ABREVIATED FAMILY PREPPING GUIDE
2015
By NR
This booklet is designed to make you more aware of your options and how to adapt your lifestyle to meet the problems life throws up.
Disasters can be roughly defined as natural, political, environmental or social in origin. They can be triggered by natural disasters, terrorism, military and police actions, political and social unrest etc.
Though you can do little or nothing about disasters happening you can through planning and preparation minimise the effects on your family. The main objectives are to survive the initial disaster then to continue to flourish after the event.
What do you need to be prepped?
The answer to this question depends entirely on what event or contingency you are planning on surviving through. It could be that you only want to prepare to survive a winter power cut, so in this case flashlights, candles, matches and warm clothing may be all you need. Most preppers are concerned about much larger or prolonged events such as food shortages, civil unrest, major earthquakes, economic collapse, etcetera and feel driven enough to at least attempt to be self-sufficient in all the essential needs for at least 3 months or longer if necessary.
In this brief review I will attempt to list the GROUPS you need to deal with rather than specific amounts and individual items, other ARTICLES and LISTS from this forum will help you fill in the gaps. But please note this is a GENERIC article and you must adapt and adjust the subject matter to meet your own individual needs.
The PRIMARY groups you need to consider are (not in order of priority) basically
Shelter
Heat
Light
Fuel
Food
Water
Communications
Medical
Reference
Transport
Planning
Logistics
Security
From here each group will be sub divided as required EG Shelter will divide into Primary (your home or retreat) Mobile (tent or improvised shelter) and Temporary (a place of safety other than your permanent home.
So are you planning on weathering the event in your home, if so what improvements must you make to adapt the house to your needs, or are you planning on bugging out to a secondary location, and what does that place need to function the way you want to?
So for example if you have decided to stay at home during the crisis you need to ensure that your home can sustain you independently of the national grid, utilities, supermarkets and authorities for the length of time you feel you need to plan for. Most preppers keep an absolute minimum of 72 hours emergency supplies, the general accepted norm for UK preppers with families is believed to be 3 months supplies but 6 / 9 and 12 months stockpiles and caches are very common.
It is also well noting that since around the year 2000 more and more preppers are making steps to produce at least SOME of their own food and many preppers now have allotments whilst others have converted flower beds into vegetable plots. Others now keep and breed small animals such rabbits, chickens, miniature breeds of pigs and goats etc.
Moving on to look briefly the other PRIMARY groups, you need to build up as your finances allow and as time permits enough food, fuel and water in order to provide your family with a healthy balanced diet of foodstuffs you family is already familiar with and actually likes to eat. Do not waste money on buying foods in because of the cheap price buy only the foods your family is familiar with and like.
What you are attempting to do is to make sure that if something major goes wrong with society that you have independence from the vulnerable grid or chain of supply;
Food to sustain you for the duration of the crisis
Water for drinking, cooking, washing and cleaning
Heat for warmth and heating water for cleaning
Light for vision after sundown (Lanterns, Solar systems, Flashlights etc)
Fuel to power lights, cookers, heaters, stoves and generators
Clothing to sustain you for the period heavy duty outdoor gear recommended)
Bedding, sleeping bags, towels etc
Medical supplies and prescription medicines (and dentures, eyeglasses etc)
Emergency medical kits for dealing with injuries and traumas
Books / Maps for reference and information
Logistics such as garden tools, DIY repair materials, spare batteries etc
Radios for monitoring radio broadcasts
Transport for bring in supplies, bugging out or patrolling.
Weapons for self-defence and security
These are the PRIMARY groups and the sub groups and LISTS of kit can be found listed here and almost any other Prepper or Survivalist forum.
Other issues you will become aware of quickly is the extra equipment and plans preppers make to be able to respond almost instantly to an event, crisis or disaster occurring, you will see frequent reference to Bug out Bags and Get Home Bags, these are pre-packed items of luggage containing essential tools, food, water, clothing, maps and supplies keep by the front door of the office or home to allow them to simply grab the bag and go immediately the incident happens. They may be called various names from bug out bag, get home bag, commuter escape kits, get out of Dodge bags or whatever. But they all serve the same purpose and that is to sustain the prepper on his or her journey home or to their retreat.
