Published: 07-04-2022
Updated: 29-05-2022
Hello and welcome to my site. I am writing this tutorial on my website because I wish to help anyone who discovered last minute where the world is headed and I want you to have a chance of survival. This particular page will be a major deviation from the rest of its content up till now, which is why I have not listed it in the menu bar. It can only be accessed through the direct link. If you found my website through the shared link the rest of its content may not be at all up your alley. Don’t expect anything similar from the rest of it. My website is for some, but not for many.
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Basic Supplies
Part 3: Secondary Essentials
Part 4: Protection and Defence
Part 5: Extras
Part 1: Introduction
Prepping is short for preparing. A prepper is someone who makes a habit of being prepared for an emergency situation, ranging from a lengthy power outage to massive civil unrest and the fall of society. To people outside the prepper community the preppers seem like people with a fringe hobby. To preppers themselves their way of preparedness is a very serious lifestyle. Which ever way you saw or see them, you cannot deny that when ‘shit hits the fan’ the preppers are more likely to be people who will be able to pull through compared to most others. And even though you may consider that, for most of their life, their efforts were a waste of their money, you should not deny that the world we live in right now warrants being prepared for bad situations. Also would I like to reason the knowledge the preppers have collected over the years has become invaluable for those who want to prepare fast. Maybe that person is you.
This is a 5 part tutorial on how to become a prepper, of which this is part 1. Prepping can be really expensive, but it doesn’t have to be for the most part. Prepping is also about understanding what your needs are, and smart ways of seeing opportunities. It is a way of thinking. There are special prepping websites and (online) shops, and for some items they are the right place to go to. But you’ll find many items are very expensive which can be found much cheaper in a camping store or an oriental grocery shop. This tutorial is by no means complete, but it may serve to help you get on your way. Should you want to become a prepper, know that you are late to the game but there’s still some time to do this right without too much haste. Do note that the supply chains are being disrupted as I type this. The self-proclaimed owners of this planet have been at that for a while. If you have to start now you may be accused of “causing the empty shelves in the stores.” Prep carefully. You might not want the neighbours to see you’re filling your house with food.
Part 2: Basic Supplies
The first and foremost important things you’re going to need concern food and water. I’m going to assume you have a roof over your head. If housing is uncertain, there are solutions which I will mention in a later part.
A.) Nutritional substances:
There are 6 groups of nutritions your body needs. The odd ball fibres could be considered the 7th. Your body needs them in order to function properly. When one is lacking you may fall slightly ill or worse, depending on which you lack and what your physical health situation is.
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- Carbohydrates: They are mostly your body’s main fuel source. You need them. They come from plants. Starch and sugar, basically. Any nutrition you eat for fuel will be broken down in your digestive system to a type of sugar.
- Proteins: To form and replace tissues, form enzymes and hormones, can be used as fuel when no other fuel is available for your body. A diet low in proteins will not cause immediate problems, but will when your diet stays void of them over longer periods of time. They come from meat, and other product from animals, but also beans, seeds, and nuts.
- Fats: Mostly fuel and easy to store as a reserve in your body, though also needed for many metabolic processes and as a building material. You can do with little fat for a long while. When your diet is void of fat your body can make its own from converting carbohydrates. It carries a lot of energy per gram, compared to sugar. Fats can come from both animal products as well as from beans and nuts. You need a little of different kinds, but it’s easier to get too much than too little, mostly. There are plant based fats (from mostly seeds and nuts, etc.) and animal based fats (from meat, eggs, dairy, etc.)
- Vitamins: Various metabolic processes, including defence against germs. You can do without for a little while (depending on which vitamin, and your circumstances) but overall you need them in your diet in some quantity. They come mostly from plants, but some vitamins come from animal products. Vitamin D is also synthesized in your skin when exposed to direct sunlight.
- Minerals: Various metabolic processes and a building material. Also something you need. The longer your body doesn’t replenish its minerals the worse the health consequences, though you can do with little in your diet for a while. Minerals come from many different food types, both plant and animal. Especially vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, seeds, nuts and various herbs.
