So you may be starting to begin prepping for survival and are asking yourself where and how to begin prepping.
If you are new to the survival and prepping world, then I want to welcome you!
You have made a step in the right direction!
We all have to start somewhere.
I started my prepping journey by building up my pantry essentials and gathering supplies for my survival kit.
After a lot of research, I now know how to properly store food and have many other survival skills that can come in handy in the future.
I created this post for those of you who are new in your prepping journey and those who may be well into their survival preparations but are making sure they have several areas covered.
What Does It Mean To Be Prepping for Survival?
Prepping for survival means that you are preparing to be sustained during a disaster where ‘normal’ life and access to resources are not possible.
Prepping is the action or process of preparing something or preparing FOR something.
The term “prepping” often refers to the act of preparing oneself for life during and after an apocalyptic event.
Prepping allows you to safely hunker down in your home or grab your items and be ready to survive on the go.
Most people are reliant on services and goods that can easily get held up. We assume that these services such as access to a grocery store or having a power source will always be there for us, yet what would you do if you had to provide these services for yourself even for a short period of time?
When prepping for survival you first need to consider what are you preparing for?
Are you prepping for a natural disaster, and if so what are the most common types in your area?
Are you preparing for an economic collapse, war, a lockdown, or civil unrest?
Whatever you are preparing for, here are a few areas to begin your prepping for survival journey.
Survival Kit
One area to begin your prepping journey is to build your survival kit. These are often also referred to as go-bag, emergency kits, or Bug Out Bags.
A survival kit includes the essentials to be able to grab the survival kit and be on the go.
This is one of the most important steps you should take to get prepared.
These kits and bags serve as your ‘I need to leave my house in a moment’s notice’, and already include useful things to be able to assist you in surviving as you head to your destination.
There is no such thing as an ultimate list for a survival kit or bag because needs change for everyone. For example, someone who has children would need specific items compared to someone who does not have any children.
Some essentials to include in your survival bag or kit include
- Nonperishable food
- Firestarter
- Change of clothes that are climate-appropriate
- Emergency shelter
- First aid kit
- Toiletries
- Weapon or multitool
To read more about essentials to include in your survival kit, check out my Survival Gear Equipment List which includes 10 items to have in your kit.
As you begin to purchase all of these items, be sure to securely pack them into your bag and store them in an easy-to-access location.
Make sure you have a survival kit or bag for each member of your family!
Water Purification
Another area to focus on as you begin your prepping for survival is where you plan on getting drinkable water from.
There are a good deal of water purification options out there. Here are a few ways to prepare for clean drinking water.
Berkey Water Filtration System
The Berkey Water filtration system is ideal if you plan on hunkering down in your home. This system purifies your water and makes it drinkable.
It has a POWERFUL purification system and is a long-lasting water purification system.
This system purifies both treated water and untreated raw water from such sources as remote lakes, streams, or stagnant ponds.
You can learn more and get your own Berkey by going here.
It can purify up to 4 gallons of water per hour.
I personally like the Berkey because it is useful now to purify my tap water and I can bring this with me on camping trips.
Drinking Filter Straws
Drinking Filter Straw is a great addition to your survival kit.
These pocket-sized filters are a great way to have access to water wherever you are!
Learn more about the benefits of drinking filter straws by reading my Drinking Straw Filter post.
Water Bottles
You can also buy water bottles or gallons of water and store them for future use. A downside to this option is that after being stored for a while the plastic begins breaking down and the water begins to leak out. They also take up a lot of storage space.
Food Storage
Long term food storage is a baseline for those prepping for survival.
We all need food to survive. It is one of our basic needs. 
I suggest you begin by purchasing a few non-perishable items that have a long shelf-life each time you go to the grocery store.
Some items I suggest beginning to purchase include
- Canned items (vegetables, meat, beans, fruits)
- Various nuts
- Jerky
- Preserved items such as pickles.
(read more about food essentials here)
Learn how to cook with simpler ingredients and without power.
