5 Mistakes That Could Kill Your Prepping Plan
You may think you're ready for anything – food stockpiled, gear packed, plan in place – but these mistakes can undo it all. Today, we're breaking down 5 critical prepping mistakes that could derail your survival plan, whether it's for a natural disaster, power outage, or worse.
I’ve been prepping for over 25 years — not on my own private ranch or living off-grid — just a normal guy living in suburbia with a family, kids, and an ever decreasing budget. Through the course of my prepping life I’ve made all of these mistakes and many, many more. I have wasted a fortune on the wrong things and making these very mistakes. The good news? If you know these mistakes now now, you can fix them before it really matters.
Number 1: Over-relying on gear without skills
Buying all the fancy survival gadgets but gear fails, gets lost, or you might not even know how to use it under stress. Owning a firestarter is useless if you’ve never practiced making a fire. The fix? Train regularly with your tools. Practice setting up your tent, filtering water, or starting a fire in tough conditions. Skills outweigh stuff every time. I'll admit it... I still can't start a fire with flint and steal so I double stock lighters and matches.
Number 2: Failing to Involve Family & Practice
You might have the perfect stockpile — but if your spouse/kids/friend don’t know the plan, it’s useless. The fix? Have those conversations with them about when to come home or your house or some meetup location, etc. Do quick practice runs: power-outage weekend, getting your 72 hour kits to the door, cooking only from storage, evacuation drill. Had a friend at work that was challenged at church to live out of their food storage for 1 month and teach the congregation what they learned.
Number 3: Going Solo
Thinking you’ll survive solo in a crisis is a fantasy. I mean this for just you and your single family as well. You alone or you with your wife and 1.8 kids is a mistake. Communities thrive when individuals falter – neighbors can share resources, skills, or even defend each other. The fix? Talk with your neighbors, church group, group of college or military buddies, or extended family and close friends. Coordinate with them on supplies and skills and make a joint plan to work together on various disasters. CAUTION THOUGH... DO NOT OVERSHARE YOUR LEVEL OF PREPAREDNESS with others outside your close knit group. Even then, consider what you share and be very cautious
Number 4: Over prioritizing weapons/defense vs Other
I am 100% onboard with spending good money on pistols, rifles, shotguns, ammo, other items, and training to defend your family and yourself. I believe it is critical to not only have some of these items, but to practice often, know their manual of arms, and have redundant options in case of an emergency. HOWEVER... much less exciting items like food, water, basic survival gear, gardening, and power generation capability are also critical to consider yourself prepared. Being truly prepared means you have all these aspects covered. The fix? Next time you are in the gun store, ready to make ANOTHER purchase, you need to ask yourself if that money would be better spent on more solar panels, another case of food, or another water barrel.
Number 5: Underestimating Water Needs
Food gets all the attention, but water runs out first. The fix? 1 gallon per person per day minimum for 14 days TO START. Strive to get to 1 month per person. Also include water filters and purification tablets as backup — not just bottled water. Also find water sources near you and create a plan on how you will get to and from that source safely. Use satellite imagery like google maps to see what is near you, figure out routes, how you will carry, when you will do it, and how you will stay safe and less seen.
Most prepping failures come from NOT fixing these simple mistakes. Start small, fix one at a time, and your level of preparedness will keep climbing so you can be ready for anything!
