Top 10 Mistakes You Always Make As a Prepper

With the onslaught of natural disasters in different parts of the world and the constant threat of war in our midst, it’s no surprise that there are people who decided to change their lifestyle to a survivalist mode. According to this report, there’s an estimated three million preppers in the U.S. alone, and the number is rising. Check out the TV show Doomsday Preppers on National Geographic and it will pretty much give you an idea how the movement has caught on to preparedness trends. Entrepreneurs are cashing in on the preparedness trend, selling every item imaginable that people may need when doomsday comes. Many preparedness guides have been written on the subject. But while there’s abundance of resources available on the importance of prepping and how to do it properly, there are still preppers that commit costly mistakes, which should be corrected if people really want to be prepared for whatever disaster that comes their way. Rules that can save your life. Photo by US Army Africa via Flickr, Creative Commons  How you prepare for disaster determines your chances for survival when doomsday comes. Take a look at some of the common mistakes by preppers and how to solve them.  

1. Panicking

You can’t think clearly if you’re in panic mode and obviously you need to have your wits together when preparing for disaster. Create an emergency plan that will cover all the bases. Keep in mind that you need different emergency plans for short-term and long-term disasters. A classic mistake here is panic buying. If you don’t know exactly how much food you need for a certain period of time, you will end up buying excessive amounts of food using cash that you can spend on other essential emergency items. Buying emergency items will definitely cost you so you need to structure your budget to make sure you can accommodate the expenses. Slash off unnecessary spending in order to free up your budget.

1. Blindly listening to experts

The experts know a lot, sure, but there are decisions that only you can make because you know what’s best for your family. Remember that there are “experts” who endorse a particular brand or type of item because they’re paid to do it. While it’s not wise to count out their advice, you should seek other feedback to help you make your decisions. For instance, you can turn to forums and other mediums of unbiased opinion to help you select the type of hiking boots you need.

1. Not evacuating at the right time

All the preparation in the world can’t save you if you get trapped in a place you’re supposed to escape from. A lot of people commit the mistake of not listening to the authorities when they are told to evacuate their homes and go somewhere safer. When it comes to evacuation, it’s better to be early than late – imagine the traffic buildup that can happen when majority of people try to leave the city at the same time. So when the authorities tell you to evacuate immediately, just pack your well-prepared supplies, take the car and go, no questions asked.

1. Not knowing how to use your gear

There are people who buy loads of emergency gadgets and tools who don’t actually take the time to learn how to use it. It’s a bad idea to fumble with tools during the time that you really need it. Emergency radios and compasses shouldn’t be that hard to use if you just make the effort to study how it works. Once in a while, take these items out of storage and check if they are still working. You may need to charge batteries and sharpen those blades. Having the right tools increases your survival rate. Photo by The Conmunity - Pop Culture Geek via Flickr, Creative Commons 

1. Not knowing how to store food

Imagine how heartbreaking it would be if all the food you worked hard to save up for will just rot and rendered inedible because of temperature, oxygen, pests, and time. When listing food that you plan to buy and store, make sure to learn how to store them as well. Know the types of food that can survive the common enemies of food storage.  

1. Keeping your plans to yourself

  When it comes to surviving disasters, you will need as much help as you can get. Doomsday planning is not the time to be anti-social. Try finding people that you trust in your community who share your enthusiasm when it comes to prepping. Nothing beats like-minded people planning and preparing together for impending disaster. Not only will you find someone who can share his supply with you in case yours run out, you also have someone whom you can exchange survival skills with.  

1. Buying cheap items

If you have survival in mind, then it’s time to invest in quality items. Flashlights, sleeping bags, tents, boots – these are the items that you should buy carefully. You don’t want your lights dying out on you in the middle of a dark tunnel. You don’t want your shoes giving out while you’re walking in rough terrain. Investing in quality means investing in your peace of mind so don’t stint on the cash.  

1. Ignoring the basic survival skills

Sure, you can easily start a fire by using your lighter or matches but what if you run out of supplies? Do you know how to build a fire without the convenience of modern tools? Do you know how to search for food in natural surroundings? What if you suddenly got looted out of your canned goods and you don’t have anything else to eat? These are only some of the essential skills that you should learn if you truly want to survive. Learn to survive even in the harshest conditions. Photo by The National Guard via Flickr, Creative Commons 

1. Not choosing tools carefully

When choosing tools, it’s best to go for multi-purpose ones. When you have to move out and move around with limited belongings, you don’t want useless or redundant stuff weighing you down. It’s best to be stuck with just one or two tools that can do all the practical stuff.

10. Talking to the wrong people

We’re talking about spreading your preparedness activities to people you can’t fully trust. While there are people who will help you in times of need, there are people who will just rob you off your stash when supplies run dry. These are people who fail to prepare enough or prepare completely and will depend on other people’s limited supply.   Avoiding these prepping mistakes is necessary in order to ensure survival when disaster strikes. Aside from having the right equipment (and knowledge to use it), basic survival skills that can help you in case supplies run out is needed to increase the chances of staying alive and well. Make use of the present time to prepare for disaster as best as you can so you can still hope for the best when doomsday sets in.