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Home / Community home / Advice / A Guide to Prepping - All the ...

A Guide to Prepping - All the Supplies you need to Survive on Lockdown

There are only two types of people on this planet; the enthused, and the unenthused. The proactive, and the inactive. The divide between these two types is never greater than in times such as the current - and the difference could be an ultimatum of life or death. It always pays to be ready; prepping you and your household for what’s to come will only play into your hands. With Coronavirus in particular, it’s such a new, unknown situation that none of us have the slightest idea what could happen next; for all we know there could be a complete shortage of basic supplies in a month’s time, if transportation and delivery become increasingly difficult. If that does become a reality - are you prepped with everything you need to survive? 

Here’s a detailed list of things you should consider getting a hold of in the coming weeks, should you be worried about having a stocked inventory. For those of us who are still aiming to get outdoors, be it hunting, fishing or whatever you need to do to continue your way of life - there are some even more crucial pointers featured in here!

 

All experts highlight the idea that once you’ve survived for the initial 3 days of a disaster, you’re incredibly more likely to survive the full ordeal. The key to getting through these first 3 days is to just focus on getting the real essentials to hand, before worrying about any less vital items. Don’t forget that income could also be a real issue too - now that you’re only guaranteed 80% of your wage (or just £94 a week for the self-employed), you’re going to need to think a little more conservatively when separating essentials from non-essential items.

 

We’re not very used to this as Brits, because we’re hardly ever exposed to the real serious weather systems or natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, landslides etc. What this does mean for us, however, is that we’re able to prep in a more general way, without the worry of locational circumstances. For this virus pandemic, we’ll need to follow some basic prepping rules.

 

What should you be prepping?

 

bottled water

 

- Water - The obvious first step that should never be neglected. As following the 3 days survival rule, you should initially look to get in at least 3 days worth of clean bottled water, which is 2 litres per day, per person. As we’ve now been advised to only shop for essentials once a week, you might want to bear this in mind. 

 

- Water filter/purifier - should there be a world water shortage (not completely out of the question at the moment!), you’ll be one step ahead of everyone else if you’re able to source your own water and purify it yourself. For this you need to have access to a really good survival water filter - there are plenty of them out there. Here’s a good guide to some of the best outdoor water filters on the market, which are really effective, giving you clean drinking water free from disease and bacteria.

 

- Always have access to emergency drinking water - This follows on from the two points above, but you have to have a method of obtaining safe drinking water in any emergency, in a situation where there is no longer a way to travel anywhere to get it. Whether this is just making sure you’re always carrying a bottle of it with you at any time, or that you have a filter/boiling utensil with you wherever you go. This is the biggest thing that will save your life.

 

 


 

 

Ration Food Packs

 

- Food - We’re all going to have to start making adaptations to the types of food we’re buying; steering away from fresh produce and stocking up on the long life stuff. The main thing you’ll want to keep in mind when looking for food is the shelf life; it’s no use having a load of supplies stocked up that will only last out until the end of the week, if you’re not going to be able to get to the shops for another fortnight. So whilst it’s good to make sure you can still enjoy some fresh food daily, the tins and packets are what will be essential in an emergency. 

 

- If you find that most of the items you’d like to shop for aren’t particularly going to last longer than a week or two, there are ways to extend the shelf life of nearly all foods; even the really fresh produce. If you have access to or are able to get yourself a food dehydrator, this is the perfect way to help you keep shopping for the stuff you like, whilst making it last a lot longer. This is even more ideal for you gamekeepers, farmers and general countrymen/women, as you’ll be able to keep everything you’ve caught, hunted, foraged, picked and grown, and make it feed you for extended periods.
But if you don’t mind eating your dinner out of tins and cans, this stuff will last you years - that’s not an exaggeration! As long as you keep it housed exactly where recommended, a lot of tinned food doesn’t really spoil for a long, long while. 

 

- Another alternative for your daily meals are your survival style camping meals - a spectacular wartime invention that helps you pack all of your favourite dinner classics into tiny packaging, pre-made and ready within minutes. You can get things like shepherd’s pie, beef stew or spaghetti bolognese whipped up in some boiling water, instantly!  Check out the brilliant range of delicious survival meals from Wayfarer here!

 

- Emergency survival food - try and pick your supplies wisely here and use some of the tips laid out above to come up with an emergency package of the most vital foods you’ll need if you get stranded somewhere, have to flee, or get isolated in a remote location. 

 


 

 

First Aid Kit

 

 - Medical - we’re already in a situation where medication is in shortage, supplies are only being given to those most in need, and local pharmacies may have to start thinking about reduced hours. It’s only going to get increasingly more difficult to get a hold of basic medical/first aid gear. This one’s very crucial for those of you who need to take regular medication/supplements. Get them in early, look for them online if you can - it’s highly likely that you won’t be the priority of anyone’s medical list, unless you have the virus. A lot of the shooting population live in rural, remote areas, so make the trip to your nearest pharmacy while you can, or look to get any medical necessities ordered on as soon as possible.

 

 - A general emergency medication supply and first aid kit must be assembled to take care of immediate medical situations that are always round the corner.

 

 


 

 

 

Washing Hands

 

 - Sanitation and Hygiene - more relevant than ever right now and the big thing that’s on everyone’s minds. Making sure you look after your own cleanliness - and have the tools to do so - is the primary concern right across the world currently.

 

- Hand sanitiser, disinfectant, antibacterial liquid soap, toilet paper (you might have to put up a good fight for it), tissues, clean water, ventilated masks are all essential. Make sure you can get access to clean clothes (especially underwear), and always have somewhere to dispose of your human waste safely.

 

 


 

 

Self Defence

 

- Protection and Self Defence - Although we’re far from this stage yet, when supplies get low and things get desperate, it really does turn into every man for himself; we’ve already seen it on a lesser scale with the classic tussle for toilet roll! You genuinely might need some form of protection if people start to battle for the low-stocked essentials. 

 

- Of course, we’re not telling you to get violent here - but if things get really out of control and riotous, a little bit of intimidation might go a long way. Of course, being shooters, you might already have the perfect tools to ward off unwanted visitors...

Archie Davis
Gunstar Chief Editor
Published on 26-03-2020
Archie has been on the management team at Gunstar UK since June 2018, and has since then been working to integrate the business with the shooting community. A skilled writer and self-taught country enthusiast, Archie has conducted numerous investigations into many of the industries unanswered questions to try and unify shooters all in one place; the Gunstar blog.