Are Hand Crank Chargers Better than Solar Chargers?

Compared to bygone eras you don’t have to work too hard to convince most preppers to include electronic devices of all kinds in their survival plan. This is largely due to the availability and affordability of portable, completely self-contained off-grid sources of power. Two of the most popular are solar and hand-cranked chargers, with an … Read more

20 Quirky Survival Items that Might Save Your Life

floss

Most preppers who have spent any amount of time amassing the skills and gear they will need to take on a survival situation, or tackle apocalyptic conditions are familiar with the bread-and-butter items needed for the task: Food, tent, water filter, bush knife, etc. These are the items that most typically think of when considering … Read more

10 Survival Items to Score at the Goodwill Store

goodwill store logo

There’s plenty of gear to buy when you are getting prepared for a survival situation. While it is bad to rely too much on gear and equipment, it is just as bad to depend on skill and improvisation alone. Having the right tools for the job is going to make any task easier, and this … Read more

10 Comfort Items to Make SHTF Survival Bearable

candy

Many discussions revolving around survival supplies are focused on efficiency, finding something that can do the job better, do it lighter and do it longer, or finding multi-purpose solutions that can radically reduce the amount of room or carrying capacity you must devote to your supply cache. This is definitely a smart approach most of … Read more

7 Survival Items You’ll Regret Buying

Prepping is more about skills and mindset than equipment and supplies, but there is no arguing that having the right equipment and the right supplies will go a long way toward helping you survive any sort of crisis or disaster. It is also true that many preppers naturally gravitate towards the “geardo” side of the … Read more

10 Survival Items that Will Fly Off Shelves When the SHTF

Most of our readers will definitely fall more on the prepared end of the spectrum than your average citizen. And it is unfortunate, then, that these average citizens that will place such a terrible strain on supply lines when a sudden and unfortunate SHTF situation strikes society. The shelves of every store will be stripped … Read more

Pepper Spray – Can You Store it In Your Car?

Pepper spray is a popular and commonly employed self-defense implement that is equally effective as a less-lethal option for those who carry a firearm or as a primary defensive weapon for those who are not comfortable or permitted guns. Pepper spray is legal to own and carry almost everywhere, and is extremely prolific throughout the … Read more

10 Survival Items You Completely Forgot About

survival items

Holistic preparedness is equal parts skill-building and material preparation. If you have been prepping for any length of time, you have no doubt acquired a fair bit of gear already, and probably have a laundry list of more gear and additional provisions that you have yet to obtain. No matter which way you slice it, … Read more

How Long Can You Run a Generator?

Generators are a common fixture in prepping and elsewhere in society wherever you’ll find a need for electricity regardless of a lack of power infrastructure, or a temporary disruption in an existing grid. Whenever you lose power due to bad weather, a prolonged grid-down situation, or even the toppling of society in general, you’ll be … Read more

3 Ways to Remove Rust from a Pocket Knife

pocket knife

If you carry a knife and use it, chances are it’s going to start getting a little rust to go along with the character marks. A pocket knife or a belt knife makes no difference: From hunting, from countless chores, from getting wet, getting drenched in sweat or just extended forays into misty and rainy … Read more

Question: How Far Can a Slingshot Shoot?

Slingshots are weapons that have been around a long time, and they are still used today for recreation, small game hunting and, in some rare cases, even self-defense or other special-purpose tasks. Compared to the simple slingshots crafted by mankind in eras past, modern slingshots might as well have been designed by NASA. Instead of … Read more

Why You Still Need a Bug-Out Bag Even if You Bug In

green backpack with two water bottles in side pockets

Unless you are a complete newbie to prepping, you are probably familiar with the concept of the bug out bag, seemingly every prepper’s favorite piece of equipment. You can think of a bug-out bag as your survival parachute, a survival scuba tank if you will, representing that one prep that will let you survive an … Read more

How to Make a Blackout Kit

blackout kit

Cities of steel and concrete are testaments to mankind’s ingenuity. We take a lot for granted today, including the internet, our motor vehicles, indoor plumbing and sewage, running water and more. These are far more than niceties; these public utilities and advanced technologies are what make modern life so luxurious and indeed possible. What you … Read more

How Strong Paracord Really Is

Paracord

Paracord is one of those items that you’ll never see a prepper without. This incredibly versatile, super handy cordage is known for rot resistance, flexibility, and tremendous strength out of all proportion with its diameter. Paracord is useful for just about everything: you can easily pitch a tent with it, hang a hammock, use it … Read more

10 Clever Upgrades for Your Bug Out Bag

green backpack with two water bottles in side pockets

Any piece of equipment, no matter what it is, no matter how good it might be, is just a starting point. Somehow, someway, it can always be improved. Maybe you spent a lot on a particular piece of gear, or maybe you just spent a little bit. With most things you get what you pay … Read more

51 EMP-Proof Tools and Items to Stockpile

tools

An EMP places pretty high on most preppers list of theoretically possible mega-disasters. A man-made or naturally occurring electromagnetic pulse can conceivably crash or destroy the vast majority of electronics or the power grid in the blink of an eye. Anything with a circuit board is vulnerable, as is anything with a computer chip and … Read more

15 Bug Out Bag Mistakes to Avoid Like the Plague

bug out bag and firearm

Virtually every prepper has a bug-out bag, a BOB, that great, big backpack or rucksack that holds all of the survival goodies you will need to weather the storm when a disaster sends you fleeing into the wild blue yonder. If you don’t have a BOB, I hope you put yours together soon, and at … Read more

Don’t Be Cheap – Get These 7 Quality Survival Items

summer backpacking gear

Every prepper knows that having the right survival gear can spell the difference between living to see another sunrise, and embracing oblivion during a SHTF situation. Having the right tool for the job can help you turn big problems into minor inconveniences. Lacking the right tools and supplies may see a comparatively minor problem turn … Read more

How Much Range Can You Get From a Ham Radio?

The expected effective range of ham radio is a subject that is constantly talked about but poorly understood among many preppers not specialized in radio communication skills. For all but the shortest-ranged line-of-sight broadcasts there are many factors that will affect the range of your transmissions, and knowing what to expect within a given set … Read more

Top 10 Urban Survival Kit Items You Should Have

Altoids tin urban survival kit with lighter cash band-aids and more

Most survival priorities apply in any kind of environment you happen to be in. You’ll always need shelter, you always need food, water and a way to protect yourself. Urban environments offer their own share of challenges, and many of them are the equal of some of the most hostile natural environments on Earth. The … Read more

So, How Does a Rocket Stove Work?

deadwood rocket stove

I’ll go on and bet if you’ve got any friends that are heavy into hiking, camping or homesteading you have heard then go on and on at length about rocket stoves, the new marvels of efficient cooking and heating. Well, got a little spoiler for you: they aren’t new, but boy, oh boy are they … Read more

Prepper Christmas Guide – Survival and Self-Reliance Gifts for Everyone

gifts

Prepper Christmas gifts comes in as many shapes, sizes, and types as the survivalists who will use and cherish them. Our prepping holiday wish list includes gift ideas for everyone on your Christmas shopping list – no matter their age, self-reliance level, or even the degree of reluctance, they have shown to embrace the preparedness … Read more

How to Put Together The Ultimate Bug Out Bag

a green MOLLE backpack

Disasters, both natural and man made are becoming more and more frequent in our world today. If you woke up in the middle of the night to find yourself in a situation where you needed to leave your home within minutes, would you be prepared to do so? Or would you run around the house … Read more