What is real prepping?

Prepping stands for preparing yourself for difficult times such as in case of war. This topic is suddenly back on the agenda after decades of dormancy. If you leave everything to chance, you don’t have to worry about it beforehand, but you can have considerable regrets later. Even governments have already started advising citizens to have emergency rations in their homes for several days. But what is smart, what can be prepped?

What can happen?

It is not only in case of war that it is wise to have prepared yourself, because just as well as natural disasters or other extreme events can cause quite a bit of inconvenience. Think of prolonged power outages or days of empty food shelves in stores. A nuclear disaster is actually too farfetched, as no one can prepare for that. So these are less severe things like also a prolonged lockdown or contaminated water from the tap. You can prepare for all such things. Compare it to making a plan in case your house is on fire. What exits are there. Where do family members gather. How do you keep each other informed. Almost no one has thought about this beforehand, has no plan, let alone practiced.

What’s on the list?

For example, the government says you could have an emergency ration in the house for three days, but seasoned preppers may say you need preparation for three years. That’s quite a difference, so you have to decide for yourself what works for you. On the Internet there are many lists of items such as storable food, water, candles, matches, flashlights and batteries. For three days the list is limited and for three years the list is obviously long. Again, you have to decide this for yourself. In any case, what you can do is easily increase your standard supply. The rotation cycle of everything you use is then longer and with that you don’t have to throw stuff away if at any time they go past the date.

Of course, there are people who can afford to prepare themselves so extensively that they have bunkers built that they can last for years. The question is whether that really makes sense and what do those people think they will find after years when they leave their bunker. Maybe it’s better to be dead by then, because the world will not be in fine shape. So it is also only very relative and in the end you may realize that it is out of your control anyway. Preparing is good, but if you overdo it you don’t actually have a life.

Besides some gear, there are three things that are perhaps even more important when it comes to preparing yourself for a (temporary) collapse of society. A prolonged power outage would have a huge impact on normal daily life. Even if that is the only thing that occurs. For example, this article and all those lists on the Internet would no longer be accessible. Books on prepping, growing food and purifying water you can no longer find online then. After sunset you can’t turn on lights. There is no television or radio then. And so on.

1. Plan

Suppose you have food stocked for a few months and quite a few things on your prepping list. So do you have a plan? A plan of what you will do depending on different scenarios? Do you have a road map on paper instead of on your smartphone? Do you have addresses of farmers where you can go to buy fresh food? What now if the misery will last longer. And important is where you are at that moment, because the big city or the outskirts will make a huge difference. Because what do you think happens in a big city when there is no electricity and no food to buy? Do you realize how dangerous the big city becomes then? Do you have enough gasoline or diesel in your car to make a longer trip?

2. Cooperate

Do you know your neighbors and get along well with them? In times of need, you get to know your friends and enemies. When things get tough, it’s better to be with multiples and work together. When you are used to doing everything alone and not getting involved with anyone, don’t expect others to help you when disaster strikes. Why not invest now in dealing well with your loved ones. At the very least, be friendly and get to know your neighbors. Do not underestimate the importance of a society focused on truly living together.

3. Skills

What can you do with your hands when things get tense and there is no one to hire for, say, carpentry, repair or farming. No one is waiting for a lawyer, secretary or accountant. Can you tailor clothes or repair shoes? Do you know when to sow and harvest beans or tomatoes? Do you have enough strength and stamina to do carpentry or digging? If you have food in the house but don’t know how to make a fire by yourself, you must like cold food. Have you thought about that then? Remember that we are not used to anything at all, we are spoiled.

Conclusion

If you decide to go prepping, better prepare yourself for potentially (temporarily) bad times, you need to do more than just get some stuff in the house. Then make a plan. Invest in your environment, because that benefits even without miserable times. Learn skills and work on your fitness, because this is good for your body and mind anyway. Prepping is not about worrying, but about thinking realistically about your life in good times and bad. Prepping is basically being aware of yourself and your surroundings.

No list is complete and a plan should always be customized, so what matters is that you yourself think about this and make your own list and plan. Just start small and then build on it if you wish. Without overdoing it, because there is little to plan for if things were to really go completely wrong. You might say that it should actually even be fun to prepare. That you even benefit if nothing at all happens. That you are proud of how you are in life.

By Nico Cost for GlobalSouth.co