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Why be prepared?

“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” - Alexander Graham Bell

“Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation, there is sure to be failure.” - Confucius

“The best preparation for good work tomorrow is to do good work today.” - Unknown

“Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” - Bobby Unser

“Proper preparation prevents poor performance.” - Stephen Keague

About Useful Survival

Just what the internet needs is another prepper end of the world zombie craziness website right? 🙂

You’re in luck, this site is more to support our Youtube channel. We try to focus on everyday things you can do to prepare for possible unforeseen circumstances. These issues could be something as simple as a minor cut on a picnic or even an extended power outage during the winter. With all the stuff happening around the world, ANYTHING you can do right now can only help you later.

We created the channel and simple site as a place people can go to get information on what they can do today, tomorrow, and beyond. There are so many prepper / survivor channels out there that report the end of the world and then push their survival merch... It is easy to start going over-board with this or that.

As we do research or find something we think is helpful, we will share that with you. If you already got 10 years of food and supplies in your underground silo… this site may not be for you. Some people may think the information may be a little extreme or may not go nearly far enough. The important thing is you just start with something TODAY.

What can I do today?

Lets start with 3 day supply
  • Take inventory – What do I have already?
  • Make a list – What do I need to pickup first?
  • Water – 1 gallon per day per person
  • Food – pull top canned food
  • Medicine – Is there any meds you need everyday?
  • Light – flashlight / lantern with extra batteries
  • Cooking – a simple camp stove with extra fuel
  • Communication – There maybe no internet / cellphone service... get a battery radio
  • Comfort – maybe deck of cards or a candybar... something that will help pass the time or make you feel better

What is TSHTF?

TSHTF is The Shit Hits The Fan…. this is more of a localized disaster. A tornado hits you or a hurricane could fall into this category but total recovery is possible within a reasonable timeline in say 6 months. If it takes a generation to get back to normal… it is way past TSHTF

So I think of this to be more of a week without power… if your power goes out for 24 hours, chances are you did not lose all the food in your freezer… but if it is off for a week… you better be throwing out a lot of your perishable food. Each region can have different disasters. If you live in a warm environment, you probaby do not need zero degree sleeping bags. The basics will work in most places, but maybe you can have a supplemental bag for cold weather, another one for warm weather and so on.

Think you are ready? Turn off the power to you house for 24 hours and see what happens. How did you do? Did you have to update your list or change out some of your gear? These 24hour check-ins could be a yearly event for you to checkout your preps

What is your biggest threat?

Here’s where any good prepper checklist starts.

There are some basics that are universal to every checklist. These include water, food, and medication. Almost everything else is going to change based on your circumstances and what you’re preparing for. Not everyone has the same risk assessment or threat model. If you just start prepping without thinking about what you are prepping for, you are getting ready to face someone else’s crisis.

This should start with thinking about the needs of yourself, your family, and anyone else that’s going to be in your group. If you have kids, for example, you’re going to need to change your prepping strategies to accommodate their needs too.Is there any special diet someone needs? What about daily medication or medical equipment that needs to be powered?

The type of disaster you’re preparing for is also going to shape how you put together your complete prepper checklist. If you’re preparing for a natural disaster, such as a coastal hurricane, you’re going to have a different checklist than someone who is preparing for a biological issue.

According to the CDC, three days is the average length of time for most crisis situations. After three days, people can start to expect supply chains to come back together and life to slowly return to normal. A 72hr prepper checklist is a basic starting point that everyone should have in mind.


Now that you have got a three day kit, great... lets expand it a bit. What if it is winter or summer time? Maybe an additional person is visiting from out of town? What if all services are also down(water/sewer/power)? What else would you need to add to make it a week? Two weeks? What if you have to leave your house... do you have a bug-out-bag or bug-out-car?

What is EOTWAWKI

EOTWAWKI is End Of The World As We Know It… not good… you only care about yourself and your family just surviving. This will change the way you, your children and grandchildren live... Forever. This is not some week or even six month event. At this level, if you can just wait out a large portion of the population to starve to death you will be better off. I know that is bad to say… but after month people will start to eat just about anything to survive. So keep a low profile and DO NOT let people know what you have in your preps, if you do, they will and try to take it from you. And you can not stop everyone.

Your first goal is to just get past the first 90 days, after that, you need to start thinking about long-term survival. This would include planting crops and collecting rainwater for drinking. Way more then we cover on this site.

Just to be clear, the chances of this happening in our life time is extreme to say the least. This should be something to keep in mind as you get you kits together. (This would be a good thing to have incase EOTWAWKI) There are only a few items that I bought for a general kit would be needed in bug out bag or EOTWAWKI prep kit...like a Sillcock Key. I have no need for this unless I am trying to get the last drops of water in my urban area.

Gov Links

Food - Following a disaster there may be power outages that could last for several days. Stock canned foods, dry mixes and other staples that do not require refrigeration, cooking, water or special preparation

Water - Following a disaster clean drinking water may not be available. Your regular water source could be cut-off or compromised through contamination.

Shelter - Sheltering is appropriate when conditions require that you seek protection in your home, where you work or other location when other emergencies arise.

Build a kit - After an emergency, you may need to survive on your own for several days. Being prepared means having your own food, water and other supplies to last for several days.

What is in your EDC?

EDC is Everyday Carry… the things you have with you all the time every day. The main reasons for having EDC are utility and preparedness; to help individuals overcome simple everyday problems, including possible emergency situations. Some of the most common EDC items are wallets, keyrings, phones, watches, knives, flashlights, multitools, notebooks, and pens.

  • Wallet – I like the Maxpedition Wallets. I put the main cards I need in that wallet and add a card carrier in my sling pack
  • Keyring – NITECORE Tube keychain flashlight to my car keys
  • Phone – Any cellphone works fine, I would use maps that you can download areas in case the internet is down… Google maps has that feature
  • Watch – I don’t really use a wristwatch
  • Knife – Gerber Gear EAB Pocket Knife that Accepts Standard Or Contractor Grade Utility Blades and Doubles As Money Clip
  • Flashlight – ThruNite TC15 flashlight with 2300 lumens burst and Klarus HC3 rechargeable headlamp
  • Multitool – Gerber Gear suspension Multitool
  • Notebook – not yet, but it is on my list… in my notebook lol
  • Pen – just a basic cheap pen… i lose them too often to carry $$$

Other Links

Happy Preppers - Be prepared, not scared! Happypreppers.com has been writing emergency preparedness articles for you since 2012 and we thank you for making us a top-rated prepping and survival Web site.

Backdoor Survival - Backdoor Survival – Prudently Prepared for Anything Preparedness, Food Supply, Gear, Power and Survival Medicine

The Survival Mom - The next time a crisis hits, will you and your family be prepared? To feel helpless at a time like this is the worst feeling of all. Wishing and hoping to be rescued isn’t a reliable action plan, but it doesn’t have to be that way ever again.

Bugout Bag Academy. - A Bug Out Bag List is Not One Size Fits All Quite simply, we at Bug Out Bag Academy believe an excellent bug out bag starts with a great Bug Out Bag List.

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