- Water: Incredibly important, as a building material, transport of cells and resources, to get rid of waste through urine, and to thermoregulate in hot weather through sweat. You need water! Every day at least more than a litre to stay alive, but best would be two litres per day on average. If you’re a big person, you need more. On hot days or when you’re sick, you’re going to need more also. Make sure you have a few litres of water available per day per person. This can be a real challenge. Don’t underestimate that challenge. Do not ration your water, because dehydration causes a host of immediate health problems. Rather use the minimum water you need and make finding new water your priority when your water reserve is emptying out. You can go without water for 3 days, but on day 2 you are possibly unable to function properly enough to find water.
- Fibres: The stuff you cannot digest but which make it easier for your gut to push your undigested food through your digestive tract. All undigested fibres exit your body from the rear end. Having a diet low in fibre will result in diarrhea and painful bowel movements. In short; you don’t use them but you do need them. They come from plants. The more difficult something is to digest, the higher the fibre count is. Some plants do need to be cooked before consumption because they are too hard to digest. Don’t overdo the fibres. You need some, but not too much.
- Carbohydrates: They are mostly your body’s main fuel source. You need them. They come from plants. Starch and sugar, basically. Any nutrition you eat for fuel will be broken down in your digestive system to a type of sugar.
B.) Water filtration and storage:
You need access to clean water. Your body needs water but also you may need it to prepare food. In a worst case scenario the water system may not work at all or will no longer provide you with clean drinking water. Try and find ways to collect rain water. You can drink fresh rain water mostly safely, but you may want to treat it still. You can treat water by filtering and/or boiling it. Boiling will take care of most biological hazards, like bacteria, but it will do nothing for chemical contaminants that are present in the water. Through specialized ceramic filters these can be removed from the water. Treat rain water especially if it was collected some time ago. In dire situations though it is better to drink unfiltered rain water than to go thirsty. Water from canals or rivers can also work but this water really has to be treated, preferably boiled and filtered. A filtration system is often a bit expensive but this is one thing you don’t want to do without. It’s one of those prepping things that just costs considerable money, because it involves some necessary purchases of some tech. Don’t spare expenses with the filter. Also get yourself a decent size rain barrel. In dire situations a garbage bin can be converted to a rain collection bin. Make sure you clean it thoroughly before you store your water in there. If you have a garbage bin that was used for paper that would be the preferred one to use for emergency water storage. You can also buy water purification tablets (or powder) that can turn dirty water into drinkable water in case of an emergency. If you foresee water becoming a problem for you, you may want to invest in these. Besides filtering bacteria, viruses and chemicals, dirty water contains many things you don’t need your filter exposed to. You can pre-filter this water with a wet cloth or tissue paper and a funnel. Make sure your water is as clean as you can get it before processing it through your last high end water filter.
C.) Dry food:
Dry foods are the holy grail for preppers. Many can be stored a dozen years if stored properly (often dry, dark, and cool). Dry rice, lentils, dried beans, dry seeds, various pastas, wheat/flour. Don’t mind the expiry dates, it’s mostly bullshit if you keep that stuff cool, dry and dark. At worst it will taste a bit bland. You can extent the shelf live considerably when sealing dry foods in Mylar bags adding also an oxygen absorber. These are just the main examples and these mostly provide you with carbohydrates, and some with some proteins, fats, minerals and vitamins. But there is more. Dried fruit lasts long and can provide you with fibres, sugars and vitamins. Their vitamin content does decrease over time though. Dry nuts and seeds are a great source for proteins, fats, minerals and vitamins. Dry beans and certain seeds can also be used for planting in a garden to replenish them after successful harvest. More on that later. Protect your stock against mice and other critters. Store these things in hard plastic containers, for example, or regularly check on your stock, and look for mice droppings. Dried herbs can be stored for years. Over time their taste and nutritional value does decrease a little bit but they are a welcome addition to a meal and can give a bland bowl of cooked rice a magic touch of much needed flavour. Dried tea can also be stored for a long time, easily many years. Rock salt can be stored virtually indefinitely. If you live near sea you can replenish your salt storage by collecting sea water and evaporating it.
D.) Canned food:
Where dried foods are the holy grail of the prepper, the canned foods have to be considered a very close second. Despite stating an expiry date of a couple of years canned foods are known for lasting 10 to 20 years, perhaps longer. Some canned foods in abandoned towns was found after 50 years and turned out to still be edible. Though, let’s hope we’re out of this shit by then. If you’re unsure, use your nose first. If your smell gives the okay, please do cook it through and through. You can buy canned foods relatively cheap. You can’t really overdo your canned food collection. If not for your own consumption you can us them as a means to trade. Make sure you vary the kinds you buy; not just the which kinds of foods you buy but also vary between brands. You will thank me later for not making your post-prepping life boring. Canned foods do take up more space than dried foods per meal. Avoid buying dented or budged cans. If you accidentally put a dent in a can already in your possession you best eat the contents of that can first before any other can.
