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Prepping 101

38 posts

For those looking to get a jump on prepping for their family, the Prepper Journal’s, Prepping 101 will give you all the basics needed to give you an advantage.

Everyday carry items could save your life.

10 minute read

Everyday Carry Essentials – Gear That Can Save Your Life

Everyday carry items are up close and personal prepping items that each of you should have access to…

byPat Henry

6 comments

Many years ago when I started prepping the world wasn’t radically different. We didn’t live in any Nirvana of goodwill and peace, but the idea of preparing to defend your life from bad guys was met with much more resistance than it does now.

6 minute read

Back to Basics: Are You Prepared to Defend Your Family?

Many years ago when I started prepping the world wasn’t radically different. We didn’t live in any Nirvana of goodwill and peace, but the idea of preparing to defend your life from bad guys was met with much more resistance than it does now.

byPat Henry

10 comments

This series was designed to go back to the basics of prepping, obviously. Today I wanted to share tips for how to stockpile food for emergencies that anyone can use. I will focus on preppers who are just starting out, but I think some ideas in the topics below could be useful to anyone looking to ensure their family has food and does not go hungry. This article will also have dozens of links to other content on the subject for additional reading.

6 minute read

Back to Basics: How to Stockpile Food for Emergencies

Last week I began a new series called, Back to Basics. As I said in my first article:…

byPat Henry

4 comments

I wanted to start a new series on the Prepper Journal called “Back to Basics”. I know many of the readers of this blog are already well along their own journey of preparedness so some of the content might be remedial. It has certainly been covered on our site before, but there are new readers every day. Millions of people visited the pages of our site last year and one of the most frequent questions preppers come to our site looking to answer is How to stockpile drinking water for emergencies.

6 minute read

Back to Basics: How to Stockpile Drinking Water Now

I wanted to start a new series on the Prepper Journal called “Back to Basics”. I know many…

byPat Henry

27 comments

A critical prep that you have to plan for including in your bug out bag is water. When deciding which option will be the best bug out bag water filtration method for you it pays to look at a lot of different solutions. Fortunately for preppers, there are several water filtration methods that work great and we will discuss them here.

12 minute read

Bug Out Bag Water Filtration Options

A critical prep that you have to plan for including in your bug out bag is water. When…

byPat Henry

6 comments

There are many routes people take to this word of Prepping. Some have watched Doomsday Preppers on Nat Geo. Others have found the word scouring blogs out there as almost every mainstream media outlet has had some coverage of the phenomenon. Others have been personally touched by tragedy or worry that they could be someday, so they investigate for themselves. No matter what your reason for searching for prepper, everyone has to start somewhere, but in the beginning it can be a little overwhelming. Today I wanted to share some tips for those getting started in prepping that are easy and will increase your odds for survival without breaking the bank.

9 minute read

Getting Started in Prepping

There are many routes people take to this word of Prepping. Some have watched Doomsday Preppers on Nat…

byPat Henry

13 comments

For many people, the idea of prepping for disaster conjures up visions of families in hazmat suits and gas masks readying themselves for the next global virus outbreak. For others, it is the camouflaged survival group with their loaded 4 wheel drive bug-out vehicles shooting their way through some random checkpoint on their route to a hidden survival retreat in the mountains. It really depends on your view of what the prepping lifestyle is as to whether or not these images are extremely distasteful or something you actively aspire to emulate.

5 minute read

Prepping Lite – Ideas for Those Not Willing To Commit

For many people, the idea of prepping for disaster conjures up visions of families in hazmat suits and…

byPat Henry

12 comments

Welcome back to the last installment of our series on the 5 things you need to go off grid where we are discussing preparations you can make right now that could possibly save your life if you find yourself without the conveniences of the grid. As I stated in other articles, we frequently hear people planning of a simpler, more self-reliant life where they can live untied from the complex systems of our current 21st century lifestyles. For obvious reasons, this dream is one that many of us strive for, but frequently are unable to obtain.

