Common Prepper Mistakes – Relying on Untested Gear

Origianlly post at tinhatranch.com

Common Prepper Mistakes – Relying On Untested Gear

    One of the most common mistakes I see preppers make is a reliance on untested gear.  It typically goes something like this.

  Joe Prepper comes across a review online for this snazzy new type of camp stove.  Not only will it cook food using biomass as fuel, it will charge a cell phone, purify water, trim toenails, and send out a distress signal.  All for the low, low price of $69.99.  Joe clicks the Amazon link and within a week or so, he’s the proud owner of his very own Camp Stove 2000.  He carefully unpacks the stove, puts all the parts into the handy carrying satchel that was in the box, and stashes it all in his bug out bag.

  Here’s the problem.  Joe has absolutely no clue how the stove actually works.  He hasn’t even bothered to read the instructions, let alone assemble the stove and test it out.  If he’d done so, he’d have found the box was missing the 8 hex screws that are absolutely necessary for assembly.  Kinda hard to whittle those screws out in the field when your hands are trembling uncontrollably from the cold.

  Any time you add a new item to your survival kit, whether we’re talking about a bug out bag or the disaster supplies you keep at home, you need to have a complete understanding of how the item works, what its capabilities are as well as its limitations.  Take the time to test out the product.  Take advantage of the luxury of using the item when you’re not under a high amount of stress.  Get to know the product inside and out.

  What I find interesting is this.  When I ask preppers why they’ve not tested out one or another item in their kits, the answer I often receive is something like, “I don’t want to break it before I need to use it for real.”  Um, what?  Personally, if I’m likely to be staking my very life on a product, I want to know beyond any doubt that it is going to be up for the challenge.  If it is going to break, I want that to happen in my backyard on a sunny afternoon, not when I’m miles from civilization and in danger of freezing to death.

  I’ll tell you something else, too.  I’m all about saving money, especially where preps are concerned.  But, there is a difference between inexpensive gear and cheap gear.  Heading to the dollar store to stock up on survival supplies might not always be your best option.  I don’t care if you spend $5 or $200 on a new knife, you need to test it out and make sure you can absolutely rely upon it during a crisis.  Same goes for stoves, backpacks, and any other piece of equipment.

  Test your gear fully before you need it for real.  

  Jim Cobb is the author of several books on preparedness, such as Prepper’s Home Defense and Prepper’s Long-Term Survival Guide. You can find him online at Survivalweekly and Disaster prep consultants.