E.) Pickled food:
Next to canned foods you can also buy pickled food or other kinds of foods in pressure cooked glass jars. Their listed expiry date is often comparable to those of cans, but they often last years after that date too, if properly stored. Though they may not last equally as long as canned foods they do have a different bonus; once you’ve emptied a jar you now have an empty glass pot with lid you can use to store new food items. Sterilize the jar and lid first by boiling them in water. You can use them to pickle or pressure cook your own harvests. Do read up on how to do that. It’s not hard, but you’re going to need a couple of things. One kind of jarred food that you should definitely have unless you have an allergy for peanuts is peanut butter. It is high in carbohydrates, fats, protein, minerals and vitamins, and its shelf life is many years easily. Peanut butter contains almost everything your body needs!
F.) Oils and fats:
You may need these for cooking your food, bringing it up to flavour, but it can also serve as a fuel for a fire or as something to trade for other things. Oil can be stored in closed containers for many years. Coconut oil is almost solid and considered more healthy than other kinds of oil. I favour olive oil. Make sure you have some oil to spare. Butter is not easy to store, unless you buy dry powdered butter. This is a typical prepper item you’ll find in prepper shops. It’s expensive, not really needed, but a luxury you may want to consider if you are able to buy it. It lasts dozens of years. And let’s not forget bout butter gee! You can buy it cheap, or make it yourself. It can last a couple of years.
G.) Vitamin supplements:
Just in case the food available to you is low in nutritional value concerning vitamins, or someone is under the weather and you want to give them a better chance of fast recovery, make sure you have some vitamin supplements in storage. You could consider them dried foods, though their expiry date may actually be more valid. The most important two to want to supplement are vitamin C and vitamin D.
H.) Home growing:
Your storage will eventually run out if you do not replenish it. In an optimal situation your stock will serve only to overcome times of scarcity. When possible, eat from the land. The more your stock serves as a last resort the longer you will be able to make ends meet. If you have a yard you can use it, but you may need to be resourceful and expand the surface area of your production. If you only have a balcony you will need to rely on your resourcefulness even more. Certain vegetables and herbs can be grown indoors but never forget; nature provides. The sun and soil outside are free. You can use abandoned patches of grassland, forgotten corners in parks and the side of busy roads to plant potatoes for example. Not many people in a city will be able to distinguish between common weeds from a potato plant, and nobody is going to look for those along the side of a road. Mark the location where you planted them on a map if needed. They’ll collect sun and nutrients from the soil there. Some native plants are edible. Find out which and how to prepare them, if only as a last resort.
I.) Animal:
Life sustains itself on life. If you have the ability to keep farm animals you should. The easiest to keep are chickens or other poultry. Chickens lay eggs, produce fertilizer, eat certain ground bugs, dig up the soil and keep it loose, and are even known to catch the occasional mouse. They can also be a source of meat, but you need to be able to know how to kill and process them, and also be able to stomach that craft. Bigger farm animals can provide more meat and perhaps milk. It’s a lot of work but in the end it is a way to convert the nutrients on a piece of land into food you can eat. If you can’t keep animals, you may be able to hunt them. If you know how and have the means, you can shoot game with various kinds of rifles. Setting traps requires different skills and requires much less specialized equipment to rely on. For this too; buy a book and start reading.
Part 3: Secondary Essentials
The things listed here are essential to making sure you can last a long time in a post apocalyptic future. Of course you need to eat, but to stay alive and be able to process your food, store your food and protect yourself against all kinds of elements, you also need at least some of these. If this becomes too expensive for you, you may want to find another prepper close by, and divide who buys what. Together your inventory will be complete.
