Over the years I have tried out a lot of gear meant for preppers and survivalists. When I first started out prepping, around 13-14 years ago there wasn’t a lot of gear specially made for preppers, but nowadays it seems that you can find anything with the title “tactical” attached to it, even a tactical toilet paper…
I have gotten a lot of emails regarding if do I recommend one product over another, so I have decided to make my own list of recommended gears. I will not write an in-depth review about these products, as these are fairly pointless in my opinion, most gear is so simple and you don’t need someone like me to try to convince you to buy it or not. Every prepper should have a personalized list of gear, which suits your own needs.
My personal recommendation, before you decide what item you would want to buy is to think how often will you use it and will it only benefit you or your entire family while bugging out. In addition to this make sure you have a budget for prepping, no point in buying some expensive bug out bag if you don’t have anything to put in it. Most new preppers will start with buying survival knives, flashlights and so on, but in my opinion, you should start first with covering your basic needs like food, water and shelter if you do not have these covered, you probably won’t even survive to use that new cool flashlight.
Just keep in mind that I am not claiming that these are the best products which you should use, mostly these are items which I personally own and use, except for some of the pre-built kits which I often build myself as it is a lot cheaper and coves my needs.
Gas mask
A lot of people will tell you that the first item which you need is a water filter, but what is the point of a water filter if you can not breathe air. My recommendation is to use a gas mask with a charcoal filter and which is ATSM certified Click here to check it out on Amazon.com
PS: No matter what gas mask you get, make sure that it has a full face cover.
Water filtering
There are 3 types of water filters which I recommend, without a bottle, with a bottle and one which is good for an entire family.
Water filters that do not actually have a bottle are good because they do not occupy a lot of space and if you are constantly near a water source than its grate for drinking directly. I have 3 of these, and not because they are so useful but because my kids are having a blast using it. On a more practical side, you should keep in mind that you will not be able to use these filters to cook and clean. Click here to check price on Amazon.com
Water filters with a bootle are grate because you also have a container that stores the water. I have a couple with a collapsible bottle, which occupies very little space when empty, although I couldn’t find it online so here is another alternative. Click here to check it out on Amazon.com. Just keep in mind that these are usually enough for the needs of only one person so if you are planning to travel then you should get a couple of them.
Water filters which are good for the entire family, these are the gravity-fed filters, fill them with water and just put it on a tree. Click here to check it out on Amazon.com
Food
Grab a couple of buckets of food, it is as simple as that, generally speaking, the ones which are made for emergency situations have a long shelf life Click here to check it out on Amazon.com
Corn is probably one of the best foods which have a long shelf life, you should always buy corn in bulk, just keep in mind that it is food graded, or else you will be eating animal feed Click here to check it out on Amazon.com
Spam, just keep in mind that spam is filled with salt, so you will be needing a lot of water digesting it Click here to check it out on Amazon.com
First aid kit
You will need at least one first aid kit, you can make these yourself but the premade kits have so much stuff in them that till you buy all that one by one it will take you a long time. Click here to check it out on Amazon.com
Power
You have two options on how to generate power, either with a generator or with a solar generator. Generators that rely on fuel will give you a lot more power, but hoarding all that extra fuel might be difficult. No matter what kind of generator you end up buying only look at the “rated watts” as this is its actual power output, most generators will have something called “peak watts” the problem with this that the generator only can keep up for a couple of minutes at the peak watts so it will be useless for you. Click here to check it out on Amazon.com
I use both solar panels and a generator for power as a backup, you will have some work with the initial setup of the solar panel, but after that, you will get power without moving a finger. One thing which most people tend to forget is to also geta battery where the power will be stored, without it you will have flickering lights almost constantly Click here to check it out on Amazon.com
Bug out bag
If you have the possibility to buy a military bag from a military surplus store than you should get that, if not then get this one Click here to check it out on Amazon.com
Fireproof bag
You will be needing a fireproof bag to store all your important documents, in addition to being fireproof these are also water-resistant Click here to check it out on Amazon.com
EMP Bag
You will be needing an EMP bag as this is where you will store your electrical devices Click here to check it out on Amazon.com
Shelter
In a bugout situation, sooner or later you will have to sleep outside, do not make the mistake of buying a backpacking tent as these will not shelter you from the cold, instead geta a tent which will insulate you even during the wintertime Click here to check it out on Amazon.com
If you have the skills to build a shelter for your entire family, then go ahead, if not then you should get a Yurt which should be big enough for your family Click here to check it out on Amazon.com
Flashlight
You can buy a tactical flashlight if you want, although I personally am not a fan of them, I use a simple hand-cranked flashlight Click here to check it out on Amazon.com
Fishing gear
Sooner or later you will have to find some way to hunt or to fish, even if you are ell equipped for hunting, you should still get a fishing kit which has everything you need for fishing, just as a backup plan Click here to check it out on Amazon.com
Seeds
You don’t have to set up a full farm in order to survive, just a couple of vegetables will do, although first, you should inform yourself what vegetables will grow in your area Click here to check it out on Amazon.com
Ham Radio
You will need a couple of HAM radios to get information about the SHTF situation and also to communicate Click here to check it out on Amazon.com
Final note
You will obviously need a lot more items than these depending on your needs. My recommendation is to also get some high-quality hiking clothes and even winter clothes if you live in a colder area of the country.
