WEBVTT
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A lot of people come into prepping through one doorway.
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Maybe it's food storage, maybe it's firearms, maybe it's a generator, a bug out bag, or concern over the economy.
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That's normal.
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But if we stay focused only on that one area, we develop some dangerous blind spots.
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A pantry full of food does not help much if you cannot purify water.
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A safe full of firearms does not solve medical problems, sanitation problems, or financial problems.
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Today we're talking about categories of prepping and how to build a more balanced plan so you can see where you're strong, where you're weak, and what you need to work on next.
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Welcome to Practical Prepping.
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Today is August 17th, 2026, and this is episode 566.
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This is the Prepping Podcast with no bunkers, no zombies, and no alien invasions.
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Just practical prepping, where we teach everyday people how to prepare for life's emergencies, disasters, and crises.
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And we're here to help you get prepared.
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I'm Krista.
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And I'm Mark.
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If you'd like the expanded notes for this episode, go to practicalprepping.info forward slash five six six.
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Now we're not going into great detail in all of these categories, but for balanced prepping, we need to address each category.
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In a grid-down SHTF situation, if you have a hundred guns and a million rounds of ammo, but no food and water, you'll likely die.
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Now didn't you tell me that 20 plus, 30 plus years ago, in your mind, you thought that prepping meant firearms and ammo?
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Firearms and ammo and being able to get my four-wheel drive out of the woods.
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Right.
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That's really where I started.
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But on the other hand, if you have five years of food and water but no first aid or security, you'll likely die.
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So yeah, see where you're going with this out of balance type of thing.
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You can become a little bit too hyper-focused on one particular area.
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So it it's important to broaden your thinking on this.
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And you've got to start kind of broad.
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You've got to think about what would be needed in every event and then narrow down to the more specific and plausible threats that you're facing.
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Now, here's something that's not negotiable.
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Water and food is necessary in any and all emergency events.
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You've got to be able to sustain your health and your nutrition.
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Yes, you do.
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Now, focusing on a big old Faraday cage, that's interesting, but it's only useful in the case of an EMP or a CME, but it's a much lower probability of occurrence.
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So we're not saying it's not important.
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We're just saying that it's not as urgent as some of these other categories.
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Exactly.
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When we talk about the urgent, let's start with financial planning.
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We need to get our finances in order.
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Let's talk about debt.
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Do not use debt to finance prepping.
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Yeah, we don't want people to literally go into debt with their credit cards or loans to try to become Uber prepper.
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Exactly.
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You want to reduce your debt.
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And your aim is to be debt-free.
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And you need to build an emergency fund.
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Start with what you can.
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Exactly.
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Okay?
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If it's a few bucks a week, if it's a few bucks a month, but put some things beside.
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Maybe aim for a$500 or a thousand dollar cash emergency fund.
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Yeah.
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We had to tap into ours recently.
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We sure did.
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We we had an unexpected expense and we elected not to go into debt, but we tapped into that emergency fund and handled the situation.
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But you can aim for three to six months of expenses.
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And just understand it may take a year or two or three to build up wherever you're starting, and that's fine.
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It really is fine.
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As long as you start and just maintain it and become real faithful to that, it's going to add up pretty quickly, and you're going to thank yourself down the road for doing that.
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Yes, you will.
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But aim at getting out of debt.
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Reduce that debt as much as you can.
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If you would like some financial advice, let me recommend a podcast.
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Go to askRalph.com.
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Ralph E Step Jr.
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is an accountant.
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He's a podcaster.
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He's got 30 years of experience in the accounting business.
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And he has several financial podcasts.
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And what you get with Ralph's podcast is very practical, non-judgmental, solid financial advice.
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Now we will put that link in the show notes as well, but it's askraph.com.
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The next step is water.
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You know, that's going to be my number one thing to tell people to have water, store it or know how to purify it if it's wild sourced.
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Now, the records would say a storage would be a minimum of one gallon per day per person.
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And we know from our own experience that that may be okay for a just a simple drinking and consumption that way, but you're going to need more water per day per person.
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We go through about a gallon and a half per person per day.
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Yeah, because you're talking about cooking some dried food and also hygiene, you know.
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So maybe it's some could be.
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Well, when you add in hygiene, we go through more than three gallons.
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But that one minimum one gallon per person per day.
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That's really when you're focusing on three days, seven days, a shorter term.
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A shorter term.
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But once you get those days in place with your water, just keep adding.
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I don't know how many days we have.
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We we can last for a while.
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And we have several ways to purify it.
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We have several ways to purify it.
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We have some places to source it.
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But talking about sourcing it, you can use lakes, ponds, rivers, creeks.
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Anywhere there's running water, you can get that water out and then learn to purify that water.
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You can purify it with filtration.
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We have a countertop filter that we use.
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If we source it, now we're also going to boil it.
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Oh, sure.
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We're going to use two methods.
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But filtration is one, boiling is another, and chemical treatment is another.
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And I've seen this question come up recently in a couple of the forums talking about salt water.
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How can you make salt water drinkable?
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The only off-grid method, the only way that we could use it as a prepper is through solar distillation.
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That's the only way, because you've got to evaporate the water, leave the salt behind, and then collect the water.
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Now there are some mechanical means for desalinization, but from a prepping standpoint, it's not a bad idea.
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If you live down there on the coast, it's not a bad idea to at least have an idea of how to do solar.
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And there's some YouTube videos that can be viewed for that.
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Next up category would be food storage.
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Now here's what we're going to tell you not to do first.
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Don't start by investing in a whole bunch of 25-year emergency food buckets.
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We're not against them.
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We just don't think that's where you need to start.
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They have their place, but you're going to want to start storing your food the normal way you buy it that you have for your regular pantry.
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Store what you eat.
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Yeah, store what you eat in the amount that you eat, in the size of the cans and bags that you eat.
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Those 25-year food buckets, they're very expensive.
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And when you crack one open, it's like a meal for four.
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And it's just a little bit more expensive way to go about it.
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So for those shorter term events, a week or less, those foods you normally purchase that you have set aside will work best.
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And we're talking about when you've been through some weather disasters or if there's been some supply chain issues.
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We've often said when you're going to the grocery or having it delivered, just add another can or two or box or two of what you normally buy and put that extra aside.
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And before you know it, you've got a couple of weeks' worth of extra food that you can feed the whole family.
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Yeah, no, the the emergency foods, they are good for long-term storage, very long-term storage.
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And we have some.
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And we do.
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But it really comes into play once you have, say, a year's worth of food of shelf stable food in place, and you're finding it a little bit harder to rotate.
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I mean, it'd be hard to rotate three years' worth of food.
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Sure would.
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If you've got a year's worth of food, by all means, start investing in long-term storage food.
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They're either dehydrated or they're freeze-dried.
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So remember, you're going to need extra water for meal prep.
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Right.
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So some shelf stable foods would be canned vegetables, canned meats, canned soups, also dried pastas, bags of rice, bags of beans.
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Now we're going to caution you against purchasing the big 50-pound bags of beans and rice.
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Yes, they're an excellent value from a dollar standpoint, but that would require overall a tremendous amount of water to make, and there's a lot of food fatigue.
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You know, once you've had about your third day of just beans and just rice, been there.
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Yeah.
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And what we're saying here is it's kind of like the long-term storage food, which rice and beans are long-term storage.
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Sure.
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But don't jump into that.
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I've seen folks in in some of the groups and forums ask, I'm new at this, what do I need to do?
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And somebody says, Well, buy 50 pounds of beans and 50 pounds of rice.
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That doesn't do you a lot of good if you have a seven-day outage.
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And if there's only one or two people in your household, too.
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You know, think of it that way.
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I mean, if you've got 14 children, you'd probably go through 50 pounds pretty quick.
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You're probably already feeding them a lot of beans and rice.
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You just use some common sense there.
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If it's not something you normally buy, then don't go out and invest in that.
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Now let's talk about fire for a minute.
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This is a category that we need.
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We need to be able to start a fire.
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We need to know how to build a fire.
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We need to know how to cook over an open fire.
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But under fire, I also put auxiliary heat.
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We need to stay warm.
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Okay.
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We need to have a way to stay warm if the power's out in the wintertime.
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For us, we have a backup propane heater and we also have a fireplace.
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So we have that covered.
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But you need to think through that.
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And when you think fire, think warmth as well.
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Next category to talk about would be lighting.
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We're going to talk about your lights out kit.
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When it gets dark at night and you've got no electricity, naturally you're going to want a series of flashlights, maybe more than one, and maybe different sizes too.
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And those headlamp flashlights are very, very useful.
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Keeps your hands free, especially if you're trying to work on something like I've seen Mark use a headlamp when working on the engine under the car, you know, under the hood in the darkness.
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And it keeps his hands free.
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He can see everything.
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But you know what else you can do is you can actually get this at the dollar store.
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You can buy those light sticks, those glow sticks by the package, and your kids can actually have some lighting that's a little bit fun, a little bit inexpensive, but it actually serves a really good purpose.
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It makes a good night light for the kids.
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Sure.
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I think they usually last about eight hours.
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Something like that.
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They're good to have in the bathroom.
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They do put off enough light to use the bathroom.
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Sure.
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Put in the hallway so you can see a little bit down the steps.
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Down the side.
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You think you know your house till the lights go out.
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Right, right.
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Next category is shelter.
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Mm-hmm.
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Now, shelter is usually where we live.
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It's usually our house.
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But it may be a storm shelter during severe weather.
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But let us point this out again.
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You must not stay in mobile homes or campers during tornado warnings.
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People die in mobile homes and campers during tornadoes.
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And sadly it does happen every season.
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Now you also may have to shelter in a get home situation.
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Right.
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Let's say it's going to take us two or three days to get home.
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Okay.
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This is why we need some sort of a get home bag.
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And we've got supplies in our we call it our car bag, but it's a get home bag.
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And it's got things that we would need for getting home.
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And it includes we carry a tarp in the car.
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Yeah.
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And then have smaller tarps in the get home bag.
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For various purposes.
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I think the ones in the bags are six by eight.
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Yeah.
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And I think the ones that is in the one that is in the car is like a ten by twelve, because if we needed a shelter, we need a little bit more than six feet of length because we'll stick out.
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Exactly.
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But you could also have a small tent, a one or two-person backpacking tent.
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These some of these can be very, very lightweight, easy to set up, and that might be something that you would want to consider for shelter as well.
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Now we're going to come back and talk about prepper skills and knowledge in just a minute.
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But first, today's cup of coffee comes from our friend Gloria.
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Gloria has been a longtime supporter of the podcast.
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And she's one of the moderators in our private practical prepping Facebook group.
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And if you're not in the group, we invite you to join the fun over there.
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Lots of information being shared.
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Gloria, we really do appreciate your support.
00:13:57.120 --> 00:14:02.159
Now, friends, you too can go to practical prepping.info slash support.
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And you can show us some love by buying us a few cups of coffee.
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Or you might even try a coffee membership.
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That's only five dollars a month, but it really helps us offset the expenses of our show.
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So we're going to ask you to really consider doing that at practicalprepping.info slash support.
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Now let's get back to the show.
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And let's talk about some skills and knowledge.
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The first one is navigation.
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Okay.
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Now my mother could not navigate out of a paperback.
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So you're talking about something like orienteering and orienteering, reading a map, getting where you need to go, dead reckoning, knowing which way's north, south, east, west without having to get out and look at your phone.
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Yeah.
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When we talk about navigation, we're talking about being able to read that map, maybe having a compass to go with that, and that paper map works when nothing else does.
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Sure.
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And it gives us a good idea.
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We do need, as we mentioned before, the knowledge of fire starting.
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We need that skill.
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Oh, the next thing up for skills and knowledge would be some first aid.
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We're going to touch on that a little bit more detail coming up, but that's an important category.
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Absolutely.
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Also, we talked about it for a moment.
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The filtering and purifying water, that is as much a skill as it is anything else, because there's some easy, practical ways to do that, but you need to learn what those are.
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Also, farming, agriculture, gardening, even if it's on a small basis or a containment basis, just a bit of knowing how to cultivate some plants would be great.
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Also, things like knitting, sewing, canning, baking, cooking, some of those domestic type skills that are going to be very needful when you need to put buttons back on coats and shirts and when you need to be able to put some flour and some liquid and some yeast together and make bread.
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And if we ever get to a point where we're having to make our own clothes again.
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Oh, well, that's true.
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I mean, you're talking about real grid down.
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Yes, you are.
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Okay.
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All right, let's dig into this first aid and medical stuff.
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Okay.
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We might have to be our own first responder.
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You know, we should probably live that way anyway.
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Just not not just from an emergency prepping situation, but just a day in, day out.
00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:18.240
Right.
00:16:18.399 --> 00:16:22.559
But if if you go down, one of my first things is dialing 911.
00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:23.039
Of course.
00:16:23.279 --> 00:16:25.039
I mean, we're we're getting medical help.
00:16:25.519 --> 00:16:34.000
But we could be in a situation, and where I have seen this the most is after a tornado where people were injured and trapped.
00:16:34.159 --> 00:16:34.480
Yeah.
00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:37.840
There was no way help was coming right then.
00:16:38.320 --> 00:16:40.879
And they had to take care of themselves.
00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:45.759
And that's why we may need to give that aid before responders arrive.
00:16:46.159 --> 00:16:48.240
It may happen in our neighborhood.
00:16:48.720 --> 00:16:54.480
And aid may not be able to get in, and we may need to be the one that gives aid to others.
00:16:54.720 --> 00:16:56.480
We need to learn CPR.
00:16:56.799 --> 00:16:57.759
So important.
00:16:58.240 --> 00:17:01.919
I saw a couple of folks doing a CPR class this week.
00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:08.799
And in that CPR class, they also learn the AED and they get to practice that.
00:17:09.119 --> 00:17:11.039
But that is life-saving.
00:17:11.200 --> 00:17:15.599
But learn some first aid skills like stopping bleeding.
00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:17.920
You can take a stop the bleed class.
00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:18.079
Yeah.
00:17:18.319 --> 00:17:19.839
You can find those locally.
00:17:20.079 --> 00:17:22.640
Learn bandaging, wound care.
00:17:22.720 --> 00:17:24.960
And here we're talking long-term wound care.
00:17:25.359 --> 00:17:26.799
Yeah, to try to prevent infections.
00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:27.359
Exactly.
00:17:27.599 --> 00:17:28.079
That sort of thing.
00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:29.039
Exactly.
00:17:29.359 --> 00:17:31.119
And also splinting.
00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:34.720
How do we handle a broken limb?
00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:36.799
And I'm talking arms and legs.
00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:38.240
And that's with splinting.
00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:38.880
Of course.
00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:45.039
And you can build that home first aid kit and build it with OTC meds.
00:17:45.279 --> 00:17:49.759
There's a lot of times that we need those over-the-counter medications.
00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:57.680
Things like aspirin and allergy medicines and modium, peptobismol, all of those kinds of things.
00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:03.200
You can have that home kit, but we also have personal first aid kits.
00:18:03.839 --> 00:18:07.200
We have one in our GHB, our get home bag.
00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:08.160
We have one there.
00:18:08.400 --> 00:18:12.960
I carry a fairly nice one in my EDC kit, my bag.
00:18:13.279 --> 00:18:15.200
And we have kits in our cars.
00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:20.160
So the first aid is something that could be extremely important to us.
00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:28.240
Another category to give strong consideration is your sanitation and human waste situation.
00:18:28.559 --> 00:18:35.119
How are you going to deal with if you've got no running water, if that toilet flushed for the last time?
00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:45.599
Of course, you can take a bucket of water and prime the toilet if you need to, but you may have to come up with an alternative toileting process for you or your family.
00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:52.000
If the power and the utilities are off for days or weeks or months, you've got to be able to do that.
00:18:56.640 --> 00:18:57.359
Well, I mean, that's true.
00:18:57.440 --> 00:19:00.000
I mean, there's, you know, people have always found a way.
00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:00.400
Okay.
00:19:01.119 --> 00:19:02.559
Because we're going to need it.
00:19:02.880 --> 00:19:03.839
You're going to need it.
00:19:03.920 --> 00:19:05.519
You know, it's gonna one way or another.
00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:06.720
You've got to give that some thought.
00:19:07.279 --> 00:19:08.720
Think about a way to deal with that.
00:19:08.960 --> 00:19:09.200
Right.
00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:10.799
Next would be power.
00:19:11.519 --> 00:19:16.480
We need extra batteries for everything battery operated that we have.
00:19:16.960 --> 00:19:22.240
Whatever size that battery is, we need multiple batteries for that particular device.
00:19:22.559 --> 00:19:22.720
Yeah.
00:19:22.960 --> 00:19:26.640
Whether it's flashlights, radios, LED lanterns.
00:19:26.960 --> 00:19:30.240
But we also need the ability to recharge some devices.
00:19:30.559 --> 00:19:30.720
Okay.
00:19:31.039 --> 00:19:33.119
We carry cell phones, tablets.
00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:35.200
Power banks are a good thing for that.
00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:38.079
And they do make a solar power bank, which helps also.
00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:41.119
The solar power bank is slow to recharge.
00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:48.240
So consider carrying a power bank and an extra charging cable for your devices.
00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:50.480
Let's talk about backup power.
00:19:50.880 --> 00:19:54.000
Okay, for your computer, your modems, your routers.
00:19:54.559 --> 00:19:56.000
What do you think is going to work there?
00:19:56.319 --> 00:19:58.799
Well, we use a battery with an inverter.
00:19:59.119 --> 00:19:59.279
Right.
00:19:59.839 --> 00:20:04.480
Which we can do that, which is basically a solar generator without the solar.
00:20:04.880 --> 00:20:13.680
I mean we use a charged battery with an inverter, and we can run the computer or the modems or routers or whatever we needed to.
00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:16.160
But we also have a portable generator.
00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:27.519
Now you can get these portable generators in gasoline, propane, dual fuel, tri-fuel, but you must store fuel for your expected duration.
00:20:27.839 --> 00:20:28.240
True.
00:20:28.559 --> 00:20:35.359
If you're going to expect to be out of power maybe two weeks, then you need at least two weeks' worth of fuel.
00:20:35.839 --> 00:20:45.680
You might be thinking about especially hurricane prone areas because after the hurricane comes through, that seems to take longer to get back onto a normal system.
00:20:46.160 --> 00:20:51.519
That's where you could have four or five weeks without power in some areas after a hurricane.
00:20:51.839 --> 00:20:55.759
So you may have to think about something like those permanent installation generators.
00:20:55.839 --> 00:20:57.920
They call them a whole home generator.
00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:05.680
And what happens is your power goes out, and then seconds later, that generator that's hooked into your whole home system kicks on.
00:21:06.160 --> 00:21:11.359
And now you can power your household with that permanently installed generator.
00:21:11.440 --> 00:21:15.039
They're large and they're capable, and it's quite an investment.
00:21:15.519 --> 00:21:24.160
But for the folks that may live in an area where it's going to take weeks before they would get city utilities, it may be the best investment they can make.
00:21:25.359 --> 00:21:33.920
But it's also great for those folks that don't want to have to deal with a portable generator running extension cords or anything like that.
00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:35.440
And fuel and that sort of thing.
00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:45.680
Now these are installed by professional companies and they will guide you.
00:21:45.759 --> 00:21:48.000
I mean, you have to have them on a concrete slab.
00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:50.880
It's kind of a big thing, you know, to have that done.
00:21:51.039 --> 00:21:55.279
So you can rely on your local professionals for that type of deal.
00:21:55.359 --> 00:21:55.519
Trevor Burrus, Jr.
00:21:55.680 --> 00:21:59.839
They also come in propane, and some folks will get a hundred gallon or two gallons.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.960
250 gallon or even larger propane tank.
00:22:03.279 --> 00:22:05.759
Sure, depending on what they're trying to run for sure.
00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:10.319
Also, another alternative which is very popular is solar power panels.
00:22:10.400 --> 00:22:21.039
A lot of people will have them installed on the roofs or out in the fields near their home, and that's really a long-term solution and can be, in some cases, a little bit profitable.
00:22:21.279 --> 00:22:36.559
It's expensive to set up, but there are some areas of the country where the local electrical company will actually purchase power back from you because you're producing and storing so much you have a surplus and you actually can make a little money back on that.
00:22:36.880 --> 00:22:39.920
Next up on our list is safety and security.
00:22:40.160 --> 00:22:40.480
Okay.
00:22:40.640 --> 00:22:48.799
And this is personal and home defense, and it ranges from situational awareness to weapons and tactics.
00:22:49.039 --> 00:22:55.359
When we talk about situational awareness, we're talking about getting our heads out of our telephone when we're out in public.
00:22:55.680 --> 00:23:00.640
Yeah, people really need to stop with the walking and the scrolling on the phone at the same time.
00:23:00.880 --> 00:23:07.359
They're falling off the curb, they're crashing into a fountain, and they're being mugged because they're not paying attention.
00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:09.119
We need that head on a swivel.
00:23:09.359 --> 00:23:09.680
Yeah.
00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:14.480
Especially at places like a gas pump or going to and from stores.
00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:16.160
Or in and out of buildings or parking.
00:23:16.720 --> 00:23:17.119
Exactly.
00:23:17.279 --> 00:23:23.599
Or while loading things into the car, whether it's the groceries or the child into a car seat.
00:23:23.759 --> 00:23:24.240
Right.
00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:39.920
I taught one of our grandsons, he was probably eleven at the time, and I taught him how to be aware and what to be looking for as his mama was putting his little brother and the groceries in the car.
00:23:40.079 --> 00:23:44.240
No, because I wanted somebody who was actually watching.
00:23:44.480 --> 00:23:47.599
Because it's hard to put a kid in a car and keep it.
00:23:47.759 --> 00:23:49.039
And also keep your head on a swivel.
00:23:49.519 --> 00:23:50.400
Keep your head on a swivel.
00:23:51.119 --> 00:23:56.240
I understand it really can be, but we need to make great effort that way.
00:23:57.119 --> 00:23:59.759
And then we need to prepare our property.
00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:02.000
We need to discourage burglars.
