Top 10 Secrets of Prepping

When it comes to preparedness, we can get boggled down with all of the information, skills and gear that it can be daunting. I get it. I’m probably not helping with all the info I put out there!

But, I wanted to offer a few secrets to help us maybe hone in on what’s most important about being prepared.

Here are 10 secrets to prepping:

1. Don’t compare yourself to other preppers. Time and time again I see preppers trying to be just like other preppers. “That prepper has that and I don’t!” So? Don’t compare yourself to others. However much money and time and resources you have, that’s what you have. Work with it. Sure, I might be envious that someone else has a freeze dryer and I don’t, but I’m still going to keep chugging along and making everything that I have available to me and my family, work for us.
2. Get the gear that’s right for you. With so much gear available and way more coming out all the time, get the gear that’s going to be best for you. Don’t get something just because someone reviewed it. Really do your own due diligence and find out what is going to work for YOU, your budget, your situation, your region, your plans, your day-to-day, your abilities, etc. Get the gear that’s right for you.
3. Make plans that are right for you. In addition to getting gear that’s right for you, you should make plans that are specific to you and your family/group. While you should take advice from others, ultimately your plans are going to be dictated based off of your needs, your region, your responsibilities, the type of emergencies and disasters, health concerns, etc. Sit down and really make sure that your plans are specific to you and your needs.
4. Intel is your best friend. Intel isn’t talked about nearly enough. The more intel you can have and gather, the better off you’re going to be in the long run. This is especially important during an emergency or disaster. Through a NOAA weather radio, a HAM radio (even if it’s just receiving and not transmitting) and through any other source that’s available. Social media can be a great source for intel. Get the intel from all sides and make informed decisions from there.
5. Never stop learning. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a prepper say, “Nah, I’m good. I’m all set.” Really? You’ve learned it all? Done it all? You’re good? I mean…ok, if that’s how you want to be. I just feel like there’s an upteen amount of things to learn and even after it’s been learned once, you need to keep learning it because I guarantee it’s going to throw curve balls at you. Your brain will melt away if you stop learning. Not just prepper related stuff, learn EVERYTHING.
6. Skills, knowledge and gear all work together. People love to say that skills and knowledge weigh nothing. While this is true, we’re also preppers. There’s NOTHING wrong with liking gear and wanting the best gear to get you through everyday and emergencies and disasters. That isn’t to say that you shouldn’t learn skills or knowledge, it’s just to say that you should also be proactive about getting gear that is going to help you so that your skills, knowledge and gear all work cohesively together. Of course, if you were ever in a situation where you didn’t have any gear, that’s where your knowledge will come into play, but in the mean time, it should all work together.
7. Prep first, then improvise. We’re preppers. We need to be prepping the proper gear first and only improvise when the proper gear or tools are no longer available. I love to improvise, but we also need to be aware that we live in a modern society with proper gear. For instance, use gauze to stop the bleed, not a tampon. Use a tourniquet, not a belt. These are not expensive things, either. Prep the proper tools/gear and also learn how to improvise, but only improvise when all else has been depleted.
8. Verify everything. The internet is full of people voicing their opinions. It’s up to us to verify everything. From gear reviews to fear mongering; verify everything for yourself and never take any one person’s word for it.
9. Engage, but also be secretive. I think it’s great that the internet has allowed preppers to connect in ways that was never possible before. We should absolutely want to engage with each other and learn from each other. But I’m also a believer in keeping our mouths shut about how much preps we have. As someone who talks about preparedness professionally, I do tend to show off gear more often than most, but I never, ever show it all and there are certain things that I will never talk about publicly. Just make sure you’re not giving away the farm.
10. Don’t forget to live. With all the constant talk about the end of the world, we can forget that we need to live our lives! We need to have fun. To enjoy our family, our towns, our nation, our world, our animals, sights, smells, touch…we need to live. We want to make sure that we’re living our lives to the fullest. While at the same time, being prepared for whatever life may throw at us. Because I prep, I feel more confident than ever to live my best life, because I know I’m ready for anything.

In the end, just do the best you can! Preparedness is a journey and it’s supposed to be fun. Gain knowledge, get the gear, make the plans and be prepared!

Conquer tomorrow, by preparing today!