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Practice What You Preach

March 14, 2013 by  

At the end of last month’s article, I mentioned that I recently experienced the “joys” of purchasing the wrong piece of equipment (again). Hopefully, it encouraged you to take a closer look at improving your knowledge concerning the goods and gadgets that you have.

Do you think you know how to use your prepper tools? You might want to practice using them before you actually need them. (Knowing “how” to use them is not the same as actually using them.) If you have food from a particular food storage company, taste it. If you have a particular water filter, prime it and practice using it. For instance, if you have a flint fire starter but “can’t use it to save your life,” then most likely you won’t be able to use it to actually save your life.

Practice is not limited simply to goods and gadgets either; it is also about expectations versus reality. For instance, have you ever actually lived without power for 48 hours? Have you ever walked down to the lake and brought back five gallons of water? Have you ever tried to strike a match when you’re shaking from the cold? You may find you are prepared physically for such moments, but not prepared mentally. Spending two days without power in August can be extremely draining. Carrying five gallons of water up a hill for a quarter mile might take two hours instead of 10 minutes.

The point is: Practice with the products you buy. Practice for the possible scenarios you suspect will occur. Practice with those with whom you plan on preparing. Figure out where the “holes” are in your plans. Discover better techniques for bugging out in 10 minutes or less. Effective practice will develop a confidence that you truly are prepared for what may come.

For free checklists that can help you get prepared in the first place, click here.

Filed Under: Preparedness Tip, Survival and Self-sufficiency
Austin Fletcher

is the Executive Director of Category Five, a Preparedness Education Network, and is a prepper at heart. After graduating from Arizona State University with a degree in Global Business Management, Austin spent seven years in pastoral ministry while building ministry and business relationships around the globe. During that time he became keenly aware of the coming financial storm that is upon us today, and has been prepping ever since. For this reason, in early 2009, Austin and his team at Category Five began to change the original purpose of the organization to become what it is today. Prepping is not about being an expert in survival or having experience as a former Special Forces soldier; prepping is about building on the strengths of those you prepare with and educating yourself about things you can control. This is the idea behind the Category Five, and the necessity of a Preparedness Education Network.

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  • JimH

    While growing up I had 18 years of learning how to cope with adversity with poor equipment.
    It was called- The family vacation.
    I did get to go to a lot of cool places, I’m not complaining.

  • FreedomFighter

    Some things to ponder:

    Try making a fire with wet wood
    Put your tent up in a wind rain storm, and then stay in it. You may get a better tent.
    Walk 5 miles with your back pack, boots and full gear, you may buy a better one.
    Open one of those MRE and give it a taste, you might want the ones with the heaters.
    Eat those malt ball emergency rations for 2 days – you might pack extra foods.
    Put your rifle and pistol in the freezer for 8-10 hours and see if it cycles, if not talk to the gun shop owner and get better gear or read up on it.
    Spend a day in your local woods, find out how bad the skeeters and biting insects are, you may need netting and spray.
    Use that solar stove to cook a rabbit, see how long it takes
    Use that vulcano stove or whatever you have and determine the times for cooking an fuel requirements
    Take a dump in the woods — forgot the TP did ya? (bury it, if your on the run they can smell ya mile away and track you like any other animal)
    Use a poncho and space blanket to create a garb that defeats thermal imagers, rent one an check your results — drone cant spot you
    Test your gilly suite, hide in a specific area and have a friend find you – if they can.
    Start using that paracord and learn to tie basic knots
    Fish at your local places and see what you catch and decide if you can live on it.
    …
    Get a book on plants you can eat from the wild, start planting potato patchs and other plants that spread and regrow the next year that you can eat, all over your intended area.
    …

    good luck

    Laus Deo
    Semper FI

    • Freedom Fighter

      Oh forgot a really good one:

      Buy a couple of paint ball guns and get a buddy and go have gunfights, you will be surprised how easy you are to splat. Do it at night too, and with gilly suites — bit of a waiting game so choose who hunts whom.

      BTW use proper gear them things hurt a bit, though it is a heck of allot of fun.

      Laus Deo
      Semper FI

  • Mike Austin

    Sage advice….

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