00:24:02.480 --> 00:24:13.839
Well, you know, one of the ways a lot of people do that is that ring video camera doorbell, and they can also position cameras all around their property, and you can access that view from your phone.
00:24:14.240 --> 00:24:14.880
You can.
00:24:15.359 --> 00:24:20.720
You can put in alarms, you can put rose bushes under ground level windows.
00:24:20.960 --> 00:24:23.519
Or hollybushes, something horny and sticky.
00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:29.119
Plant blackberries, you know, discourage them from coming through that.
00:24:29.680 --> 00:24:31.519
Just something simple like that can actually work.
00:24:31.920 --> 00:24:33.039
Lighting at night.
00:24:33.440 --> 00:24:36.319
Lighting pointing both toward and away from the house.
00:24:36.559 --> 00:24:36.799
Right.
00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:37.359
Right.
00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:39.039
Deadbolt locks.
00:24:39.200 --> 00:24:39.440
Yeah.
00:24:39.680 --> 00:24:42.079
Three-inch screws in the door frames.
00:24:43.440 --> 00:24:50.720
Take the little bitty half-inch screws out and put your three-inch deck screw in there till you get back to some really good wood.
00:24:51.039 --> 00:24:54.640
And that makes that that door really hard to kick in.
00:24:54.960 --> 00:25:04.079
And let's be honest, you know this from a law enforcement standpoint, but someone that's trying to break in, they're not going to stand there 18 minutes trying to break in.
00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:05.039
They're just not.
00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:07.599
They want to get in, they want to get out.
00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:11.519
So if they can't knock your door in, they're going to go away.
00:25:11.680 --> 00:25:12.640
I mean, they just will.
00:25:12.880 --> 00:25:14.960
Yeah, that's why we want to discourage them.
00:25:15.279 --> 00:25:15.680
Exactly.
00:25:15.920 --> 00:25:17.839
Well, let's talk about some fun stuff.
00:25:18.079 --> 00:25:19.680
Weapons, ammo, and tactics.
00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:21.359
I was wondering when we were going to get around the beer.
00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:22.880
Okay.
00:25:23.200 --> 00:25:26.160
Now we do advocate a few firearms.
00:25:26.799 --> 00:25:28.880
We advocate having a few firearms.
00:25:29.119 --> 00:25:34.880
One, a handgun that you can carry if you are so inclined and can legally do so.
00:25:35.119 --> 00:25:38.000
A handgun that you can carry on a daily basis.
00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:40.720
We think you need a twenty-two rifle.
00:25:40.799 --> 00:25:45.359
This would be great for putting meals on the table with small game.
00:25:45.519 --> 00:25:45.839
Okay.
00:25:46.079 --> 00:25:47.039
A shotgun.
00:25:47.200 --> 00:25:49.359
You can so many things you can do with a shotgun.
00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:50.480
I'm thinking home defense.
00:25:51.359 --> 00:25:59.359
Home defense, you can hunt deer with it, you can hunt fowl with it, you can hunt birds, squirrels, rabbits, things like that.
00:25:59.599 --> 00:26:03.839
Then a sporting rifle with an AR or a similar platform.
00:26:04.160 --> 00:26:09.599
There's a lot of good ones out there, but this is a good rifle to have for defense.
00:26:09.839 --> 00:26:16.559
Now we advocate being armed when we're out, but we want you to follow the laws of your state or your country.
00:26:16.720 --> 00:26:20.960
And we do realize that not everybody has this right.
00:26:21.359 --> 00:26:25.680
And we realize that not everyone is going to agree with us on this.
00:26:26.079 --> 00:26:27.119
And that's perfectly fine.
00:26:27.440 --> 00:26:28.000
That's okay.
00:26:28.160 --> 00:26:28.319
Okay.
00:26:28.720 --> 00:26:34.720
There are some things that you can do if you cannot have a weapon, a firearm, a firearm.
00:26:35.279 --> 00:26:42.799
We had an episode number 280, and this was some time back, almost 300 episodes back.
00:26:43.279 --> 00:26:46.880
But it's called Protecting Your Family Without Firearms.
00:26:47.119 --> 00:26:53.279
We'll put the link to that in the show notes, but it's practicalprepping.info forward slash 280.
00:26:53.839 --> 00:27:05.519
Now you've got to keep those weapons secure first and foremost from any small children or those that cannot be responsible, and also from any kind of theft.
00:27:05.759 --> 00:27:17.119
So you definitely need to have some sort of way to lock and secure your firearms and your ammunition from hands that does do not need to have their hands on there.
00:27:17.359 --> 00:27:17.920
Exactly.
00:27:18.160 --> 00:27:19.440
And get some training.
00:27:19.680 --> 00:27:20.240
Absolutely.
00:27:20.480 --> 00:27:23.359
A CCW class is not training.
00:27:23.599 --> 00:27:24.480
It's a good start.
00:27:25.359 --> 00:27:25.920
That's not training.
00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:26.880
But it's not training.
00:27:27.039 --> 00:27:27.279
Right.
00:27:27.519 --> 00:27:29.039
Practice is not training.
00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:33.920
Just going to the range and just shooting at a target, that's not training.
00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:36.640
Invest in a good training class.
00:27:36.799 --> 00:27:45.920
You'll learn a lot about what to do, when to do, how to do, maneuvers that you can make, reloading under pressure, things like that.
00:27:46.079 --> 00:27:54.880
So invest in some quality training and invest in a quality holster and a belt designed to carry a gun.
00:27:55.119 --> 00:27:58.079
There is such a thing called a gun belt for a reason.
00:27:58.480 --> 00:28:01.359
And I'm wearing one right now with blue jeans.
00:28:01.599 --> 00:28:01.920
Oh yeah.
00:28:02.319 --> 00:28:03.039
I mean it's a belt.
00:28:04.720 --> 00:28:13.599
It's a black belt, but it's designed in a way to be able to carry the weight of a handgun without wearing you out.
00:28:14.319 --> 00:28:16.880
These cheap belts, they just don't do it.
00:28:17.119 --> 00:28:17.519
That's right.
00:28:17.680 --> 00:28:18.559
They really don't do it.
00:28:18.720 --> 00:28:21.839
If you've never bought a good gun belt, go buy you one.
00:28:21.920 --> 00:28:24.319
It'll change your life when it comes to carrying a weapon.
00:28:25.119 --> 00:28:31.119
But a quality holster will secure your weapon and it makes it more comfortable to carry.
00:28:31.359 --> 00:28:33.599
And a good one lasts a lifetime.
00:28:33.839 --> 00:28:34.799
Yeah, and it should.
00:28:35.039 --> 00:28:35.680
It should.
00:28:36.160 --> 00:28:43.039
We wear and we recommend 1791gunleather.com line of holsters and belts.
00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:45.200
And that's what I'm wearing right now.
00:28:45.599 --> 00:28:55.440
1791gunleather.com, and the link is in the episode notes, along with a discount code for you to use as well.
00:28:55.759 --> 00:28:59.200
Next category up, we're going to talk about some gear.
00:28:59.440 --> 00:29:01.039
We're going to talk about cordage.
00:29:01.279 --> 00:29:04.960
We've said something about paracord, I think comes to mind.
00:29:05.279 --> 00:29:12.799
Paracord is one of those very versatile things to have, and different widths and different lengths of cordage is very practical.
00:29:13.039 --> 00:29:14.319
Also, duct tape.
00:29:14.640 --> 00:29:17.039
What can you not do with duct tape?
00:29:17.359 --> 00:29:21.119
I mean, it is probably the most practical of prepper gear that I can think of.
00:29:21.359 --> 00:29:21.519
Yep.
00:29:21.680 --> 00:29:23.359
Duct tape WD40.
00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:31.920
You want to look at some knives, maybe a fixed blade in your get home bag and have a folding knife on your body.
00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:36.079
And a lot of times also carry a little gentleman's pocket knife.
00:29:36.319 --> 00:29:36.480
Okay.
00:29:37.200 --> 00:29:38.240
That can be pretty handy.
00:29:38.640 --> 00:29:38.960
It can be.
00:29:39.200 --> 00:29:39.279
Sure.
00:29:39.519 --> 00:29:41.680
Yeah, I might want to peel an apple or something.
00:29:42.079 --> 00:29:43.599
Also a firestarter kit.
00:29:44.079 --> 00:29:49.599
And what that should consist of would be lighters and matches, maybe just a small amount of tinder.
00:29:49.839 --> 00:29:52.960
You can even make a fire starter kit out of an altoid can.
00:29:53.039 --> 00:29:55.200
You can actually put all those things in that.
00:29:55.519 --> 00:30:03.440
Just because those types of things can be really helpful when you're trying to keep warm if you're out there and and you want to build a responsible fire.
00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:07.359
Or you just need a way to light a candle, you know, or light a stove.
00:30:07.440 --> 00:30:14.559
If we had a situation years ago where our power went out, so our electrical ignition on the gas stove wasn't working.
00:30:14.640 --> 00:30:17.759
So we turned the gas on and just lit it with a match.
00:30:18.000 --> 00:30:18.559
Worked fine.
00:30:18.720 --> 00:30:22.559
So we were actually able to cook with no electricity because we had gas.
00:30:22.880 --> 00:30:23.440
Exactly.
00:30:23.680 --> 00:30:25.200
A compass and a map.
00:30:25.519 --> 00:30:26.880
We mentioned this earlier.
00:30:27.039 --> 00:30:35.279
It's a good idea to have those paper maps if we were to have to try to get home from an area that's any distance from here.
00:30:35.680 --> 00:30:36.559
You're talking about on foot.
00:30:36.880 --> 00:30:37.200
On foot.
00:30:37.359 --> 00:30:37.599
Oh, yeah.
00:30:38.079 --> 00:30:41.759
We might need to check out those maps and compass.
00:30:41.920 --> 00:30:42.319
Mm-hmm.
00:30:42.559 --> 00:30:47.759
It could also be that we could wind up with some type of detour that we were not expecting.
00:30:48.079 --> 00:30:48.240
True.
00:30:48.559 --> 00:30:51.279
And maybe it's not showing on GPS or something.
00:30:51.440 --> 00:30:53.039
It's just good to have those maps.
00:30:53.359 --> 00:30:56.559
You know, I think about people recently that have been impacted by flood.
00:30:57.200 --> 00:31:01.279
You know, they may have not had a flood for 50 plus years.
00:31:01.519 --> 00:31:11.920
They may not be aware of what their alternative routes could be because now they need to know what places they can go around to avoid these floodplains.
00:31:12.319 --> 00:31:25.279
And I'll tell you something else, and this came from going into a number of post-hurricane areas where the hurricane had come in, and there are no street signs.
00:31:25.599 --> 00:31:30.960
They've been knocked down, washed out, and trying to find where you're going.
00:31:31.119 --> 00:31:35.759
That's where I really learned to use GPS to find my way to particular places.
00:31:36.240 --> 00:31:38.240
That was the first place that I ever used.
00:31:38.319 --> 00:31:40.400
It was in hurricane recovery.
00:31:40.720 --> 00:31:50.240
If your town has been totally demolished and there are no street signs, all the landmarks are different, you might need to consider that.