A.) Shelter:
You need a roof over your head. This serves to retain your body heat, to store your stuff and to protect you against other dangers. If you’re reading this I think it is safe to assume you have a place to live. (I really hope you do.) But maybe there is a chance you will be evicted from your home. Or maybe if war comes to your house it can be damaged or even destroyed. It’s good to have a backup plan. A true prepper thinks ahead. If possible, have a (decent sized) tent in storage, and make sure it is complete and intact. Everyone will try and find shelter under a bridge or in any abandoned building or in any available caves when they lose their home, so don’t assume you can just take shelter there. If you want to have the option to share rather than to be forced to share or risk not having a good spot, think ahead for your shelter should your current one fail. I know a roof over your head is more of a given, and a decent tent could be considered a luxury for you to have in stock right now, but I do name this ‘roof over your head’ here because it is an absolute essential as everything I’ve covered so far will barely be possible to do if you don’t have a decent place to live, and the same goes for all most things in this tutorial.
B.) Fire and Fuel:
In order for you to keep warm during winter and possibly cold nights, and for you to be able to cook food and boil water, you need to be able to make and use fire. First comes fuel. Liquid gas containers (used for camping and portable barbecues) are excellent. Make sure you also have ways of safely releasing the gas, through a stove or furnace for example. There are different types of gas hoses, they may also have many different connectors. If at all possible, avoid the ones with screw connections. Go for the piston ones, meaning your gas tank and stove need to have a piston connector. All things that use gas as fuel will need that gas at a certain pressure. Most common is 30 millibars. Your tank may need a special gas pressure regulator to regulate the flow of the gas. They aren’t expensive and you do need them for most (bigger) butane cylinders. If gas is scarce, or running low, or is not an option, firewood is next. Make sure you have some way to safely burn it. A fire stove is expensive but also a worthy purchase. There are camping fire stoves, some with oven even, that can be used inside tents and outdoors. If you can find a way for the exhaust to safely exit your house you can use them indoors. You will need wood, so stock up on wood and when you find yourself needing the fire stove, scavenge for new wood regularly. You need some tools like axes and saws to convert the wood into smaller pieces. For your own health, make sure it is unprocessed wood, but if there is nothing else available I guess anything goes. Candles can be a way to warm your place and possibly some food items. They are not ideal but much better than nothing. Plus candles are very cheap (at least at the moment) so stock up on them. They can also serve as a light source. A lantern that runs on oil does what candles can do, but it burns a bigger flame. You’ll need to stock up on lamp oil and at least one lantern. It’s a little more high end but achieves the same thing, though I haven’t seen a lantern setup designed to also be useable for cooking food. And let’s not forget the lighters and matches. If you can’t start a fire your fuel is useless. A good supply of matches is dirt cheap. Buy them and don’t store them in just one place as water damage or theft can render disaster if that hits your entire supply. You can also bury matches in plastic food containers or tightly sealed glass jars along your routes so you always have access to fresh matches.
Please be mindful that fire is dangerous. Do read up on how to do the above things safely. Practice with a fire place beforehand and not when you have no other choice but to rely on it. You need to have fire skills. Don’t casually place these ways of heating anywhere in your house. Keep them on a non-flammable surface and keep furniture and curtains away from them. Don’t allow yourself to fall asleep while fire is still burning. Think ahead how you can put out a fire if needed. Don’t let fire surprise you. See fire as a horse you need to tame. Do it well and it will serve you, but never underestimate its strength. A horse can easily overpower you, and the same goes for an out of control fire.
C.) Medicare:
You want to avoid any medical emergencies, but when one does come to rise you want to be prepared. You cannot learn any open heart surgery of course, but in a post-apocalyptic world even an infected wound or a bad case of diarrhea can prove deadly. Have ORT (oral rehydration therapy) and Norit (activated carbon tablets) in stock to battle diarrhea and food poisoning. I believe they can be kept long after their expiry date. Disinfectants should be a standard in your first aid kit too. This stuff can safe lives. Some aspirin, pain killers, bandages, and so on and so forth should also be part of your first aid inventory. Make sure you have your first aid in order. A book about medicinal herbs is not necessarily a luxury.
D.) Electricity:
Many devices use electricity. Flash lights, power drills, walkie-talkies, you name it. Through (portable) solar panels rechargeable batteries can be recharged, so these things can keep functioning even when the power goes out. Try and have a decent stack of fresh batteries in stock, and make sure at least some are rechargeable. Many portable solar panels come with all kinds of connectors to hook them up to different devices. This can become a very expensive purchase, but don’t overdo it if you don’t have to and don’t have the means. You can of course also buy a (portable) generator. This will give you power on demand, if you have the fuel for it. It can be quite handy, but also expensive. The less you are dependant on electricity the better. It’s good to have the option, but don’t try to rely on it because solar panels and rechargeable batteries eventually stop working sufficiently.