Other items of note are the vehicle choice of many preppers with modified panel vans fitted out as stealth campers, discretely uprated 4x4 vehicles, mountain bikes and even Kayaks in some cases being selected for their utility and durability to get to a destination when ordinary vehicles would get stuck or bogged down.
Imagine getting up one morning and finding the gas, electricity, water, sewage, phones, street lights etc were out of service and the shops did not open. Most of your neighbours will be floundering around not knowing what to do, unable to cook a meal or even get washed or showered, no lights, no television, just confusion. Everyone except the prepper who has back up lighting, auxiliary cooking equipment, caches of food and fuel and a well sorted plan to work from.
That’s Prepping.
You need a Plan to work from
Many people drawn to prepping may be able to muddle through for a while but eventually they will need to develop a working plan to follow that will help them get better prepared and with the right kit and facilities in the best location.
First you need to consider your LOCATION! Are you going to?
STAY WHERE YOU ARE and adapt your current home (Urban or Rural)
STAY WHERE YOU ARE whilst developing a remote bug out location
RELOCATE NOW or ASAP to a more suitable location
PLAN ON RELOCATING in the future
Or perhaps choose a mix of the above, it is your choice but either way you need to have a working plan with options and alternatives.
What are you preparing for?
Terrorism
Natural Disaster
Economic Collapse
Recession
Unemployment
Ethnic Unrest
Extremist Government
Power Cuts
Extreme Weather Events
Societal Collapse
You may be planning on surviving a specific threat and base your plans around that threat. Let’s say just for example you plan to survive in your present home from a risk from a massive terrorist attack. But what happens if you focus all your attention and resources on protecting yourself from that terror attack but before it occurs a natural disaster hits your country? Many of your preps may be wasted or lost as the natural disaster overtakes you because you did not have the right resources in place to deal with it and they were designed only to deal with the terrorism threat.
Ideally you really need to direct your preps in a general manner but with a focus or bias towards the specific threat you are most concerned about. Make your plans more generic and flexible so you can rapidly adapt to as many threats and risks as possible. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket or all your survival supplies in one location.
Resources
The logistical aspects of prepping can be very complicated but roughly speaking you need to consider the following.
What do you want?
What do you need?
What have you already got?
What can you adapt?
Where are you going to keep it?
Where can you get it from?
How long do you want it to last?
How long will it actually last?
Where will you get more from?
Can you make some more?
Does it do what you need it to do?
Can you get something better suited to do the job?
Can you afford it and can you afford NOT to have it?
Will it do the job you want it to?
How can I make it work better for you?
Is it in the right location(s)?
Is it safe and secure?
Is it legal?
Can you get to it in a hurry?
Who else knows you have it?
So what do you need?
A safe place to live so a HOME / RETREAT is normally the first item, be it a house or apartment in the town or the countryside, how can you make it safer, more secure and more self-reliant or do you need to move home?
Once you have gotten as far as you can in the property choice department you need to consider issues like;
Food supplies (and food production if you deem it necessary)
Water supplies, purity, filtering, storage, transportation and security
Medical supplies including prescription medicines
Heaters, Cookers and Lights plus fuel supplies to provide heat and light and hot water, you need a heating and lighting system that is independent of the mains utilities and supplies / stores of fuels kept safely and securely to power the cookers, heaters and lights.
Clothing, you will need a range of suitable clothing and footwear of good quality and durability to keep you warm and protected from the worst weather your region can throw at you.
Tools and Materials to help you repair maintain and keep secure your home after the disaster strikes. You will need everything from flashlights to shovels, prybars to weapons to help sustain your family. You may also require tools and materials to allow you to start producing your own food supplies if the crisis is prolonged.
Transport, you may find that you need to maintain some sort of transport to enable you to bring in more food, fuel or supplies, and also be able to use it to escape in if your homes safety becomes unsustainable. You will also need fuel for your transport be it petrol for your car or hay for your horse, and a goodly selection of spares as well from fuses, bulbs, belts and tyres, to reins, tack and harnesses.
