail where things are. Expand your walk to explore further from your base. Keep going until you know the area inside out.
READ SHTF Survival Stories - Tales From The Balkan War - By Selco Begovic Selco lived through the Bosnian War. He writes from first hand experience. Many of us envision some crazy event like WW3 sending us into the abyss of post-apocalyptic survival. Perhaps. What Selco offers is a more down to earth reality of a societal collapse and the consequences for citizens. The slow decline of civility all the way down to the horrors we have all heard of from the Balkan Wars. Selco explores case studies of how people he knew survived a truly SHTF world, in addition to his own personal tales of survival. An excellent read about a version of chaos you may not have envisioned. An eye opening read. (Selco is also a guest author from time to time on the TheOrganicPrepper.com - worthy of a bit of your time)
GET YOUR AMATEUR (HAM) RADIO OPERATOR PERMIT Communication is, and will remain key to anyone looking for information. Getting your amateur radio operators license is a sound investment in your own personal skill set and knowledge base. Connect with people all around the world to get first hand accounts of what is actually happening. Become the comms guy for your group post collapse. (This skill could keep you alive) Don’t hate the media, become the media!
LEARN A TRADE A trade could keep you useful in a world gone crazy. Imagine you are the only person around who can keep the machines running, or fix guns, or knows herbal medicine, or can do dentistry, or has vet training, or can weld, work metal, build shelters…trades will be very valuable in a world gone dark. They are also a great way to increase your income streams now.
LEARN LOCK PICKING People will lock things up, leave and never return, perhaps succumbing to the trails of chaos. Knowing how to bypass a lock could be the only thing keeping you and your family from supplies, shelter, medicine in a world gone to hell. Lots of knowledge available on this skill.
STOCK UP ON IBUPROFEN / ACETAMINOPHEN People will always need these medications. They last a pretty long time too. Buy in bulk, keep extras around. Good for you, good for trade.
BUILD A HOME SANITATION KIT Sheltering in place as the lates pandemic sweeps the country. Loss of municipal services (water, electricity). Shelter in place post nuclear event….where will you shit? Where will it go? How will you deal with this? I know, not a sexy prepper topic, but an essential part of a good plan. Look into it and get the supplies you need now. Maybe get a few extra rolls of toilet paper now before another crazy rush.
READ ABOUT SURVIVING NUCLEAR WAR Every nuclear armed country is increasing their nuclear weapons stockpiles for the first time in 30 years. Don’t believe me, search this phrase: “increasing their nuclear weapons stockpiles” results in numerous news stories from the last few months. The threat of nuclear war is alive and thriving. Spending a bit of your time about how to survive in a post-nuclear world is a good investment of your time. Look for Nuclear War Survival Skills Updated and Expanded 2022 Edition by Cresson H Kearny
TAKE A TACTICAL DRIVING COURSE This is a thing, and for good reason. Learn how to operate a motor vehicle at high speeds, how to avoid detection, how to break a barricade, how to ram other vehicles, or avoid being rammed. Defensive and offensive driving. Could save your life, if not at least make you a better, more aware motorist.
PRACTICE MAKING A FIRE WITHOUT MATCHES OR A LIGHTER Harder than it looks. Try it with a flint and steel. Move onto other techniques from there. Magnification, friction, batteries. Spend some time practicing now.
LEARN TO COOK Learning how to cook seems basic to some, and anything but to others. Cooking your own food is hugely rewarding, and save your money that can be used for your preps. No restaurants of fast food will be open after the end of life as we know it now. Cooking is also a coveted trade and knowing how to put it all together could make you useful within a group dynamic. Again, think survival, your survival.
LEARN ANIMAL BUTCHERY Let’s consider hunting. Probable that most people would consider this as a good means of getting food when the shops close forever. How many people do you think actually know how to take apart a moose, or an elk? Again, trade skills. Learning how to butcher animals is a valuable skill to have. It save the meat, it could provide you with tools (bone) and it can be used as a bater.
CREATE A SMALL STOCKPILE OF BARTER ITEMS No money, no problem. Can I interest you in trade? I have: medical supplies, food, water, ammo, lighters, fuel, chocolate, sewing needles, trapping equipment, tools, dogs, seeds, clothing, alcohol, drugs, cigarette, cook wear, toilet paper, toothbrushes, cooking oil, spices…anything that you think you need to survive, someone else will need. Build back ups into your preps for trade. Trade items people need for services or items you need.
NETWORK WITH OTHER SURVIVALISTS Openly talking about your preps and how you see the end of the world is not what we are suggesting. However, there are many many people who take preparedness seriously and are openly pursuing this iniative. Good places to connect with other likeminded people: Firearms shoes, shooting ranges, first aid training courses, wilderness training courses, through on-line communities, speaking with other hunters, individuals in your Krav Maga of Brazilian Jujitsu classes. You will be surprise where you will meet others like you. Why invest in know other preppers? Network. Friends with skills will be invaluable post whatever is coming for us.
TEST YOUR SMOKE DETECTORS Smoke detectors save lives. Check your batteries, replace faulty equipment. Make sure you have smoke detectors throughout your home; bedrooms, hallways, kitchen, basement, garage. Also a good time to fill up your fire extinguishers or buy new ones. Fire kills in certain and uncertain times.
RE-ENFORCE YOUR HOME’S SECURITY Take a objective look at your home imagining others are trying to access it. How easily will this be done? Regardless of emergencies, strengthening your home to keep out unwanted intruders is good sense. Consider installing outside lighting. Replace old locks with re-enforced deadbolts. Change the screws that hold your door hinges from 2” to 5” or 7”. How will you protect your windows? The list goes on. Give it some thought now, do your research, and change.
LEARN HOW TO FIGHT Again, learning how to fight before you need to is always recommended. Krav Maga, Brazilian Jujitsu, self-defence tactics, small group tactics, shooting, marksmanship, improvised weapons, how to defend agains a knife or other edged weapons. Sounds crazy now, but the confidence you will gain from being prepared in this way could save your life. Learn how to fight before you need to.
READ ABOUT ESCAPE AND EVASION Avoiding detection, getting away without being found. Could be some pretty handy skills to posses in a world gone crazy with everyone looking for food, supplies. Clint Emerson has some good, easy to access books about this.
CONSIDER YOUR CLOTHING When the stores close and manufacturing stops, people’s clothing will become an issue. Invest now in sturdy made clothing, workwear essentially. Carhartt, Dakota, Dickies, Wrangler, that kind of stuff. Also look at your winter clothing supply. Hats, gloves, winter coats, snow pants, winter boots. (Boots in general - you should have a selection of modern work/combat/hiking boots for everyone in your group). Nuclear winter is predicted to be freezing.
CREATE A GO BAG FOR YOUR CAR Same as for your main go bag, but kept always in your car.
CREATE A GO BAG FOR YOUR WORK Same as for your main go bag, and your car go bag, but kept at your office or place of business.
SPEAK TO YOUR FAMILY ABOUT YOUR PREPARATIONS AND WHY YOU DO THEM Including your spouse, children, and extended close family members in your planning is a good way to keep everyone motivated towards working together. It also helps others understand why you, as a survivalist, are doing the things that you do. Sharing the plan also disseminates that information regarding your preps to everyone in the group. That way is something happens to one of you, everyone else still has the knowledge of where things are, what you are doing, and how you are getting there.
LEARN HOW TO CAN YOUR OWN FOOD Preserving your own food is hugely rewarding. It save you money. It gives you reserves. It keeps you connected to the food you perhaps grew yourself. It is also very simple. Invest in some mason jars. Get a large pot. Tones of recipes on the web and in print going back centuries on how to preserve just about anything. A good family activity.
BUY A FOOD DEHYDRATOR Right along with home canning, a food dehydrator can save you a lot of money when preparing food reserves. There is a wide range of products available, at various price points. Worth while time investment to have a look and see what you can get.
LEARN HOW TO SHARPEN A KNIFE Knives are and will continue to be favour tools of mankind. Knowing how to keep an edge on your knife should be common knowledge, but it surprisingly isn’t. Learn how to do it. It is really not that hard, but you will need to practice. Get a wet stone and do it.
LEARN HOW TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN YOUR FIREARMS A well maintained firearm will last you generations if not longer. A firearm that is not well maintain might well cost you your life. Learn how to care for your tools. Get the items you need to care for them. Respect them and they will serve you for the rest of your life. Can not stress this point enough.
STOCKPILE AMMUNITION Ammunition became very scarce during the Covid pandemic. People panicked and rushed to stock up. Supplies disappeared. Supply is just now slowly starting to comeback now. Stock up on ammo. If properly stored it can last a long long time. Inflation alone will only make it more expensive. Hedge your bets and bulk up now.
STAY AWARE OF WHAT THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION IS DOING Pandemics will become more prevalent in the years to come. Keep an eye on the work the WHO is doing. Stay current on what outbreaks are happening around the world. The difference between endemic and pandemic in a globally connected consumer world could be as simple as 24 hours. Learn about the current threats before you need to react to them.