E.) Communication:
Get yourself a means to communicate. This can be a (battery or solar powered) AM/FM radio for receiving communication. If you want to send information out you need a different kind of radio. Also think about a way to charge them, obviously. It is a good idea to get to know other preppers in your area in radio distance and to agree on some kind of code. Remember; anyone with a radio can listen in, and it can also be used to lure you out by looters. Be vigilant. When done right, you can establish a network of early warning and reinforcement, or just some fun conversation in a situation that could easily make you feel isolated and alone. A low tier way of communication would be through whistles. Make sure every one in your community has at least one per house hold. They can be used to signal each other from a distance or serve as a way to locate someone who is lost. Easy and effective. Though a whistle is low tier they can also alert unwanted people to your location. Another signalling device would be laser pointers. They are completely silent, though it’s possible the intended target doesn’t notice the signal. They will make you reliant on batteries though.
F.) Tools:
Perhaps you already have the basics when it comes to tools; hammers and nails, screwdrivers and screws, saws, picks, wrenches, pliers, you name it. You want to make sure you also have a decent crowbar, a concrete breaker (large hammer), and a good axe. You may need them to break into abandoned warehouses and stores, or break loose wood for your stove. They may also serve as crude weapons to defend yourself. They are easy to store, and can last the better part of a lifetime. Whatever other tools you have, make sure you rely on electricity as little as possible. There are hand driven tools out there that can do the things powered tools can, only just not that powerful. You’ll be happy to have those when the power goes out for a while.
G.) Hygiene:
The best way to prevent diseases is to apply hygiene. You’ll need a couple of things for this. Soap of course. It’s cheap. Buy soap bars to be able to wash your hands when handling food and after bathroom visits. Liquid soap can be used for washing clothes and surfaces that need disinfecting. There’s many kinds of soaps, like for cleaning surfaces and anti-bacterial soap. Buy different kinds and buy enough. Soap is inexpensive now but can become invaluable when production lines completely grind to a halt. Big buckets of soapy wet wipes for camping trips can be bought dirt cheap. By boiling cutleries and other items that need to be sterilized in a pan with water you kill off most germs that can cause harm. You’ll need a big pan, without plastic handles in case you use it on open fire. To wash clothes and other fabrics, you’ll need a decent sized tub. Toilet paper can be essential. It’s ridiculous how something so cheap and which we take for granted can prove to be incredibly important. The drawback is that stocking up on toilet paper will take up a lot of space. Think about ways to maintain personal hygiene once the toilet paper runs out. There are portable camping geysers that use butane gas for fuel that can provide hot water. You’ll need running water to feed them, but they may in some circumstances prove very useful towards hygiene. They are a purchase you may want to consider.
H.) Supplies:
There’s a couple of other items you may find of use. The list here is a misc group.
Make sure you have enough warm clothes and warm blankets. If at all possible, try and keep warm with your own body heat. You don’t want to waste your fuel and wood.
To be able to store newly acquired food you’ll need bins, pots and/or glass jars with lids.
You may want to store extra bottles of certain chemicals. Acetone, ethanol, bleach, ammonia, vinegar, etc. Either they will come to use or they can be traded. In some cases they can be used as fuel or just an accelerant. Some can be weaponized to deter intruders.
You will find it useful to have a few meters in length of different kinds of rope around.
Duct-tape is something you really want to have plenty of.
A can or two of WD-40 is also a standard to have around.
Make sure you have durable pots and pans. I prefer carbon steel as they don’t rust, and can take a lot of heat. Avoid the ones with plastic handles. 100% carbon steel pots and pans are incredibly durable and can last multiple lifetimes.
Various books on; survival, hunting (setting traps, using firearms), medicinal herbs, edible plants, edible mushrooms, etc. Information you’d otherwise look up on the internet.
A good sharp knife, and ways to keep it sharp. It will come in handy sometimes. Don’t overuse it and wear it out. Let cheap expendable knifes do the brunt of the work, and only whip the good one out if you really have to. Make sure it is as sharp as possible. Don’t cheap out on a semi sharp knife. They are more dangerous because they require you put more force into your motion, increasing the risk of an accident.
A few detailed maps and a working compass can really be of help to mark sites of interest and plan scavenging missions.