Communications, you most certainly need a few multi power sourced AM / FM / SW radios to listen for news broadcasts from the authorities or other survivors. And CB / Amateur radios if you are working with neighbouring families of preppers.
Energy, Consider a backup generator or micro wind turbine or solar panels or a combination of all three.
Books and Manuals on various subjects from improvised medicine to DIY repairs to growing your own food are wise investments.
Start now and make yourself a plan of action.
Special skills for preppers (or not)
Heinlein - Specialization is for Insects
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
-Robert A. Heinlein
A superb quote from a very wise man, but I want to clarify this contentious issue a bit.
The normal every day family Prepper does NOT need to know how to strip, clean and assemble an assault rifle, they do not need to learn Morse code, they do not need to be able to fly a plane or helicopter, they do not need to be able to abseil down a cliff face in a force ten gale, they do not need to be able to perform major surgery, they do not need to be able to cook enough food in one setting to feed 200 people.
We are not trying to turn ordinary people into militiamen or yeomanry, let us ENCOURAGE people to learn sensible common sense skills that could save their lives during a disaster and to help sustain them in the aftermath.
If they have a bow, cross bow, air rifle, shotgun or sports rifle they SHOULD learn how to safely operate it and practise with it frequently and of course they should learn how to clean and maintain it.
If they have two way, amateur or CB radios they should learn how to operate the units and understand basic radio operation protocols (how to start, break and end a transmission etc)
They should learn to drive whatever vehicles are available to their family, normally a car, often a car and motorcycle and for some wealthier families the kids pet pony, if they own a 4x4 then it’s wise to put themselves through a basic 4x4 off road course, and everyone should do basic vehicle maintenance course 101 at night school.
If they have obtained ropes and shackles its worth finding out a few useful skills about rope work such as safe river cross rope setups, safe roping of heavy items in vehicles etc.
Everyone should do a decent first aid course with at least one family member doing an enhanced course, and if any of your family have special medical conditions such as type 1 diabetes its common sense to learn as much as possible about controlling their condition and extending the life of their insulin as long as possible.
And every prepper should know how to prepare a basic good nutritious meal using only basic camping equipment. You are not trying to feed your village you are trying to keep your family and loved ones healthy.
There is nothing wrong with enhancing any basic skills you learn if it interests you, that’s the hallmark of a professional, but focusing primarily on learning basic sensible useful every day skills will benefit you far more than learning how to jump from a plane at 50,000 without a parachute.
A broad wave of basic survival skills will be far more useful in most scenarios for most preppers.
The Preppers House
First you need to address the issue of to stay where you are now, or should you move to a safer and more sustainable location? That is something you must decide for yourself but please note many people who do become preppers do make the extra sacrifices needed to get out of town and into some place for rural and self-sufficient.
As prepper’s we have a strong need for our homes to be fitted out or uprated to help meet our enhanced needs when compared with mainstream society.
Increased storage capacity across the board features highly in our plans, water, food, fuel, clothing and equipment storage is something we ideally need more of, space for growing food even if it’s in tubs, places to put rainwater catching butt, firewood log stores etc
And just like our ordinary neighbours we need as much energy efficiency, privacy and security as we can get.
Food, Clothing and Kit Storage
We need extra storage space that is preferably cool and dark to store extra food supplies in. Ideally some of it should be concealed storage IE in places where the average person would not think to look. I know of people who have fitted discrete hinged lids under the carpet on the stairs allowing them to hide extra food in the cavity under the staircase, people have kitchen units with false back panels fitted allow more concealed capacity, in some houses with timber floors rather than concrete slabs some folks hide plastic tubs under the floorboards in the sub floor cavity. A false wall made from plasterboard in a garage gives an extra 1 foot deep storage space for one prepper I know. And false panelling in a bedroom provides extra storage for another.
At the very least we need extra larder space for our increased food stocks, very often this can be as simple as shelving units in the garage or utility room if you have them.
Some of us just keep extra food and kit in large plastic storage boxes under the bed and in the bottom of the wardrobes whilst others turn over the smallest bedroom to the prep store (the door that is always closed and locked when you get visitors)
We always need extra water storage capacity, for some more wealthy folks it could be a garden pond, swimming pool, Jacuzzi etc. But for most of us it’s usually a case of simply swapping out the 50 gallon cold water tank in the loft for a bigger tank or adding extra tanks linked in series to the original 50 gallon tank to give extra capacity (roof joist re-enforcement needed).
