Prepping Basics: Beginner Guide and Checklist

Uncle Ferret has a saying: “Preppin’ ain’t easy, but you sure are a dillhole if you’re not taking it seriously.”

He’s definitely onto something.

Since you’re reading this digitized article thing of mine, I’m guessing it’s the latter.

Prepping naysayers always have something smart to say, like “we need to have more hope in humanity”, “give peace a chance” and who knows what else, but if you wanna protect your own, you need to say goodbye to that and get prepping. 

Now I’m not claiming that the end of the world is coming, hell I sure hope it isn’t, but if you ask me peace of mind is truly priceless.

It’s better to be ready for something that might not happen, then not to be. Simple as that.

Prepping of course doesn’t only come in handy in doomsday scenarios, it also does wonders for all kinds of disasters including earthquakes, blizzards, floods and everything in between. 

How Do You Start Prepping As a Beginner?

If you’re gonna be a serious prepper, you’ll be needing a bunch of things and gadgets. Also a lot of time, and a ton of dedication. 

The foundation of prepping is pretty much this:

You need to feed and hydrate yourself, you need to keep yourself and your house clean, and you also need medications if you get sick.

You should also have a bag ready if the situation requires you to bail. 

It’s needless to say that you should maintain your physical fitness, have some survival and hunting skills, and also have some weapons that allow you to defend your home and your family.

Lord knows I wanna protect Jodie May, even though she’s always eying that tall jacked neighbor Jared.

Finally, it’s always good to have some gasoline stashed away, as well as propane or butane if you run out of power. 

What is the First Stage of Prepping?

Now the first thing that we’ll be talking about is food and water. Without these two you’re definitely gone, so they’re our first items on our list. 

So-called experts say that you should have rations that can last you and yours for at least two weeks, but if you ask me, that just isn’t enough. 

My personal prepping feelings aside, make sure to have at least two weeks worth of food and water, and if your wallet allows it, buy enough for an entire month (or even more if it’s anyhow possible). 

As for the type of food you need to get, it’s ideal to have a bunch of freeze dried foods with a really long shelf-life. 

MREs are also an awesome nutrient source, so be sure to get some of them as well. 

Freeze dried vegetables and fruits are also a fantastic option for prepping. 

Let’s talk about water. For drinking water, you’ll be needing one gallon daily per person, so it’s real easy to do the math. 

If it’s possible you also need to be collecting rainwater, which can later be used for washing up, or if shit really hits the fan, you can purify that rainwater making it safe to drink. 

If you’re looking for a water filter, my uncle Ferret did a LifeStraw bottle review, which is really a handy device.

While we’re talking about liquids, I’d also suggest that you stock up on bourbon and beer. 

The next items we need to cover are first aid kits, and hygiene/sanitation. 

If things go sour we can’t really count on hospitals (or any other type of medical care), so it’s really important to be able to take care of yourself. 

This is another situation where you need to have as much as possible. Think antibiotics, vitamins, bandages and other types of medication (especially if you require some drugs to function properly).

Keeping yourself and your home/shelter clean is paramount, since if things start to get messy you increase the chances of getting sick, which is something you surely want to avoid in a SHTF situation.

To prevent your home turning into a pigsty, get a bunch of soaps, shampoos, toothpastes,  cleaning products, disinfectants and anything else you think you might need.

Emergency Preparedness 

Now that we’ve covered the essentials, we can move on to some specific situation that you might run into. 

Some of these circumstances are very much location-dependent, but it sure doesn’t hurt to know about all of them.

If you live in an area that is plagued by wildfires, having a bag filled with prepping goodies is the most important thing. 

These fiery sons of bitches are very hard to contain, and even though nobody wants to leave their home behind, in a wildfire situation this is something that you might have to do in order to survive. 

To make your escape run smoothly make sure you’ve stashed some gasoline for your vehicle, and having some cash stashed away is never a bad idea.

As for hurricanes, you will require sufficient material that allows you to board up your doors and windows. 

This means you’ll need a bunch of plywood and nails. Water damage is nothing to joke about, as it can easily wreak havoc to your abode. 

During a hurricane, sandbags are another essential item. Sandbags are used to prevent gray water from entering your home, and you need to place them on every drain in your home.

Similarly to hurricanes, tornadoes also require you to board up your house, but since they are rarely accompanied by gray water, having sandbags isn’t really necessary. 

During a tornado threat it’s crucial to have a ready bag, since you might have to bug out.

As far as blizzards go, getting away isn’t a viable option, so you better stock up on everything you might be needing. 

Keeping a wide variety of items will help you to comfortably wait the blizzard out.

To conclude, we have the power outage scenario. In this situation it’s great to have some emergency lighting ready, and if you normally use electricity to cook your food, it’s a smart move to get a camping stove and have some propane in your home.

Prepping Checklist for Beginners

Regardless of the situation you might be in, one thing is for certain – you’re gonna need some stuff. 

Our Prepping Checklist is your shortcut to getting started with prepping. 

Here’s what you’ll need: