What got me into prepping? Here is a clue…

Just after New Year’s, I purchase a few first aid thermal blankets like this one at REI. I encourage all preparation-minded people to do the same because these are very handy yet inexpensive items that could save your life.

Emergency Blanket
As you can see, I now sell Berkey Water Filters on the site. Water is essential to human survival and a Berkey Water Filter should be a part of everybody’s preparations.

Berkey Water Filters
I own several Outdoor Research Backcountry Organizer storage bags for years and think they should be a part of everybody’s gear inventory.

Outdoor Research Backcountry Organizer
One of the most useful tools you can own is an entrenching tool (e-tool). That may sound exotic but it is a fancy name for a type of folding shovel that militaries have used for decades. Many look like this one:

Gerber Entrenching Tool
I ran across a disturbing infographic on US home invasion statistics that illustrates why its so important to harden your home.
Unlike most preppers, I am not fixated on worst-case scenarios or cataclysmic events. The End Of The World As We Know It (TEOTWAWKI) is an REM song for me, not an event that I plan for.

The End by Sluggomatic
The recent Kunming railway station terrorist attack in China shows that determined attackers will use any weapon they can find to harm innocent people. Even in a communist country like the PRC, terrorists can still strike with deadly results.

Kunming Railway Station aftermath from a mobile phone
Even with the best preparation, a Trojan Horse virus can still get through your defenses.

Classic Trojan Horse
Several years ago I decided to purchase a Victorinox SwissCard Lite and add it to my collection.

Victorinox SwissCard Lite