r/prepping

Newbie here. We had a 14 hour outage in Asheville two weeks back and lost around $200 of food. Not catastrophic, but it made me realize we have zero plan and I'd rather not figure this out during a 3 day outage .

A generator is off the table for us (HOA and I don't want to deal with fuel storage), so I've been looking at battery backups. I've been checking out a few options(Bluetti/Anker/EcoFlow). But I'm still torn on which one to actually pull the trigger on. I'd really rather hear from any advice before spending that kind of money.

I picked up an Anker F3800 last week and have been doing some basic testing around the house: fridge, router, laptop, a few lights, fan, and some small kitchen stuff.

Before this, my backup power plan was vague. I mostly thought in terms of keep the internet on and maybe charge some devices. But once I started testing a larger power station, I realized the harder part isn't just having enough wattage. It's deciding what actually deserves power when you're trying to stretch runtime.

So now I'm trying to make a more realistic priority list. Fridge and WiFi are easy picks. After that, I'm less sure. Lights? Fans? Microwave? Sump pump? Work setup? Maybe hot water for short periods if needed? Solar recharge seems useful for extending things, but I'm not treating it like magic unlimited power either.

Assuming there's a post-apocalyptic scenario,all the governments will fail in a couple days ,you have a back pack and can carry 12 kg of anything, what are you taking?(You're running into the forest)

Personally I would take

-1,5 kg of honey (high in energy,lasts basically forever)will help you get started

2 kg of beef tallow (very important for fats)

-Bandages

Disinfectant

Painkillers

Tweezers

Around 500grams

Knife, multi tool around 800 grams

10 boxes of matches ,and a Ferro rod 350g

Straw water filter 100g

Rain jacket

600 g

Compact sleeping bag

1–1.5 kg

Small metal pot 500 g

Rice (1 kg)

Peanut butter (500 g)

Nuts/trail mix

700 g

Standard 2×3 m tarp

800 g

Folding saw 500 g

Opinions?

Had a couple outages over the past year here in Texas. Nothing extreme, just storms and random grid issues, but enough to expose weak spots in my setup.

So now I want to buy a solar generator (unfortunately, I don't need gas). I'm currently looking at the Jackery 5000 Plus; I like its TOU design, which should make it more energy-efficient. There's a discount if I order now, which I don't want to miss, but I'm unsure if it's worth the price. Or are there any more affordable options you'd recommend?

Hey I have been seeing a lot of ads lately for mouse repellent pouches that are scent based with peppermint oils and cinnamon oils. They say that rats and mice don't like the scent and will leave the area.

Do these actually work?

Thanks.

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I am looking for guidance. what dose
your rice and beans stock looks like for 2 people. Thanks!

I have long been friends with the guy who brought the Area Study to the prepping community. I loved it from the beginning and took the time to produce my own area study.

For those unaware, the area study is something anyone can do on their own time. It is the process of getting to know the resources, influences, plans, projects, and infrastructure, gangs, threats, and such in the area where you live.

How many people are doing this kind of intel locally? To me, it has given me a much better understanding of the REAL things I should worry about.

Hey gang,

Hope everyone’s week is off to a good start. Having recently gotten married and seeing the concerning uptick and trend towards global cataclysmic events, my wife and I have made the decision to invest in being better prepared for a more significant emergency, rather than just sitting around and waiting for something to happen. I am a former outdoor trail guide, wilderness first responder, and mountain bike mechanic and we are both very active people, but I’m looking for advice on transitioning my skills from just being “an outdoor guy” to being prepared to handle an emergency situation.

We have a pretty good stash of outdoor gear (tents, climbing gear, bags, backpacks, quality outdoor garments) from my time working in that industry, as well as firearms, mountain bikes, and a pretty reliable Jeep with a good off-grid camping setup on the roof. Where I’m struggling to get started is learning new skills and building up a good stockpile of those tools. I fear that someday if a situation arises, I won’t realize that I don’t have a certain tool until I need it - I won’t know how to grow a certain type of plant, or skin an animal properly, or set up a secure area/campsite if need be.

