The beauty with prepping is that it is a whole lot less complicated than a lot of people make it seem. While some of them go on and on about all kinds of sophisticated – not to mention expensive – gear and equipment, the kit you really need is much more straightforward.
To prove the point, here is our list of the top ten kits that any prepper will need.
1. Tool kit
Tool kits come in all shapes and sizes – and you’ve almost certainly got at least the beginnings of one already. But preppers think ahead and will want to go for a selection of around-the-home tools that can be turned to any number of jobs and purposes.
Although all battery-operated power tools will, of course, need to be kept fully charged, the iconic Dremel rotary tool has a multitude of uses and applications.
2. Electronics kit
In any emergency – whether a natural disaster or manmade – fast and reliable communications can be lifesaving. Although many telephone lines might be down and will prevent your landline from working, your smartphone is more likely to stay in effective working order for longer.
You just need to be certain you can keep it that way and repair it whenever necessary. As anyone will know who’s tried even just to open the back of a modern smartphone, it can be a real challenge. Specialist electronics tools will be necessary – but they are relatively affordable.
3. Sewing kit
No one’s going to be asking you to run up a new lounge suit but repairs to essential items of clothing will prove more than useful.
Naturally, they come in all shapes and sizes – depending on your skills – but even the most comprehensive sewing kits should be well within your grasp.
4. Plumbing kit
Your water supplies are likely to be severely compromised as any emergency or disaster goes on – that’s why the dutiful prepper will have been careful to store plentiful drinking water.
But, while you still have a mains supply, or to prevent any leakage or waste from the stored water in the domestic cistern and system, make sure you have a plumbing kit that can cope with the running repairs that need to be made.
A wide range of washers and gaskets will be essential for repairing leaks while the 25-piece Wera Kraftform Kompakt SH 1 Plumbkit offers the tools you’ll need.
5. Bicycle kit
In any emergency, you’re likely to need to get out and about around your local neighbourhood – and that’s when a bicycle will come into its own.
Mechanically simple as they are, bicycles can still break down and will need roadside repairs. A good repair kit is unlikely to set you back all that much and this 16-in-1 Nabance multifunction set from Amazon has all the tyre levers, patches, and tools you’re likely to need.
6. Lubrication kit
Thinking of things mechanical, just add up all those gadgets and devices around the house – or your other place of refuge – that need oiling and lubricating from time to time.
Assemble your own selection of the most used penetrating, thick and thin oils and a jar of Vaseline – add a bottle or two of multipurpose lubricating oil to your prepper stores.
7. Safety kit
When you’re up against it, of course, you’ll want to avoid obviously dangerous activities – you’ll be in no position to help if you’ve injured yourself.
Put together a customised safety kit – gloves, goggles, masks, aprons, steel-toed boots, and a hard hat – to minimise the chances of your getting hurt. The Sealey SSP76 safety goggles from Amazon, for example, come with an integrated but detachable face shield.
8. Woodworking kit
You might feel that you’re travelling back in time in assembling any woodworking tools – but you’ll be surprised by how many household objects continue to be made of wood or incorporate major features using it.
There are umpteen options, of course, but you’ll be looking for tools that fall into various categories such as cutting (saws and the like), shaping (chisels and files), measuring, hammers, nails, and screws. A 25-piece starter carpentry set by Hi-Spec is available from Amazon.
9. Gluing kit
Smaller or temporary – but no less vital – repairs can often be made with just a little glue, synthetic adhesive, or duct tape.
Remember that different materials will require different types of adhesive – so you’ll probably need to keep a selection of instant, contact, contact, epoxy, and vinyl glues for their variety of uses.
A fast-hardening epoxy adhesive, together with some silicone glue for woodworking, should let you tackle most jobs.
10. Knowledge kit
Probably the most difficult to define is the “kit” you’ll be assembling all the time – and sometimes without even noticing it – that can best be described as a knowledge kit.
These are the skills and talents that you’ve gained, developed, and practised as a prepper – and knowledge that might be precisely what’s needed to dig yourself out of a tight situation.
Your knowledge kit needs to be kept up to date – well-maintained if you like – through regular practice and practical activity. If you want to refresh your memory of some of those skills and talents you are on the point of learning, you might build up a library of useful self-help books and manuals.
The Prepper’s Long-term Survival Guide, for instance, could become a mainstay of your library.
Summary
There are no hard and fast rules about the nature or number of kits any prepper is likely to need. But think in terms of lists and kits such as these as you assemble the resources you are likely to need.
None of the kits we’ve suggested involves massive investment and you can take your time in putting together the basics before you slowly add to and refine your collections of essential needs.