00:31:50.559 --> 00:31:50.960
For sure.
00:31:51.200 --> 00:31:53.599
Next thing that we'll talk about is some apparel.
00:31:53.759 --> 00:31:58.480
This is some gear that we need to have, seasonal clothing and footwear.
00:31:58.640 --> 00:31:58.960
Right.
00:31:59.200 --> 00:32:00.480
And some extra socks.
00:32:00.720 --> 00:32:05.200
Have some extra socks in that GHB in that get home bag.
00:32:05.519 --> 00:32:08.160
Next category would be communications.
00:32:08.319 --> 00:32:10.160
What's your communication plan?
00:32:10.319 --> 00:32:11.359
Do you have one?
00:32:11.599 --> 00:32:12.880
Don't you need one?
00:32:13.200 --> 00:32:16.880
Think about the ways that you need to receive information.
00:32:17.039 --> 00:32:21.680
And the first one that comes to mind, you know, we've been talking about weather disasters all throughout this show.
00:32:21.839 --> 00:32:25.759
You need a NOAA NOAA weather radio.
00:32:25.920 --> 00:32:28.960
This is a radio that can work whether there's power on or not.
00:32:29.200 --> 00:32:35.680
It can alert you loudly in the dark of night when you're asleep if dangerous weather is coming and you're unaware of it.
00:32:35.839 --> 00:32:38.319
That weather radio will wake you up.
00:32:38.640 --> 00:32:39.200
We know.
00:32:39.359 --> 00:32:49.599
And it can also transmit information from different counties in America and your state so that you can have some awareness of what's out there and what's been spotted.
00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:51.440
You can get your local info.
00:32:51.680 --> 00:32:52.240
Yeah, exactly.
00:32:52.480 --> 00:32:58.880
And if nothing else, if it wakes you up in the middle of the night, what it does at our house is it wakes us up.
00:32:59.119 --> 00:33:00.880
Krista makes sure I'm getting up.
00:33:01.039 --> 00:33:02.240
She goes back to sleep.
00:33:02.640 --> 00:33:09.119
I come in here, bring up the weather radar and whatever I need to do, and if it is serious, I will get her up.
00:33:09.359 --> 00:33:09.759
Oh, sure.
00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:17.920
A lot of times if it's going across the other end of the county, we'll get the warning, but it's actually not going to affect us.
00:33:18.079 --> 00:33:22.880
You might wake up and turn on the local TV and see what the weather is doing.
00:33:23.599 --> 00:33:27.519
But in addition to receiving info, what about getting info out?
00:33:27.920 --> 00:33:28.319
True.
00:33:28.559 --> 00:33:29.519
What's the plan?
00:33:29.759 --> 00:33:31.680
Part of it depends on how far.
00:33:31.920 --> 00:33:32.240
Right.
00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:42.000
But one of the best things, and just keep this in mind, if you did not already know this, text message is better than voice when when it's in that kind of a situation.
00:33:42.400 --> 00:33:43.680
It's a bandwidth situation.
00:33:44.079 --> 00:33:51.279
It uses less bandwidth, and when you send that text message, it will continue trying until it gets through.
00:33:51.599 --> 00:33:51.839
Right.
00:33:52.240 --> 00:33:58.400
Where a voice call, you just get a uh busy circuit signal and or you can't get a signal.
00:33:58.799 --> 00:34:02.079
Or particularly after a disaster, every line's gonna get jammed.
00:34:02.480 --> 00:34:02.799
Exactly.
00:34:02.880 --> 00:34:07.200
So you text and that will get through a lot easier.
00:34:07.440 --> 00:34:09.840
Now some people will use social check-ins.
00:34:10.320 --> 00:34:12.320
Yeah, like on Facebook, marked safe.
00:34:12.800 --> 00:34:21.760
You know, sometimes people can see a Facebook message, and that can impact a lot of your family and friends that are looking out for you or you're looking out for them.
00:34:22.159 --> 00:34:30.079
And we have friends in hurricane areas that would never think to pick up and call us on the telephone and say we're okay.
00:34:30.239 --> 00:34:30.639
Yeah.
00:34:30.960 --> 00:34:33.519
But they're friends from way back under.
00:34:33.840 --> 00:34:37.599
We've kind of kept up with each other and the raising of each other's kids.
00:34:37.920 --> 00:34:42.639
But we will see that, you know, we're safe where the hurricane has come through.
00:34:42.960 --> 00:34:47.119
And so we're not concerned about them at that point.
00:34:47.360 --> 00:34:50.639
Now there's some other things, and I put this in the category of other.
00:34:50.960 --> 00:34:51.039
Okay.
00:34:51.360 --> 00:34:51.599
Okay.
00:34:51.760 --> 00:34:52.000
All right.
00:34:52.320 --> 00:34:54.159
But this is seeds and planting.
00:34:54.320 --> 00:34:54.719
Oh, okay.
00:34:54.960 --> 00:34:59.920
Having some seeds to plant and knowing how to plant those, knowing how to garden.
00:35:00.639 --> 00:35:06.079
Animal husbandry, raising chickens, raising goats, raising rabbits.
00:35:06.400 --> 00:35:06.559
Sure.
00:35:06.800 --> 00:35:08.960
Those are handy skills to have.
00:35:09.199 --> 00:35:10.559
Hunting and fishing.
00:35:10.719 --> 00:35:12.880
These are always good skills to have.
00:35:13.119 --> 00:35:19.519
You can fill up your freezer and cut down on your meatbill with deer, elk, all kinds of things like that.
00:35:19.760 --> 00:35:22.639
And another thing is outer wear and boots.
00:35:22.800 --> 00:35:30.480
We're talking about rain gear, we're talking about overwear, we're talking about uh protective gear footwear, yeah.
00:35:30.639 --> 00:35:30.880
Yeah.
00:35:31.119 --> 00:35:33.840
And waterproof boots and things like that.
00:35:34.159 --> 00:35:36.400
Now, do you learn from our podcast?
00:35:36.559 --> 00:35:38.960
Are you getting some new ideas for your prepping?
00:35:39.119 --> 00:35:44.480
Are you now seeing maybe some weaker spots in your prepping plan overall?
00:35:44.719 --> 00:35:48.079
In other words, are you receiving value from our show?
00:35:48.400 --> 00:35:50.880
Would you help us out by giving back just a little?
00:35:51.039 --> 00:35:58.559
Go to practical prepping.info slash support, and you'll find several ways that you can help us out here at the show.
00:35:59.119 --> 00:36:02.079
We do appreciate you being here with us today.
00:36:02.320 --> 00:36:05.679
And as Krista always says, Stuff happens.
00:36:06.000 --> 00:36:06.960
Stay prepared.
00:36:07.199 --> 00:36:08.960
And we'll see you next time.
00:00:01.040 --> 00:00:04.240
A lot of people come into prepping through one doorway.
00:00:04.639 --> 00:00:12.320
Maybe it's food storage, maybe it's firearms, maybe it's a generator, a bug out bag, or concern over the economy.
00:00:12.480 --> 00:00:13.199
That's normal.
00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:19.359
But if we stay focused only on that one area, we develop some dangerous blind spots.
00:00:19.600 --> 00:00:24.960
A pantry full of food does not help much if you cannot purify water.
00:00:25.199 --> 00:00:31.920
A safe full of firearms does not solve medical problems, sanitation problems, or financial problems.
00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:44.079
Today we're talking about categories of prepping and how to build a more balanced plan so you can see where you're strong, where you're weak, and what you need to work on next.
00:00:53.679 --> 00:00:55.520
Welcome to Practical Prepping.
00:00:55.600 --> 00:01:00.479
Today is August 17th, 2026, and this is episode 566.
00:01:00.880 --> 00:01:08.879
This is the Prepping Podcast with no bunkers, no zombies, and no alien invasions.
00:01:10.319 --> 00:01:18.319
Just practical prepping, where we teach everyday people how to prepare for life's emergencies, disasters, and crises.
00:01:18.400 --> 00:01:20.159
And we're here to help you get prepared.
00:01:20.319 --> 00:01:21.200
I'm Krista.
00:01:21.599 --> 00:01:22.560
And I'm Mark.
00:01:22.799 --> 00:01:29.920
If you'd like the expanded notes for this episode, go to practicalprepping.info forward slash five six six.
00:01:30.159 --> 00:01:38.319
Now we're not going into great detail in all of these categories, but for balanced prepping, we need to address each category.
00:01:38.560 --> 00:01:48.079
In a grid-down SHTF situation, if you have a hundred guns and a million rounds of ammo, but no food and water, you'll likely die.
00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:55.840
Now didn't you tell me that 20 plus, 30 plus years ago, in your mind, you thought that prepping meant firearms and ammo?
00:01:56.239 --> 00:02:00.079
Firearms and ammo and being able to get my four-wheel drive out of the woods.
00:02:00.319 --> 00:02:00.560
Right.
00:02:01.200 --> 00:02:02.480
That's really where I started.
00:02:03.280 --> 00:02:09.599
But on the other hand, if you have five years of food and water but no first aid or security, you'll likely die.
00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:13.199
So yeah, see where you're going with this out of balance type of thing.
00:02:13.360 --> 00:02:18.159
You can become a little bit too hyper-focused on one particular area.
00:02:18.319 --> 00:02:21.039
So it it's important to broaden your thinking on this.
00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:23.120
And you've got to start kind of broad.
00:02:23.199 --> 00:02:31.680
You've got to think about what would be needed in every event and then narrow down to the more specific and plausible threats that you're facing.
00:02:31.919 --> 00:02:34.479
Now, here's something that's not negotiable.
00:02:34.800 --> 00:02:39.120
Water and food is necessary in any and all emergency events.
00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:42.879
You've got to be able to sustain your health and your nutrition.
00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:43.759
Yes, you do.
00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:55.199
Now, focusing on a big old Faraday cage, that's interesting, but it's only useful in the case of an EMP or a CME, but it's a much lower probability of occurrence.
00:02:55.280 --> 00:02:57.199
So we're not saying it's not important.
00:02:57.360 --> 00:03:00.639
We're just saying that it's not as urgent as some of these other categories.
00:03:01.120 --> 00:03:01.520
Exactly.
00:03:01.759 --> 00:03:05.439
When we talk about the urgent, let's start with financial planning.
00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:08.240
We need to get our finances in order.
00:03:08.479 --> 00:03:10.080
Let's talk about debt.
00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:13.280
Do not use debt to finance prepping.
00:03:13.599 --> 00:03:20.159
Yeah, we don't want people to literally go into debt with their credit cards or loans to try to become Uber prepper.
00:03:20.560 --> 00:03:21.039
Exactly.
00:03:21.280 --> 00:03:23.039
You want to reduce your debt.
00:03:23.199 --> 00:03:25.280
And your aim is to be debt-free.
00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:28.560
And you need to build an emergency fund.
00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:30.400
Start with what you can.
00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:30.960
Exactly.
00:03:31.199 --> 00:03:31.439
Okay?
00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:37.280
If it's a few bucks a week, if it's a few bucks a month, but put some things beside.
00:03:37.919 --> 00:03:42.560
Maybe aim for a$500 or a thousand dollar cash emergency fund.