I’m hoping to find some advice on these things, as well as maybe hear from those who are more experienced in the art of prepping on tools, items, and literature that they’ve found the most helpful or useful for adding to their physical or mental toolkit. We live in a semi-rural area in the Midwest and have access to a decent amount of outdoor space to practice our skills. Any help is appreciated. Thanks friends!

So I've been thinking about this for a while and kinda started tinkering with it. Basically the idea is I wanted a way for me to be able to search for pipeline plans or where some govt. official did some change to something or some trivial knowledge that might just come in handy in a pinch and with everything going on this might not be a far out possibility anymore.Anyways so you load the software with the data on a thinkpad maybe and have it handy for when shit hits the fan.

So in a proper grid down situation you could ask it stuff like where the nearest gas infrastructure is, basic medical stuff etc. instead of trying to ctrl+f through a 90gb xml file.

Has anyone actaully tried something like this? wondering if theres demand for a pre-packaged version where you just plug it in and go, no technical setup. would you guys pay for something like that or is this a dumb idea. Be honest.

p.s. - ai is glorified text finder but it does work

Hello, how you guys are doing? Since November 2025, I’ve been working on prepping mostly for food security. Slowly I have expanded to other areas. The only two areas I have not been able to figure out are water and keeping the fridge running.

I really would love to purchase an electric generator but due to lack of sunlight due to the unit, I don’t think an electric generator is good for the long term in my position. And due to how loud gas generators can be and the limitation on running it if there is no gas, I don’t feel comfortable running one in my apartment.

So not long ago I thought out of the blue how useful can a crank generator be to power a mini fridge with freezer? I mainly care about powering the fridge itself. I do have battery lamps on each room, and a small hand crank radio able to power cell phones and the rechargeable lightbulbs.

Also I don’t know much about crank generators or specifically if they maybe loud. But if there’s any ideas you guys can share and or point me towards the right direction then I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: I want to add that the mini fridge I have in mind is demuller 2.4 cubic feet refrigerator fridge with freezer.

The fridge consumes 146kWh per year.

Two weeks until the start of Atlantic hurricane season. I want an emergency power backup system in case of a hurricane or a long power outage to run critical loads from batteries such as refrigerators, network devices, lights.

Currently, I'm leaning towards portable power stations like ecoflow and bluetti. I’ve seen some decent pricing on the bluetti apex 300 lately,what do you all think? Quiet weather like we have right now is a good time to think about pre-season preparations, not when a storm is on the horizon.

hey so im trying to get into prepping growing up i was into bushcraft and wilderness survival so i got a grasp on the basics would anyone mind just talking to me and giving me some ideas on where to start aside from food and water thank you

Is there an online retailer that is the best source for various types of products? I’m trying to learn along the way. What is the best medical kit? What’s the best way to clean water?

• The article traces U.S. military night vision from active infrared systems in World War II to passive image intensifiers, helmet-mounted goggles, white phosphor, thermal fusion, and mixed-reality displays. The core pattern is that each generation solved one battlefield problem while creating new training and usability burdens.
• Early active infrared gave troops a way to see in darkness, but it also created a signature that an enemy with similar equipment could detect. The shift to Vietnam-era passive systems like the AN/PVS-2 “Starlight Scope” reduced that exposure by relying on ambient light instead of an infrared lamp.
• Helmet-mounted systems changed the tactical value of night vision by helping soldiers move, not just aim. The tradeoff was reduced depth perception, tunnel vision, and the need for disciplined scanning, meaning the technology created an advantage only after units adapted their behavior around it.
• Modern systems like ENVG-B combine image intensification, thermal sensing, wireless weapon-sight links, and Nett Warrior integration. The Army says ENVG-B is designed to operate in very low light and interoperate with weapon sights, lasers, and soldier networking tools, turning night vision into a broader battlefield information system.
• The next challenge is cognitive load. IVAS-style systems aim to merge night vision, augmented reality, maps, targeting, and mission planning, but developers still have to balance capability against reliability, weight, cost, and how much information a soldier can process under stress.

Discussion question: As battlefield optics become networked displays, does the bigger advantage come from seeing better, or from deciding faster?

Do you guys ever get to the point where you feel like you have enough? I feel like I still have a lot of things to get, but honestly, if I manage to go through what I do have I think I’d rather go if you know what I mean.