I highly suggest buying some seeds and learning how to garden. Not only will you have tasty produce, but will also be self-sufficient. You can read more about survival seeds on my Thriving Gardens post.
Another thing to consider is learning how to properly store your food. By using specific buckets, seals, and materials you can increase the shelf life of your items.
Skills
There are SO many skills you can learn that can be beneficial in survival and disaster situations.
Here are a few skills to consider learning and practicing.
- Gardening
- Cooking from Scratch
- Plant Identification
- First Aid
- Sewing, crocheting, and knitting
- Self Defense
- Fishing
- Wood working
Once you decide which skills you want to learn I suggest researching and practicing them often!
Happy Prepping!
Were you ready for this pandemic? If you begin prepping for survival now, you will continue to be able to support yourself through this pandemic and as other situations arise.
There are many levels of prepping for survival.
You can prepare for a long term catastrophe or off the grid preparation.
You can prepare for basics such as the grocery store being out of stock of a lot of items.
Find what level of comfort for your prepping for survival you are at and begin your preparations accordingly.
Where are you at in your prepping journey?
All the best,
Lily W.
Let's Stay Connected!
Ever since the global pandemic, prepping for survival has came across my mind many times. It is an essential skills to have. Thanks for sharing all these useful informations, I agree that we all have to start somewhere 🙂 What do you suggest is best for non perishable foods? Should water be in the bag as well. I saw this straw that clains to filter water but I still have a second thought if this straw is legit or not, the guy drank from the toilet! Have you tried this straw before?
Hey there!
I’m glad that you found this article useful. I believe the global pandemic has allowed for many people to reflect on their level of preparedness.
For nonperishables, I suggest canned goods, nuts, and jerky. My Essential Survival Food List goes into detail about what the best foods to purchase are.
You can always pack water bottles in your survival bag, but they can be heavy and once you drink the water, you are out of a filtered water source. I personally own a filtered water straw. I have used it when I was hiking and was able to drink straight out of a natural spring! It was very cool to be able to have filtered water on the go. I like the LifeStraw brand.
I wish you the best as you begin your prepping journey.
-Lily W.
Wow, cool. Great to see someone else doing this, I know we have all seen Doomsday Preppers, but I think more now than ever, people are starting to get the idea that this world is not far from taking a bad turn. Or already has, and being prepared is a must.
Great article, I love the life straw, Can these be used in all water types?
I also love the life straw. It can be used in any type of water from ponds to lakes to puddles. It filters out all harmful items and instantly makes the water drinkable. I have a more in-depth post about the life straws which you can feel free to read here.
What’s your stance on having stashing money, gold, or silver for emergencies? I wondering if I need to add this to my survival plan as well.
So glad to see gardening on here, as this is such an important tool for a lifetime of food. Do you have a stash of seeds as well? I plant plenty of edible plants around my house in case of food shortages, apple trees asparagus, and different types of berries.
I personally do not prefer stashing items such as money, gold, or silver. If I had to pick one I would probably go with silver rather than gold. Instead, I suggest stocking up on things that you can barter with in the future such as bullets, beans, and toiletries.
I do have a stash of seeds. I own the survival garden seeds and have begun saving seeds each time I harvest my own garden.
How long did it take you to grow your apple tree?
It is only the third year but I’m patient. Lol! I planted one last year and I got another one coming this spring. They all are bare-rooted trees.
Hello there! Wow, what a perfectly timed article! Just last year, we all experienced COVID-19 and there was a period where we were short on almost every supplies including food. It was during that experience that I really had to start thinking about survival and I knew that I was definitely not prepared. Fortunately, that food and supply shortage didn’t last too long and we were able to return to “almost” normal conditions within just a few months. Things were quickly restocked. But still, we can never predict what may come in the future so it would always be good to be prepared. Thanks for this!
You are welcome Mike! I know I was shocked to see empty grocery isles last year but was happy I was prepared. We never know if something like that could occur again.