Useless Preps

Today, I’m going to share with you my thoughts on prepping supplies I find useless and annoying that many preppers seem to get.

Pre-made Disaster Kits: I find them to be too small and full of junk.

MREs: Most factory-made MREs are created with a lot of chemicals and artificial fillers. I’ve learned that making my own is more cost-effective and guarantees I like what is being put in it (https://shopping-feedback.today/feast/how-to-make%3C/a%3E%29.%3C/p%3E%3Cstyle data-emotion-css="14azzlx-P">.css-14azzlx-P{font-family:Droid Serif,Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:1.1875rem;-webkit-letter-spacing:0.01em;-moz-letter-spacing:0.01em;-ms-letter-spacing:0.01em;letter-spacing:0.01em;line-height:1.6;color:#1A1A1A;margin-top:32px;}

Food Supply Buckets: They often contain too many cheap ingredients, like rice, and are overpriced for what you get.

Survival Wool Blankets: They are bulky and take a long time to dry when wet. Fleece is a better option.

Mylar Blankets: Yes, these are good survival blankets for many reasons. However, they are flimsy and difficult to put away when not in use.

Survival Coffee: Yes, a company tried to market instant coffee at five times the store price with nothing different between the two, except a label.

Water Purification Tablets/Drops: The reason I include this on my list is that it has a history of making those inexperienced in water purification sick from misuse. I recommend beginners should master the filter and boil method before moving toward these chemical options.

Umbrella: Why is this a thing in prep kits? They often get destroyed in high winds, bending them like a pretzel or shredding them like tissue. They also require holding and are often bulky when opened up, limiting your movement and field of vision.

Ebooks: Yes, you can carry hundreds of survival books on your e-reader, but during an EMP attack, prolonged blackout, or getting lost in the woods for days and the battery runs out you’ll be stuck with no way of accessing valuable survival information. These are the books that I feel provide you with the best information you should keep on hand (https://shopping-feedback.today/journal/doomsday-reading-materials%3C/a%3E%29.%3C/p%3E%3Cstyle data-emotion-css="14azzlx-P">.css-14azzlx-P{font-family:Droid Serif,Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:1.1875rem;-webkit-letter-spacing:0.01em;-moz-letter-spacing:0.01em;-ms-letter-spacing:0.01em;letter-spacing:0.01em;line-height:1.6;color:#1A1A1A;margin-top:32px;}

Flash Drives: Same with these things. If you don’t have access to a working computer with a USB port, then this is pretty much useless to you.

The Back-Up Cellphone: In almost all disasters, phone service would be the first to go as cell towers become overloaded with calls. Having a second phone will not solve the issue. They require monthly charging to even be operational during a disaster, because if not regularly charged, then you run into the same problems you did with the Ebooks.

Survival Food Tablets: I do not trust them and don’t think they work.

Towel/Washcloth Tablets: Speaking of things that shouldn’t be a tablet towels and washcloths, make the top of the list. If I need a towel, soaking it in water prior to use defeats the purpose of me needing one since I’m already wet. Not to mention all the potable water you wasted trying to open them up. I guess they have a purpose for cleaning if you insist on getting them.

Survival Light Sticks: Like the coffee, you can get glow sticks way cheaper in the store. That serves the same purpose as these marketing gimmicks do.

A Knife With No Sharpener: Most people buy a knife for their prep kits, throw it in their Go-Bag, and forget about it. Knives require routine sharpening and care like you would give your Bug-Out Gun. If you have a bladed object in any of your kits, accompany it with a sharpener, so the blade doesn’t get dull and break at the worst time.

Something That Requires Batteries: Unless you plan on stocking up on a ton of batteries, then getting equipment that requires them isn’t a good idea. Things that require batteries often have a short life span. They can go through a set of them a day if you use it often. Ask someone who ever owned a Gameboy how often they had to change the batteries to get an idea of how fast you’ll go through them.

Portable Battery Packs: They seem like a good idea at first, but need to be recharged once you use them. Even if you don’t use them until a disaster, charge them at least once a month like you would your backup cell phone for them to be any good in a disaster.

Candles: They are good for short-term shelter-in-place situations, but for a prolonged blackout they are often as useless as battery items. The light they give off is extremely low, so you’ll need a lot to light a room. They are too bulky for bugging out and are a fire hazard if you have kids and pets at home.

Canned Water: I don’t even know where to begin with how stupid these are.

Something With A Lot Of Pockets: Having pockets is a great way to organize your little tools better, but too many can be a bad thing. You’ll often forget which pocket something is in and struggle to find it. My pocket limit is four for any specialty kit or bug-out bag.