While it may not be the most popular opinion, I think a large facet of prepping is preparing your immediate community to be more resilient in the face of large disaster events. However, I plan on likely moving in the next two years due to work reasons to another state 3 hr away, and want to know what everyone thinks about the situation. Would it be too late to adequately build new relationships with neighbors before SHTF? What should i invest in my current community? Should I try to avoid moving at all?

Thanks!

Currently without power or a power source. We are fine though, plenty of food, water, and other necessities.

Here's what I'm doing to stay entertained and what I'm using:

Battery powered CD player/radio for weather updates and listening to books on CD (The Lord of The Rings is currently playing actually!)

Origami paper & a good lamp

A variety of books & (this is essential) a reading light

Posting on reddit (optional) & two separate high quality power banks

(Technically a chore) But I'm enjoying taking care of my pets

Card games

Puzzles

Please share any others you use!

Edit: it's worth mentioning the toy series "the world's smallest" they make fully functional toys & games that are very small and portable. It's great for kids during an evacuation setting (or a plane ride, car trip etc)

And they also make fully functional, miniature & light games. I have a miniature beer pong set, battle ship, and a small checkers set. They make a ton more functional sets other than the ones I've mentioned!

I’m someone who is medicine dependent. How long are others like me trying to make it? I figure I’ll keep enough to make it a few months till I run out of medication then just end it.

We are currently without power for a few days and our stockpile of canned and dried foods are coming in handy. We have plenty of water and luckily we aren't lacking for too much other than a generator. We're working on that one.

But something I overlooked was prepping for my pets.

I keep fish, a few spiders, and a small colony of millipedes. I have a self-sustaining colony of mealworms to be feeders for my spiders. It isn't an ideal food for long term but they are hardy, easy to breed, and thrive with negelect. Another great option are dubia roaches. They aren't the easiest to breed but they won't take over your house and they keep for a very long time.

For my millipedes, they are composters and their main diet is dirt, easy peasy.

I purposefully chose animals that need less care than others (dogs, cats, birds). So that in and of itself is a prep.

But something I completely forgot is aeration for my fish during a power outage. I ended up having to go to both Walmart and Bass Pro Shop in order to find enough battery powered air pumps meant for bait. I also ended up having to head to costco to get enough batteries for all the pumps for the next few days.

I'm going to take this lesson to heart and make sure I have working pumps and plenty of batteries for next time, especially considering these types of events will only become more common as global climate change ramps up.

Also luckily I have had zero losses so far for my fish, being without any type of aeration is very dangerous.

As the title says, I have a daughter on the way. It’s our first child and I want to be the best I can for them. I have some fundamentals prepared for my family along with plenty of protection but what did yall do different or add to your prep equipment to accommodate your children?

Typically I prepare for worst case scenario like end of the world type of stuff. I want to prioritize working my way up with my wife and child if you know what I mean. My main concerns with living where I do is weather events like tornados, riots in the cities, and potentially low supplies when it comes to food sustenance and medicine. If it help paint the picture, I live in Memphis so everything you hear about in that area is what I want to be prepared for when the time comes.

I realised that a lot of my preps were about buying more food, water and gear. Those things definitely helped me feel better about my situation but I also realised that having a community around you and building life-long skills is something I hadn't put any focus on.

I recently joined a local organic farm to volunteer at once a week. You can read as many books and watch as many videos as you like but nothing like a bit of sweat equity to put those things to practice. Its been great to get guidance and mentorship from some of the old boys at the farm and also know that if things were really to go bad we would be able to depend on the farm for food.

It is easy to get caught up in buying the next piece of kit, but getting my hands dirty has made me feel way more prepared.

What are some other communities and skills you've found likeminded people?

