The Complete Beginner's Guide to Prepping
Why Start Prepping?
Prepping isn't about building a bunker or hoarding supplies for the apocalypse. It's about being ready for the disruptions that actually happen — power outages, job loss, severe weather, supply chain issues, and medical emergencies.
The average American household has less than 3 days of food and water on hand. That's not preparedness — that's one storm away from a crisis.
Step 1: Assess Your Risks
Before you buy anything, think about what you're actually preparing for. Your risk profile depends on where you live:
- Coastal areas: Hurricanes, flooding, storm surge
- Midwest: Tornadoes, ice storms, extreme cold
- Urban: Civil unrest, infrastructure failure, supply disruptions
- Rural: Isolation, longer emergency response times
- Everywhere: Job loss, economic downturn, pandemics, power grid failure
Write down your top 5 most likely scenarios. This focuses your prep and prevents wasted money.
Step 2: Water First — Always
You can survive weeks without food but only about 3 days without water. Your first prep should always be water:
- Store: 1 gallon per person per day, minimum 2-week supply
- Filter: Get a quality gravity or pump filter (Sawyer, Berkey, LifeStraw)
- Purify: Keep purification tablets and learn to boil water safely
- Collect: Set up rain barrels if local laws allow
A family of four needs a minimum of 56 gallons stored. Start with a few cases of bottled water and build from there.
Step 3: Build a 2-Week Food Supply
Don't start with freeze-dried meals that cost a fortune. Start with what you already eat:
- Canned goods: Soups, vegetables, beans, meats, fruits
- Dry staples: Rice, pasta, oats, flour, sugar, salt
- Proteins: Peanut butter, canned tuna/chicken, jerky
- Comfort foods: Coffee, tea, chocolate, spices
Buy a little extra each grocery trip. Rotate stock by eating oldest first (FIFO — First In, First Out). Within a month, you'll have a solid 2-week supply without spending extra.
Step 4: First Aid Kit
A good first aid kit goes beyond band-aids. Build one that handles real emergencies:
- Trauma shears, tourniquet (CAT or SOFTT-W), Israeli bandage
- Gauze, medical tape, butterfly closures
- Antibiotic ointment, antiseptic wipes, burn gel
- Pain relievers (ibuprofen, acetaminophen), antihistamines
- Prescription medications (30-day extra supply if possible)
- First aid manual
Take a Stop the Bleed class or basic first aid/CPR course. Gear without knowledge is just expensive clutter.
Step 5: Emergency Communication Plan
When cell towers go down, how does your family reconnect?
- Meeting points: Designate a primary and secondary rally point
- Out-of-area contact: Pick one person everyone calls to check in
- Radios: Baofeng UV-5R or similar HAM radio (get your technician license)
- Paper copies: Print maps, phone numbers, and addresses
Practice your plan at least once a year. A plan nobody knows is no plan at all.
Step 6: Financial Buffer
An emergency fund IS prepping. Financial disruptions are the most common emergency:
- Start with $1,000 cash emergency fund
- Build to 3–6 months of expenses
- Keep some cash at home in small bills ($1s, $5s, $20s)
- Consider keeping some in precious metals as a hedge
Step 7: Build Your Skills
Gear breaks. Supplies run out. Skills last forever:
- Fire starting (multiple methods)
- Basic navigation (map and compass)
- Food preservation (canning, dehydrating, smoking)
- Basic home repair and off-grid power
- Gardening and seed saving
- Self-defense fundamentals
The 1-2-3 Rule
Start simple and scale:
- 1 week of supplies — covers 95% of emergencies
- 2 weeks of supplies — covers major disasters
- 3 months of skills development — makes you resilient for anything
Don't try to prep for doomsday on day one. Build consistently, learn constantly, and evolve your readiness over time. That's the Prepper Evolution way.