4 minute read

5 Things You Need to Go Off Grid Now – Pt. 5

Welcome back to the last installment of our series on the 5 things you need to go off…

byPat Henry

11 comments

Welcome back to our series on the 5 things you need to go off grid now, where we began with the premise that going “off grid” might not be something that as Preppers you elect to do for the sake of your family in hopes of greater harmony with Mother Nature. The "Grid" might simply take the kids and leave you in the middle of the night like Katie Holmes did to Tom. You wake up and something is wrong but it takes you a few minutes to realize your world has changed - in a big way.

5 minute read

5 Things You Need to Go Off Grid Now – Pt. 3

Welcome back to our series on the 5 things you need to go off grid now, where we…

byPat Henry

9 comments

Our last article; the first in this series of 5 things you need to go off grid now, began with the concept of preppers looking for an ideal life of untethering ourselves from “the grid” in an effort to enjoy a more self-sufficient life. To that end, many of us only consider moving to rural land and building homes that depend less on some of the interconnected systems we rely on today. But even if that isn’t possible for most of us currently, we might be wise to plan on going off grid anyway. In a disaster scenario, we might not have any other choice. If the grid goes down due to any one of dozens of possibilities and you aren’t at your perfect survival retreat in the woods, what do you need to consider now that could impact your family’s survival?

6 minute read

5 Things You Need to Go Off Grid Now – Pt. 2

Our last article; the first in this series of 5 things you need to go off grid now,…

byPat Henry

3 comments

6 minute read

5 Things You Need to Go Off Grid Now – Pt. 1

Like some of you reading the Prepper Journal, I have long wanted the ‘Prepper dream’ of the ability…

byPat Henry

7 comments

The plan seems simple doesn’t it? All you need for the best chance of survival for your family is a well-stocked bug out bag, a keen attention to your surroundings and careful monitoring of what is happening in the news. With these bases covered you will be a very informed prepper and will be able to get the jump on all of the clueless sheeple if something bad happens. You will load your family up with your bags and hike off into the sunset way ahead of the approaching death and destruction. You have a plan to bug out.

8 minute read

10 Reasons Why You Do Not Want to Bug Out

The plan seems simple doesn’t it? All you need for the best chance of survival for your family…

byPat Henry

95 comments

In the past, I would try to incorporate my prepping supplies into the rest of my household items thinking that by doing this I would enable a good rotation plan. If you add 12 packs of batteries into the battery drawer you will ensure they are used and never expire or at least that was what I thought. I did this with things like batteries, hygiene items, and first aid supplies but then I went to look for batteries for a GPS I bought several months later only to find that we were almost completely out. My kids had gone through a ton of double AAs over the summer playing their Wii.

6 minute read

Prepping 101 – Organize your Prepping Supplies

Since I started prepping officially back in late 2007 I have made quite a few purchases. Some of…

byPat Henry

14 comments

7 minute read

How to Start Prepping

If you have been wondering about the safety of your family but didn’t know where to start, this…

byPat Henry

54 comments

What is OPSEC? OPSEC is short for Operations Security or Operational Security and encompasses identifying critical information to determine if your actions can be observed by adversaries. To boil that down further, it is making sure bad guys don’t have any information about you that they can use against you. This could be to either harm you or compromise you or your group in a way that would be detrimental. There, is that murky and ominous-sounding enough for you?

9 minute read

Prepping 101 – OPSEC

What is OPSEC? OPSEC is short for Operations Security or Operational Security and encompasses identifying critical information to…

byPat Henry

13 comments

What is EDC? Well in case you mistakenly go out to Google "EDC ideas" for some inspiration; EDC does not in Prepper lingo stand for Electric Daisy Carnival. What is this world coming to?

6 minute read

Prepping 101 – EDC

What is EDC? Well in case you mistakenly go out to Google “EDC ideas” for some inspiration; EDC…

byPat Henry

56 comments

There is always a very healthy dialog on all sides of any issue when it comes to Survival or the Preparedness movement. From Bug Out Bags to firearm recommendations and caliber pros/cons. What an individual should be Prepping for, or more precisely how they should start prepping themselves is no different.

