The Top Ten Emergency Essentials Preparedness Items and The Top Five Skills to Learn
Prepping involves stocking up on items needed, emergency essentials and acquiring the needed skills. I believe in being prepared, but I also believe you should know what you are preparing for and for who. Watching and reading articles on prepping to learn what you should be doing is great. There are a lot of good ideas out there, but you need to take all this information and funnel it down to see what applies to you and your situation.
Without being selective with this information and just obtaining this and that and doing this or that because of other people, even if they give good reasoning, will lead to information overload and confusion.
Ask yourself:
• What am I preparing for?
• Who am I preparing for?
• How am I going to prepare?
Once you are more familiar with your specific situation, then consume the great content out there. Take pieces and parts here and there from the information to reach your goals and assemble your own solid preparedness plan.
Hopefully, as you read on, you will be able to take away some good advice from this article. Most of these items have a great price, so it is very affordable to get your emergency essentials and be on your way to meeting your goal.
The Top Ten Emergency Essentials
#1 The Life Straw
We all need water and we need clean water, often. The life straw was not first created as a prepper item, it was made for humanitarian purposes. It had a lot of great success and transferred over for sale to the public. It wasn’t long before it gained popularity among preppers and survivalists. The life straw filters out 99.9999 of waterborne bacteria and is small and lightweight. It passes the EPA’s standard for clean water and was invention of the year by TIME magazine. So this is definitely one to have.
#2 A Fire Starter
Fire can be deadly, but it can also be a life saver. When you are in cold environment, it will provide you with heat. Without it, hypothermia is a very good possibility. Fire will cook your food. There are times when you can eat food raw, but you’re taking the chance on getting sick and adding problems to your situation. Plus, a nice hot meal adds a measure of comfort, which is a great feeling in a survival situation.
Fire adds protection. Most animals are scared of fire and will avoid it. A fire can be a signal fire and aid in your chance of being rescued. Last, but not least, it keeps the boogey man away. I know this is kind of funny, but when you are alone in the dark and in the woods, uncertainty of what’s out there can set in.
#3 A Multi Tool
Multi tools are handy, light weight, easy to carry and come with lots of options that can benefit you when it counts. Some of these options are a knife, plyers, screwdrivers and tweezers among many more. With a little imagination you can think of numerous more tasks per tool above and beyond its primary intended purpose. In a setting where your life depends on what you have and the various tasks it can perform, the better off you are.
#4 Hand Crank/Solar Powered Flashlight
Anyone can see where a flashlight can help in most situations, especially a survival one. A flashlight that takes batteries will eventually be no good to you. You can only pack so many batteries and batteries add weight and take up space. When the space you have is valuable and weight is a concern then your flashlight must be battery free. A hand crank flashlight with solar power technology is a great companion. Through the day it can clamp on to your clothing or backpack and power up for the night. If you need the light for longer than it charged, you can crank it. These flashlights have small generators that recharge the battery for that extra light at night.
#5 Food Supply
Depending on what you are preparing for, will determine the amount of food you want to have stored and how you store it. For food you are expecting to travel with, I would suggest freeze dry storage. Freeze dried foods are lighter in weight and you can pack more into a certain space. For the amount of food, a three day supply will give you enough time to get your bearings and formulate a plan.
If you determine your preparations are geared toward being at home, then obviously your stored food will remain at your home as well. Freeze drying or dehydration is the best for long term storage. The amount of food is really up to the available space and money you want to spend.
You may want to store your food in a combination of both ways. That way if you must travel for any reason you can grab your preloaded bug out bag and go.
#6 First Aid Kit
Now a days you can get a first aid kit that’s compact and light weight. Most kits weigh around a pound and a half and are packed with numerous supplies. No matter the situation you are preparing for scrapes, scratches, cuts, pokes or more serious injuries can happen. Without getting medical attention of a first aid kit and dealing with the matter right away, a more serious situation could occur pretty quickly.