INVEST IN QUALITY BACKPACKS FOR ALL FAMILY MEMBERS Should you ever have to flee your home chances are you will only be able to take what you can carry. Backpacks are the most logical bag to consider as they leave you the ability to use your hands. Quality backpacks are a huge investment and certainly an important item on your prepper shopping list. We like bags made by 5.11, Mystery Ranch, Eberlestock. Make sure you get a bag that is properly sized to your body.
CONSIDER ADVANCE LIFE SUPPORT TRAINING ACLS is a big step up from basic first aid and brings you to the level of first responder. These skills will be coveted in any true emergency. Remember, “no one can ever take knowledge away from you and you can never leave it behind.”
LEARN ABOUT MEDICINAL PLANTS IN YOUR AREA Mother nature is full of medicine. Learning how to find, recognize, and use medicinal plants in your area gives you in a uniquely qualified skill set. Healing with plants, roots, flowers. This knowledge could save your life, the life of a loved one, or someone threatening you. (See #34 on this list - Read Selco’s book)
LEARN HOW TO FORAGE FOR WILD FOODS IN YOUR AREA Do you know what you can and can not eat in the natural landscape around you? I remember reading one that the average American could recognize over 150 corporate logos, but could not identify 10 plants from their natural environment. Start now to change that for yourself. A lot of people think that they will be able to eat wild food when shit goes south. The reality is that just the shear volume of nutrients you would need to survive this way indicated that you would have to be extremely skilled in cultivation the mass you need. So knowing about as many sources of natural food as possible makes perfect sense The more you know, the more you know.
BUILD YOUR EVERYDAY CARRY ITEMS INTO YOUR DAILY ROUTINE Everyday Carry or EDC. What is it? Here is a link to mine and why. Simply, these are items that you have with you, everyday, everywhere you go. A pocket knife, a tactical pen, a smart watch, a notebook, a multi-tool, and so on. The idea here is that you build the habit of having useful items with you everwhere you go. I can’t list the numerous times these items have saved my ass just going through life. Find yours, start to cary them.
EVALUATE THE PHYSICAL CAPABILITIES OF EVERYONE IN YOUR GROUP I train my body everyday, multiple times per day, in multiple ways. I do physical work. I cut my firewood, shovel my snow, do my yard work, ruck, run, and lift weights. The rest of my family, not so much. This creates a big imbalance in ability. Everyone needs to be aware of the physical abilities of the other members of the group. I know I can carry a 80lbs bag through mountain terrain doing 20-30km in a day on trails cleared for hiking. My wife can’t, and my kids certainly can’t. Get to know what you can achieve as a group.
LEARN HOW TO FELL A TREE Why would you need to know this? Building material. Defence. Shelter. Trade skill. Simple, but not evident. It’s the little things that come back around when we need them. Not everyone knows how to do this. Make yourself useful, learn now.
READ UP ON SHELTER BUILDING Should the day come where you need to go bush to survive, how likely are you to be able to build a survival shelter. Or something more permanent. Shelter building is more than a tarp stretched over a fallen tree. Shelters, Shacks and Shanties by Daniel Carter Beard is a great place to start increasing your skills and knowledge about shelter.
PRACTICE YOUR NAVIGATION SKILLS Here it is again, navigation. I often think about how in my lifetime I went from using street maps to using Waze. Navigation has remained as important as ever, but technology has made me less reliant on my personal skills and dependent on tech to get around. Take back your ability to navigate without technology. Learn to move around your town my map, map and compass, observation. Stop using GPS devices to move. Start using your brain again, engage your memory.
BUY TOPOGRAPHICAL MAPS OF YOUR AREA, STUDY THEM Granted, if you live in Manhattan then this point is not for you. However if you do live close to nature or in a rural setting get to know your area through the study of topographical maps. A wealth of information can be gleaned from topo map study. Where is the high ground? What area could be defensible? Where are the waterways? Where are the natural crossings of those waterways? Topographical maps for the corner of your non digital navigation. Get to know the maps of your area of operations.
IMAGINE WHERE YOU LIVE BUT WITH NO SERVICES When the shops close, and services stop being provided, how close or far are you from natural resources, or other supplies. How will you get around - transportation? What will you eat and where will you get it? Will it be extreme heat, extreme cold? Are there enough materials or supplies close by to sustain you.
INVEST IN A GOOD PAIR OF BOOTS Or two or three. One is none two is one as they say. Boots are essential. I’m talking good work style boots. Ankle support, shank guard, reenforced toe box, quality materials, Gortex, leather. I like boots from Solomon, Rocky, Lowa, Swat, Redwing. Think about function, protection, durability, and the type of movement you need them for. Consider weather - cold, wet, hot.