00:03:42.719 --> 00:03:42.960
Yeah.
00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:45.039
We had to tap into ours recently.
00:03:45.280 --> 00:03:45.680
We sure did.
00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:56.639
We we had an unexpected expense and we elected not to go into debt, but we tapped into that emergency fund and handled the situation.
00:03:57.280 --> 00:04:00.800
But you can aim for three to six months of expenses.
00:04:01.199 --> 00:04:07.840
And just understand it may take a year or two or three to build up wherever you're starting, and that's fine.
00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:09.039
It really is fine.
00:04:09.199 --> 00:04:18.160
As long as you start and just maintain it and become real faithful to that, it's going to add up pretty quickly, and you're going to thank yourself down the road for doing that.
00:04:18.639 --> 00:04:19.439
Yes, you will.
00:04:19.600 --> 00:04:21.839
But aim at getting out of debt.
00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:24.240
Reduce that debt as much as you can.
00:04:24.480 --> 00:04:30.000
If you would like some financial advice, let me recommend a podcast.
00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:32.800
Go to askRalph.com.
00:04:33.040 --> 00:04:34.800
Ralph E Step Jr.
00:04:35.040 --> 00:04:36.240
is an accountant.
00:04:36.399 --> 00:04:37.759
He's a podcaster.
00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:41.839
He's got 30 years of experience in the accounting business.
00:04:42.160 --> 00:04:45.199
And he has several financial podcasts.
00:04:45.519 --> 00:04:54.319
And what you get with Ralph's podcast is very practical, non-judgmental, solid financial advice.
00:04:54.560 --> 00:05:00.879
Now we will put that link in the show notes as well, but it's askraph.com.
00:05:01.199 --> 00:05:02.800
The next step is water.
00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:10.240
You know, that's going to be my number one thing to tell people to have water, store it or know how to purify it if it's wild sourced.
00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:16.240
Now, the records would say a storage would be a minimum of one gallon per day per person.
00:05:16.639 --> 00:05:26.079
And we know from our own experience that that may be okay for a just a simple drinking and consumption that way, but you're going to need more water per day per person.
00:05:26.560 --> 00:05:29.519
We go through about a gallon and a half per person per day.
00:05:29.839 --> 00:05:33.600
Yeah, because you're talking about cooking some dried food and also hygiene, you know.
00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:34.800
So maybe it's some could be.
00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:37.600
Well, when you add in hygiene, we go through more than three gallons.
00:05:39.120 --> 00:05:43.279
But that one minimum one gallon per person per day.
00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:48.639
That's really when you're focusing on three days, seven days, a shorter term.
00:05:48.879 --> 00:05:50.000
A shorter term.
00:05:50.240 --> 00:05:56.240
But once you get those days in place with your water, just keep adding.
00:05:56.720 --> 00:05:58.480
I don't know how many days we have.
00:05:58.639 --> 00:06:00.480
We we can last for a while.
00:06:01.040 --> 00:06:02.480
And we have several ways to purify it.
00:06:03.040 --> 00:06:04.639
We have several ways to purify it.
00:06:04.720 --> 00:06:06.639
We have some places to source it.
00:06:06.879 --> 00:06:12.399
But talking about sourcing it, you can use lakes, ponds, rivers, creeks.
00:06:12.720 --> 00:06:18.399
Anywhere there's running water, you can get that water out and then learn to purify that water.
00:06:18.639 --> 00:06:21.120
You can purify it with filtration.
00:06:21.360 --> 00:06:24.160
We have a countertop filter that we use.
00:06:24.800 --> 00:06:28.160
If we source it, now we're also going to boil it.
00:06:28.399 --> 00:06:28.879
Oh, sure.
00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:30.959
We're going to use two methods.
00:06:31.199 --> 00:06:36.240
But filtration is one, boiling is another, and chemical treatment is another.
00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:42.959
And I've seen this question come up recently in a couple of the forums talking about salt water.
00:06:43.279 --> 00:06:46.480
How can you make salt water drinkable?
00:06:46.959 --> 00:06:54.800
The only off-grid method, the only way that we could use it as a prepper is through solar distillation.
00:06:54.959 --> 00:07:01.439
That's the only way, because you've got to evaporate the water, leave the salt behind, and then collect the water.
00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:09.120
Now there are some mechanical means for desalinization, but from a prepping standpoint, it's not a bad idea.
00:07:09.199 --> 00:07:15.839
If you live down there on the coast, it's not a bad idea to at least have an idea of how to do solar.
00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:19.439
And there's some YouTube videos that can be viewed for that.
00:07:19.759 --> 00:07:22.480
Next up category would be food storage.
00:07:22.879 --> 00:07:25.519
Now here's what we're going to tell you not to do first.
00:07:25.839 --> 00:07:30.959
Don't start by investing in a whole bunch of 25-year emergency food buckets.
00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:32.399
We're not against them.
00:07:32.560 --> 00:07:34.800
We just don't think that's where you need to start.
00:07:35.519 --> 00:07:41.920
They have their place, but you're going to want to start storing your food the normal way you buy it that you have for your regular pantry.
00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:43.040
Store what you eat.
00:07:43.279 --> 00:07:48.079
Yeah, store what you eat in the amount that you eat, in the size of the cans and bags that you eat.
00:07:48.319 --> 00:07:51.360
Those 25-year food buckets, they're very expensive.
00:07:51.439 --> 00:07:54.399
And when you crack one open, it's like a meal for four.
00:07:54.639 --> 00:07:57.759
And it's just a little bit more expensive way to go about it.
00:07:57.920 --> 00:08:04.959
So for those shorter term events, a week or less, those foods you normally purchase that you have set aside will work best.
00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:10.879
And we're talking about when you've been through some weather disasters or if there's been some supply chain issues.
00:08:11.040 --> 00:08:20.480
We've often said when you're going to the grocery or having it delivered, just add another can or two or box or two of what you normally buy and put that extra aside.
00:08:20.560 --> 00:08:24.959
And before you know it, you've got a couple of weeks' worth of extra food that you can feed the whole family.
00:08:25.279 --> 00:08:30.720
Yeah, no, the the emergency foods, they are good for long-term storage, very long-term storage.
00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:31.600
And we have some.
00:08:31.839 --> 00:08:32.320
And we do.
00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:45.440
But it really comes into play once you have, say, a year's worth of food of shelf stable food in place, and you're finding it a little bit harder to rotate.
00:08:45.679 --> 00:08:48.399
I mean, it'd be hard to rotate three years' worth of food.
00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:49.200
Sure would.
00:08:49.519 --> 00:08:55.279
If you've got a year's worth of food, by all means, start investing in long-term storage food.
00:08:55.519 --> 00:08:58.399
They're either dehydrated or they're freeze-dried.
00:08:58.480 --> 00:09:02.320
So remember, you're going to need extra water for meal prep.
00:09:02.559 --> 00:09:02.879
Right.
00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:11.759
So some shelf stable foods would be canned vegetables, canned meats, canned soups, also dried pastas, bags of rice, bags of beans.
00:09:12.159 --> 00:09:17.840
Now we're going to caution you against purchasing the big 50-pound bags of beans and rice.
00:09:18.080 --> 00:09:28.720
Yes, they're an excellent value from a dollar standpoint, but that would require overall a tremendous amount of water to make, and there's a lot of food fatigue.
00:09:28.960 --> 00:09:33.200
You know, once you've had about your third day of just beans and just rice, been there.
00:09:33.519 --> 00:09:33.759
Yeah.
00:09:35.120 --> 00:09:43.840
And what we're saying here is it's kind of like the long-term storage food, which rice and beans are long-term storage.
00:09:44.080 --> 00:09:44.480
Sure.
00:09:44.799 --> 00:09:46.960
But don't jump into that.
00:09:47.039 --> 00:09:52.720
I've seen folks in in some of the groups and forums ask, I'm new at this, what do I need to do?
00:09:53.120 --> 00:09:57.039
And somebody says, Well, buy 50 pounds of beans and 50 pounds of rice.
00:09:57.600 --> 00:10:01.840
That doesn't do you a lot of good if you have a seven-day outage.
00:10:02.240 --> 00:10:04.879
And if there's only one or two people in your household, too.
00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:06.159
You know, think of it that way.
00:10:06.399 --> 00:10:10.559
I mean, if you've got 14 children, you'd probably go through 50 pounds pretty quick.
00:10:10.960 --> 00:10:13.679
You're probably already feeding them a lot of beans and rice.
00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:15.360
You just use some common sense there.
00:10:15.519 --> 00:10:18.559
If it's not something you normally buy, then don't go out and invest in that.
00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:20.879
Now let's talk about fire for a minute.
00:10:21.039 --> 00:10:22.960
This is a category that we need.
00:10:23.279 --> 00:10:25.200
We need to be able to start a fire.
00:10:25.440 --> 00:10:27.440
We need to know how to build a fire.
00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:30.639
We need to know how to cook over an open fire.
00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:35.600
But under fire, I also put auxiliary heat.
00:10:35.840 --> 00:10:37.200
We need to stay warm.
00:10:37.360 --> 00:10:37.600
Okay.
00:10:37.840 --> 00:10:43.279
We need to have a way to stay warm if the power's out in the wintertime.
00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:48.799
For us, we have a backup propane heater and we also have a fireplace.
00:10:49.039 --> 00:10:50.639
So we have that covered.
00:10:50.799 --> 00:10:52.320
But you need to think through that.
00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:55.039
And when you think fire, think warmth as well.
00:10:55.360 --> 00:10:57.759
Next category to talk about would be lighting.
00:10:57.840 --> 00:10:59.759
We're going to talk about your lights out kit.
00:10:59.919 --> 00:11:09.120
When it gets dark at night and you've got no electricity, naturally you're going to want a series of flashlights, maybe more than one, and maybe different sizes too.
00:11:09.360 --> 00:11:13.279
And those headlamp flashlights are very, very useful.
00:11:13.519 --> 00:11:23.360
Keeps your hands free, especially if you're trying to work on something like I've seen Mark use a headlamp when working on the engine under the car, you know, under the hood in the darkness.
00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:24.879
And it keeps his hands free.
00:11:24.960 --> 00:11:25.759
He can see everything.
00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:29.519
But you know what else you can do is you can actually get this at the dollar store.
00:11:29.679 --> 00:11:40.480
You can buy those light sticks, those glow sticks by the package, and your kids can actually have some lighting that's a little bit fun, a little bit inexpensive, but it actually serves a really good purpose.
00:11:40.799 --> 00:11:42.639
It makes a good night light for the kids.
00:11:43.039 --> 00:11:43.200
Sure.
00:11:43.440 --> 00:11:44.799
I think they usually last about eight hours.
00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:46.000
Something like that.
00:11:46.240 --> 00:11:47.840
They're good to have in the bathroom.
00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:51.120
They do put off enough light to use the bathroom.
00:11:51.360 --> 00:11:51.519
Sure.
00:11:51.759 --> 00:11:55.039
Put in the hallway so you can see a little bit down the steps.
00:11:55.120 --> 00:11:55.440
Down the side.