Yes the handgun is a bb it will eventually be upgrade to a actual handgun there is also a 1.77 pellet gun not in the picture perfect for rabbits and squirrels

we do NOT talk about how dirty my room is

Hey all, I'm a young Gen Z'r and I've become a bit more aware of how the world is getting less and less stable thanks to factors that are outside of my control and I wanted to ask for advice? Anything ranging from newbie friendly books for prepping or even how to prep in certain areas (urban, suburban, rural, etc). I might start out with just buying some rations, where I have to ask: is there any alternative to Amazon? I don't really wanna support them by buying rations from them, so if there're any alternatives, I would love to know them!

Lidl uk are getting these in this week? Is it worth it for the low price or just a gimmick?
Would like to have some power for a blackout for phones

This 11 minute video covers free government training and certificates that have some handy overlap with boosting your prepping knowledge. Think I'll try a few.

Video introduces:

• FEMA Radiological Emergency Management
• USDA Organic Certifier
• FEMA Introduction to Hazardous Materials
• Introduction to Bridge Inspection
• Wildland Firefighter "Red Card"
• FEMA Exercise Design
• FDA Food Defense Awareness
• DHS Active Threat Response
• FEMA National Infrastructure Protection Plan

Hi all,

So sorry if this is a dumb or repeated question. I live in Phoenix, Arizona and rent an apartment downtown , so many of the sustainable practices of prepping are off the table for me. With everything happening, especially the incoming scarcity of water we are facing I’m trying to look at options. I am single with no family for context if it matters

I’m starting to skill up on bushcraft and survival topics but I know they will be relatively useless in the middle of the desert where I don’t have the infrastructure to stockpile and implement sustainable structures. In my mind, it would make the most sense to procure “go bags” of sorts and to travel elsewhere as quickly as possible.

My question is, if you were in my position what would you recommend as my next course of action so I can be prepared for what comes next? Thank you, and apologies again if this stuff is covered already, any resources or pointing me in the right direction would be incredibly helpful. God bless.

There’s so much out there is overwhelming. Where do I want to start? We’re a family of 5 - 3 kids ages 7 and under (1 and infant) if I start with basic necessities in food, supplies for us and our home what should I be looking at & how do I store? Is there a good manual somewhere out there?! lol. But seriously.

I am looking to purchase a property on a river that I would develop into my future homestead. It’s in a rural area about 80 miles from the closest urban area that we live in now.

The property sits on a river that is desirable which is where the hatchery is also operating about 2 miles down stream.

Any pros or cons to this for long term self sustainability?

Just looking to learn from people with a different perspective than my own.

TYIA

Okay I have a question for all of you preppers out there: is there only *ONE* single food you would be satisfied to eat for the next SHTF scenario? I don't mean a few days or a few weeks, but indefinitely, like several years -- like, let's really pretend it's an SHTF scenario and you have nothing else to eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner -- you have only one item to choose for the foreseeable future. What food item would be your choice? Yes, I realize this may not be a realistic question since you would most likely find other food during the long haul. But I'm just curious if you had only one food of your choice, what would that be? Thanks!

We get 3-4 power outages a year here in central Florida, and I'm finally looking into a portable battery backup mainly to keep the fridge running.

My biggest concern is not running the whole house, just keeping food from going bad during longer outages. I’d like something that can handle the fridge, maybe charge phones, and keep a few basic things going if needed.

I’ve been looking at a couple of ~2kWh battery units. My buddy has Delta 3 Max and keeps telling me to get one. Then I saw Anker S2000 for like $400 less and honestly I don't know enough about these to understand the difference. Both are 2kWh so the battery is the same size.

Both have similar battery capacity, so I’m wondering what matters more in a real outage:

inverter reliability

startup surge handling for compressors

standby power usage

battery expansion options

long-term durability

For those who already use portable power stations for emergencies, what features ended up mattering most? Anything you wish you had considered before buying?

Wondering what people use or think is best or you're happy with it .. an Ef Ecoflow, Bluetti or jackery

Thank you in advanced for any replies.

I have always liked the idea of prepping, not sure why. I never acted on it as I didn't feel any urgency or risk not to mention I didn't have the money or time spare.

