Tooling up for SHTF and what you will need when it happens!

Hello my friend and welcome back! Tooling up for SHTF can be a challenge.  While I was going through my preps the other day, I began to look at the hand tools that I had stored up.  This got me to thinking about just what all I might need when the time comes.  Then I began to wonder what I might be overlooking and that my friend is the topic of today’s post.  So grab a cup of coffee and have a seat while we visit for a while.

Now I know that I have written post before on the “Tools of the trade”, but this one is going to be a little different and I hope you enjoy it. It all started with me looking through my tools that I have set aside with my preps for SHTF.  Lots of hand tools and even a couple of power tools just in case power is available at the time.  Of course I have backup hand tools just in case there isn’t, which is what I am expecting.

I have hand saws, bow saws, drills and hammers of all kinds safely hidden away. I also have hatchets and axes of all kinds along with shovels and garden hoes for when I need them.  All of these are pretty obvious items that you will need to have, but what are we missing?  I then started working through a few scenarios in my head, hoping to come up with items that I might be missing.  I mean things that I might not need in everyday life now, but will need when the SHTF hits.  I’m talking about things like bolt cutters (aka: Lock cutters), lock picks, etc.  Now you might ask why I would need a pair of bolt cutters and a set of lock picks.  Let’s just say that I’m not expecting all the doors I encounter to be open and unlocked.  The same goes for gates and fences and if that is the case, then I will need these items even though I would have no use for them today.

So what other items could I be overlooking because I do not use them now? While Carpentry tools seem to be a no brainer, people tend to not think about things like blacksmithing tools.  Items like Hammers and specialty tools that you will need when practicing the art of bending metal.   What if you need to be able to stick a couple of pieces of metal together and the local power is out?  Well believe it or not, there is a way using a car battery and a coat hanger.  Now I do not recommend it to the untrained welder, but when SHTF hits, it would at least be an option.  Brass brazing rods and a propane torch is another good way, if you have the tools to do it. I guess my point here is that we need to think out of the box when it comes to tools and pretty much everything else when it comes to prepping.

Now if you only have a limited space to keep tools, then you may need to limit what all you store up. In this case, choosing tools that serve multiple purposes would probably be the best.  Whatever you do, never compromise on quality! If it breaks after SHTF hits, you won’t be able to just return it and get a new one.  You will be forced to fix it or make a new one it that is even possible at the time.  If you buy good quality tools, then the chances of you being able to fix them when they break will be greatly improved.  Think longevity when deciding which tools you should get for SHTF and you will be glad that you did if you ever need to repair one.

A few other essential tools that you may be overlooking are files and grinders for keeping your tools sharp and in good working condition. Be sure to add plenty of oil to your preps for keeping all of your tools lubricated and oiled so they will be ready and work for a very long time once you start using them.  Several sharp axes and splitting malls will be need in your preps for day to day use.  Tools for drilling water wells are another thing that many people often don’t think about.  You will need a way to drill the hole by hand as well as the pipe to make it work after you drill the hole.  Tools for putting up and taking down both wire and wooden fences will be a must have.  Because of the need for raising your own meat and eggs, you will need to be able to build a fence to keep them from running off.  Let’s say that you already have a fence, and you are forced to relocate?  What then?  Without the tools to put up a new one wherever you relocate to, you are screwed.  Just remember that nothing is permanent and everything will change when SHTF hits.  Be prepared by storing up tools that even though you may not need now in a normal world (and I use that term loosely), you may very well need them in a post SHTF world.  Well that is it for today my friend and I hope you have enjoyed today’s post.  Until next time, stay safe, stay strong, and stay prepared!

-The Sargent-