Things You Can Learn from Camping That Will Make You a Better Prepper

Their are many things you can learn from camping that will make you better prepares. Nothing can replace the sheer teaching power of the experience. While you can read books upon books about camping and listen to friends that wax poetic about the bond between man and nature, only once you get a chance to test your survival skills in the wild – without electricity, a solid roof over your head, a flushable toilet and running water – will you get a chance to test your survival skills.

Every experienced camper will tell you that preparation is 60% of survival in the wild, so if you want to face the hardships of the wild head on, here are things you can learn from camping that will make you a better prepper

The Mechanics of Using Water

If you think that a tent is the most important piece of equipment to bring along for your camping trip, think again. If push comes to shove, you can always crash in your car, and while this is not exactly a coveted camping experience, it is functional. 

At the end of the day, the most important element in your camping setup is water. Ideally, you can bring several big plastic jugs and keep them nice and covered so they are protected from the sun. In addition, you can bring a portable fridge with bottles of cooled water, but the most eco-friendly practice would be to take a reusable bottle with you and just top it off from the jugs. 

Above all else, you need to ration your water since you also have to use it for washing dishes, equipment and, well, yourself. A prolonged camping trip will inevitably illustrate you just how difficult it is to store and ration water and prep you for whatever challenges come your way. 

Preparing a Meal

Initially, the idea of preparing a hot meal on your first camping trip might sound daunting; impossible even. However, preparing creative camping meals doesn’t require you to be a culinary expert and a survivalist all wrapped into one.  (Try my spam boxcars)

First of all, you should keep the meals as simple as possible, but make sure that they are nutritious. Beans come to mind in that case, and they are a perfect exemplar of both plain and nourishing. Second, do most of the preparation at home. The more effort you make in your kitchen, the more time you’ll have to relish in the wonders of nature. 

Keep in mind that meat, while delicious and appropriate for camping trips, is a bit messy to prep. While utensils and disposable plates are a must, do not forget to bring some basic cleaning supplies along, as well as wet wipes. 

Balancing Weight and Usefulness

Initially, you will either underpack or overpack – it is unavoidable. Supplies are heavy and you will learn this the hard way if you decide to go backpacking for your camping trip. The experience might encourage you to pack light next time, but this is far from true. 

Remember – it’s always better to drag along too much than to have too little. However, this will also show you that you should venture out on camping trips more frequently and, through trial and error, learn how to achieve your own balance of weight when it comes to equipment. 

Wilderness Survival

A camping trip can be a perfect opportunity to learn how to live off the land. First of all, you need to learn as much as you can about the biome you are about to ‘brave’. Fishing, hunting, and gathering edible fruits can be an excellent way to ‘stretch’ your supplies. Your ability to discern an edible mushroom from a poisonous one can become an invaluable trait during the times of crisis

This is why, apart from camping, you should take extra time to learn how to fish, hunt and tend a makeshift garden. 

How to Keep Clean

It has already been mentioned that sanitation can present an issue, depending on the sheer amount of water you’ve managed to pack into the trunk of your car. 

However, this is not where those problems end. The question of sanitation should be addressed and taken care of from day one; the last thing you need is to wait for the battery of problems to emerge. Sanitation wipes and disinfection gels go a long way, and they usually don’t take too much space. 

Finally, if you find yourself in a situation that you need to take care of personal hygiene while you are in the midst of nature, you should find the nearest body of water. Running water is preferable to stale, and then you should go as far upstream as you possibly can before you find a spot to clean yourself up. 

Conclusion

Camping trips are primarily a wonderful way to savor the natural splendor and reconnect with the rhythm of nature. However, this is not the only wonderful revelation that such an outing can grant you. It can also prepare you for a variety of inconvenient situations, simply because camping requires you to be resourceful and self-reliant. All and all, it is an incredible experience that will transform the way you look at many conveniences which we typically take for granted in life.

7 Affordable Gifts You Can Get Your Prepper for Christmas

christmasLooking for unique prepper stocking stuffers?

If you’re after regular gift options you can find everywhere else, this may not be the gift idea list for you.

You won’t find pocket knives, paracord bracelets, waterproof matches, or flashlights here.

About this time of year, there’s an innate desire within us to gift something unique.

Perhaps, something you haven’t thought of before.

Hopefully, we can help inspire you with some new gift ideas that your prepper can add to their arsenal.

Toilet Paper Tablets

When we first saw these, we couldn’t have been more excited to share them as a gift idea.  They’re cheap, small, chemical-free, and they’re simply brilliant.

  • Add water
  • It expands
  • Open it up
  • It dries

You instantly have emergency toilet paper, a make-shift diaper, or even a fire starter.

They’re perfect for disaster situations, hunting, camping, the bug-out bag, etc.  It might be a good time to upgrade your survival kits with these convenient, space-saving tablets and leave the toilet rolls for the bathroom.

Adventure Medical Advanced Clotting Sponges

The thing about preppers, they prep for everything as much as possible, and this includes medical supplies.  These newly, redesigned sponges have moved away from using exposed powder on wounds to using a hemostatic sponge that holds zeolite beads.

The idea is to soak up water molecules from blood and leave behind blood platelets and plasma that work to clot the wound up to three times faster than the body’s natural process alone.  Beef up your prepper’s medical supplies with the latest life-saving supplies while sticking to your budget.

Game Stockpile

Sometimes we get too distracted by the physical priorities of prepping that we may neglect supplies that help to ensure our mental and emotional survival.  If you have the space or just a bookshelf to spare, make room for some games.