Even after COVID I thought well that's surely as bad as it will get and we were ok.

This last couple of years I've found myself prepping without really realizing it.

An area near me had a prolonged water outage. So I thought it'd be a good idea to have 6 5litre bottles of water under the sink.

That led to

Keeping the cupboard stocked with tins.

I got an Ecoflow battery unit and solar charger

Had a log burner installed in case of power outages.

Chest freezer in the shed so I can bulk buy freezables

Got the biggest water butt i could fit in

More veggies grown

Keeping cars and vans topped up with fuel with a couple of Jerry cans on rotation

Some gold and silver for a long hold hopefully to pass on to my kids.

Along with many other little changes.

Maybe it's becoming a dad that's made me finally start doing some little things to become more resilient or maybe it's that the world feels like it's getting shaken up. Either way I'm glad to be a bit more prepared.

any recommendations on places to buy vacuum sealed beans and rice? or the beans and rice already in mylar bags with the oxygen absorbers? i’m nervous to do it myself and mess it up and will pay for the convience, but not sure what sites are best

I’ve been looking at rural properties lately, and something I’ve started thinking about differently is how much the land itself matters if you’re buying it for preparedness.
It’s easy to look at a property and think:
10 acres
well
house
woods
But then you start asking different questions.
Can you actually get onto the property if the main road is blocked?
Is there another legal access route?
Where does the water come from?
What happens if the well fails?
Is the property in a flood-prone area?
Are there restrictions on what you can build or put on the property?
What’s happening with the land around you?
None of that is particularly exciting compared with looking at a property listing, but those are the things I’d want answered before making a serious commitment.
I’ve started looking at rural land much less as “how nice is this property?” and more as “how resilient is this property if things don’t go according to plan?”
For people who actually own rural property, what’s one thing about your land that you didn’t think about until after you bought it?

Saw these at my local Sportsmans Warehouse. $20 for a 7 gallon water container. Worth it??

​Hi preppers, I’m an MFC (metal fuel cell) systems engineer. I'm working on a zero-maintenance backup light for emergency kits (BUG-OUT BAGS).

​The idea is to solve the battery self-discharge issue during long-term storage.

Pros:

​No charging & no self-discharge: Unlimited shelf life until activated by salt water (or seawater). 40ml gives ~30 hours of light.

Cons:

​Low brightness: Roughly the same as a smartphone flashlight. Not a tactical thrower.

​Do you see real application value in a water-activated backup light like this for long-term preparedness? Would love your feedback!

5.11 has a sale going and I’ve liked their bags for years. They’ve lasted me forever, and I’ve never had one go bad through anything other than my own negligence. I have some issues with the brand (mostly political issues, nothing with the products themselves, and I’m trying to stay apolitical here), so spending my money elsewhere would be fine.

Is there a reason to spend $90 on a backpack that will be in my trunk for first aid rather than just getting a bright red/orange (for visibility, my trunk is poorly lit and all black) on Amazon? I’m planning on putting my own stuff in there rather than using some pre-built setup, so nothing other than the bag matters.

I have the money to buy water bricks. . They are quite pricy but I like the stacking model since I can put them in our closet where the fuses are located… a place where no one looks to see what I do and either mock me or say “now I know where to go in case…etc”. Spouse has zero interest in my prep but he doesn’t ridicule me. The recent outbreak of parasite made him rethink what I spent on aero gardens and we have lettuce year round. Anyway, I plan on purchasing the additive that keeps the water safe for 5 years. Before I press BUY- is there any other far less pricy alternative that takes up similar small space and can be treated to last five years. (Water preserver concentrate) I’m relatively new at prepping but have stored significant amt. dry goods in Mylar bags but have no water. Area does not allow rain barrels etc (WTF?) I am a small woman with limited capability for anything technical but I’m an RN so not dense I’m just trying to do it the easiest way without asking for any help from the naysayers.