7 Weird Things Only Preppers Understand. Do you?

Source: https://www.askaprepper.com/

Preppers and Survivalists are not like 99% of the world’s population.

When we take measures to ensure our survival regardless of the disaster, we tend to have a higher understanding of certain concepts which most of the public does not grasp.

I have thrown together a list of some of those things that it seems that only preppers understand.

This list is by no means an exhaustive one; instead, it is a few things that I know the average prepper understands that most of the public does not.

Knowing How Many Resources Our Homes Actually Consume

When you want to prepare to be off-grid for any length of time, one of the first things we do is figure out how much our household consumes in the way of resources during that timeframe.

To this end, most preppers have a detailed and intimate understanding of how much power, water, food, and consumable supplies their family uses in a day, week, month, or year.

For example, knowing how much power we need to continue operating with some semblance of normalcy after the grid goes down means we can get the correct sized battery bank or generator to accomplish our goals.

Related: If You Have A Generator, Do This Immediately

Every Bag Has A Purpose

When we start gathering supplies and gear, inevitably, it all needs to be organized and packaged so that we can carry it. To the average person, it would seem that there are an awful lot of random bags in our homes but ask the prepper that lives there, and they’ll tell you what each bag is for.

Bugout bags, get-home bags, comms bags, range bags, tool bags, first aid bags, possibles bags, etc., the list is almost exhaustive.

Along with all the various bags and pouches, preppers like to save containers and tins for further storage and organization.

I discovered that a plastic case for a drill bit nicely fit eight AA batteries, and I’ve lost count of how many times I bought Altoids so that I could use the tin afterwards.

You Can Never Have Enough Five Gallon Buckets

If having a bunch of bags and tins lying around wasn’t enough, I find that most preppers have a healthy supply of five-gallon buckets as well.

I must resist the urge to pick a couple up each time I have to run down to the Home Depot. These buckets are fantastic for food storage and work great for storing all sorts of gear.

I like to make kits designed to be stored inside a five-gallon bucket.

They are perfect for keeping in the crawlspace and easy to lift in and out.

I also like five-gallon buckets because the lids fit tight and provide a fantastic seal.

When The Tank Gets Down To Half Its Time To Find a Gas Station

Whenever there is an evacuation order or alert, the masses of people fleeing the area suck the gas stations dry on their way out of town.

While I am guilty of driving around town running on fumes from time to time, I prefer to fill my tank when I see the gauge flirting with the halfway mark.

I usually have enough stabilized gas on hand at any given time to provide about half a tank of gas for my truck, so I know that if push came to shove, I could top off my fuel tank even if all the gas stations in the area are empty.

Lately, this practice has taken on increased urgency.

Almost weekly, I notice gas stations in my area not having any gas to sell because of supply chain issues.

Related: What’s the Best Fuel to Stockpile for Survival?

Inevitably, the second the station fills its underground tanks, the line ups of people who let their cars run too low is excessive.

Power Outages Are Practice For The Apocalypse

I love blackouts. Not only does the noise floor for my ham radios drop to almost nothing, but it gives my family and I a practice run for living in a grid-down society. I like to switch the refrigerators over to the solar battery bank and pull out the Jackery solar generator to keep our devices charged up.

I also use it as a learning experience as well. I like to take notes on anything that failed or things that would have made life easier for next time.

Have A Manual Tool For Each Power Tool

When the grid fails, we will have to switch to whichever backup source we choose.

Once we are on off-grid power, we need to consider the value of depleting that power resource, even a little, to accomplish tasks around the home.

It is safe to say that the majority of preppers have several manual alternatives to their power tools.

Hand saws, old hand drills, hand planes, or hammers and nails, are all practical options that do not require electricity.

Related: 25 Powerless Appliances for Your Homestead Kitchen

I also think that it is important to use these off-grid methods from time to time to keep our skills sharp and our muscles used to using them.

The Importance Of Rotation

A stockpile of food and water doesn’t do much good if it expires all at once. As preppers, we make sure to rotate all our supplies with a shelf life so that the oldest items are used first. This keeps the supply fresh and allows us to use the stuff that is about to reach the end of its usable lifespan by integrating them into our daily lives.

Gasoline is especially important to rotate since even stabilized gas and diesel have a definite lifespan.

It is as simple as topping up our gas tank with the gas at the end of the rotation and re-filling the jerry can with fresh gas that can then be stabilized.

There are too many things that only preppers understand to list here, and I think most preppers and survivalists would make many additions to this list.

This article aims to illustrate the difference between us who are prepared and those in the public who have made no efforts to ready themselves.

While most who read this already know these things, it might be a good idea to forward this piece to friends or family to spark an honest conversation about the importance of preparedness.