Survival-themed games and cards are plenty.  But, I can tell you from experience, you can quickly fill this available space with cheap options from a thrift store with board and card games, coloring books for both kids and adults, and vintage classic toys like Legos and blocks.  $20 can go a long way when you’re stretching the dollar while building your stockpile.

Traction Cleats

This is another space-saving and convenient supply to add to your list of stocking stuffers.

The thing about emergency situations is you can never be quite sure where you’ll be when it will happen, or where you’ll find yourself.

Traction cleats will help give your prepper a sense of security of sure footedness.  Accidents, trips, and falls can quickly change a situation from bad to worse and then life-threatening.

Equipping your mobility with a sense of security may make all the difference in an emergency.

Gun Magnets

If your prepper has an arsenal of firearms, you may want to consider gun magnet mounts.  Hidden gun compartments and shelves can get expensive if you’re not particularly handy with tools, although we’re sure you can figure it out how to build one yourself.

For an instant fix to hiding your firearms in places that provide quick access, a gun magnet set is definitely a unique gift idea.  Here is a list of unique presents for a gun lover you might want to look over as well.

Binoculars

We all know optics play an important role in being prepared for your survival in many different scenarios.  So, I don’t think we need to get too much into its benefits here.

Also, it doesn’t mean you have to spend hundreds of dollars to land a quality bino for your prepper.

You can spend less than $100 and still see brand name manufacturers like Nikon, Vortex, and Celestron.

However, these gift ideas aren’t just for the prepper, these are some unique gift ideas for the hunter as well.

Bonus: Honorable Gift Mention

Berkey Water Filter

Okay, so this gift idea isn’t technically on the affordable end of the spectrum, but it’s so deserving of a mention.  A Berkey water filter is an excellent gift because it can be used for everyday use and not just for when the SHTF.

How would I know?  I have one.  It sits on the counter, and it provides peace of mind knowing that it’ll be there to provide some of the cleanest drinking water not only for prepper situations, but for everyday life.  Granted, filters may be considered high-maintenance parts as Dave mentions here.

Having the Big or Royal Berkey may not be affordable at this point.  If you prefer to equip your prepper with some bug-out bag upgrades, the Sport and Go Berkey may be the “right-now” solution.

Alternative Gift Ideas

Sometimes, gifts for a prepper or a prepper family can go beyond a physical present.  Here are some ideas that can mean the world to that special person:

  • Offer to help your prepper on a special project. A lot of the time, prepping is time-consuming, and a lot of it is done alone.  Get the kids involved and build bug-out bags together, practice using your prepper gear, or spend a night without electricity and running water and improvise on what you can do in a real-time emergency.
  • Babysit for free for your prepper spouse, family, or friends. They may need some productive time to shop for or pick up supplies, work on a project, do some canning, or gardening.
  • Use your food storage. Baking goodies or cookies to give as a gift has been done for as long as humans have thought of others.  It gives you a chance to put your first-in-first-out method to use.  You can then refresh your stockpile once everything goes on sale after Christmas.

A Gift from the Heart

One of the most appreciated aspects of a prepper’s attitude is you can never have too much of anything.  Whether you’re gifting them another pack of MRE meals or another book on canning recipes, it’s always appreciated because extra knowledge and supplies never get old.

But, beyond that, a thoughtful gift has a lot more meaning than how much it costs.  Looking for a unique way to stretch the budget while giving something meaningful is a win-win.

Survival Mom

Book Review: Survival Mom
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I am a follower of Lisa Bedford’s blog, and was very excited to hear she had come out with a book.

This excitement was well founded because Survival Mom is a great book. As I mentioned in the video, I got this book for my lovely wife, who is very understanding, but who does not truly understand what prepping is, or why I spend so much time and energy doing it.

This book connects the dots between good parenting and prepping. It is accessible, entertaining, knowledgeable, and shows that preppers are not some paranoid group of gun nuts stroking their guns and waiting for the Apocalypse. Lisa is a normal, well adjusted lady that represents the VAST majority of preppers.

The very first item in the book is a quiz, and upon taking it my wife commented that it is time she learned a little more about what I do. That, it itself, is the strongest reason to buy this book.

If you are new to prepping, this is a great book to have, but if you are an old hand at it, you still can learn from this book. However, the real reason to buy this is to give it away to those loved ones that don’t really “get it”. Because this book is written in such a way to illuminate the need for basic disaster preparedness without intimidating the reader.

This is a great book, and Lisa has a great blog. If you are not already a reader of it, you should check it out.

The Prepper Next Door

Book Review: The Prepper Next Door
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When I got The Prepper Next Door in the mail, and opened it for the first time, I thought “Man that’s a lot of stuff”. After reading it I have to say, go with your gut, because this book does have a lot of information.

This book is jam packed with information, and has a reference section in the back that links to several well known prepper websites and YouTube Channels. I really appreciate it when authors give me ways to get more information, because if I liked the information they gave, and the way they have processed it, then it is pretty likely that I will find there references useful also.

The only problem I have with this book, an to be fair it may just be my preference for lists and bullet points, is that it reads like the author wrote from a long stream of consciousness session, where he just started talking about prepping and write it all down.

When you have as much information as Mr. Palmer has, then it is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is hard to go back and refresh yourself on topics covered or to find answers to specific problems.

Basically, in my opinion, this book has enough information to be a fine reference book, but it is not a reference book because of the difficulty in finding the information.

Don’t let that stop you from reading it though, because you will earn something in this book. The author has a lot of experience, and it shows.