Others like me simply keep a good number of extra 20 or 30 litre polyethylene food grade water containers in the garage along with a high quality gravity fed water filter like a British Berkfield. (Remember a gallon of water weighs 10 pounds before you put loads of full containers in the loft space)
Water, Heat, Light, Power etc
A problem has arisen for prepping in the last 15 years with the introduction of the condensing combination boiler for the domestic supply of hot water and central heating. These very energy efficient devices have two massive drawbacks for preppers. Firstly they don’t use water tanks in the attic for their cold water feed, they are fed directly from the mains supply and thus you lose the cold water tank and expansion tank from your loft. Secondly they don’t use a gas pilot light for the boiler ignition system, they are now electrically ignited so if the power to your house goes off you lose power AND heating and hot water all at once.
Preppers with Combi–Boilers need auxiliary methods of storing extra water, and alternative methods of heating the home and providing hot water with.
Preppers can enhance their self-reliance by taking steps to further reduce their reliance on the mains utility system by fitting secondary or backup systems.
Water
As well as extra emergency water storage systems you can reduce your reliance on the mains system by fitting rainwater catchment systems that capture the rain from your roof and direct it into large rainwater storage butts in your garden.
Heat
Emergency heating can be supplied by portable bottled gas heaters using propane or butane gas in 7 or 15 KG bottles, but a more long term investment you should consider if fitting a wood or multi fuel burning stove in the living room. Even many modern houses can now be retro fitted to house a wood burner with the advent of insulated flexible stove chimney pipes systems often made from double skinned stainless steel. A modern stove can be up to 80% efficient compared to 7 to 10 % efficiency for an open fire and a well sited stove can also double up as a cooker.
Don’t forget to plan for extra storage space to accommodate your log pile or bags of Coalite. If you are collecting your own firewood that it needs to be able to dry out to less than 15% moisture content so a shed or outhouse may be needed, mine is shared out between the garage and conservatory!!) Either way your fuel supply needs to be dry and kept VERY secure.
Light
Short term emergency lighting can be provided by various means from candles, paraffin lanterns, light sticks etc, but more long term you really need to consider at the very least a solar system connected to a battery that will provide you with a low powered 12 volt LED lighting system for essential areas. If space and other constraints allow you may be able to supplement the solar charger with a micro wind turbine.
Energy Saving
We must ensure we waste as little energy as possible in our prepper’s home even in normal times with staring Armageddon in the face. A fully insulated house is a must, walls and loft area fully insulated, under floor as well if possible. Well maintained and fitted double glazing or even triple glazing will help massively in keeping your home warm if the power goes off for any length of time. A double glazed or laminated wood / steel front and rear doors will enhance the houses insulation as well as provide slightly better security than an old style door fitted with a single BS3621 door lock.
Privacy and Security
Ensuring our privacy and security during a crisis is vital so it’s very important that we control access to our prepper’s home and reduce light pollution that advertises our independence from the grid power supplies. Blackout blinds and curtains are an absolute must for every window and door to stop light escaping thus advertising your self-reliant position.
Multi point locking on doors and windows is a must even in normal times, but after a crisis develops you may wish to add self-adhesive laminating security film to your windows which makes gaining entry to your home via a broken window far more difficult and noisy for the intruder. It’s also essential that you keep some pre-cut marine grade ½ plywood boarding to secure any windows that do get broken.
Some people have fitted security bars that pivot or swing over the doors to re-enforce the entry points. Apparently it is remarkably easy to kick in the bottom panel on most UPVC doors as they were designed this way to make access for firemen easier, equally the locks and hinges even on expensive double glazed doors do not stand up very well to police officers using a slide hammer to gain entry to execute a search warrant, so extra security devices, bars and hinges should be considered.
Note* Very often modern double glazed doors external frames are only secured to the building wall with a couple of mild steel screws in each side, this makes it very easy to simply bash the entire door and frame out with a sledgehammer, it’s well worth getting steel self-tapping bolts fitted which massively increase the doors security strength.