00:11:57.440 --> 00:11:59.759
You think you know your house till the lights go out.
00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:00.799
Right, right.
00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:02.960
Next category is shelter.
00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:03.600
Mm-hmm.
00:12:03.919 --> 00:12:06.799
Now, shelter is usually where we live.
00:12:07.200 --> 00:12:08.799
It's usually our house.
00:12:08.960 --> 00:12:11.919
But it may be a storm shelter during severe weather.
00:12:12.159 --> 00:12:14.399
But let us point this out again.
00:12:14.720 --> 00:12:20.639
You must not stay in mobile homes or campers during tornado warnings.
00:12:20.799 --> 00:12:25.440
People die in mobile homes and campers during tornadoes.
00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:28.399
And sadly it does happen every season.
00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:32.159
Now you also may have to shelter in a get home situation.
00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:32.720
Right.
00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:35.600
Let's say it's going to take us two or three days to get home.
00:12:35.919 --> 00:12:36.159
Okay.
00:12:36.399 --> 00:12:39.360
This is why we need some sort of a get home bag.
00:12:39.759 --> 00:12:45.120
And we've got supplies in our we call it our car bag, but it's a get home bag.
00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:49.200
And it's got things that we would need for getting home.
00:12:49.440 --> 00:12:53.279
And it includes we carry a tarp in the car.
00:12:53.440 --> 00:12:53.759
Yeah.
00:12:54.000 --> 00:12:57.360
And then have smaller tarps in the get home bag.
00:12:57.600 --> 00:12:58.480
For various purposes.
00:12:58.879 --> 00:13:03.200
I think the ones in the bags are six by eight.
00:13:03.360 --> 00:13:03.600
Yeah.
00:13:03.840 --> 00:13:15.120
And I think the ones that is in the one that is in the car is like a ten by twelve, because if we needed a shelter, we need a little bit more than six feet of length because we'll stick out.
00:13:15.440 --> 00:13:16.080
Exactly.
00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:21.759
But you could also have a small tent, a one or two-person backpacking tent.
00:13:22.159 --> 00:13:30.399
These some of these can be very, very lightweight, easy to set up, and that might be something that you would want to consider for shelter as well.
00:13:30.639 --> 00:13:34.879
Now we're going to come back and talk about prepper skills and knowledge in just a minute.
00:13:35.200 --> 00:13:39.679
But first, today's cup of coffee comes from our friend Gloria.
00:13:40.080 --> 00:13:43.200
Gloria has been a longtime supporter of the podcast.
00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:47.360
And she's one of the moderators in our private practical prepping Facebook group.
00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:51.600
And if you're not in the group, we invite you to join the fun over there.
00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:53.360
Lots of information being shared.
00:13:53.519 --> 00:13:56.960
Gloria, we really do appreciate your support.
00:13:57.120 --> 00:14:02.159
Now, friends, you too can go to practical prepping.info slash support.
00:14:02.639 --> 00:14:06.240
And you can show us some love by buying us a few cups of coffee.
00:14:06.399 --> 00:14:08.879
Or you might even try a coffee membership.
00:14:09.039 --> 00:14:13.840
That's only five dollars a month, but it really helps us offset the expenses of our show.
00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:19.279
So we're going to ask you to really consider doing that at practicalprepping.info slash support.
00:14:19.679 --> 00:14:21.120
Now let's get back to the show.
00:14:21.440 --> 00:14:24.480
And let's talk about some skills and knowledge.
00:14:24.799 --> 00:14:27.039
The first one is navigation.
00:14:27.279 --> 00:14:27.600
Okay.
00:14:27.759 --> 00:14:31.039
Now my mother could not navigate out of a paperback.
00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:45.600
So you're talking about something like orienteering and orienteering, reading a map, getting where you need to go, dead reckoning, knowing which way's north, south, east, west without having to get out and look at your phone.
00:14:45.759 --> 00:14:46.000
Yeah.
00:14:46.480 --> 00:14:56.639
When we talk about navigation, we're talking about being able to read that map, maybe having a compass to go with that, and that paper map works when nothing else does.
00:14:56.799 --> 00:14:57.120
Sure.
00:14:57.279 --> 00:14:58.799
And it gives us a good idea.
00:14:59.039 --> 00:15:03.840
We do need, as we mentioned before, the knowledge of fire starting.
00:15:04.159 --> 00:15:05.440
We need that skill.
00:15:05.759 --> 00:15:08.960
Oh, the next thing up for skills and knowledge would be some first aid.
00:15:09.039 --> 00:15:12.879
We're going to touch on that a little bit more detail coming up, but that's an important category.
00:15:14.240 --> 00:15:15.039
Absolutely.
00:15:15.360 --> 00:15:17.440
Also, we talked about it for a moment.
00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:26.799
The filtering and purifying water, that is as much a skill as it is anything else, because there's some easy, practical ways to do that, but you need to learn what those are.
00:15:27.360 --> 00:15:37.679
Also, farming, agriculture, gardening, even if it's on a small basis or a containment basis, just a bit of knowing how to cultivate some plants would be great.
00:15:37.840 --> 00:15:53.600
Also, things like knitting, sewing, canning, baking, cooking, some of those domestic type skills that are going to be very needful when you need to put buttons back on coats and shirts and when you need to be able to put some flour and some liquid and some yeast together and make bread.
00:15:53.919 --> 00:15:57.120
And if we ever get to a point where we're having to make our own clothes again.
00:15:57.360 --> 00:15:58.240
Oh, well, that's true.
00:15:58.399 --> 00:16:00.320
I mean, you're talking about real grid down.
00:16:00.720 --> 00:16:01.120
Yes, you are.
00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:01.519
Okay.
00:16:01.759 --> 00:16:04.799
All right, let's dig into this first aid and medical stuff.
00:16:05.120 --> 00:16:05.360
Okay.
00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:08.879
We might have to be our own first responder.
00:16:09.200 --> 00:16:11.200
You know, we should probably live that way anyway.
00:16:11.600 --> 00:16:17.519
Just not not just from an emergency prepping situation, but just a day in, day out.
00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:18.240
Right.
00:16:18.399 --> 00:16:22.559
But if if you go down, one of my first things is dialing 911.
00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:23.039
Of course.
00:16:23.279 --> 00:16:25.039
I mean, we're we're getting medical help.
00:16:25.519 --> 00:16:34.000
But we could be in a situation, and where I have seen this the most is after a tornado where people were injured and trapped.
00:16:34.159 --> 00:16:34.480
Yeah.
00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:37.840
There was no way help was coming right then.
00:16:38.320 --> 00:16:40.879
And they had to take care of themselves.
00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:45.759
And that's why we may need to give that aid before responders arrive.
00:16:46.159 --> 00:16:48.240
It may happen in our neighborhood.
00:16:48.720 --> 00:16:54.480
And aid may not be able to get in, and we may need to be the one that gives aid to others.
00:16:54.720 --> 00:16:56.480
We need to learn CPR.
00:16:56.799 --> 00:16:57.759
So important.
00:16:58.240 --> 00:17:01.919
I saw a couple of folks doing a CPR class this week.
00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:08.799
And in that CPR class, they also learn the AED and they get to practice that.
00:17:09.119 --> 00:17:11.039
But that is life-saving.
00:17:11.200 --> 00:17:15.599
But learn some first aid skills like stopping bleeding.
00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:17.920
You can take a stop the bleed class.
00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:18.079
Yeah.
00:17:18.319 --> 00:17:19.839
You can find those locally.
00:17:20.079 --> 00:17:22.640
Learn bandaging, wound care.
00:17:22.720 --> 00:17:24.960
And here we're talking long-term wound care.
00:17:25.359 --> 00:17:26.799
Yeah, to try to prevent infections.
00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:27.359
Exactly.
00:17:27.599 --> 00:17:28.079
That sort of thing.
00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:29.039
Exactly.
00:17:29.359 --> 00:17:31.119
And also splinting.
00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:34.720
How do we handle a broken limb?
00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:36.799
And I'm talking arms and legs.
00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:38.240
And that's with splinting.
00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:38.880
Of course.
00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:45.039
And you can build that home first aid kit and build it with OTC meds.
00:17:45.279 --> 00:17:49.759
There's a lot of times that we need those over-the-counter medications.
00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:57.680
Things like aspirin and allergy medicines and modium, peptobismol, all of those kinds of things.
00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:03.200
You can have that home kit, but we also have personal first aid kits.
00:18:03.839 --> 00:18:07.200
We have one in our GHB, our get home bag.
00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:08.160
We have one there.
00:18:08.400 --> 00:18:12.960
I carry a fairly nice one in my EDC kit, my bag.
00:18:13.279 --> 00:18:15.200
And we have kits in our cars.
00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:20.160
So the first aid is something that could be extremely important to us.
00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:28.240
Another category to give strong consideration is your sanitation and human waste situation.
00:18:28.559 --> 00:18:35.119
How are you going to deal with if you've got no running water, if that toilet flushed for the last time?
00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:45.599
Of course, you can take a bucket of water and prime the toilet if you need to, but you may have to come up with an alternative toileting process for you or your family.
00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:52.000
If the power and the utilities are off for days or weeks or months, you've got to be able to do that.
00:18:56.640 --> 00:18:57.359
Well, I mean, that's true.
00:18:57.440 --> 00:19:00.000
I mean, there's, you know, people have always found a way.
00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:00.400
Okay.
00:19:01.119 --> 00:19:02.559
Because we're going to need it.
00:19:02.880 --> 00:19:03.839
You're going to need it.
00:19:03.920 --> 00:19:05.519
You know, it's gonna one way or another.
00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:06.720
You've got to give that some thought.
00:19:07.279 --> 00:19:08.720
Think about a way to deal with that.
00:19:08.960 --> 00:19:09.200
Right.
00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:10.799
Next would be power.
00:19:11.519 --> 00:19:16.480
We need extra batteries for everything battery operated that we have.
00:19:16.960 --> 00:19:22.240
Whatever size that battery is, we need multiple batteries for that particular device.
00:19:22.559 --> 00:19:22.720
Yeah.
00:19:22.960 --> 00:19:26.640
Whether it's flashlights, radios, LED lanterns.
00:19:26.960 --> 00:19:30.240
But we also need the ability to recharge some devices.
00:19:30.559 --> 00:19:30.720
Okay.
00:19:31.039 --> 00:19:33.119
We carry cell phones, tablets.
00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:35.200
Power banks are a good thing for that.
00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:38.079
And they do make a solar power bank, which helps also.
00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:41.119
The solar power bank is slow to recharge.
00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:48.240
So consider carrying a power bank and an extra charging cable for your devices.
00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:50.480
Let's talk about backup power.
00:19:50.880 --> 00:19:54.000
Okay, for your computer, your modems, your routers.
00:19:54.559 --> 00:19:56.000
What do you think is going to work there?
00:19:56.319 --> 00:19:58.799
Well, we use a battery with an inverter.
00:19:59.119 --> 00:19:59.279
Right.
00:19:59.839 --> 00:20:04.480
Which we can do that, which is basically a solar generator without the solar.
00:20:04.880 --> 00:20:13.680
I mean we use a charged battery with an inverter, and we can run the computer or the modems or routers or whatever we needed to.
