A Beginners Guide To Prepping

If you haven’t already heard the term ‘prepping’, then let us explain it to you in a little more detail.

10:55 16 February 2021

Quite simply put, it is the practice of being ‘prepared’. Preppers, refers to the growing number of people globally who have taken to the art of prepping to help them cope with and be prepared for a potential disaster or emergency.

 

Now the idea of what constitutes such disaster or emergency is completely subjective. Some may want to just have a little nest egg built up for if they were to lose their job or accommodation. However, prepping typically refers to those who prepare for major global emergencies and disasters - the sort of event that might change the world as we know it.

 

If you’re thinking of getting into prepping, or even just like the idea of having a stash of useful products/equipment just in case of an emergency, then where should you start?

 

We’re going to outline a simple beginners guide to items you might want to consider stashing away to begin your prepping journey. These are just guidelines, and depending on what sort of event you’re prepping for, your list may be slightly different. But this will provide a great starting point to get you on your way.

 

1. Liquids

 

When it comes to stashing liquids away in your store cupboard, there’s only one real contender: still water! It’s essential to store as much water as you have room for. Afterall, while the human body can function for a fair amount of time without food, our bodies are made up of 60% of water, so can only live roughly 3-4 days without it. Many guides suggest a gallon per person, per day - so bear in mind how long you’re planning for your stash to last.

 

1. Safety Equipment

 

If you’re prepping for disaster scale circumstances, then it might be a good idea to consider stashing away some safety equipment such as PPE. You don’t need to go crazy, but as a minimum we’d suggest some heavy duty gloves, some disposable gloves, and a respirator face mask.

 

1. Tinned and Dried Foods

 

Luckily tinned foods come in such a wide variety nowadays, you’ll be able to stockpile a wide range of foods which will make maintaining a balanced diet when surviving off your stash quite manageable. We’d recommend stocking up on tinned fruits and vegetables to provide you with plenty of much needed vitamins and minerals, the fact that they’re often tinned in water is an added benefit too. Tinned beans, pulses and lentils are also a great option as they’re incredibly filling as well as nutritious. Dried pastas and rice are also ideal for stockpiling.

 

1. First Aid Kit

 

As you can never be sure what exactly you might need to prepare for in a disaster scale event, it’s better to be safe than sorry with what you device to prep. Which is why putting together a selection of basic first aid essentials is key. We’d recommend a small supply of bandages, medical tape or safety pins, a stash of paracetamol, a box of nitrile gloves, a thermometer, eye drops, a variation of different size plasters, tweezers, alcohol wipes, savlon cream, and it’s useful to store a reference guide with your medical equipment, so you know how to successfully administer first aid in an emergency.

 

We hope you’ve found this guide to getting into prepping useful, it can be really tough knowing where to start and which items are actually ‘essentials’. Good luck on your journey to prepping!