How to Begin Prepping - Prepping 101
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AMERICA FAILS ITS FIRST REAL PREPPER TEST
This weeks articles come in part due to a podcast I recently heard, I can not recall the author but if they do see this they can reach out to us and I will be glad to link to them. Their podcast shed light on something of great importance. Some of those points are included here and some have been expanded upon.
With the Coronavirus spreading and encompassing the entire globe and possibly killing thousands more is cause for alarm. Not only do we face the Coronavirus but we face fanatic leaders in other nations, terrorists cells, natural disasters, our own population panicking and local unrest that most likely will follow.
Our world is a hotbed of possible SHTF scenarios every single day and they number in the thousands if not hundreds of thousands. This first real crisis has proven a lot of things are out of place for many Americans when it comes to prepping.
Today in our prepping 101 dicussion we will discuss something that I feel is very important. something that has been touched on but not really discussed in depth. Something that all of us are well aware of as human beings but unfortunately is something that most people cannot control and that is fear.
Fear is the path to the dark side fear leads to anger anger leads to hate hate leads to suffering which leads to death. Most people don’t know what rumors are so in order to start this presentation, let me give me a couple of definitions so pay close attention.
Fear mongering or scaremongering is the spraying of frightening or exaggerated rumors of an impending danger or the habit or tactic of purposely and mindlessly arousing public fear about an issue. An apathetic is one of apathy which is the lack of interest and enthusiasm or concern for something that may be important.
The fearmonger will make a mountain out of a molehill and the apathetic will make a molehill out of the mountain but both are equally dangerous. We as preppers must fall in between if we are to ensure our survival.
We must understand the concern while not downplaying it to a point that we are not prepared. We must also not give in to fear because then we over prep or panic buy as we are now seeing below.
I said this before the problem with what is going on today is not really the coronavirus itself, it is the apathy of the public, the lack of concern they have. Why you ask? because once apathy turns into fear that is what we call panic and that is the point we wish to stress.
If you are resolved in the beginning you will not be perplexed. In other words if you are aware and prepared in advance then there is no need for confusion about what you should be concerned about. In scenarios like this usually the only people who panic are those who have made no preparations.
Basically it does not matter if what’s happening, what has been exaggerated, what is downplayed, it doesn’t matter if this virus is fake or real. What matters is that you have come to the realization it can be real and you have prepared.
The question is how many of you are prepared for such a thing after having many close calls? So lets really dig into this topic because I have a few things that I want to point out with today’s means of survival as we know it, or rather as we think we know it.
Allow me to ask you all some questions here. What are the things that you think you would need in order to prepare for something that could take out a good portion of the human population?.
How To Begin Prepping
The first thing to understand when you consider how to begin prepping is that fear in most of these cases is the enemy. The first thing you want to prepare for any event is your mind. So absorbing as much knowledge as you can about survival is key. Gathering knowledge is the best prep because quite frankly you really have no idea if you’re going to use any of your prepping supplies.
You need to know if the situation is going to require you to leave your home or require you to be shut in. In some cases if you are away from your home and something happens there is no assurance if you’ll be able to get back to your home. At the end of the day the best survivors will survive whether they have prepping supplies or not.
I know that this may be a difficult thing to do but the next thing is whether you believe in God or not you want to come to terms with life and death and you will want to prepare yourself spiritually.
These are the two main things to focus on and the most important because in an actual event most people will lose it. They won’t be prepared mentally or spiritually and others around them will suffer as a result.
I understand that most people today are not into prepping and not really because they don’t want to. Most people I know would love to have an ample supply of food, water, clothing, shelter and first aid supplies but they don’t because those things all cost money. Now that is not an excuse to not prep at all but it is a reason why most people don’t come anywhere close to the televised idea of a doomsday prepper.
HOW TO PREP & PREPPER GROUPS
With all the different companies and supplies available out there which are all running low now due to the Coronavirus, but with all the information out there on prepping what I would like to do is go over a few things that can help you get into the mindframe of prepping responsibly and properly so that you make common mistakes that many preppers have made in the past.
So first things first because of what’s happening today advance prepping supplies may be in limited supply. Those items like long-term storable food, first aid kits, hazmat suits and so forth. I’m not sure what the availability of these products are as of today so I want to give you some things to consider while going the prepping route so that you don’t make mistakes.
Now if you are alone or live alone that’s one thing but ideally you do not want to do this alone. you want to involve family and very very close friends that you trust and not just trust, but that you trust with your life.
The lone wolf is destined to die eventually regardless of his or her skill level. It is inevitable that they will eventually be overpowered or succumb to an injury that they can not treat themselves.
FAMILY PREPPING
if you live with family you absolutely need to involve them for several reasons that I am about to get into. you want not only get them involved but you want to share with them the information that you acquire on this matter. one of the reasons I say you need knowledge first is because many people lack simple survival skills, in fact a whopping 80% of the population have no idea of how to prepare.