00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:16.160
But we also have a portable generator.
00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:27.519
Now you can get these portable generators in gasoline, propane, dual fuel, tri-fuel, but you must store fuel for your expected duration.
00:20:27.839 --> 00:20:28.240
True.
00:20:28.559 --> 00:20:35.359
If you're going to expect to be out of power maybe two weeks, then you need at least two weeks' worth of fuel.
00:20:35.839 --> 00:20:45.680
You might be thinking about especially hurricane prone areas because after the hurricane comes through, that seems to take longer to get back onto a normal system.
00:20:46.160 --> 00:20:51.519
That's where you could have four or five weeks without power in some areas after a hurricane.
00:20:51.839 --> 00:20:55.759
So you may have to think about something like those permanent installation generators.
00:20:55.839 --> 00:20:57.920
They call them a whole home generator.
00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:05.680
And what happens is your power goes out, and then seconds later, that generator that's hooked into your whole home system kicks on.
00:21:06.160 --> 00:21:11.359
And now you can power your household with that permanently installed generator.
00:21:11.440 --> 00:21:15.039
They're large and they're capable, and it's quite an investment.
00:21:15.519 --> 00:21:24.160
But for the folks that may live in an area where it's going to take weeks before they would get city utilities, it may be the best investment they can make.
00:21:25.359 --> 00:21:33.920
But it's also great for those folks that don't want to have to deal with a portable generator running extension cords or anything like that.
00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:35.440
And fuel and that sort of thing.
00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:45.680
Now these are installed by professional companies and they will guide you.
00:21:45.759 --> 00:21:48.000
I mean, you have to have them on a concrete slab.
00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:50.880
It's kind of a big thing, you know, to have that done.
00:21:51.039 --> 00:21:55.279
So you can rely on your local professionals for that type of deal.
00:21:55.359 --> 00:21:55.519
Trevor Burrus, Jr.
00:21:55.680 --> 00:21:59.839
They also come in propane, and some folks will get a hundred gallon or two gallons.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.960
250 gallon or even larger propane tank.
00:22:03.279 --> 00:22:05.759
Sure, depending on what they're trying to run for sure.
00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:10.319
Also, another alternative which is very popular is solar power panels.
00:22:10.400 --> 00:22:21.039
A lot of people will have them installed on the roofs or out in the fields near their home, and that's really a long-term solution and can be, in some cases, a little bit profitable.
00:22:21.279 --> 00:22:36.559
It's expensive to set up, but there are some areas of the country where the local electrical company will actually purchase power back from you because you're producing and storing so much you have a surplus and you actually can make a little money back on that.
00:22:36.880 --> 00:22:39.920
Next up on our list is safety and security.
00:22:40.160 --> 00:22:40.480
Okay.
00:22:40.640 --> 00:22:48.799
And this is personal and home defense, and it ranges from situational awareness to weapons and tactics.
00:22:49.039 --> 00:22:55.359
When we talk about situational awareness, we're talking about getting our heads out of our telephone when we're out in public.
00:22:55.680 --> 00:23:00.640
Yeah, people really need to stop with the walking and the scrolling on the phone at the same time.
00:23:00.880 --> 00:23:07.359
They're falling off the curb, they're crashing into a fountain, and they're being mugged because they're not paying attention.
00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:09.119
We need that head on a swivel.
00:23:09.359 --> 00:23:09.680
Yeah.
00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:14.480
Especially at places like a gas pump or going to and from stores.
00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:16.160
Or in and out of buildings or parking.
00:23:16.720 --> 00:23:17.119
Exactly.
00:23:17.279 --> 00:23:23.599
Or while loading things into the car, whether it's the groceries or the child into a car seat.
00:23:23.759 --> 00:23:24.240
Right.
00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:39.920
I taught one of our grandsons, he was probably eleven at the time, and I taught him how to be aware and what to be looking for as his mama was putting his little brother and the groceries in the car.
00:23:40.079 --> 00:23:44.240
No, because I wanted somebody who was actually watching.
00:23:44.480 --> 00:23:47.599
Because it's hard to put a kid in a car and keep it.
00:23:47.759 --> 00:23:49.039
And also keep your head on a swivel.
00:23:49.519 --> 00:23:50.400
Keep your head on a swivel.
00:23:51.119 --> 00:23:56.240
I understand it really can be, but we need to make great effort that way.
00:23:57.119 --> 00:23:59.759
And then we need to prepare our property.
00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:02.000
We need to discourage burglars.
00:24:02.480 --> 00:24:13.839
Well, you know, one of the ways a lot of people do that is that ring video camera doorbell, and they can also position cameras all around their property, and you can access that view from your phone.
00:24:14.240 --> 00:24:14.880
You can.
00:24:15.359 --> 00:24:20.720
You can put in alarms, you can put rose bushes under ground level windows.
00:24:20.960 --> 00:24:23.519
Or hollybushes, something horny and sticky.
00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:29.119
Plant blackberries, you know, discourage them from coming through that.
00:24:29.680 --> 00:24:31.519
Just something simple like that can actually work.
00:24:31.920 --> 00:24:33.039
Lighting at night.
00:24:33.440 --> 00:24:36.319
Lighting pointing both toward and away from the house.
00:24:36.559 --> 00:24:36.799
Right.
00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:37.359
Right.
00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:39.039
Deadbolt locks.
00:24:39.200 --> 00:24:39.440
Yeah.
00:24:39.680 --> 00:24:42.079
Three-inch screws in the door frames.
00:24:43.440 --> 00:24:50.720
Take the little bitty half-inch screws out and put your three-inch deck screw in there till you get back to some really good wood.
00:24:51.039 --> 00:24:54.640
And that makes that that door really hard to kick in.
00:24:54.960 --> 00:25:04.079
And let's be honest, you know this from a law enforcement standpoint, but someone that's trying to break in, they're not going to stand there 18 minutes trying to break in.
00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:05.039
They're just not.
00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:07.599
They want to get in, they want to get out.
00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:11.519
So if they can't knock your door in, they're going to go away.
00:25:11.680 --> 00:25:12.640
I mean, they just will.
00:25:12.880 --> 00:25:14.960
Yeah, that's why we want to discourage them.
00:25:15.279 --> 00:25:15.680
Exactly.
00:25:15.920 --> 00:25:17.839
Well, let's talk about some fun stuff.
00:25:18.079 --> 00:25:19.680
Weapons, ammo, and tactics.
00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:21.359
I was wondering when we were going to get around the beer.
00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:22.880
Okay.
00:25:23.200 --> 00:25:26.160
Now we do advocate a few firearms.
00:25:26.799 --> 00:25:28.880
We advocate having a few firearms.
00:25:29.119 --> 00:25:34.880
One, a handgun that you can carry if you are so inclined and can legally do so.
00:25:35.119 --> 00:25:38.000
A handgun that you can carry on a daily basis.
00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:40.720
We think you need a twenty-two rifle.
00:25:40.799 --> 00:25:45.359
This would be great for putting meals on the table with small game.
00:25:45.519 --> 00:25:45.839
Okay.
00:25:46.079 --> 00:25:47.039
A shotgun.
00:25:47.200 --> 00:25:49.359
You can so many things you can do with a shotgun.
00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:50.480
I'm thinking home defense.
00:25:51.359 --> 00:25:59.359
Home defense, you can hunt deer with it, you can hunt fowl with it, you can hunt birds, squirrels, rabbits, things like that.
00:25:59.599 --> 00:26:03.839
Then a sporting rifle with an AR or a similar platform.
00:26:04.160 --> 00:26:09.599
There's a lot of good ones out there, but this is a good rifle to have for defense.
00:26:09.839 --> 00:26:16.559
Now we advocate being armed when we're out, but we want you to follow the laws of your state or your country.
00:26:16.720 --> 00:26:20.960
And we do realize that not everybody has this right.
00:26:21.359 --> 00:26:25.680
And we realize that not everyone is going to agree with us on this.
00:26:26.079 --> 00:26:27.119
And that's perfectly fine.
00:26:27.440 --> 00:26:28.000
That's okay.
00:26:28.160 --> 00:26:28.319
Okay.
00:26:28.720 --> 00:26:34.720
There are some things that you can do if you cannot have a weapon, a firearm, a firearm.
00:26:35.279 --> 00:26:42.799
We had an episode number 280, and this was some time back, almost 300 episodes back.
00:26:43.279 --> 00:26:46.880
But it's called Protecting Your Family Without Firearms.
00:26:47.119 --> 00:26:53.279
We'll put the link to that in the show notes, but it's practicalprepping.info forward slash 280.
00:26:53.839 --> 00:27:05.519
Now you've got to keep those weapons secure first and foremost from any small children or those that cannot be responsible, and also from any kind of theft.
00:27:05.759 --> 00:27:17.119
So you definitely need to have some sort of way to lock and secure your firearms and your ammunition from hands that does do not need to have their hands on there.
00:27:17.359 --> 00:27:17.920
Exactly.
00:27:18.160 --> 00:27:19.440
And get some training.
00:27:19.680 --> 00:27:20.240
Absolutely.
00:27:20.480 --> 00:27:23.359
A CCW class is not training.
00:27:23.599 --> 00:27:24.480
It's a good start.
00:27:25.359 --> 00:27:25.920
That's not training.
00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:26.880
But it's not training.
00:27:27.039 --> 00:27:27.279
Right.
00:27:27.519 --> 00:27:29.039
Practice is not training.
00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:33.920
Just going to the range and just shooting at a target, that's not training.
00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:36.640
Invest in a good training class.
00:27:36.799 --> 00:27:45.920
You'll learn a lot about what to do, when to do, how to do, maneuvers that you can make, reloading under pressure, things like that.
00:27:46.079 --> 00:27:54.880
So invest in some quality training and invest in a quality holster and a belt designed to carry a gun.
00:27:55.119 --> 00:27:58.079
There is such a thing called a gun belt for a reason.
00:27:58.480 --> 00:28:01.359
And I'm wearing one right now with blue jeans.
00:28:01.599 --> 00:28:01.920
Oh yeah.
00:28:02.319 --> 00:28:03.039
I mean it's a belt.
00:28:04.720 --> 00:28:13.599
It's a black belt, but it's designed in a way to be able to carry the weight of a handgun without wearing you out.
00:28:14.319 --> 00:28:16.880
These cheap belts, they just don't do it.
00:28:17.119 --> 00:28:17.519
That's right.
00:28:17.680 --> 00:28:18.559
They really don't do it.
00:28:18.720 --> 00:28:21.839
If you've never bought a good gun belt, go buy you one.
00:28:21.920 --> 00:28:24.319
It'll change your life when it comes to carrying a weapon.
00:28:25.119 --> 00:28:31.119
But a quality holster will secure your weapon and it makes it more comfortable to carry.
00:28:31.359 --> 00:28:33.599
And a good one lasts a lifetime.
00:28:33.839 --> 00:28:34.799
Yeah, and it should.
00:28:35.039 --> 00:28:35.680
It should.
00:28:36.160 --> 00:28:43.039
We wear and we recommend 1791gunleather.com line of holsters and belts.