7 minute read

Prepping 101 – Baby Steps

Editor’s Note: I originally posted this article on the Prepper Journal back on January 28, 2013. There is…

byPat Henry

6 comments

4 minute read

What Are You Afraid Of?

Editor’s Note: I originally posted this article on the Prepper Journal back on January 25, 2013 but I…

byPat Henry

18 comments

Are you confident that you are all set and that your SHTF plan is bulletproof?

8 minute read

What Is Your SHTF Plan?

Are you confident that you are all set and that your SHTF plan is bulletproof? Do you have…

byPat Henry

24 comments

If you are new to Prepping, then you have come to the right place. The Prepper Journal was created specifically to help as many people as possible learn how to get started in prepping. Whether you are looking for the supplies you need to make it through a short-term emergency or to the opposite end of the spectrum which is becoming completely self-reliant; we have the information on the Prepper Journal that will arm you with the tips and ideas you need to start down the path to becoming a prepper.

6 minute read

How to Get Started in Prepping

If you are new to Prepping, then you have come to the right place. The Prepper Journal was…

byPat Henry

No comments

Knowing where to start can be pretty daunting. Prepping isn’t the same for everyone but most people eventually look for a simple guideline to follow so I have pulled together this preppers list of supplies.

9 minute read

Prepping 101 – Preppers List of Supplies

Knowing where to start can be pretty daunting. Prepping isn’t the same for everyone but most people eventually look for a simple guideline to follow so I have pulled together this preppers list of supplies.

byPat Henry

70 comments

11 minute read

Bug Out Bag Checklist

What I wanted to do was create a simple bug out bag checklist you can use to get a jump-start at building your own bug out bag that has taken into consideration a few of the lessons I already learned when I did this myself.

byPat Henry

74 comments

I am frequently asked questions around the subject of Bug Out Bags. There is certainly a lot of interest and for good reason. Seeing as how we are in the middle of Hurricane season (regardless of whether we have seen a significant one yet) it makes sense especially for those living near coastal areas to have a plan to evacuate. That plan will undoubtedly require packing supplies that you may be forced to live on for an extended amount of time. Even if you live in the middle of the country and the closest coast is a thousand miles away, some emergency events might require that you pack up and leave with very little advance warning. This is when having a bug out bag will come in handy.

8 minute read

How to Find the Right Bug Out Bag

I am frequently asked questions around the subject of Bug Out Bags. There is certainly a lot of…

byPat Henry

No comments

This is the fifth in a series for the beginning prepper on how to get started Prepping. In part one of this series we covered defining your priorities and making sure you have a sufficient store of water. The second article covered planning for long-term food storage and selecting the best firearm for self-defense. In the third installment, we dealt with financial security and having appropriate medical supplies to treat basic injuries. The fourth installment begins to discuss backup power options and how your family can be ready with lifesaving power if the grid goes down.

7 minute read

Prepping 101 – A Step By Step Plan for How to Get Started Prepping – pt.5

This is the fifth in a series for the beginning prepper on how to get started Prepping. In…

byPat Henry

6 comments

This is the fourth in a series for the beginning prepper on how to get started Prepping. In part one of this series we covered defining your priorities and making sure you have a sufficient store of water. The second article covered planning for long term food storage and selecting the best firearm for self-defense. In the third installment, we dealt with financial security and having appropriate medical supplies to treat basic injuries. The fourth installment went a little longer than I anticipated so I will deal with Home Security and Communications in the next one.

9 minute read

Prepping 101 – A Step By Step Plan for How to Get Started Prepping – pt.4

This is the fourth in a series for the beginning prepper on how to get started Prepping. In…

byPat Henry

One comment

This is the third in a series for the beginning prepper on how to get started Prepping. In part one of this series we covered defining your Priorities and making sure you have a sufficient store of water. The second article covered planning for long term food storage and selecting the best firearm for self defense.

