Why I Started Prepping by Jed D.

Why I Started Prepping by Jed D.

I had never considered what survival meant. When I was twelve years old , two words were born into my vocabulary , and they were brought on by a movie. The words were ‘survival knife’ and the movie was “First Blood”. I couldn’t believe that there was this knife out there with a hollow handle and in that handle could be stored matches , needles, thread , fish hooks, line , sinkers, a compass , and other survival goodies. At twelve years old , I saw the significance of these items on one’s person if they were out in the wilds. And I wanted that knife. I would be fifteen before I would have such a knife. The release of ” Rambo – First Blood Part Two ” spawned a knife craze in this country unlike any other and many cheap imitation survival knives were released on the eager consumer. On my fifteenth birthday , I recieved one. It was cheap to say the least, but it would put me on a track that I would follow for the rest of my life. The contents of the “survival kit” that was included was completely inadequate. The matches wouldn’t strike , the wire saw was broken , the fishing line was weak. There was nothing reliable about any of it. I decided to throw it all away and make my own. In the kitchen , I found some blue tipped “strike anywhere” matches and wrapped them in foil. In Dad’s tackle box I found some good line and hooks, a few sinkers , a couple of swivels , and even a tiny cork. It all went in the handle and in my fifteen year old mind , I was ready for anything. Anything never happened.

Years went by and at age twenty eight , I began to hear about this thing called Y2K . The fear that the computers would fail worldwide as the clock struck midnight on January 1 ,2000 was all news, all the time. People were prepping. Stocking up on water , canned soup and fruits , more water, preparing for the end of days I figured that being a woodsman , I would just go to the woods. Yeah,right. Whose woods? And what about my mom and stepdad? What about my family and friends? Was I just going to run off into the woods and live like a primitive and leave all that I loved behind? What an illusion. I never stocked up on anything and waited for the world to change forever on that New Years Eve. It didn’t.

Then, less than two years later, something happened that would change our world forever. On September 11 , 2001, nineteen men took control of our own passenger jets and used them as weapons against us. Since that day , the state of our security , physically and financialy, has continued to falter. Uncertainty is the norm. So I prepare. I prepare for my family. I prepare for my friends and loved ones. I don’t want to be that poor, pitiful person who can’t so much as get a drink of water. I want to be able to get a drink of water, and God willing, offer another person a drink as well.

Present day finds me on a constant quest for new knowledge. I read everything I can find on survival techniques.I try to keep myself prepared mentally,also. A situation can present itself in the suburbs as well as in the wilds. I started prepping by setting aside enough food, water, and medicine for seven days. In my way of thinking, I figured that seven days would give me enough comfort to think of what my next step should be.Then I began to slowly build up my supplies.The trick is to not let your supplies sit around and expire.I use them, but I keep a record of what I have and what I need to replace. A technique I like to use is actually very simple. If I use one , I replace it with two. I never have a giant supply of food and bottled water, but by using this technique, I never run low and I don’t overflow either. I am always prepared. Most urban disasters only seem to last for a short time ,and I feel that with this technique , I will always be ready.

As for the wilds , I always carry a sharp knife of good quality. I am a Type 2 diabetic so I always carry snacks. Even if a person is not a diabetic , they should probably carry something with them to eat just in case. There is certainly no shame in it. There is no written law against a person having a little comfort. It certainly makes our time in the field more enjoyable. I have found that being a prepper doesn’t mean that we are crazy like some people seem to think. You know that extra drink of water I was talking about? They are the ones who will need it.