Hello my friend and welcome back! I recently received an email from a reader who is new to Prepping and in the email she asked me “What are the unspoken basic rules of Prepping?” After some careful thought, I began to understand what she was talking about and I decided to share it with you in today’s post. So, grab yourself a cup of coffee and have a seat while we chat.
Now, I have to admit when I first read the question, I was a bit stumped as to exactly what she was talking about. Mean, after all of these years of prepping, had I actually missed something important? Fortunately, however in her email, she went on to explain what she meant by “unspoken rules”.
Once I began to understand just what she was asking, I began to appreciate the brilliance of her question. You see many people just jump right into Prepping and build their knowledge as they go. I myself started this way so long ago. The thing is there are a lot of things that many of us, who have done it for a few years or more, have begun to take for granted. We just accept that they are a given and everyone already knows them. The trouble is that they don’t and these are the things she was referring too. While they are not really rules, they are the basics that every Prepper should know.
Here are a few of them, not in any particular order:
- The importance of learning self-defense and being able to use it to protect yourself. To many of us, it’s a given and think everyone should know that, but they don’t. Reading how to do it in a book is a good start, but until you practice it and can actually do it then all you have is an idea of how to do it. Practice what you learn, because muscle memory is the only way you will remember it, when the time comes.
- Learn to be a leader as well as a good follower if you want to survive! Even if you plan on trying to go it alone, you may find yourself in a position where others are looking up to you for guidance. Being a leader is not simply being in charge, but rather knowing how to instruct people on doing what needs to be done every day. It’s about learning to listen to those who look up to you and using what they say to be a better leader. You would do well to think of a leader as a sort of coordinator of a type and not a controller of people. Ask, don’t tell others what you need done. And you will be much more effective as a leader.
- Learn first aid and advanced first aid It may save yours or someones life. Red Cross often gives the course for free, just contact them to find out when and where they are giving the training.
- Learn to shoot a rifle and a pistol, even if you hate them. You just may find yourself in a position where you need to hunt for food or defend yourself. Good intentions are no match for a gun when you are being shot at. Whether you like it or hate it, it’s a skill that will be necessary, in the post-SHTF world. I would also invest the time to learn to trap and get some good traps for your preps.
- Learn how to cook food over a camp fire, where there are no knobs to control the fire. Trust me, it’s not the same at all, and you must learn how, if you want to survive when it all falls apart.
- Learn how to read a map and a compass now, not later. Direction finding is a key skill that every Prepper must know. That GPS that you have may wind up being a paper weight after SHTF, so you can’t depend on it. Buy an old fashion Compass and a good paper map. Learn how to navigate using them, the sun and the stars.
- Learn how to locate and filter water. OK, this might not be one of those rules she is looking for, because there are great articles written each day on the subject. Read, Learn, and buy you a Life Straw to put in your bug out bag, as a backup.
- Build you a Bug Out Bag and keep it handy at all times. You never know when you may need to leave in a moment’s notice.
OK, so there you have it. These are the things that I can pull, off of the top of my head, that every Prepper needs to know. At any rate, there you have what I would actually call the basic guidelines of Prepping rather than rules. To each their own and I appreciate the question. If you have any questions that you may need answered, please send them to me or add them to the bottom of this page in the comments and I will be happy to answer them for you.
Well I guess that is it for today and I hope you have found it interesting. Until next time, stay safe, stay strong and stay prepared. God Save America!
-Sarge-
Also DON’T TELL ANY1 that u have legumes, rice, heirloom seeds, & water stored, Or ammo & guns for that matter. You’ll be proud of what you’ve accomplished, but pride is never a good reason for losing everything in a SHTF situation.
Good article again. .. but I always thought the number one unwritten rule was “dont tell people you’re a prepper.”
You know, I used to think the same thing, but here in the last few years I have been rethinking that. The argument is that if you tell anyone then they will come for your preps when the SHTF hits. By the same token however, if you don’t let some people know that you are a Prepper, then your forced to go it alone when the time comes. This makes you weak and in the long run makes you more susceptible to attack by gangs and thugs. I think the best way to put it is to be careful about who you tell you are a Prepper. Drop subtle hints to others you suspect of being a Prepper and see how they react. If their answer seems to confirm they are a Prepper and they are someone you feel you can trust then evolve the conversation to the point that you both feel comfortable with admitting your Preppers. Knowing others who are Preppers will be essential to your survival when the time comes. The sharing of ideas on how best to do something and maybe even forming an alliance with them so when the time comes, you won”t have to go it alone. Sorry for the long winded answer, but I think that the rule should say “Be careful who you tell your a Prepper.”
Sarge
Thank you for that. I concur.
Great article sarge. I keep my buggout/get home bag in my truck at all times. I also keep filled flasks of water with carabiner screw tops in my truck. I drain and refill with chlorinated city water a couple times a year. In my bag I keep a keltec sub2k that is caliber and magazine compatible with my EDC pistol. I keep 200 rounds in my truck but in the hot Louisiana sun, I’m curious if the heat inside my vehicle has had a detrimental affect on that ammo. I’ll find out this weekend (barring rain) because I plan on going to the range and shooting it all to replace it with new.
Sounds like a plan Brother! Let me know how it works out for you and what you learn. I’m always looking for good information. 🙂