#7 Hand Crank/Solar Powered Radio
An AM/FM hand crank radio is a great way to keep track of what’s going on. Whether it’s a hurricane, tornado or other natural disaster. Maybe your on the move because of civil unrest or other similar goings on, the news will always be covering these events and knowledge of what’s happening can help plan your next move.
#8 Water Supply
When talking about emergency essentials, water is definitely one of them. Storing water takes up space and water is heavy, weighing 8.3 pounds per gallon. Those who are storing water are mainly going to be those who plan to ride out an event at home. It is smart to plan for home storage and water to go.
Your options are pretty limited when you think about traveling with water. You can carry water bottles or use a hydration bladder. A hydration bladder can be bought to hold around a half gallon to a gallon of water. This adds weight to your backpack, but water is a necessity. Even if you have the life straw you may not find any water to make use of this tool. For learning the best practices of storing water I have a great article on that HERE.
#9 Generator
Generators have come a long way. Use to, you couldn’t strap one on your back and move out. Well you could, but I don’t think you would make it very far. Even though generators are more mobile there still not practical for the bug out bag. The main reason is that most bug out bags are designed for self sufficiency, so there is really no use for a generator.
This piece of equipment is better suited for home survival and a temporary solution, because your fuel source will run out. Like I said, the generator has come a long way and there are solar powered generators that can keep you having a power source for a long time. These are a great addition to a home plan and a good alternative power source for RVs, vans or off grid homes.
#10 Cooking Pot and Utensils
A pot has many uses when in a survival situation. To boil water (add pine needles for a great tea), to cook in, to store and collect and carry around different things. They are made very durable and lightweight. Some less than 5 oz. You can carry it on the outside of your backpack or store it inside, adding some of your survival gear inside the pot whereby it takes up very little space. The utensils are small, lightweight and add the benefit of eating naturally.
The Top Five Skills to Learn
Having your emergency essentials, the tools are great, but their only as good as the person wielding them. There are skills you will need to learn to give yourself the best chance possible at surviving. Also, say you happen to lose a tool, such as a fire starter, you must have the skills to get a fire started in a different way.
I’m not going into much detail on the how, so please, if you are interested in learning a skill I have listed below, research it and make it part of your arsenal.
#1 Building a Fire
There a several ways of building a fire without the benefit of matches, lighter or fire starter. I would practice and get good at one type and be familiar with the others. The first, which is the most primitive is called the hand drill. The next is the Bow Drill method, it’s the faster and the most effective means of starting a fire by friction. The last one I want to mention is by using a magnifying glass. You are harnessing the power of the sun, so this method will have to be done during the day, ideally on a day that not many clouds are around. By adding a magnifying glass to your backpack, this can be an option.
#2 Shelter Building
Shelter from the elements is a must. In some situations it is the top priority. The first shelter build is one of the simplest, but it will shelter you from the rain and wind. It’s the Lean-To. The next one is an A-frame shelter.
A tarp can make building a shelter a lot more easy. Consider adding one to your bug out bag.
The last type is a Dugout shelter and takes a bit more work. This can be used to conceal your location partially or completely.
#3 Foraging
Get to know what different fruits, seeds and plants are edible, especially around your area. Learn the best way to prepare and cook them and which one can be used for medicinal purposes.
#4 How to Care for Wounds
More than likely there won’t be a doctor around. So, any medical attention will come from you. Learn the basics. How to treat a cut, a broken bone or a gash. Keep in mind you will only have your tools and what’s around you to treat it.
#5 Game Traps
There are several game traps you can set up. This will hopefully keep a steady supply of meat and make the food that you have last longer. There are many different kinds of traps, here are three kinds of traps you can set up. A deadfall, a spring snare trap and bird snares.
After reading this I hope you have thought about your situation and what you are wanting to prepare for. Make a list of your emergency essentials and skills to learn then reach for your goal.