An Introduction to Prepping: Where Do I Start?

Prepping is going to be one of the most important and long-term tasks that you will ever take on.  We all want to prepare ourselves and our families so that we will be as safe and secure as possible in the future whether it’s from some sort of natural disaster or other type of emergency situation.  Before you start it’s important to step off on the right foot and take baby steps.  You can’t expect to jump into this at full swing and not get overwhelmed.  Instead, try to look at this as a hobby or adventure and get the other people in your family or group involved in the planning process as this will make things a whole lot easier and also more fun.

Identify who’s in your preparedness plan and their unique requirements:

The first step is to identify who you are including in your preparedness plan.  Are you preparing for yourself, your spouse, a baby, your children, a relative or a friend?  Every person in your preparedness group is unique and may require different supplies depending on their age, mental or physical well-being.  Draw yourself a chart on a sheet of paper and list everyone’s name in separate columns from left to right.  Write down all the important and unique things about each person as well as items they may require.  List things such as food allergies, the need for crutches, insulin, specific types of medication or any other type of items and gear that they would need in order to survive a disaster and escape if need be.

Identify your location and the reason why you are prepping:

Where do you live and what are you prepping for?  Your location will play an important factor in determining what type of items and gear you will need.   What about land features such as rivers, lakes and mountains.  How about your climate – does it get cold at night or extremely hot during the day?  Do you receive lots of rain or snow?  What type of disasters are more common in your area?  A person living in California may be more inclined to prepare for a tsunami or an earthquake while another person living in Kansas would probably be preparing for a tornado.  The tricky part is that we never really know what type of disaster will strike first and where or when it will happen.  If you live in an area that could be affected by multiple types of disasters you might be better off to plan for all of them.  Remember that this doesn’t mean you’ll need a hundred different items since many survival items can be used in multiple survival situations.

Stocking food and other survival supplies:

This section can go into great depths and should really be an article all on it’s on, however, I will keep things basic for now.  Remember that clean water, fire (heat) and food are the most important things you will need to survive and should be at the top of your list.  One thing that I want to stress to all of you is don’t limit yourself to a 72 hour kit!  While it’s better than nothing, you could also be setting yourself up for failure since you could be forced to endure the after effects of a disaster for weeks, months or longer.

Start creating a stockpile of food and supplies in your home:

If you haven’t already started a stockpile of emergency food and supplies then now is the time to do it. Stocking things like canned food, pasta, diapers, toilet paper, soap, water, etc, are all essential and important items.  Unfortunately, many people are struggling financially these days, however, we still need to find a way to set aside some food for an emergency.  If all you can do is add a few extra cans of food to your grocery list then do it – just make sure to add these to your stockpile and leave them there.  You’d be surprised how fast your stockpile will start to grow, even if you’re only adding a few items at a time.  Be sure to keep track of your food’s expiry date and keep your stock freshly rotated.  Another thing you can do is learn how to can your own meat and vegetables.  Dry caning in glass jars (with oxygen absorber packs) is also a good option for things like pasta, oats, beans, rice, barley, etc.  Many of those dry food items are inexpensive and will last a long time if they are canned.

Organize all of your survival gear and have a Bug out Bag ready to go:

A BOB (bug out bag) is basically a backpack that contains essential survival gear and food in which you would use to survive in the event that you were forced to leave your home.  A stocked and ready bug out bag is an essential part to your survival plan and is an absolute must.  For more information and details on bug out bags please check out my following articles below:

• The importance of a bug out bag
• Selecting a bug out bag
• Types of backpacks to stay away from
• But out bag checklist
• Waterproofing your backpack and it’s contents

Carry an EDC (Every Day Carrr) bag:

An EDC bag is a mini version of your bug out bag that you would carry with you everywhere you go.  Having an EDC bag is very important because it contains the necessary supplies that will aid you in getting back home to your main bug out bag and supplies in the event that you have been in an accident or perhaps found that your main route has been blocked off.  It should contain a few emergency meals, rope, emergency candle, a means to start a fire (matches, lighter, flint rod, etc) some 550lb paracord, a basic first aid kit as well as other essential items.  Some people just don’t want to be bothered having to carry around a small pack.  In that case, at least put something together that’s wallet sized so you can fit it in your pants pocket – you don’t want to get caught with nothing on hand. Our stylish paracord survival grenade is a good option for those of you who insist on going as minimal as possible.

For more information and details on EDC bags please check out my following articles below:

• What is an EDC bag and why should I have one?
• Selecting an EDC bag
• Putting together your EDC bag

Identify your escape routes and select bug out location:

You could be forced to leave your home, neighborhood or city depending on the severity of the disaster.  For this reason it is important to always have an escape plan in place.  Make sure you have a home escape plan and that everyone in your home knows how to escape the house in case of an emergency.  Next you will have to decide on the best bug out location.  Would your best option be to escape to a friends house in a neighboring town or city, or would a remote cabin in the woods be a safer option?  The type of disaster or event that’s occurring will play a big part in your decision making, however, it’s up to you to select the best location in the end.  In my opinion it’s best to have at least two or three bug out locations selected.  Keep a map of your local area in your bug out bag as well as a map of your province or state.  Study these maps and take a look at the possible routes to all of your bug out locations.  A tree could be blocking a road, perhaps a bridge is washed out or maybe the military has set up road blocks.  How will you get around these obstacles?

Practice with your family:

You can have all the supplies in the world stocked up but if you don’t know how to use your gear properly and lack the necessary survival skills then all of your prepping efforts will have been wasted.  Arrange for your family to get together at least once a week to go over all your supplies and gear and rotate out any food items that may have expired.  Have each person in your group test out every piece of equipment so they understand how to use it properly and know where everything is located.  Conduct home escape drills and practice accessing your bug out location (if it’s not too far away) via different routes using your maps.  Pretend certain roads are completely blocked off and re-route your navigation plans as needed.

In a nutshell these are all the things that one should be thinking about when starting prepping. Like I mentioned before, take baby steps, do one thing at a time and organize yourself properly.  A day in the future just might pop up where you’ll find yourself putting into action all of the strategies and things that you have learned.  Remember to plan everything out and always keep the mindset that you can only rely upon yourself in the event that a disaster takes place.  All too many people have made the mistake of thinking the Government or someone else would be there to save or help them during a time of distress.  With that said, to each their own.

Source: http://inchsurvival.com/site/2013/12/an-introduction-to-prepping-where-do-i-start/