Prepping Principles by David Fidler, Series Part 5

This is part 5 in a seven (7) parts.

Part 5

Fourth Principle: Tools/Supplies.

You are now finally starting to get into the principle that will cost some money. However, this doesn’t necessarily have to cost a fortune. Most tools that you will need in a prepping scenario are common everyday tools. Shovels, pickaxes, hand tools, etc. It’s just a matter of recognizing, thus the need of adequate knowledge, the importance and uses of these tools.

Tools are things that will make our survival in prepper situations easier and feasible. Having the right tools can be critical. Let’s say you live in a high-risk area for earthquakes. Maybe your home while adequate is not rated to survive a significant earthquake. Thus you anticipate that the home may collapse and become unlivable should a major 7.0 earthquake strike. The problem is that your food storage and all are inside the house when it collapses. Having some digging tools available to dig in and recover your storage can be wise and smart. Additionally, keeping in mind where these tools are can also be important. It will not matter how many digging tools you have if they are buried in the same room as your food storage.

Another aspect of tools is not often thought of, is that of redundancy. In the US Army Special Operations Community we have an acronym that we use: PACE. Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency. Simply put, when we plan an operation, we plan a Primary route/plan, an alternate just in case that should not work, a contingency plan/route and an emergency should everything else fails. This is a concept that should be well applied to prepping when it comes to supplies and tools. Having back up tools, non-electric tools and other options allows you to be flexible when needed.

Our next post will be the Fifth Principle.