2015
By NR
This booklet is designed to make you more aware of your options and how to adapt your lifestyle to meet the problems life throws up.
Disasters can be roughly defined as natural, political, environmental or social in origin. They can be triggered by natural disasters, terrorism, military and police actions, political and social unrest etc.
Though you can do little or nothing about disasters happening you can through planning and preparation minimise the effects on your family. The main objectives are to survive the initial disaster then to continue to flourish after the event.
What do you need to be prepped?
The answer to this question depends entirely on what event or contingency you are planning on surviving through. It could be that you only want to prepare to survive a winter power cut, so in this case flashlights, candles, matches and warm clothing may be all you need. Most preppers are concerned about much larger or prolonged events such as food shortages, civil unrest, major earthquakes, economic collapse, etcetera and feel driven enough to at least attempt to be self-sufficient in all the essential needs for at least 3 months or longer if necessary.
In this brief review I will attempt to list the GROUPS you need to deal with rather than specific amounts and individual items, other ARTICLES and LISTS from this forum will help you fill in the gaps. But please note this is a GENERIC article and you must adapt and adjust the subject matter to meet your own individual needs.
The PRIMARY groups you need to consider are (not in order of priority) basically
Shelter
Heat
Light
Fuel
Food
Water
Communications
Medical
Reference
Transport
Planning
Logistics
Security
From here each group will be sub divided as required EG Shelter will divide into Primary (your home or retreat) Mobile (tent or improvised shelter) and Temporary (a place of safety other than your permanent home.
So are you planning on weathering the event in your home, if so what improvements must you make to adapt the house to your needs, or are you planning on bugging out to a secondary location, and what does that place need to function the way you want to?
So for example if you have decided to stay at home during the crisis you need to ensure that your home can sustain you independently of the national grid, utilities, supermarkets and authorities for the length of time you feel you need to plan for. Most preppers keep an absolute minimum of 72 hours emergency supplies, the general accepted norm for UK preppers with families is believed to be 3 months supplies but 6 / 9 and 12 months stockpiles and caches are very common.
It is also well noting that since around the year 2000 more and more preppers are making steps to produce at least SOME of their own food and many preppers now have allotments whilst others have converted flower beds into vegetable plots. Others now keep and breed small animals such rabbits, chickens, miniature breeds of pigs and goats etc.
Moving on to look briefly the other PRIMARY groups, you need to build up as your finances allow and as time permits enough food, fuel and water in order to provide your family with a healthy balanced diet of foodstuffs you family is already familiar with and actually likes to eat. Do not waste money on buying foods in because of the cheap price buy only the foods your family is familiar with and like.
What you are attempting to do is to make sure that if something major goes wrong with society that you have independence from the vulnerable grid or chain of supply;
Food to sustain you for the duration of the crisis
Water for drinking, cooking, washing and cleaning
Heat for warmth and heating water for cleaning
Light for vision after sundown (Lanterns, Solar systems, Flashlights etc)
Fuel to power lights, cookers, heaters, stoves and generators
Clothing to sustain you for the period heavy duty outdoor gear recommended)
Bedding, sleeping bags, towels etc
Medical supplies and prescription medicines (and dentures, eyeglasses etc)
Emergency medical kits for dealing with injuries and traumas
Books / Maps for reference and information
Logistics such as garden tools, DIY repair materials, spare batteries etc
Radios for monitoring radio broadcasts
Transport for bring in supplies, bugging out or patrolling.
Weapons for self-defence and security
These are the PRIMARY groups and the sub groups and LISTS of kit can be found listed here and almost any other Prepper or Survivalist forum.
Other issues you will become aware of quickly is the extra equipment and plans preppers make to be able to respond almost instantly to an event, crisis or disaster occurring, you will see frequent reference to Bug out Bags and Get Home Bags, these are pre-packed items of luggage containing essential tools, food, water, clothing, maps and supplies keep by the front door of the office or home to allow them to simply grab the bag and go immediately the incident happens. They may be called various names from bug out bag, get home bag, commuter escape kits, get out of Dodge bags or whatever. But they all serve the same purpose and that is to sustain the prepper on his or her journey home or to their retreat.
