Product Selection Guidelines For Preppers

When, in the course of “human events,” it becomes evident that the “junk” has hit the fan, your medical, bug-out, vehicle and home kits need to work well and last through whatever life may throw at you.

The process of weeding out the “fluff” to get down to the meat and bones of a good product you can bet your life on (and your family’s lives) can be annoying at best and detrimental to your survival at worst. In an effort to show you some basic solutions to the challenge of selecting such important components of preparedness kits, Category Five has developed these helpful guidelines.

What To Do When There Is No Doctor

Someday, you may find yourself without the ability to get medical care. Perhaps a life-or-death situation comes up. Prepare for this type of situation in advance by getting much-needed medical supplies and information as well as honing related skills.

The Zombie Bug-Out Bag

“Zombie apocalypse” continues to be one of the most popular searches on the Web. In the event that zombies start running amuck, here are some things you might want to have handy.

Are You Ready To Barter?

When the dollar begins to drop, what will we do? Sure, you can hunt for food and you can filter your own water. But at some point, we will need to build back the communities that we once had and function together. The economy will grow again, but in a different way: by bartering.

The Life Of The Survivalist

Survivalism is not about taking on a new identity; it is about being prepared. It is not about paranoia and fear. It is about awareness, responsibility and common sense. A survivalist understands that until he is self-reliant, he cannot help others. His life is his own. If he fails to protect it, he has only himself to blame.

Juice Your Way To Health

It’s time to plant our gardens so we can reap the wonderful benefits of eating fresh, organic fruits and vegetables. Most people do not get enough servings of fruits and vegetables per day; juicing your excess produce is one way to ensure you are getting the vital nutrients you need.

Bug Out Boat?

Preppers who are serious about being prepared for anything when they grab their bug out bags may want to check out the Foldboat, a plastic rowboat that can be folded down small enough to be easily carried.

Say Goodbye To Your Personal Liberty And Money

Have you heard of the “Ex-PATRIOT Act” (“Expatriation Prevention by Abolishing Tax-Related Incentives for Offshore Tenancy” Act)? The concept of the act is to completely restrict your freedom to live wherever you would like and keep your money out of the U.S. government’s hands.

Keeping Water Safe With ION Stabilized Oxygen

When people drink untreated water, even from a stream in the mountains, it can be dangerous and even deadly. ION is great for wilderness water treatment. I believe every medical kit and 72-hour bug out bag should have a bottle of ION in it at all times.

Prepare To Bug Out

While many people romanticize the idea of social unrest or martial law as motivations for “bugging out,” the more likely event is that something like Hurricane Katrina or a forest fire will be your stimulus for actually leaving your home behind and hitting the road with your bug out bag (BOB). If you classify yourself as a “prepper,” then you may already have your BOB packed. However, you may not know that system redundancy is just as important in building your bag as it is in every other aspect of prepping.

When building your BOB, make sure you have particular items in multiple pockets and pouches, as well as retaining multiple versions of the same functionality. For example, instead of having one lighter in your front pocket and that’s it, make sure you also carry some waterproof matches in your medical kit, a ferrocerium rod and steel striker in your waterproof clothing bag, and a road flare in the side pocket of your bag. That way, if anything happens to any piece of equipment you have (i.e., submerged in water, stolen, dropped along the way), you will have diversified your reliance on any single part of your bag.