A man once asked, “how do you eat an elephant?” and the other replied, “one bite at a time.”
There are a lot of reasons why people prep. But the only reason that matters is, why do you want to prep? The zombie apocalypse? Some kind of pandemic or the next financial meltdown? If you live in Florida, or along the Gulf Coast, you may prep for the hurricane that is sure to hit. Maybe it will hit this year, or the next, but what you do know is that it is certain that one year it will. If you live in California, it may be for the big earthquake or a wildfire. Hundreds of families lost their homes during the fires in Sonoma and Ventura and they were given only moments to leave with the clothes on their backs. What do you take with you? No matter what your reason for prepping, it’s a good one.
I saw an ad for a book on “How to get prepared in 7 days” or something like that. I thought to myself, “Really? Seven days?” What a failure I must be, because I’ve been doing this for a long time and I still don’t feel prepared. I don’t have a larder full of food. I don’t have all the knowledge that I need. I don’t have a place I know I can bug-out to. But you’re going to sell me a book to show me how to do-it-all in seven days, awesome! Sure, I think there are a lot of basic things you can get done to be in a better position within seven days. But to state that someone would be fully prepared is a bit of a stretch. At least in my humble opinion. That said, with some planning and execution of said plan, I think that in a few weekends you can drastically improve your family’s situation.
Where to begin? The best place to start is by taking an assessment of where you think you are right now. Write down what you know about where things are, especially important documents like your marriage license, birth certificates, titles to vehicles, or property deeds to name a few. Don’t think that just because they are in a “fire proof safe” that they’re safe. Those safes have a rating for how long they can withstand the heat of a house fire. But that takes into consideration that the fire department will be arriving to put the fire out. So start a list of important documents and where they are kept. It is probably a good idea to keep the originals in a safe deposit box at the bank and keep copies together in a binder at home. Inside that binder keep a list of the documents you have and where the originals are kept as a cross reference.
Do you have camping equipment? Hotels are expensive, especially after a couple weeks, if you can find one with vacancy since you may not be the only family looking for a place to stay. So, do you own camping equipment? Where is it and what do you have? Is it all stored neatly together, or is your tent on a shelf in the garage and your sleeping bag at your buddy’s house? What kind of shape is it in and when was the last time you used it? It would be prudent to take it out and inspect it. If you don’t have space to set up a tent at your house or you live in an apartment, take it to the park and set it up. There will be a lot less pressure to set up the tent without the stress of just having to have left your home. It’s also a better time to find out that you’re missing a pole or find a hole or rip in the canvas there rather than when you are counting on it. Write down what equipment you know and where it is, then start consolidating and organizing the equipment in the same area. This way, if you have time to grab it in an emergency it will be easy to find and speed your departure.
What kind of food do you have in your cupboards? How long would it last you if it was all you had to eat? Ramen noodles are great, but what if you don’t have clean water readily available? How will you cook them? Do you buy food in bulk? Create a plan to stock enough food for three months for starters. It is best if you have meal plans that will support what you are buying. This way you aren’t just buying a bunch of random cans of food off the shelf, you’re actually buying meals you’ll be able to cook. Then try to extend those food stores to six months. Find some other recipes that your family likes and add those into the rotation. A couple things to keep in mind, it’s a lot cheaper and easier to do this if you’re single rather than buying for a family of four. Also, remember, you are buying for survival. Think one meal a day for three months. Then a second meal. Don’t overlook backpacking food or one of those emergency food buckets that feed four people for a month. Buying food like this may be a little more expensive, but they’re also a lot easier to store. If you think you are going to hunt or fish to provide your family with food, think again. There are some 13.7 million hunters in the US, and 29.4 million fishermen.
Do you take medications? This is really a big deal and one of the scariest thoughts about having to bug-out. If you take medications having enough medication to last you until you can get a refill is very important. If the ‘S’ really does ‘hit the fan’ how many days, months, of medication do you have until you run out? Where will you get more? Yes there are natural remedies for some things, and some things can be controlled with diet, but neither will be as effective as the medications you take. That said, I do think it is worth the time to pick up a book on naturopathic remedies and become familiar with those herbs or vegetables and the diet changes you will need to make to fill the loss of your medications. That said, the medications you take could limit your personal time limit of self-sufficiency and you may have to seek government assistance.
Have pets? Can’t just leave them on their own. You’ll need their food, their medications should they have any, and a copy of their vaccinations in your important papers binder. Now if you travel with your pet, you should have an appropriate carrier or crate for them. But when ‘S’ is hitting the fan and space in your vehicle is at a premium, you may need to forego those items. That’s a personal call. Needless to say, don’t forget about Fido or Fifi in your bug-out plans.
You were ordered to evacuate, or there is civil unrest and you have decided to bug-out. Where do you go? What vehicle are you going to take if you have more than one choice? What happens when the roads are so jammed with traffic that you’re literally running out of gas going nowhere? Having a spare 5 gallons of gas would be good. Having 10 – 15 would be even better. If the disaster is localized that extra gas could get you far enough away that you may make it to a gas station in a safer area. Now that you’re in a safe area, where are you going to lay your head down to get some much needed sleep for you and your family? Let’s assume that all the motels and hotels are packed. This is where the camping equipment would come into play. Find a nice area off the road and pitch the tent. Maybe it’s at a park or another area you find with the masses huddled together on their exodus. Where ever you find a spot, make sure it is safe. Because if something should happen to you or your family, all you preparation would feel meaningless. So, safety, safety, safety.
One more item we need to discuss. Your Bug-Out-Bag, or BOB. Essentially it is a backpack with at least 3 days’ worth of food and water. That’s 3 days’ of survival level food and water for every member of your family, including your pets. Not a bunch of canned foods that will weigh you down, rather, protein and power bars. Small compact lightweight easy to carry energy bars that will sustain you until you get where you are going. Get a pack that has a built in Camelbak. It makes carrying that water easier, however, you should also pack a couple extra bottles of water in your bag. Yes it will be excess weight at first, but you’ll drink it.
Pack at least one full change of clothes in your bag, and two pairs of socks. Something to sleep in that’s appropriate for the time of year and the weather in your area. Which brings up a good point. You need to go through your BOB at least twice a year. Once in early fall and prepare it for winter, and once in the spring to switch it over for summer. This mostly applies to your clothing. For winter you may want to carry a heavier jacket and sleeping bag for the cold weather. Whereas in the summer, you may only need a light jacket and the sleeping bag may be optional. I do advise having something to sleep in at all times. You will also want a poncho or some other rain gear; especially in the spring when it rains more frequently.
You’ll need to have some other equipment in this bag as well. This is a partial list as I will cover the Bug-Out-Bag in more depth in another article. You should have a first aid kit, flashlight or head lamp, lighter, water proof matches, fire starter kit: magnesium for shaving and a ferrous rod for striking. Some kind of kindling. Some tissue, or my favorite, dryer lint. Yep, its light and easily catches fire. I keep my fire starting items in a doubled zip lock baggie to keep it dry. You’ll need a pocket knife and a fixed blade sheath knife as well. Hopefully you know where you’re going. Be sure to have a map or maps, and a good compass to get you there. These are just a few of the imperative items you will need and not a complete list by any means. Add whatever you like to this list. It’s for your survival. Just remember, you have to carry it.
The questions are endless, I know. Now, however, you have walked through the valley of preparing for when SHTF and had a glimpse of its daunting tasks. Prepping will consume some of your time, no doubt, but taken in pieces, you can be prepared and provide for your family’s safety. Congratulations on your decision to begin preparing for when SHTF.