Other items of note are the vehicle choice of many preppers with modified panel vans fitted out as stealth campers, discretely uprated 4x4 vehicles, mountain bikes and even Kayaks in some cases being selected for their utility and durability to get to a destination when ordinary vehicles would get stuck or bogged down.
Imagine getting up one morning and finding the gas, electricity, water, sewage, phones, street lights etc were out of service and the shops did not open. Most of your neighbours will be floundering around not knowing what to do, unable to cook a meal or even get washed or showered, no lights, no television, just confusion. Everyone except the prepper who has back up lighting, auxiliary cooking equipment, caches of food and fuel and a well sorted plan to work from.
That’s Prepping.
You need a Plan to work from
Many people drawn to prepping may be able to muddle through for a while but eventually they will need to develop a working plan to follow that will help them get better prepared and with the right kit and facilities in the best location.
First you need to consider your LOCATION! Are you going to?
STAY WHERE YOU ARE and adapt your current home (Urban or Rural)
STAY WHERE YOU ARE whilst developing a remote bug out location
RELOCATE NOW or ASAP to a more suitable location
PLAN ON RELOCATING in the future
Or perhaps choose a mix of the above, it is your choice but either way you need to have a working plan with options and alternatives.
What are you preparing for?
Terrorism
Natural Disaster
Economic Collapse
Recession
Unemployment
Ethnic Unrest
Extremist Government
Power Cuts
Extreme Weather Events
Societal Collapse
You may be planning on surviving a specific threat and base your plans around that threat. Let’s say just for example you plan to survive in your present home from a risk from a massive terrorist attack. But what happens if you focus all your attention and resources on protecting yourself from that terror attack but before it occurs a natural disaster hits your country? Many of your preps may be wasted or lost as the natural disaster overtakes you because you did not have the right resources in place to deal with it and they were designed only to deal with the terrorism threat.
Ideally you really need to direct your preps in a general manner but with a focus or bias towards the specific threat you are most concerned about. Make your plans more generic and flexible so you can rapidly adapt to as many threats and risks as possible. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket or all your survival supplies in one location.
Resources
The logistical aspects of prepping can be very complicated but roughly speaking you need to consider the following.
What do you want?
What do you need?
What have you already got?
What can you adapt?
Where are you going to keep it?
Where can you get it from?
How long do you want it to last?
How long will it actually last?
Where will you get more from?
Can you make some more?
Does it do what you need it to do?
Can you get something better suited to do the job?
Can you afford it and can you afford NOT to have it?
Will it do the job you want it to?
How can I make it work better for you?
Is it in the right location(s)?
Is it safe and secure?
Is it legal?
Can you get to it in a hurry?
Who else knows you have it?
So what do you need?
A safe place to live so a HOME / RETREAT is normally the first item, be it a house or apartment in the town or the countryside, how can you make it safer, more secure and more self-reliant or do you need to move home?
Once you have gotten as far as you can in the property choice department you need to consider issues like;
Food supplies (and food production if you deem it necessary)
Water supplies, purity, filtering, storage, transportation and security
Medical supplies including prescription medicines
Heaters, Cookers and Lights plus fuel supplies to provide heat and light and hot water, you need a heating and lighting system that is independent of the mains utilities and supplies / stores of fuels kept safely and securely to power the cookers, heaters and lights.
Clothing, you will need a range of suitable clothing and footwear of good quality and durability to keep you warm and protected from the worst weather your region can throw at you.
Tools and Materials to help you repair maintain and keep secure your home after the disaster strikes. You will need everything from flashlights to shovels, prybars to weapons to help sustain your family. You may also require tools and materials to allow you to start producing your own food supplies if the crisis is prolonged.
Transport, you may find that you need to maintain some sort of transport to enable you to bring in more food, fuel or supplies, and also be able to use it to escape in if your homes safety becomes unsustainable. You will also need fuel for your transport be it petrol for your car or hay for your horse, and a goodly selection of spares as well from fuses, bulbs, belts and tyres, to reins, tack and harnesses.
Communications, you most certainly need a few multi power sourced AM / FM / SW radios to listen for news broadcasts from the authorities or other survivors. And CB / Amateur radios if you are working with neighbouring families of preppers.