INVEST IN A GOOD PAIR OF WORK GLOVES Or two or three. Physical work will be a daily part of your life in a long emergency / SHTF / collapse. Invest now to make sure your hands stay protected when it comes time to work hard to survive.
BUY EXTRA BATTERIES OF VARIOUS SIZES Batteries are a good investment for your prepping dollars. Keep a small supply of common sizes for the devices you have. Good as barter items. Can be used to start fires.
EVALUATE THE REALITY AND RISKS OF A TRUE SHTF EVENT A lot of people envision the end of the world type of events made popular in modern tv and movies. The zombie apocalypse, alien invasion, nuclear war, pandemic, whatever. But have you ever true sat and thought for yourself what will be the most likely emergency you and your family are preparing for? Extreme weather is much more likely than zombies. If nuclear war did breakout, are you living in a centre that will be directly targeted by nuclear weapons, or are you more likely to have to live through a fallout and shelter in place event. Are earth quakes or tornados more likely where you live than ocean flooding and tropical storms? Look at the real risks that your are facing and adjust your planning to meet those threats.
PRACTICE OPSEC OPSEC - “The ability to keep knowledge of our strengths and weaknesses away from hostile forces.” In other words, don’t go blabbing to everyone you know about how much food, guns, ammo, and other supplies you have stored up at your place. Keeping your preparations on a need to know basis is common sense. Practice keeping your secrets. Get your family on board with this too, especially kids.
BUY A GAS MASK, LEARN HOW TO USE IT Gas masks are one of those things that you never need until you need one. Consider buying a good one now along with proper fitting canisters. Mira Safety has a good selection of items.
CONSIDER RAISING CHICKENS Chickens produce food everyday. They eat pretty much whatever they can find. And you can always kill and eat them if you have too. Their poop is also good fertilizer for your garden. Check the local laws of where you live to see if you can have them.
STOCKPILE ANY PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS YOU OR YOUR FAMILY USE Pharmacies will close. Production could slow, or stop. Transportation will be disrupted. All of these issues will happen emergencies. Stock up on any prescription medications you or your family need to get you through any supply issues you could anticipate. Make a list of all of the generic counterparts. Consider natural medicines or at least be aware of them. Good to make note of all the pharmacies in your area too.
ADD SOME SPICES TO YOU FOOD STOCKPILE Spices keep almost forever. They also add a lot of personality to otherwise mundane foods….think beans and rice. Simple to stock, keeps for long time. Adds enjoyment to eating boring foods. No brainier, go get some curry!
BUY SOME DICE, CARDS, AND BOARD GAMES When I was a kid, I use to thing board games were for when you were bored. Consider sitting in a small space with 4 other people during a protracted shelter in place event. A deck of cards, some dice, and a few classic board games could help pass the time. Dice and cards are easy to travel with too.
PICK UP CURRENT MAPS OF YOUR AREA Current maps of your area…street maps, transit maps, hiking trail maps, waterway maps, city park maps, national park maps, regional park maps, snowmobiling maps, maps maps maps. The more you know the better off you will be. Consider all options for getting away from the masses should you =ever need to.
GROW A HERB GARDEN Herbs are easy to grow, take up little space, and can be pick and dried to save as spices. (See #80).
PREP FOR WINTER Nuclear winter is a thing. Aside from the doomsday, winter is very much alive in the northern USA and throughout Canada. I live in the north country now. I can tell you winter can be brutal. When the power goes out for days due to violent winter storms our home quickly cools down. In a prolonged emergency where power is not available how will you keep warm. Firewood is labour intensive. A fire also drwas others to your location. Consider the insulation of your lodging. Consider the quality of your winter clothing. Consider the extra calories required in extreme cold. Consider winter.
PREP FOR EXTREME HEAT The UN predicts that global temperatures will continue to rise causing more and more extreme heat related emergencies. They say that by 2050, global heat events will be prevalent throughout much of the northern hemisphere. Consider adding to the insulation of your home. Consider where you live. Where you get your water from. Something to think about, perhaps take action now.
GO FOR A RUN Not too much to say here that isn’t already obvious. Running is a great way to improve your fitness, endurance, leg strength, and mental fortitude. By running 2-3 times per week, you give yourself a massive advantage over the general populace should you ever face a fight of flight event.
GO FOR A RUCK Rucking, or ruck marching…”military sized backpack or rucksack, carried over distances traveled by foot.” Everyone prepares their go bags and loads them with tons of useful items. But how many of those same people try doing long distance hikes of rough terrain carrying these same bags. Ruck marching is a good skill to practice. It builds resiliency and stamina. It also teaches you your limits and the limits of others in your group. Go ruck now.