The statistics vary but it is believed that 80% have no clue and of those about 60% are not even trying to prepare. The remaining 20% who are trying, well about 15%
” Grid Down is a preppers Bible. This survival story has a built in survival blueprint for the end of times. Read around the world this book gives you real life solutions to real world problems.”
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PREPPING
Do you know how to build a fire? Do you know how to use a knife as a multitool while keeping that knife sharp? the know-how to forage for wild foods without poisoning yourself and/or your family?
Do you know how to hunt and trap animals? Do know-how to skin and prepare those animals? What about storage? If there is no power or refrigeration you will need to know how to store certain food items.
Whether you own a firearm or not you know how to defend against multiple invaders at once? These are a few of the many things you want to gain more information on as you prep.
BROADEN YOUR PREPS
The mention of weapons brings up another point here. Some people out there think that the only thing they need to prep is weapons. I really do think I need to explain why that is not a good idea.
Spending too much time on home defense tends to take away from the expenses of stocking other supplies like food. you want to have the minimum but you do not want to go overboard giving yourself a false sense of security. Most people I know who have guns, well when it comes to skills, they are definitely not a Doc Holiday.
With that said when it comes to evaluating the risk, defending your home should not be the first on your list. because people coming after you and your stuff usually happens later on. You need to prepare for the greatest threat first or in other words you need to prepare for a series of events in order that they most likely will occur.
OFF GRID - STORING FUEL, FOOD & WATER
The most common thing to a current event is usually a power outage. Do you have a generator or generators? If so then how is your fuel supply? Most people right now don’t even have a full tank of gas in the vehicle.
Do you know-how to store gasoline? Because of oxidation it will only last around six months. It is very difficult to store gasoline while waiting for something bad to happen.
Storing brings us to the matter of rotation. When storing gasoline you want to establish an ample supply and to use the gas as you store it. using the oldest gas first in rotation so that you always have a fresh supply of gasoline.
FOOD, WATER & ROTATION
The storage and rotation applies with food and water as well. all that stuff needs to be constantly checked and rotated like a stock clerk at a grocery store. you can’t just throw food on the shelf and just leave it there for emergency use only. it should all be things that you are consumed regularly and should be replaced regularly.
You need to make sure that the food was storing his food that you will actually eat and enjoy. it makes no sense to stock up on dry vegetation that you can’t stand to put in your mouth. Next you really have to consider where you are storing this stuff. You can just throw it in the basement and forget it.
You need to know the temperature and humidity or you’ll end up locking herself in a bunker with bad food and water.
FOOD & WATER STORAGE TIPS
Water brings up an important point as we move along here. You can’t just rest 5 gallon plastic jugs of water on concrete as the water will absorb those chemicals to the plastic overtime. they have to be off the ground.
Do you know about stacking certain foods on top of each other? When vacuum sealing, jarring and canning food you need to know how bacteria forms and how long certain foods last before expiration. Understand that food labels with expiration dates are only there due to regulations; it doesn’t mean that on those dates that the food is no longer good for consumption.
Speaking of food storage, do you know how much food you will need in any event? Do you know how much water you will need? you cannot afford to be short on these two supplies. It really comes down to the organization of your prepping supplies, you need to know exactly what you have where it is located.
RULE OF THREES OR HOARDING WILL FAIL YOU
some people go out and get all the supplies they stick them in the closet basement thinking that they’re going to get to the organization part later. sometimes that stuff just sits there and more often than not it gets ruined.
Some people think you should have a three days supply of food and water. That’s all you need because that’s how long it would take for someone to come save you. If you follow the rule of three then you will fail badly.
At the very very minimum you need to have a very minimum two weeks worth of supplies with the mindset that nobody is coming to save you. This is one of the reasons you cannot trust the authorities or their advice for prepping.
They want you to have three days of supplies while they have underground cities with a decade worth of supplies. With that said you can’t always listen to other preppers either. Their personal needs will almost always differ from yours.
PREP FOR YOUR CONDITIONS
Prepping as I have always said depends on Environment, time of year and personal needs. One example would be prescription drugs because not stocking up on those things means that you want to stop cold turkey. Are you willing or even able to quit those cold turkey?
Think about all these people out there who have ailments like diabetes. As I understand it, you can’t make insulin at home so you need to know what those needs are for you and your family members. This is probably the one most important aspect.
No matter how much prepping you do, you will eventually die without proper medication for certain problems. Do you know what type plants can be used as medicines? You may want to consider looking into that aspect.
DONT OVER PREP
Some people start gathering supplies based on fear which is a big mistake because that just turns into hoarding. The last thing you want to do is become a fanatic and then up with a bunch of junk you don’t need.
You need to keep your storage areas clear of debris and food supplies that would just go bad. You need to have a balance between all of these because prepping is not something you do in a matter of days, weeks or months. it should be part of your lifestyle but it should not consume you unless prepping is a fun hobby of yours.
Prepping for some people is a hobby and you can learn a lot about yourself in certain items that you gather. Prepping should be enjoyable and educational it should not not be a grueling task because that’s when you under-stock.