Energy, Consider a backup generator or micro wind turbine or solar panels or a combination of all three.
Books and Manuals on various subjects from improvised medicine to DIY repairs to growing your own food are wise investments.
Start now and make yourself a plan of action.
Special skills for preppers (or not)
Heinlein - Specialization is for Insects
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
-Robert A. Heinlein
A superb quote from a very wise man, but I want to clarify this contentious issue a bit.
The normal every day family Prepper does NOT need to know how to strip, clean and assemble an assault rifle, they do not need to learn Morse code, they do not need to be able to fly a plane or helicopter, they do not need to be able to abseil down a cliff face in a force ten gale, they do not need to be able to perform major surgery, they do not need to be able to cook enough food in one setting to feed 200 people.
We are not trying to turn ordinary people into militiamen or yeomanry, let us ENCOURAGE people to learn sensible common sense skills that could save their lives during a disaster and to help sustain them in the aftermath.
If they have a bow, cross bow, air rifle, shotgun or sports rifle they SHOULD learn how to safely operate it and practise with it frequently and of course they should learn how to clean and maintain it.
If they have two way, amateur or CB radios they should learn how to operate the units and understand basic radio operation protocols (how to start, break and end a transmission etc)
They should learn to drive whatever vehicles are available to their family, normally a car, often a car and motorcycle and for some wealthier families the kids pet pony, if they own a 4x4 then it’s wise to put themselves through a basic 4x4 off road course, and everyone should do basic vehicle maintenance course 101 at night school.
If they have obtained ropes and shackles its worth finding out a few useful skills about rope work such as safe river cross rope setups, safe roping of heavy items in vehicles etc.
Everyone should do a decent first aid course with at least one family member doing an enhanced course, and if any of your family have special medical conditions such as type 1 diabetes its common sense to learn as much as possible about controlling their condition and extending the life of their insulin as long as possible.
And every prepper should know how to prepare a basic good nutritious meal using only basic camping equipment. You are not trying to feed your village you are trying to keep your family and loved ones healthy.
There is nothing wrong with enhancing any basic skills you learn if it interests you, that’s the hallmark of a professional, but focusing primarily on learning basic sensible useful every day skills will benefit you far more than learning how to jump from a plane at 50,000 without a parachute.
A broad wave of basic survival skills will be far more useful in most scenarios for most preppers.
The Preppers House
First you need to address the issue of to stay where you are now, or should you move to a safer and more sustainable location? That is something you must decide for yourself but please note many people who do become preppers do make the extra sacrifices needed to get out of town and into some place for rural and self-sufficient.
As prepper’s we have a strong need for our homes to be fitted out or uprated to help meet our enhanced needs when compared with mainstream society.
Increased storage capacity across the board features highly in our plans, water, food, fuel, clothing and equipment storage is something we ideally need more of, space for growing food even if it’s in tubs, places to put rainwater catching butt, firewood log stores etc
And just like our ordinary neighbours we need as much energy efficiency, privacy and security as we can get.
Food, Clothing and Kit Storage
We need extra storage space that is preferably cool and dark to store extra food supplies in. Ideally some of it should be concealed storage IE in places where the average person would not think to look. I know of people who have fitted discrete hinged lids under the carpet on the stairs allowing them to hide extra food in the cavity under the staircase, people have kitchen units with false back panels fitted allow more concealed capacity, in some houses with timber floors rather than concrete slabs some folks hide plastic tubs under the floorboards in the sub floor cavity. A false wall made from plasterboard in a garage gives an extra 1 foot deep storage space for one prepper I know. And false panelling in a bedroom provides extra storage for another.
At the very least we need extra larder space for our increased food stocks, very often this can be as simple as shelving units in the garage or utility room if you have them.
Some of us just keep extra food and kit in large plastic storage boxes under the bed and in the bottom of the wardrobes whilst others turn over the smallest bedroom to the prep store (the door that is always closed and locked when you get visitors)
We always need extra water storage capacity, for some more wealthy folks it could be a garden pond, swimming pool, Jacuzzi etc. But for most of us it’s usually a case of simply swapping out the 50 gallon cold water tank in the loft for a bigger tank or adding extra tanks linked in series to the original 50 gallon tank to give extra capacity (roof joist re-enforcement needed).
