There is a lot to think about when working on your prep kit and bug-out-bag. You have to worry about what you’re going to eat, where to sleep, what weather you should prepare for, if defense and safety is a concern, not to mention simple personal care items. Fortunately, we have come up with a couple techniques that will help you make sure you have everything you need when preparing for an emergency.
Consider each part of your body
One way to make sure that you’ve covered all your bases in your preparation is to make sure that you have every need covered for each part of your body. Then you can think of what you’ll need to protect your body as a whole.
Here are some suggestions, although you may want some more specific items.
- Hair: Hat, brush or comb, hair product you might need
- Face: Razor, glasses or contacts, other toiletries
- Mouth: Food, food prep, food aquisition, water, water purification, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.
- Torso: Clothes, jacket
- Waistline: Tools, knife, flashlight, compass
- Hands: Work gloves, warm gloves
- Legs: Sturdy pants, warm pants
- Feet: Warm socks, sturdy shoes
Think about essentials for heat, shelter, and safety
Once you have everything you need to take care of your body, think about taking care of survival essentials: heat, shelter, and safety.
- Heat: Make sure you have a way to cut wood and something to start a fire with
- Shelter: Tent, specific shelter location, sleeping bag and pad
- Safety: Sidearm, hunting or defense weapon, ammo, first-aid kit.
Notice what you use on a regular basis
Another way you can make sure you have everything you need is by going throughout your week as usual and making a note of everything that you use on a regular basis. Once the week is up, sit down and figure out how you would satisfy all of those needs in a survival situation.
These exercises will help you figure out most everything you need in a survival situation. It will also give you a good way of organizing your acquisition of these various items. Check out Prepper’s Base for more tips on prepping efficiently.