Fishing equipment is a handy. You can catch fish almost all year round in most places. If you want this can be very costly purchase but it by no means has to be. You can spent a ton on high end fishing rods, lines and nets. Don’t do it if you don’t have your essentials in order. Think smart and buy smart. If fishing with a line is not for you or you want to increase your catch, you can build fish traps. You’ll need to read up on how to do that. You can catch crayfish (lobsters) relatively simple, no real skill required. They like to sit in semi shallow water inside or under things. I’ve had success using baskets on a rope. Just raise the basket out of the water every day and collect your catch.
Even better is to have the old barrel of a washing machine. If you can get one of those, don’t decline! They function the same as the basket for catching crayfish, but they don’t decay. They are made of stainless steel, so they won’t rust either. They can also be used as a fireplace; a very handy thing to have.
Part 4: Protection and Defence
The usefulness of your supplies is equally proportional to your ability to keep them out of other people’s hands. The supplies and/or methods listed here are easily considered essentials, but they warrant their own section. Do note that I do not list things here as a means to attack. I myself am a pacifist, but I wouldn’t want any bad people be able to just take my stuff without at least being challenged. It’s better though if they can be deterred. If you cannot secure your supply, your stock basically becomes the loot crate for the first person to find it and overpower you. Whatever is listed here, please use it only as a means to defend yourself. Don’t be or become the guy I am trying to help you avoid or defeat. Injuring or even killing people is illegal and punishable by law. This part of the tutorial is only meant to illustrate how you can defend yourself if needed when there is a state of martial law.
A.) Hiding:
The best way to keep your stuff out of other people’s hands is to simply make sure they don’t find it. What people don’t know is there, they will not take. Hide it where they don’t expect it. Be smart about it. Think it through. You can also use a decoy strategy or fake stashes of items to make the bad guy think they found your real stash. Camouflaging may sometimes be prudent. Bury things underground in sealed off containers. Really sealed off, as ants are pesky critters that can fit through tiny holes to loot your treasure. Burying may also help keep your food cool, adding to their shelf life. Besides your stash, you may want to be able to hide yourself and your loved ones. Try and think of a way and means to do that, and practise those kinds of situations. A bunker or secret room may safe your lives. Make sure the entrance is well hidden, and secured.
B.) Firearms:
Some countries will allow you to purchase firearms legally. If you can I advice you to buy one or more. Nothing deters a loather than real firepower. A shotgun with plenty of ammo can turn even a novice into a force to be reckoned with. Do make sure you practice before hand. You don’t want to handle a gun or rifle for the first time in an emergency situation. Smaller hand weapons may work better indoors, and rifles have more power and better range which can deter or take out a bogey from a distance, or be used for hunting game for food. Besides the firearms themselves, also make sure you have a cleaning set and weapon oil in stock to maintain your firearms.
C.) Alternative weapons:
Not everyone lives in a country that grant easy access to legal firearms. You don’t have to do anything illegal to still have some means to defend yourself.
Crossbows; in many countries completely legal. Make sure you have some snare wax to retain the quality of the snare, and buy enough arrows. You may only be able to land one shot in a swift moment, but the threat of the weapon may be enough to deter an invader. Multiple crossbows handled by multiple people increase your chances. A crossbow can potentially land a lethal hit up close. The further the distance the less force behind the arrow and the more difficult it is to hit your target.
PCP-guns: like the crossbow, completely legal in many countries. It is possibly quite difficult to land a fatal shot with these kinds of weapons. With the exception of a few they don’t pack enough of a punch and the bullets are small. But especially the semi automatic ones can deter an invader quite effectively. Not many people will be able to see the difference between PCP-guns and real firearms, and the shots you land will definitely wound them if you buy a decent enough weapon. Having one or more of these can make a difference in many situations. PCP-guns are also used by hunters, so a decent enough PCP-gun can be of us there too. The important part is to make sure you are able to refill the pressure cylinder. There are special hand pumps for this. This is a low tier way to refill your gun back to shooting capacity, but it takes considerable time to fill one cylinder. If you want to be able to fill her up quickly, you’ll need a diving cylinder with special connectors. Your local arms dealer can advice you on this. It might be prudent to have both the hand pump and the diving cylinder, and only use the last one when the situation asks for fast refill. Airguns also need similar maintenance like firearms, so make sure you have a cleaning set and weapon oil in stock to maintain your airguns.