Others like me simply keep a good number of extra 20 or 30 litre polyethylene food grade water containers in the garage along with a high quality gravity fed water filter like a British Berkfield. (Remember a gallon of water weighs 10 pounds before you put loads of full containers in the loft space)
Water, Heat, Light, Power etc
A problem has arisen for prepping in the last 15 years with the introduction of the condensing combination boiler for the domestic supply of hot water and central heating. These very energy efficient devices have two massive drawbacks for preppers. Firstly they don’t use water tanks in the attic for their cold water feed, they are fed directly from the mains supply and thus you lose the cold water tank and expansion tank from your loft. Secondly they don’t use a gas pilot light for the boiler ignition system, they are now electrically ignited so if the power to your house goes off you lose power AND heating and hot water all at once.
Preppers with Combi–Boilers need auxiliary methods of storing extra water, and alternative methods of heating the home and providing hot water with.
Preppers can enhance their self-reliance by taking steps to further reduce their reliance on the mains utility system by fitting secondary or backup systems.
Water
As well as extra emergency water storage systems you can reduce your reliance on the mains system by fitting rainwater catchment systems that capture the rain from your roof and direct it into large rainwater storage butts in your garden.
Heat
Emergency heating can be supplied by portable bottled gas heaters using propane or butane gas in 7 or 15 KG bottles, but a more long term investment you should consider if fitting a wood or multi fuel burning stove in the living room. Even many modern houses can now be retro fitted to house a wood burner with the advent of insulated flexible stove chimney pipes systems often made from double skinned stainless steel. A modern stove can be up to 80% efficient compared to 7 to 10 % efficiency for an open fire and a well sited stove can also double up as a cooker.
Don’t forget to plan for extra storage space to accommodate your log pile or bags of Coalite. If you are collecting your own firewood that it needs to be able to dry out to less than 15% moisture content so a shed or outhouse may be needed, mine is shared out between the garage and conservatory!!) Either way your fuel supply needs to be dry and kept VERY secure.
Light
Short term emergency lighting can be provided by various means from candles, paraffin lanterns, light sticks etc, but more long term you really need to consider at the very least a solar system connected to a battery that will provide you with a low powered 12 volt LED lighting system for essential areas. If space and other constraints allow you may be able to supplement the solar charger with a micro wind turbine.
Energy Saving
We must ensure we waste as little energy as possible in our prepper’s home even in normal times with staring Armageddon in the face. A fully insulated house is a must, walls and loft area fully insulated, under floor as well if possible. Well maintained and fitted double glazing or even triple glazing will help massively in keeping your home warm if the power goes off for any length of time. A double glazed or laminated wood / steel front and rear doors will enhance the houses insulation as well as provide slightly better security than an old style door fitted with a single BS3621 door lock.
Privacy and Security
Ensuring our privacy and security during a crisis is vital so it’s very important that we control access to our prepper’s home and reduce light pollution that advertises our independence from the grid power supplies. Blackout blinds and curtains are an absolute must for every window and door to stop light escaping thus advertising your self-reliant position.
Multi point locking on doors and windows is a must even in normal times, but after a crisis develops you may wish to add self-adhesive laminating security film to your windows which makes gaining entry to your home via a broken window far more difficult and noisy for the intruder. It’s also essential that you keep some pre-cut marine grade ½ plywood boarding to secure any windows that do get broken.
Some people have fitted security bars that pivot or swing over the doors to re-enforce the entry points. Apparently it is remarkably easy to kick in the bottom panel on most UPVC doors as they were designed this way to make access for firemen easier, equally the locks and hinges even on expensive double glazed doors do not stand up very well to police officers using a slide hammer to gain entry to execute a search warrant, so extra security devices, bars and hinges should be considered.
Note* Very often modern double glazed doors external frames are only secured to the building wall with a couple of mild steel screws in each side, this makes it very easy to simply bash the entire door and frame out with a sledgehammer, it’s well worth getting steel self-tapping bolts fitted which massively increase the doors security strength.
