In an unpredictable world, preppers prepare not out of fear—but out of wisdom. Whether it’s a grid-down scenario, natural disaster, civil unrest, or total SHTF collapse, skills—not stuff—will keep you alive. So, what skills does a prepper actually need to not only survive, but thrive?

Here’s a breakdown of essential skills every serious prepper should master.

1. Water Procurement & Purification

Without clean water, you’re done in 3 days or less. Every prepper needs to know:

• How to locate natural water sources
• How to purify water using boiling, bleach, solar stills, or DIY filters
• How to build a Berkey-style water filter with basic supplies

2. Food Preservation & Foraging

After the store shelves are empty, food security becomes your #1 daily task.

• Canning, dehydrating, and fermenting
• Wild foraging (identify edible plants, berries, mushrooms)
• Small-scale gardening and permaculture
• Hunting, trapping, and fishing basics

3. Shelter Building & Home Fortification

Exposure kills fast. Shelter keeps you protected from both the elements and threats.

• How to build emergency shelters from tarps, debris, or local materials
• Insulation and waterproofing techniques
• Home defense strategies for urban, suburban, and rural settings

4. First Aid & Medical Care

You are the first responder. In a crisis, hospitals may be unavailable.

• CPR and trauma care (stop the bleed, burns, fractures)
• Herbal medicine and basic wound care
• Disease prevention and sanitation under grid-down conditions

5. Fire-Making

Fire is life. Warmth, cooking, sterilization—all depend on it.

• Ferro rod, flint and steel, solar fire, and friction fire skills
• Understanding tinder, kindling, and fuel types
• Fire safety and concealment techniques (low-smoke fires)

6. Navigation & Communication

When GPS is dead and cell towers are offline, you need backup.

• Compass and map reading
• Signaling and emergency comms (ham radio, CB, Morse code)
• Navigating by the sun and stars

7. Situational Awareness & Security

Knowledge is your first weapon.

• Gray man tactics
• Bug-out and bug-in plans
• Perimeter awareness and OPSEC (Operational Security)

8. Mechanical & DIY Repair Skills

You can’t rely on repairmen in a collapse. Be your own handyman.

• Basic carpentry and plumbing
• Vehicle maintenance and repair
• Off-grid power systems (solar, wind, generators)

9. Bartering & Community Skills

No man is an island in a long-term collapse.

• Bartering essentials and trade-value items
• Building mutual aid networks
• Negotiation and conflict de-escalation

10. Mental Toughness & Leadership

The greatest survival tool is between your ears.

• Adaptability, discipline, and endurance
• Decision-making under pressure
• Leading a group without panicking

Final Thoughts

Being a prepper isn’t about hoarding gear—it’s about building capability. The more skills you develop now, the less you’ll have to rely on uncertain resources when it matters most. Start with what you don’t know, and level up each month.

Remember: Skills weigh nothing, and they can’t be taken from you.

This is news to me, I did not know you could still buy it over the counter.
I will be carrying some when every i’m out doors in my First Aid kit.

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Disclamer:
I am not healthcare practitioner or provider. To the extent that any information is provided through this video, it is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute or substitute for medical advice or counseling, the practice of medicine including but not limited to psychiatry, psychology, psychotherapy or the provision of health care diagnosis or treatment, the creation of a physician-patient or clinical relationship, or an endorsement, a recommendation or a sponsorship of any third party product or service, agents, employees, consultants or service providers. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your health care provider promptly. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements available on this video have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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Making power lugs is easy and cheap.

Tarp-Tying Tips

If you have a tarp or space blanket, using rocks in the corners to tie into knots will make a much more stable shelter than will just weighing down the corners.

Everybody should know this simple trick. I don’t see why you could not use a digital watch and estimate the hands.

This is a simple solar water purifier That is easy and simple to make.

I dont know why you would not buy a real seal but anything is better then dead in an emergency.

In an emergency an improvised Occlusive Dressing can be a life saver. It’s best to have a real one in your kit. they run about 25 bucks.
and you could easily make out of plastic and tape. But I carry this and a cheap extra.

Buy candles here.

Candle clocks are one of the ways that ancient people attempted to use natural phenomenon to keep accurate record of the time during the day. They consist of a long thin candle, which is marked at even intervals. When the candle is lit it burns down at a relatively steady pace, and by keeping track of which mark the flame is at, you can get a rough estimate of how much time has passed since it was lit.
As for the timer you can use any weight even coins.

You could even use incense and a ruler. Heck smokers do this all the time. A cigarette is about 5 min.

I made this video back in 2012 the things that upsets peppers most I’m Coming to your place if something happens.  This is and was my thoughts on it

to this date i still think this way. With one exception is the reffegee bags i have made. I will do another post on that.

there was a time in our nation’s history when times were so difficult that people were advised on how they could use wood in place of flour to bake their bread. This actual procedure was first shared through The Emigrant’s Handbook (1848). (* See note 1 and 2 below)

1.
Chop fresh (green) beech tree wood into shaving sized pieces. You may substitute other turpentine free wood for the beech tree if you like.

2.
Boil the beech shavings three or four times, stirring as they boil. This will take a strong hand to do as wet wood shavings are very heavy. Don’t make too big a batch at a time unless you have a muscular helper.

3.
Dry the shavings out. Laying them out flat on a clean surface in the sun is likely the most appropriate way of doing this. Using a cheesecloth or clean white linen would be preferable as you will need to pick them up once dry and they will crumble up.

4.
Work them around with a firm hand to reduce the wood shavings into a powder, if possible. If you can’t get them into powder form, at least break them up as best you can.

5.
Bake the wood powder/crumbs in your oven 3 or 4 times using a large cookie sheet. The guide does not specify at what degree you would use. Remember, this was in 1848! I would suggest using a very low temperature. You are just encouraging the moisture to become completely evaporated from the wood at this stage.

6.
Grind the wood powder/crumbs as you would grind corn. This will take on the same smell as corn flour at this point. It is reputed that it also tastes like corn flour. No leaven is required to prevent fermentation but you can use corn flour leaven if you wish.

7.
Use your new wood flour to bake your bread. This wood flour is said to produce a spongy bread and “when much baked with a hard crust, is by no means unpalatable.”

*1 note: nowadays it was supposed to be health food. Modern diets don’t contain enough fiber, and sawdust has plenty. They didn’t sneak the sawdust in. It was a selling point. That’s why a lot of “High Fiber” things have  Cellulose in them.  Now go look at your High Fiber bread you have in the kitchen counter.

*2 Before you call bull on this just remember “cellulose is wood” Look on the ingredients list of your foods for cellulose.  here is a link for you cellulose wood in food