KNOW HOW TO USE PREPPER SUPPLIES
There are people out there that buy all of this equipment, various supplies, they then store it away and have no idea how to use some of those supplies. you need to go out and practice with the supplies.
you need to ensure that you didn’t leave anything out and that you can actually do what you know or have learned. It will do no good to prep guns if you don’t know how they work or how to assemble them and disassemble them, clean and fire them.
You need to know about different types of ammunition or how to make bullets. Do you know how your food gathering tools work? The Duke 100 traps, or how to set your snares etc. Practice makes perfect and may very well mean the difference between life and death.
Other things to consider such as personal protection masks and bodysuits. Do you know what the best types are? Do you know how to properly use those in the case of infection disease? You have to make sure that this stuff fits and seals.
What about garbage disposal, what are you going to do with your waste because waste management is probably not coming to pick up that stuff. Do you know how to dispose of human waste? Without proper waste management you can begin to spread disease and end up making yourself very ill or even worse, very dead.
THE COMPLACENT PREPPER
When you begin prepping, you don’t want to spend too much time focusing on one item to stock as it will slow down the process and can make you lazy. When you get lazy then the needful things get neglected like your health. Physical preparation also involves you keeping your body in tip top shape.
What if you need to move a long distance on foot? Can you do it? Physical fitness is a factor even in your food preparations. Can your body go for longer periods without food or do you require a more focused diet? Your body has different requirements at different levels of physical state and it can be a very critical factor.
Speaking of fitness, In 1988 when tier 1 special operations soldiers entered Central America to conduct reconnaissance and begin the planning of Operation Just-Cause, in a matter of only a few hours in the field they began suffering heat casualties (dehydration and heat stroke).
Yes, you read that right. The most physically fit and well trained warriors in the free world got dehydrated in just a few hours. Most people reading this come nowhere close to half of the physical fitness level of these men so consider it very well when preparing.
PREPPER PLANNING & SHUTTING UP
It really comes down to planning things out well. planning your escape routes and destination as well as having several locations for supplies If possible. you need to know what to do first in order of procedure and to know what the authorities are going to do in order of procedure. For example how long it takes them to set up quarantines, curfews etc. you need to know how they operate in those scenarios.
There are people out there who consider themselves peppers and sometimes they can break one of the most monumental rules of prepping. That rule is keeping your mouth shut. If you want to learn how to begin prepping and do it right then burn this rule into memory.
Some people can get ahead of themselves and start babbling to people and their neighbors about what they had in stock. This is a big mistake for preppers because it paints a target on you and your family.
It reminds me of the old twilight zone episode where Dr. was sitting down having dinner with some of his closest neighbors, his friends when all of a sudden they were warned about a possible missile attack on the US. Without confirmation, everybody started to panic.
As it turns out, the old Dr. had built a bunker in his basement and everybody knew about it so of course all his friends began to gather at his home demanding that he let them into his bunker designed only for a single small family.
All hell broke loose violence and aggression erupted out of desperation and ended up breaking down the bunker door by force only to find out that the warning was a false alarm.
At the end of the day we cannot let fear become the single source of motivation to prepping for disaster. We cannot let our guard down and put our complete confidence in others because fear is what will drive them against you. it will cause them to make irrational and rash decisions that can very well mean the end of the well-being of you and your family
so make sure you realize and understand head of time the reality of humanity
Many Americans failed this first test by letting fear and panic take over. The result was hundreds of thousands who were left without when it come to much needed supplies.
Elderly who can not find bread, milk or eggs or toilet paper. That brings me to another few points, my last few in this list of things that can and did go wrong.
PANIC BUYING BASED ON FEAR
The panic buying of toilet paper, this has to be the biggest joke among preppers to dat, ever in history. Why would you panic buy toilet paper? It does not nourish you, it can’t protect you and it won’t defend you.
It shows the inability of the everyday person to prepare, it shows the lack of understanding of basic preparation. Toilet paper is the least of your concerns at this point. Food and other supplies should be priority.
So why did all of this panic buying happen in the first place? It is called symbiotic behavior. A handful of people began doing it and the masses began to follow. Social media is a large cause of this as everything on social media is blow up to mega proportions.
Take for example the tide pods challenge. Just because one or a few did it, it became a global problem. The same applies for Coronavirus.
This would have been no different if it had been shampoo, there would have been panic buying and shampoo would be in high demand. All it takes is for one to sit back, think really hard about what you need and what you can do without.
We all see newspapers out there every day don’t we? Newspaper makes an excellent butt wipe. If everyone had thought of this to begin with, there would be a lot of people with extra food and a great toilet paper substitute.
Don’t listen to social media to make your prepping plans, you will only fail. Prepare for what you need and only for what you need. Over prepping and panic buying will only hurt you in the long run.
OUR HUMANITY IS ALL WE HAVE
In closing I wish to make this clear, there are others out there who are in greater need than you, this is always the case. Take into considering those people. Because in the end, if we can not prep and maintain our humanity, what is the need for survival?