How to Get an A+ on your Preppers Report Card



Jeep Preppers! 500 points!! Courtesy of Nat Geo

 The Boy Scouts of America, arguably one of the largest organizations for boys in the world has as their very motto: "BE PREPARED." If you're not a mormon, odds are you know one and how incredibly tedious we are about being prepared and storing food. Then there's the Amish, Mennonites, farmers, hunters...such a large part of the population understands the concept of being prepared.

But being prepared is still being overlooked. So many people live day to day and are blissfully unaware of what is going on around them...let alone what COULD possibly happen in their future. "How is this possible?", I wonder to myself. Some people just don't "get it." But for the rest of us that do, this post if for you.

Being a part of a rapidly growing prepper/survivalist movement like we have today, it is very easy to find information on how to get prepared and where to start. When I first began blogging and watching YouTube videos from other preppers, I learned volumes about gardening, weaponry, home/self defense, canning, hunting, homesteading, and the list goes on and on.

I spent most of my time on the Grand-daddy of all survival sites: SurvivalBlog. James W. Rawles has really blazed a trail in establishing a HUGE database filled with thousands of articles submitted by readers. From there, I branched out and joined dozens of bloggers like Patrice Lewis at Rural-Revolution and YouTube channels like LDSPrepper, which catered to the world of being prepared.

Patrice at Rural-Revolution.com

Whether you've been prepping for years or just getting started, one thing that you should ask yourself is "Where am I at today in my preparations?" Hence, the reason for this post (FINALLY, you gasp?) I know, I blabber...but I digress.  I found a terrific video by a YouTube channel that I subscribe to called The Doomsday Prepper Report Card.  Little did I know, SouthernPrepper1 is the "evaluator" for the preppers that go on the National Geographic show called Doomsday Preppers. It is his job to evaluate how well the participants do on their prepping and give them a report card at the end of the show.

The value in this video, whether you like the Nat Geo show Doomsday Preppers or not, is that it gives you categories and subcategories on what exactly you should be preparing. I've written it out in list format AND linked to his video at the bottom of this post. I recommend you watch it. If you're like me, you learn (and are entertained more) by visual stimulation.

This is NOT all inclusive but it IS a great tool to begin evaluated your preps. The video goes into MUCH more detail. You really should watch it.

Five Major Categories of being Prepared by SouthernPrepper1:

1- Food (20 points)
a) 10 points -  Stored Food - 2200 calories per person in your group/family per day for a FULL year.
b) 5 points - Resupply Plan: using garden or greenhouse, orchard, livestock, or fish.
c) 5 points - Preserving the Food: canning, salting, freezing, dehydrating, smoking, or root cellar.

2 - Water (15 points)
a) 5 points - Water Storage: one gallon per person per day in your group/family for 90 days.
b) 5 points - Water Resupply: swimming pool, lake, river, well, spring, pond, rainwater collector, etc.
c) 5 points - Water Purification: boiling, pasteurizing, bleach/pool shock, and ceramic/sand filters.

3 - Shelter (23 points)
a) 5 points - Your Location: city or suburbs, which state, potential disaster nearby?
b) 5 points - Secondary Shelter: bunker/safe room, basement, root cellar, etc.
c) 4 points - Power Generation/Fuel Stored: solar, hydro, wind, gasification, steam, or generator.
d) 3 points - Heating and Cooling: wood stove (renewable=good), propane, etc. Shade for cooling.
e) 3 points - Cooking: wood stove, rocket stove, propane, campfire, etc.
f) 3 points - Bug Out Location: secondary location, secure, stocked

4 - Security (20 points)
a) 5 points - Training/Experience: military, law enforcement, personal protection training
b) 5 points - Firearms: quality/quantity, ammunition, accessories, improvised
c) 5 points - Security Enhancement: night vision, thermal, alarm system, body armor, NBC protection fortification
d) 5 points - Networking / Survival Group: a lone wolf won't last long...unless you're Chuck Norris, of course.

5 - X-Factor (21 points)
a) 5 points - Medical: supplies, training, doctor/nurse/dentist/vet
b) 4 points - Communication: HAM, CB, FMRS/GMRS, field phones, training
c) 4 points - Bug Out Vehicles: 4 wheel drive, large cargo carry, regular vehicle
d) 4 points - Barter Items: stored everyday consumables, gold/silver, renewable source (firewood, etc)
e) 4 points - Special Talent/Skill: what can you do for trade/barter?

Here is a little video of our own bug out location and how we incorporate the environment into our OPSEC (Operational Security).

   

Finally, a THANKS! to Natalia at Prep Utility Vehicle for prodding me to write today. This post is for her Saturday Blog Hop. Stop by and join her in her little slice of Canadian heaven.