Prepping is more than bug out bags and bullets. Reliance shouldn’t be placed in gear that can break, get lost or even stolen. As a prepper we need to learn how to survive without gear. The gear is what we use to make survival more convenient and easier. Ultimately, we need to focus on developing prepper skills that are priceless and don’t weigh anything.

When we consider what prepper skills are important we need to identify likely scenarios that we will encounter. Some of the likely scenarios include car accidents/breakdowns, attacks/robberies, natural disasters, home invasions, financial crisis and social unrest. There are even some extreme scenarios that we could potentially face like an economic collapse, nuclear attack, cyber-attack, etc.







In my upcoming book I will discuss how to conduct a threat assessment and weight each potential threat. From there you will prioritize your preparations according to that weighting. Overall though, I want to go over some essential prepper skills that we will all need. They are not the only skills that we should have but are the foundation.

7 Prepper Skills That You Need to Develop Today

Situational awareness

The likelihood that you will encounter a physical assault, mugging or robbery is higher than a lot of other crimes. Many say that violence has gone down but I couldn’t tell. It seems like on an everyday basis there is a story in news of somebody being attacked, robbed or killed.

With that being said it is important to develop situational awareness skills. This skill will help you to identify potentially dangerous people and how to avoid them. For example, if you are aware that there are some shady people standing in a dark alley you might consider taking another route.

Some other things that you can do to help you develop situational awareness skills include:

Do away with distractions like your cellphone or tablets when walking in public places

Sit with your back against the wall of public places with your eyes on the entrances

Identify exits to take in case of a shooting inside a restaurant

Practice people watching by considering what they are doing and where they are going

For a more in-depth reading on situational awareness go check out an article by Art of Manliness.

Self-defense

Coupling situational awareness with self-defense skills increases your survival arate. You should be able to defend yourself and your family. I’m not talking about always pulling a gun for self-defense either. Not every self-defense scenario calls for the use of your concealed carry weapon. Not knowing the difference can land you in jail as I talk about the common reasons CCW owners go to jail.

There are levels of escalation when it comes to self-defense. The very foundation of self-defense is being able to physically defend yourself when being attacked. I would recommend enrolling in some self-defense courses like Wing Chun. Yes, this is going to require you to get off the computer while playing keyboard commando in the comment sections and forums.

Shooting/tactical skills

There may come a time where you will need to use your conceal carry weapon to protect you and your family. Unfortunately just target practicing at the range will not prepare you for such an intense, stressful situation.

Targeting practicing doesn’t’ involved any moving aggressive targets. They especially don’t involve someone shooting back at you. Yes, it is important to be able to shoot accurately but you need to be able to shoot tactically. You need to learn movements and manuevers. Having tactical skills are important prepper skills that you need to develop today.

Furthermore, you need to learn when is the appropriate time to use your self defense weapon. You should also have a plan on what do after shooting someone if you are unlucky enough to have it happen to you. Don’t wait until it happens to figure out what to do.

Medical

Medical professionals will be in high demand when SHTF. However, it is still important to learn basic skills like CPR and applying first aid. Even now it is important for a prepper to understand how to bandage a wound especially if you have just been involved in an accident or even something more extreme like a shooting. You can typically take EMT courses in your local area to get started with the basics.

Just recently this came in handy for me after witnessing a really bad car accident. I was able to quickly respond by providing the basics to those who were invovled. A few bystanders and myself were able to appropriately direct traffic while attending to them until the real heroes showed up. Prepping is not always about yourself. It is a gift knowing that you are able to help other people.

Hunting/Fishing

Today we live in a microwave culture where everything is quick and easy. When we get hungry we simply stop by McDonald’s to stuff our chubby faces with hamburger meat that has been warmed up in a microwave. Or we get home and pop in a TV dinner into the microwave.

In today’s society we have moved away from the principals of being self-sufficient. That is why many suffer from job losses and other financial crisis because no-one teaches the importance of being self-reliance. Instead we are taught to depend on the government when we are in need.

Being able to hunt or fish are important prepper skills that we must develop today. If the grid goes down tomorrow who is going to microwave that hamburger for you? When the grocery store shelves are wiped clean by looters where will you get your next meal? Being able to fish or hunt will help you survive.

Survival skills

You can only survive 3 minutes without air, 3 hours in rough weather conditions, 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food. Being able to build a shelter, provide heat, filter water and cook food is a skill every prepper must develop. It doesn’t have to be an apocalyptic event to come in handy. You can be simply be stuck in the middle of nowhere in the ice cold weather to be forced into a survival situation.

So these six tips would be my top suggested prepper skills that we should develop today. What other skills would you add to this list? Leave a comment below. Your feedback helps the community to prepare the smart way now so that we can thrive later.

Photography by Revan Jinn