8 minute read

Prepping 101 – A Step By Step Plan for How to Get Started Prepping – pt.3

This is the third in a series for the beginning prepper on how to get started Prepping. In…

byPat Henry

4 comments

This is the second in a series for the beginning prepper on how to get started Prepping. If you want to read part 1, you can view that article here. In the first article we covered defining your Priorities and making sure you have a sufficient store of water.

8 minute read

Prepping 101 – A Step By Step Plan for How to Get Started Prepping – pt.2

This is the second in a series for the beginning prepper on how to get started Prepping. If…

byPat Henry

4 comments

I have been asked before by friends about how I got started with prepping. It seems the concept can be pretty daunting at first for some people. I can understand how it is when you start to think of the literally hundreds of important items that you need to consider for your family. My first list of “needs” took up an entire sheet of paper. At first glance, this undertaking can appear to be a giant behemoth and some people throw their hands up immediately and give in. I have heard excuses from not having enough money to not knowing where to start. While I agree that some prepper items require money (sometimes a lot!) often there are alternatives to spending a ton of money, but knowing where to start should never be an issue. This post will be a prepping 101 tutorial.

7 minute read

Prepping 101 – A Step By Step Plan for How to Get Started Prepping – pt.1

I have been asked before by friends about how I got started with prepping. It seems the concept…

byPat Henry

18 comments

It is easier to pre-purchase fuel and store it so that in the case of an emergency, you aren’t standing in line. There are a few things to consider when you are planning to store fuel long-term that we will cover below.

6 minute read

Avoid The Lines – How to Store Fuel Long Term

It is easier to pre-purchase fuel and store it so that in the case of an emergency, you aren’t standing in line. There are a few things to consider when you are planning to store fuel long-term that we will cover below.

byPat Henry

69 comments

I received an email the other day asking for advice on how to get a loved one on board with prepping. This is a subject I have wanted to write about for a while because I have had these same thoughts and struggles with various loved ones in my own life as each of you. I won’t try to convince you that I am an expert and there is no book forthcoming, but I do have personal experience of my own challenges of trying to convince someone about prepping and wanted to share this and my perspectives with you. I share these like most of my articles in the hopes that someone reading can gain some small bit of knowledge or a suggestion that may help you in your own personal prepping journey and that this information can equip you to be prepared or make your life easier.

8 minute read

How to convince someone about prepping

I received an email the other day asking for advice on how to get a loved one on…

byPat Henry

17 comments

The Latest

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Prepping 101

Everyday Carry Essentials – Gear That Can Save Your Life

Back to Basics: Are You Prepared to Defend Your Family?

Back to Basics: How to Stockpile Food for Emergencies

Back to Basics: How to Stockpile Drinking Water Now

Bug Out Bag Water Filtration Options

Getting Started in Prepping

Prepping Lite – Ideas for Those Not Willing To Commit

5 Things You Need to Go Off Grid Now – Pt. 5

5 Things You Need to Go Off Grid Now – Pt. 3

5 Things You Need to Go Off Grid Now – Pt. 2

5 Things You Need to Go Off Grid Now – Pt. 1

10 Reasons Why You Do Not Want to Bug Out

Prepping 101 – Organize your Prepping Supplies

How to Start Prepping

Prepping 101 – OPSEC

Prepping 101 – EDC

Prepping 101 – Baby Steps

What Are You Afraid Of?

What Is Your SHTF Plan?

How to Get Started in Prepping

Prepping 101 – Preppers List of Supplies

Bug Out Bag Checklist

How to Find the Right Bug Out Bag

Prepping 101 – A Step By Step Plan for How to Get Started Prepping – pt.5

Prepping 101 – A Step By Step Plan for How to Get Started Prepping – pt.4

Prepping 101 – A Step By Step Plan for How to Get Started Prepping – pt.3

Prepping 101 – A Step By Step Plan for How to Get Started Prepping – pt.2

Prepping 101 – A Step By Step Plan for How to Get Started Prepping – pt.1

Avoid The Lines – How to Store Fuel Long Term

How to convince someone about prepping