Don’t buy any PCP-handguns. Apart from maybe scaring someone off through looks their shots are completely useless.
There are also airguns that work through a spring mechanism that can be set for one shot through a single motion on the gun. This mostly is done by pulling the barrel of the rifle downwards until a click is heard and then pushing the barrel back into place. They are mostly a little less powerful than the PCP-guns (with a few exceptions). They are also a viable option, though from what I understand they are less durable. They are a little bit less expensive though, but again this may vary between brands and models. There’s great and less great models of any airgun.
D.) Knifes, swords and lances:
In short; sharp things. Most of us have a view of these that is heavily influenced by movies. Although valid ways to defend yourself you may need to change your expectations for these.
Knifes; can only land a hit when your enemy is very close. It is not a weapon you want to start with, because you’d rather have your enemy far from you when you engage. When your enemy is so close to you they can be taken out with a knife, they can take you out also. Though when it comes down to bare hand fighting and if they can overpower you, it’s good to have a good knife. Make sure the knife is designed to do the horrible thing you must do. Your hand is bound to slide over the blade if you use any basic knife, cutting into your own fingers. This knife needs to be a special hunting knife. A big knife can do more damage but is more difficult to wield and can also more easily slip from your hand while fighting. A smaller knife does less damage but is much easier to wield and can land strikes in short succession. A smaller knife may therefore be more preferable. Weigh your options here based on your skill and physical strength.
Swords; have a bigger action radius than knifes but most people have no idea how difficult it is to successfully wield a sword. It takes a great measure of skill, and that skill is not easy to acquire. To be able to wield a sword with success you’ll need at least a couple of months of training. There is much risk of self injury if you don’t properly train before facing an enemy. And indoors, swords are mostly even more difficult to use because in close courters you easily hit things (ceiling, walls, furniture) or people you don’t want to hit. A sword is potentially a very bad choice. Though, if you are well trained and have the right environment and the right type of blade, your sword is much preferred to a knife. You have a longer range and any single strike you land is potentially much more lethal than would be the case for most knifes.
Lances; combine the best of two worlds. This is the weapon you want if you have no particular skill in these kinds of weapons. It’s basically a stick with a pointy head or sharp blade. Your range is potentially even longer than the sword. Since your attack motion doesn’t require you to swing it, but is instead a stabbing motion, you’ll have a bigger chance of success. Though a single strike is not necessarily lethal, it will stop your enemy and follow up strikes are quick and easy to land. It can be used indoors much more successfully than the sword. I think an invader will find it difficult to advance up your stairs when you sit atop with your lance. You can buy a professional one, or just the blade and mount it on a broomstick, or you can make one yourself with a decent knife on a stick. Do however make sure you attach the knife in the strongest possible way, using a leather belt and screws. A duct-taped knife to a stick isn’t going to work for a combat situation, and if you do you’ll risk giving your enemy a free knife.
E.) Safety in numbers:
Easily the best way to deter invaders is by outnumbering them. Even bad guys with firearms will break out in a sweat if they are faced with huge numbers, even if the crowd is unarmed. Of course the favour is on their side if you have no firearms yourself, but it is a situation they would still rather avoid. And this is a worst case scenario. Of course you’re going to be armed. Safety in numbers works. The big drawback is that many people need much food. Hopefully they are all preppers like you, that come well fed, armed and informed.
F.) Guard animals:
Animals can also function as guards. Dogs are really good at this task, though keeping a dog alive in a post-apocalyptic world may be a challenge. You can only store so much dry dog food, which, by the way, is edible for us humans too and a great source of proteins. Certain dogs can hunt their own food, if you live in the right environment. That’s going to be hard in a city though. Other animals can guard as well. Peafowl males (peacocks) are good guard animals. If you live in a city you can befriend crows/ravens. These corvids are very intelligent and they can be befriended through giving them food. They are scavengers. Even scraps will make them happy. It will take time to form friendships with them though, but when you do it right and persist with patience, you will gain friends that will be able to warn you when trouble is afoot.
Part 5: Extras
When you got all your essentials in order, there are a couple of things you might want to consider getting. Although not absolute necessities they can make life less challenging for you, which will come a long way in keeping you psychologically healthy.
A.) Transport:
In a post-apocalyptic world a working car will attract unwanted attention. They are loud and they would be a target for any bad players. They need fuel which you can run out of. But transport can be really handy to have in case you need to transport found loot to your home, for example.