SELL THINGS YOU DO NOT USE OR WANT ANYMORE Look at the items in your home. What are you no longer using, or no longer want? Consider selling them and the invest that money into more preps. Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji, Craigslist, PoshMark, or just have a garage sale. Clear out what you don’t use, replace it with things that will keep you alive.
ADD TO YOUR PERSONAL LIBRARY We are a big cheerleader for growing personal libraries. Libraries for off-line information and entertainment. Consider investing in books about hard skills related to survival….bushcraft, hunting, butchery, skinning and tanning, tactics, tracking, medicinal plants, foraging, trapping, fishing, gardening, first aid, dentistry, lock picking, and so on. Giant volumes dedicated to homesteading are often good one stop options containing a wide variety of information related to self-sufficient.
RENEW YOU PASSPORT Keep your most important citizenship document current. You never know when you may have to flee your home. A passport is the best proof you have of who you are in the eye of the government. You might want to make sure you have it with you, and that it has not expired.
CREATE BACK-UP COPIES OF IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS Make photocopies of birth certificates, driver’s licenses, passports, insurance policies, land deeds, and anything else that you think important enough to back up in the old school way. Keep these copies in a secure second location. You never know what society could look like after a prolonged emergency. Good to have proof of who you are and what is yours.
LEARN ABOUT ALTERNATIVE POWER SOURCES How will you continue to power all of the electric devices you love when the state wide power grid goes down? Now would be a good time to invest in learning about alternative energy generation and storage. Solar, wind, geothermal, are the classics and a good place to start your learning journey. Prices have come down a lot in recent years. Consider installing solar panels and using them to charge your Tesla Powerwall. Many options abound.
START A MEDICINAL PLANT GARDEN Grow your medicine. Not that hard to do. Research, find the seeds, plant, harvest, store, repeat. Medicinal gardens usually attract pollinators too, good for your veggie garden.
BUILD OUT YOUR FIRST AID KITS A family medical kit is an essential item for serious preparedness. Many options abound for pre-made kits. Bloom and Doom has some good options. Or you can look at what they have and build yours up in small batches over time. Start with a good backpack, and slowly but steadily add items (that you know how to use) to your kit. There is so much information about this on the web I won’t go into details here. I will say make sure to have a few tourniquets, and any prescriptions you require.
BUY A GOOD PAIR OF SNOWSHOES Snowshoes are essential if you need to move about in deep snow. Hunting would be a good example. When the civic services stop operating, and the streets go unploughed, snowshoes will be worth their weight in gold.
BUY A GOOD SET OF BACKCOUNTRY CROSS-COUNTRY SKIS If you live in Florida, well, you know. But if you live anywhere in the Northern USA or in Canada I suugest you look at a good pair of back-country cross-country skis. Touring skis, nordic skis, call them what you will. Skis conserve economy of motion when moving through snow. It makes getting around much easier, and fun. Fisher makes some good options here.
INVEST IN A GOOD AX An ax is a tool, a valuable one. Look into the different types and how and what they are used for. Learn how to sharpen it and care for it. Use it as well.
KEEP YOUR VEHICLE IN GOOD MECHANICAL CONDITION Like anything you need to depend on, keep your vehicle in good working order. Get anything that needs to be fixed, fixed. Keep the fluids full, the tires inflated, and the engine running like it did on day one.
GET AN EXTRA PROPANE TANK FOR YOUR BBQ And keep it full. One one runs out, fill it up again while you use the other full tank. BBQ are a great option for blackouts or any other grid down cooking times. Adapters exist to fit a BBQ propane tank onto a Coleman stove. Explore this resource.
TEST OF YOUR PLAN Test out your preps. Try out your boots, your backpacks. Fire your guns, sharpen your knife. Spar with your training partner. Test your exfiltration routes. Explore additional routes to bug out locations. Test your family communication plan. Practice fire drills in your home with your family. The point is that for all of your planning, if you never test it out or use the tools you bought, how do you know it will all work when you need it most.
REALIZE YOU ARE NOT ALONE, NOR ARE YOU CRAZY TO PREPARE FOR UNCERTAINTY Preparing for uncertainty is not a crazy pursuit, quite the opposite in fact. By setting aside supplies, food, water, money, for times when you may need these things is just common sense. Learning how to survive in a world that is changing faster than at any other point in our collective history just makes sense. One might argue that people who are not preparing are actually the crazy ones. Natural disasters wake people up to how self-reliant they are. The pandemic did the same thing, but on a global level for both individuals, and sovereign states. More and more people are becoming interested in emergency preparedness. Talk to people you share common interest with. You will be surprised how many other preppers and survivalists there are around you.
Northern Survivalist