4 Prepping Mistakes You Must Never (Ever!) Make

I’ve been a preparedness instructor, consultant, and survival writer for 20 years. But these mistakes just keep coming up. No matter which crisis we prep for.

Whether it’s an economic meltdown, pandemic, earthquake, or something else. And there’s only one way to avoid them…

You see, most survival schools model themselves on the military. Which makes sense, as our veterans routinely tackle dangers that’d make your average person’s head spin.

But they also have the world’s largest logistical infrastructure supporting them and a budget bigger than the GDP of even rich nations like Turkey or Holland.

The average American, however, has a salary. Turning “survival” into an uphill fight.

What’s more, these tactics are based on a unit of fighting-fit soldiers. Not your average Jane or Joe with kids and a Golden Retriever. I mean, just try loading 150 lbs. onto grandma and see how far you get. That’s when it hit me… My heroes were wrong.

Forcing me to create something new…

I called it S.C.A.R, and while it won’t solve all your problems I, and my clients, have discovered this simple 4-part shortcut can quickly save you effort, money, and time. Plus, make you far more disaster-prepared than before.

So, what is this powerful tool?

#1 – Keep it Simple, Stupid…

Simple is the first part of S.C.A.R, and perhaps the most important. For veterans and newbies alike. That’s because disaster-preparedness doesn’t have to be rocket science.

Even if many “experts” claim the opposite. Using the latest shiny bauble to sell you something useless that’ll only gather dust in your closet or garage anyway.

Take solar panels… To have them installed could cost you $20,000. And maybe it’s cash well spent.

But is it a good safety net?

Because when they break that leaves you without power until a stranger sends a repairman. So, it’s failed there.

And the repair costs?

These could be $3,200 or more. Stretching your financial breakeven point to over two long decades. And it could always break again. And again.

This makes sense for energy companies to encourage. After all, you pay for repairs.

And thanks to one-sided policies like “net metering” they pocket the cash from much (if not all) the energy you produce. And if they’re installed for free? Even worse.

Because if you don’t read the fine print your mortgage payments could skyrocket, your home could become harder to sell, and you could even lose it.

Not to mention shoddy workmanship, overcharges, useless add-ons that have little to do with self-reliance, hidden fees, and more. A situation some have compared to the sub-prime mortgage crisis of 2008 and congressmen of both parties have labeled unfair. Even if it varies between states and companies.

But it’s also easily avoided.

For instance, with your own packable solar array, you can cut out the middleman. And if a storm hits? You roll it up and ride it out on battery power.

Safe and sound.

That’s why, whenever you do something survival-related, you must ask yourself, “can it be simpler?”.

After all, “keep it simple stupid”, or KISS for short, is a US Navy design principle for a good reason. Because the more complex a thing is, the more can go wrong. Plus, the more likely it is that somebody is taking advantage of you.

So, beware. Which brings us to our second tool…

#2 – Beware Fool’s Gold …

The C in S.C.A.R. comes from Cheaper, because if there’s one thing I’ve learned the hard way, it’s that throwing money at a problem won’t help.

For example, a 1-year stock of freeze-dried food alone can cost around $7,500. Per person!

While low-priced doesn’t have to mean lower quality. In fact, overpriced tacti-cool gadgets can even make it worse. By giving us a false sense of confidence. At least until SHTF.

Remember this next time you see a dehydrator selling for three hundred dollars you could easily DIY for one hundred.

Or a two-thousand-dollar water filter you can build yourself for only fifty bucks.

Or a wind turbine that costs three thousand dollars you can make for just $175.

That’s just as good. And will also build up your skill set.

Valuable dollars which, if you spend today, you won’t be able to spend tomorrow.

So, next time you’re out survival shopping, ask yourself. Could I do it for cheaper?

Now for the best bit…

#3 – It’s Not the Strongest Who Survive, But the Most Adaptable…

As Bruce Lee said: “Be like water.“

Never stay stagnant. After all, the only constant is change. And it’s the unknown unknowns that hurt us the most.

As does limiting our options…

This can be something as simple as carrying cotton and petroleum jelly separately in your survival kit.

Separately they have dozens of uses. As a medical gauze, water filter, lubricant or more.

Whereas together all you’ll get a sticky hard-to-store mess that’s good for starting fires. That’s it. Think about it…

If you get a store-bought water filter you have, well… a filter.

But with a bio-sand water filter, you DIY yourself, you can reuse parts to match your needs as events unfold.

For example, you can make a toilet, off-grid shower, or clothes washer with just a few tiny tweaks.

They’re also MUCH easier to repair.

Just think of modern cars. It used to be you could fix them yourself with chop-and-change parts.

Now a microchip breaks and it’s game over.

Compare that to the Cubans who are still driving models from the 1950s to today.

That’s why it’s good to ask yourself. “Can I use this for something else?”. If so, congratulations. It may just save your skin in a pinch. Especially if you can make it yourself from salvaged supplies that are plentiful in a disaster zone.

This is the A or the adaptable part of S.C.A.R.

What’s more? Put all these together and you get something truly amazing that’s…

#4 – Resilient to The Point of Insanity…

However, to illustrate this, I’ll first have to digress to a story from WW2. Between an American David and a German Goliath.

It was mythical; the way soldiers spoke of it…

As if there was a monster in the woods, ready to pounce and invincible to allied firepower.

This mythical beast was the German Tiger Tank.

The height of technology for its day, with its heavy armor and gun, it could annihilate almost any allied opponent while being near-immune to return fire…

On paper, it was invincible.

But as the war progressed, the Tiger showed its true colors…

You see, it was a very complex tank, with specialized components. This meant its parts were hard to replace.

This also meant the Tiger was hard to fix. Oftentimes left to rot by the roadside after a malfunction.

The Tiger was also expensive in money, time, and resources, hurting the German war effort.

And who was the David in this story?

An American tank. One that in a head-on battle needed to outnumber the Tiger three-to-one to stand a chance.

The M4 Sherman.

Now, the Sherman didn’t have a mythical reputation. But what it had was resilience.

The Sherman was much simpler, with just a few exchangeable parts mass-produced for different applications.

It was also cheaper to make.

This meant what it lacked in firepower it made up for in numbers. With 50,000 built vs. just 1,347 Tigers.

This also guaranteed that spare parts were available in an emergency. Keeping it in the fight for longer.

Lastly, the Sherman was adaptable, with many variants, as its chassis was modified to meet otherwise unpredictable events.

The Israelis even used a modified Sherman as late as the 1980s, 40 years after the war!

In short, the cheaper, simpler more adaptable Sherman was a superior strategic choice to the better only-on paper Tiger. This made if far more resilient.

That’s why S.C.A.R is so important.

Because if I could tell my younger self only one thing, it’s that we already have everything we need to prosper.

I’m better prepared now than I ever was because of it.

And happier.

All because of a simple four-point check list.

But if you’re truly interested then I’d advise you to click the link below to check out my 20 top projects for off-grid living and survival. Not only are they simple, cheap, adaptable, and resilient, they cover all your essential needs.

Like food, water, electricity, hygiene, and more. To ensure your comfort in a crisis.

These are hand down the most useful projects I’ve met in my years as a preparedness instructor and I just wouldn’t feel right keeping them to myself.

So, please, check them out.