An electric car is much more quite than a gasoline powered vehicle, and can potentially be charged through solar panels. But this too will be a much sought after vehicle, so hide it well.
A bike is driven by you. It increases your action radius enormously compared to going on foot. If you have a cargo bike you also greatly increase your carrying load. It will be a much sought after vehicle, so keep it out of sight, and lock it away.
But without vehicle we humans can travel quite well. You’ll need a good pair of shoes for long distances. A backpack increases your carrying load.
B.) Sweets:
We may get all we need from the above foods nutritionally but the mind may want something too. Candy has a poor shelf life, with some exceptions. Look for them, or for ways to make your own candy. Dark chocolate can be stored reasonably long. The darker the longer. With sugar and nuts, together with some flour and water, cookies can be made freshly. Sweet soy and syrup can be stored a dozen years easily. Honey can last a lifetime. Condensed milk in a tin can is easy to convert to caramel by laying the can on its side in a pan filled with water and then boiling the water. Make sure the can is completely submerged and keep heating the water on a low flame. After two hours, turn off the flame. When the water has cooled to room temperature, discard (or reuse) the water and dry the can off (they rust within a day so do dry them off quickly). Now you have a can of delicious caramel that will be good for many years. There’s probably more kinds of sweets that you can store or make. Allow yourself to have something of a guilty pleasure. They can make for great trading items too.
C.) Social and creative activities:
If you aren’t scavenging, maintaining your vegetable garden, cooking food, cleaning your house, or fighting off mortal enemies, you might want to have something to keep your mind and the minds of your kids and other house mates busy. Board games or ball games or any kind of games will give you so much fun. Make sure you have some in the house.
Same as the games, you can get some puzzles. You could also try and make your own. You’ll need some things though, like carton, a poster, glue, etc.
Especially with kids around you want supplies so they can draw and practise writing. Store pens, pencils and paper. You also may need pen and paper to draw maps or make lists.
D.) Inventory:
Last but not least you want to make a full inventory of all your stuff, especially your food. How much do you have of which food item. Regardless of the truth of the expiry dates, list them too. It cannot hurt to know which foods the product manufacturer thought was going to expire sooner. Also note the state of the packages. The content of a dented can or ripped package needs to be consumed first.
E.) Books:
You might want to have some reading material in stock. A variety on guides for survival ranging from growing your own food to making traps could be ‘must haves’ depending on your prep strategy. But basically anything you really need to be able to know to survive which you would normally just research on the internet would be a good topic to find a book about. Books about edible plants, medicinal herbs, camping, basic medical aid, and so on and so forth. Books can be expensive, but if you can find fellow preppers near you, you can makes arrangements for each to buy specific books and to not buy any doubles. Together you’ll have access to the same knowledge and split the costs. But besides guides on divers topics you’ll do yourself a huge favour by also having some storybooks in your possession. Your mind will want have something to do, and you may need to zone out sometimes. Books can do that for you.
F.) Music:
Musical instruments, just like books, can keep your mind active, and it will be a welcome change of atmosphere to sometimes make or listen to music, together or in solitude.
G.) Alternative currency:
Many people swear by getting silver, gold or crypto. When the power goes out cryptos will be inaccessible. When there’s scarcity of food and water, silver and gold may lose their value. You can’t eat any of these, and if there is no wealth out there to stand in for their virtual worth they are all essentially worthless. Read chapter 04 on this website to understand completely how that works. If you want and have the means, buy all the metal and crypto you can, sure. Go nuts! But my money is on food (pun intended). If this goes the way I think it goes, you’ll rather have tangible supplies.
In closing
From the day you will use your prepping skills, you’ll no longer have waste and garbage. Everything you have and find is a resource now. Old package? Future storage, or fuel for the stove, or target practise. Scraps of uneaten foods or other organic waste? Fertilizer to be buried in the garden, or bait for the trap. Waste water? Plant watering. Anything that cannot be used as organic fertilizer, or repurposed storage, or building material, or even fuel you’ll need to find a purpose for. Throwing anything away will be a sin at such time. We’ve committed enough of those already 😉
Good luck. I hope I am wrong about all my predictions. In case I am not I hope to see you on the other side, where ever that may be.
Feel free to copy this part of this website to anyone who is asking for this information.
~reckneya