(Official discussion) The Sane Prepper Mantra: Common sense rules for prepping

The PreparedStaff - July 25, 2017

Avoid common prepping mistakes and don’t waste money. Survival experts explain 10 common sense rules that should guide all of your decisions.

[See the full post at: The Sane Prepper Mantra: Common sense rules for prepping]

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Excellent post, I have bookmarked your page and will be checking out your other articles. Thank you for your organized information on so many topics. The gear reviews are very well thought out and i appreciate you recognizing that not everyone can afford the $300 water filter/ pump, even though it may technically be the “best”. Insights like that are much better IMO than just stating which is best and that you should just find a way to afford it. Common sense no bs reviews are becoming more rare as YouTube channels try to cater to sponsors. Once again, thank you for the time and effort you put into this blog.

On a side note, I am currently in the military and at my post in Colorado, twice a year we do a 25 mile ruck march at 6800 feet with 50-60lb rucks. It is not a pleasant experience for most soldiers, so when I see these BOB videos on youtube I can’t understand the massive amount of weight these people put in their bags. Once these basement preppers get outside and realize the woods/safety/refuge are more than 2-3 miles from their house, they are in for a rude awakening.

*edit: spelling

 

Thanks for the very kind words Nick! I agree with you, and those perspectives are a big part of why I started The Prepared. Yeah, the CO altitude will cripple most folk’s unrealistic plans pretty quickly. Even at sea level most people way overpack their bags.

Best of luck in your journey and hope to see you around here!

 

Over packing is not critical to consider if you are merely getting to point B from point A and plan on staying at point B. I am a 60+ SSG female whom retired after 30 plus years in 2013 with a 90% disability with the VA [70% with the military]. I still would carry as much as I could if it was a one-way trip. I was a Combat Medic and then a Heavy Wheeled Driver at Ft. Carson in the Army Reserves. While I would pack light if I were merely exercising or the threat was temporary but if your “bug out location” was some distance away weight would be balanced with how long it would take to get where you were going on your one-way trip away from danger vs what supplies you had where you were going.

I suppose one could build a two-wheeled rickshaw type equipment to carry the heavier load. Or if you were using a bike or recumbent trike then you could carry far heavier loads if needed, esp. if you had a motor on the bicycle. It’s all in what you are preparing for i.e. known or unknown general crisis events.

 

While there’s no single way to prep, we strongly encourage people to avoid overpacking and never to assume they’ll just be going from home to predetermined point B. That’s a common flaw in people’s preps because it makes too many assumptions / narrows the preps to not be as useful as they could or should be.

In terms of vehicles like a bike and trailer, sure, those are all viable supplements to a bug out. But you can’t depend on them — anything not strapped to your body is a bonus.

 

First of all, thank you and congratulations for a superior website on this subject.  Looking back, I just very gradually fell into a prepper lifestyle.  Growing up, my family bought 80 acres in a rural area where we spent most weekends.  The Cold War was raging, and the thought was that this might be a refuge if things got hot..  I went to college at the U of Arizona, in Tucson, and acquired a lifelong fascination with the outdoors, especially mountaineering and climbing., along with a life long interest in volunteer search and rescue.  I jointed the national Park Service after schooling – my first job was 50 miles from the nearest grocery store, so stocking up was an obvious strategy..  Dealing with unexpected events and emergencies was routine.

I liv now in Southern California – wild fire and earthquake country where prepping, even modestly, will pay dividends.  There are all sorts of zany, off the wall sites with questionable advice, so your sane attitude is really welcome