00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:45.200
And that's what I'm wearing right now.
00:28:45.599 --> 00:28:55.440
1791gunleather.com, and the link is in the episode notes, along with a discount code for you to use as well.
00:28:55.759 --> 00:28:59.200
Next category up, we're going to talk about some gear.
00:28:59.440 --> 00:29:01.039
We're going to talk about cordage.
00:29:01.279 --> 00:29:04.960
We've said something about paracord, I think comes to mind.
00:29:05.279 --> 00:29:12.799
Paracord is one of those very versatile things to have, and different widths and different lengths of cordage is very practical.
00:29:13.039 --> 00:29:14.319
Also, duct tape.
00:29:14.640 --> 00:29:17.039
What can you not do with duct tape?
00:29:17.359 --> 00:29:21.119
I mean, it is probably the most practical of prepper gear that I can think of.
00:29:21.359 --> 00:29:21.519
Yep.
00:29:21.680 --> 00:29:23.359
Duct tape WD40.
00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:31.920
You want to look at some knives, maybe a fixed blade in your get home bag and have a folding knife on your body.
00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:36.079
And a lot of times also carry a little gentleman's pocket knife.
00:29:36.319 --> 00:29:36.480
Okay.
00:29:37.200 --> 00:29:38.240
That can be pretty handy.
00:29:38.640 --> 00:29:38.960
It can be.
00:29:39.200 --> 00:29:39.279
Sure.
00:29:39.519 --> 00:29:41.680
Yeah, I might want to peel an apple or something.
00:29:42.079 --> 00:29:43.599
Also a firestarter kit.
00:29:44.079 --> 00:29:49.599
And what that should consist of would be lighters and matches, maybe just a small amount of tinder.
00:29:49.839 --> 00:29:52.960
You can even make a fire starter kit out of an altoid can.
00:29:53.039 --> 00:29:55.200
You can actually put all those things in that.
00:29:55.519 --> 00:30:03.440
Just because those types of things can be really helpful when you're trying to keep warm if you're out there and and you want to build a responsible fire.
00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:07.359
Or you just need a way to light a candle, you know, or light a stove.
00:30:07.440 --> 00:30:14.559
If we had a situation years ago where our power went out, so our electrical ignition on the gas stove wasn't working.
00:30:14.640 --> 00:30:17.759
So we turned the gas on and just lit it with a match.
00:30:18.000 --> 00:30:18.559
Worked fine.
00:30:18.720 --> 00:30:22.559
So we were actually able to cook with no electricity because we had gas.
00:30:22.880 --> 00:30:23.440
Exactly.
00:30:23.680 --> 00:30:25.200
A compass and a map.
00:30:25.519 --> 00:30:26.880
We mentioned this earlier.
00:30:27.039 --> 00:30:35.279
It's a good idea to have those paper maps if we were to have to try to get home from an area that's any distance from here.
00:30:35.680 --> 00:30:36.559
You're talking about on foot.
00:30:36.880 --> 00:30:37.200
On foot.
00:30:37.359 --> 00:30:37.599
Oh, yeah.
00:30:38.079 --> 00:30:41.759
We might need to check out those maps and compass.
00:30:41.920 --> 00:30:42.319
Mm-hmm.
00:30:42.559 --> 00:30:47.759
It could also be that we could wind up with some type of detour that we were not expecting.
00:30:48.079 --> 00:30:48.240
True.
00:30:48.559 --> 00:30:51.279
And maybe it's not showing on GPS or something.
00:30:51.440 --> 00:30:53.039
It's just good to have those maps.
00:30:53.359 --> 00:30:56.559
You know, I think about people recently that have been impacted by flood.
00:30:57.200 --> 00:31:01.279
You know, they may have not had a flood for 50 plus years.
00:31:01.519 --> 00:31:11.920
They may not be aware of what their alternative routes could be because now they need to know what places they can go around to avoid these floodplains.
00:31:12.319 --> 00:31:25.279
And I'll tell you something else, and this came from going into a number of post-hurricane areas where the hurricane had come in, and there are no street signs.
00:31:25.599 --> 00:31:30.960
They've been knocked down, washed out, and trying to find where you're going.
00:31:31.119 --> 00:31:35.759
That's where I really learned to use GPS to find my way to particular places.
00:31:36.240 --> 00:31:38.240
That was the first place that I ever used.
00:31:38.319 --> 00:31:40.400
It was in hurricane recovery.
00:31:40.720 --> 00:31:50.240
If your town has been totally demolished and there are no street signs, all the landmarks are different, you might need to consider that.
00:31:50.559 --> 00:31:50.960
For sure.
00:31:51.200 --> 00:31:53.599
Next thing that we'll talk about is some apparel.
00:31:53.759 --> 00:31:58.480
This is some gear that we need to have, seasonal clothing and footwear.
00:31:58.640 --> 00:31:58.960
Right.
00:31:59.200 --> 00:32:00.480
And some extra socks.
00:32:00.720 --> 00:32:05.200
Have some extra socks in that GHB in that get home bag.
00:32:05.519 --> 00:32:08.160
Next category would be communications.
00:32:08.319 --> 00:32:10.160
What's your communication plan?
00:32:10.319 --> 00:32:11.359
Do you have one?
00:32:11.599 --> 00:32:12.880
Don't you need one?
00:32:13.200 --> 00:32:16.880
Think about the ways that you need to receive information.
00:32:17.039 --> 00:32:21.680
And the first one that comes to mind, you know, we've been talking about weather disasters all throughout this show.
00:32:21.839 --> 00:32:25.759
You need a NOAA NOAA weather radio.
00:32:25.920 --> 00:32:28.960
This is a radio that can work whether there's power on or not.
00:32:29.200 --> 00:32:35.680
It can alert you loudly in the dark of night when you're asleep if dangerous weather is coming and you're unaware of it.
00:32:35.839 --> 00:32:38.319
That weather radio will wake you up.
00:32:38.640 --> 00:32:39.200
We know.
00:32:39.359 --> 00:32:49.599
And it can also transmit information from different counties in America and your state so that you can have some awareness of what's out there and what's been spotted.
00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:51.440
You can get your local info.
00:32:51.680 --> 00:32:52.240
Yeah, exactly.
00:32:52.480 --> 00:32:58.880
And if nothing else, if it wakes you up in the middle of the night, what it does at our house is it wakes us up.
00:32:59.119 --> 00:33:00.880
Krista makes sure I'm getting up.
00:33:01.039 --> 00:33:02.240
She goes back to sleep.
00:33:02.640 --> 00:33:09.119
I come in here, bring up the weather radar and whatever I need to do, and if it is serious, I will get her up.
00:33:09.359 --> 00:33:09.759
Oh, sure.
00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:17.920
A lot of times if it's going across the other end of the county, we'll get the warning, but it's actually not going to affect us.
00:33:18.079 --> 00:33:22.880
You might wake up and turn on the local TV and see what the weather is doing.
00:33:23.599 --> 00:33:27.519
But in addition to receiving info, what about getting info out?
00:33:27.920 --> 00:33:28.319
True.
00:33:28.559 --> 00:33:29.519
What's the plan?
00:33:29.759 --> 00:33:31.680
Part of it depends on how far.
00:33:31.920 --> 00:33:32.240
Right.
00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:42.000
But one of the best things, and just keep this in mind, if you did not already know this, text message is better than voice when when it's in that kind of a situation.
00:33:42.400 --> 00:33:43.680
It's a bandwidth situation.
00:33:44.079 --> 00:33:51.279
It uses less bandwidth, and when you send that text message, it will continue trying until it gets through.
00:33:51.599 --> 00:33:51.839
Right.
00:33:52.240 --> 00:33:58.400
Where a voice call, you just get a uh busy circuit signal and or you can't get a signal.
00:33:58.799 --> 00:34:02.079
Or particularly after a disaster, every line's gonna get jammed.
00:34:02.480 --> 00:34:02.799
Exactly.
00:34:02.880 --> 00:34:07.200
So you text and that will get through a lot easier.
00:34:07.440 --> 00:34:09.840
Now some people will use social check-ins.
00:34:10.320 --> 00:34:12.320
Yeah, like on Facebook, marked safe.
00:34:12.800 --> 00:34:21.760
You know, sometimes people can see a Facebook message, and that can impact a lot of your family and friends that are looking out for you or you're looking out for them.
00:34:22.159 --> 00:34:30.079
And we have friends in hurricane areas that would never think to pick up and call us on the telephone and say we're okay.
00:34:30.239 --> 00:34:30.639
Yeah.
00:34:30.960 --> 00:34:33.519
But they're friends from way back under.
00:34:33.840 --> 00:34:37.599
We've kind of kept up with each other and the raising of each other's kids.
00:34:37.920 --> 00:34:42.639
But we will see that, you know, we're safe where the hurricane has come through.
00:34:42.960 --> 00:34:47.119
And so we're not concerned about them at that point.
00:34:47.360 --> 00:34:50.639
Now there's some other things, and I put this in the category of other.
00:34:50.960 --> 00:34:51.039
Okay.
00:34:51.360 --> 00:34:51.599
Okay.
00:34:51.760 --> 00:34:52.000
All right.
00:34:52.320 --> 00:34:54.159
But this is seeds and planting.
00:34:54.320 --> 00:34:54.719
Oh, okay.
00:34:54.960 --> 00:34:59.920
Having some seeds to plant and knowing how to plant those, knowing how to garden.
00:35:00.639 --> 00:35:06.079
Animal husbandry, raising chickens, raising goats, raising rabbits.
00:35:06.400 --> 00:35:06.559
Sure.
00:35:06.800 --> 00:35:08.960
Those are handy skills to have.
00:35:09.199 --> 00:35:10.559
Hunting and fishing.
00:35:10.719 --> 00:35:12.880
These are always good skills to have.
00:35:13.119 --> 00:35:19.519
You can fill up your freezer and cut down on your meatbill with deer, elk, all kinds of things like that.
00:35:19.760 --> 00:35:22.639
And another thing is outer wear and boots.
00:35:22.800 --> 00:35:30.480
We're talking about rain gear, we're talking about overwear, we're talking about uh protective gear footwear, yeah.
00:35:30.639 --> 00:35:30.880
Yeah.
00:35:31.119 --> 00:35:33.840
And waterproof boots and things like that.
00:35:34.159 --> 00:35:36.400
Now, do you learn from our podcast?
00:35:36.559 --> 00:35:38.960
Are you getting some new ideas for your prepping?
00:35:39.119 --> 00:35:44.480
Are you now seeing maybe some weaker spots in your prepping plan overall?
00:35:44.719 --> 00:35:48.079
In other words, are you receiving value from our show?
00:35:48.400 --> 00:35:50.880
Would you help us out by giving back just a little?
00:35:51.039 --> 00:35:58.559
Go to practical prepping.info slash support, and you'll find several ways that you can help us out here at the show.
00:35:59.119 --> 00:36:02.079
We do appreciate you being here with us today.
00:36:02.320 --> 00:36:05.679
And as Krista always says, Stuff happens.
00:36:06.000 --> 00:36:06.960
Stay prepared.
00:36:07.199 --> 00:36:08.960
And we'll see you next time.
