For most folks, the word “prepper” evokes an image of someone who’s got way too much time on their hands at best, and who spends way too much time following conspiracies on the Internet at worst. But while you might not want to fill a backyard bunker with canned food (or, frankly, need to), the truth is that you’re almost certainly overdue for a little prepping. In the age of climate-change-fueled wildfires and pandemic lockdowns, you at least need a shelter in place (SIP) kit—and maybe a go-bag, too. Trust me, I know that can sound intimidating! But far from making you dwell on scary possibilities, being prepared for the worst can actually free up your mind to enjoy life. By the time you finish reading this, you’ll know everything you need to know to start prepping—and stop worrying.
Why everyone should be a little bit of a prepper
I understand that you might be a little reluctant to embrace the whole prepper identity right out of the gate. You might be thinking, “those preppers are crazy; I’m not like that!” But these days, preppers come in an assortment of flavors, from gun-toting, cabin- living, former military members, to crunchy homesteaders in Vermont, to suburban parents ready to transform their minivans into go-vehicles at the drop of an apocalyptic hat. Prepping is not just for doomsdayers anymore—it’s for everyone! I’ve discovered that it’s for me, and I bet—if you give it a chance—you’ll find that it’s for you, too.
The very idea of a “prepper” being some societal outlier would have been laughable to our ancestors. I’ve learned, in my two decades studying how human communities react to stress and even disasters, that prepping used to be built into our cultural practices. What changed? Our modern Western, market-integrated lifestyle puts forth the illusion that we don’t need to be prepared. We all drank that collectively comforting Kool-Aid that said there was no need to have supplies on hand in case of an emergency—you can just go to the store. Nor would you need to consider what you’d do in the event of a fire or a flood—insurance will take care of the damage, and surely FEMA or some other government agency will take care of you and your loved ones in the wake of a disaster.
But not only is it unwise to depend on institutional power to manage risk on our behalf, it also deprives us of something fundamental to who we are: managing our own individual risk and participating in collective risk management, which are things we have done for as long as we’ve been human. In other words: humans are good at taking care of each other, and my research shows that we come out of hard times happier and healthier when we do so.
Perhaps the most important reason to get prepping is that it can be a fun, meaningful, and empowering way to spend your time. And it can also make your daily life easier! A deep pantry comes in super handy on those hectic weeknights. The paper towels in your car kit might save the day when your nephew has a raging nosebleed in the backseat (I speak from personal experience). And that duct tape in your everyday carry can fix almost anything that might break while you’re out, from aging sneakers succumbing to a day in the city to a ripped backpack on a mountain hike.
Now that you’re on board with embracing your inner prepper, where do you start? How do you actually prepare for the apocalypse?
How to prepare for any disaster (even if you can’t prepare for every disaster)
Like I said before, most of us have no reason to stock up on years’ worth of food and prepare to go totally off the grid. And even if you end up doing that someday (follow your bliss!) it’s probably not a realistic starting point. You’ll want to begin your foray into disaster prep with something called all-hazards prepping.
All-hazards prepping is an approach to emergency preparedness that prioritizes general-purpose preparation. It’s about being ready for the most likely disasters in your region. The goal is to make sure you have the things you need to avoid panic if something goes wrong.With all-hazard prepping, you’ll have time to assess an emergency situation and plan your next steps. You’ll also reduce the strain on emergency response teams by being ready to handle your own basic needs.
Embracing prepping—specifically all-hazards prepping—is one of the key strategies for surviving apocalypses and avoiding falling down a dysfunctional panic hole. With all-hazards prepping, you’re also investing in comfort, convenience, and safety in case of more minor or shorter- lived disasters. Think of it as ensuring that your apocalyptic experience will be a more glamp-tastic, deep-pantry party, and less hungry-hungry horribleness. All-hazards prepping is also helpful in being realistic about the risks you face and prepping for them specifically. For example, do you live where wildfires happen, or could? Then you should have a good go-plan (evacuation plan), a go-bag, and a car kit. Are earthquakes a threat where you are? Start with an earthquake kit and a tent in case you need to camp in your yard afterward. You can find lots of disaster-specific suggestions at Ready.gov.
Here are the basic items to consider in your SIP kit:
- A flashlight
- Batteries
- A change of clothes
- Phone and charger
- Duct tape
- Important documents
- Safety glasses
- Whistle
- Masks
- Paper and pencil
- Small tent
- Food
- Water
- Wet wipes
- Local Maps
- Medication
- Sleeping Bag
- Cards and other small entertainment options
How to prep a go-bag
It’s great to have your home well set up in case you need to shelter in place, but that’s not always an option. Sometimes a catastrophic situation like a hurricane or wildfire means you have to leave your house. It’s also possible for an emergency to arise while you’re out and about.
For these kinds of situations, you need to get your on-the-move preps in order.
First, the infamous go-bag. It might sound dramatic, but it’s actually a basic necessity—especially if you live in areas prone to wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes and other climate disasters.
Something is infinitely better than nothing, so grab an old backpack (or any old bag, really) and do three simple things:
Step 1: Put a first aid kit in there (even if it’s just a few Band- Aids and some antibiotic cream in a zip-top bag).
Step 2: Put in a handful of matches in something waterproof (a zip-top bag will do for now).
Step 3: What’s one thing you’d want to have with you in the apocalypse? Maybe it’s a brightly colored towel or a lightweight wool shirt (pro-tip: wool is the all-purpose material you want during tough times). Maybe you know you’ll long for playing cards or some little bottles of whiskey. Whatever that one thing is, put it in the bag.
It doesn’t really matter if you have everything you need yet—what matters is that you get started. When you’re feeling ready for more, think about your own unique vulnerabilities and what items can help cover those. Maybe you get hangry easily, so throw in some protein bars. If you wear glasses, pop an old pair in the bag to serve as a backup.
Put those things in your bag and then stow it at the top of your closet or somewhere you can grab it easily. And now you’ve got a starter go-bag.
And if you want to go all out, here are some more things you can put inside:
- 72-hours worth of food (backpacking meals are a great option, but peanut butter and granola bars work, too!)
- 72-hours worth of water (use this calculator to figure out how much you need)
- A Lifestraw or some other water filtration device
- Toilet paper
- Batteries
- Wet wipes
- Safety glasses
- Good shoes
- A camping bowl
- A protective face mask
- A whistle
- Duct tape
- A change of clothes
- A lighter
- A whistle
- Some small but feel-good treats, like candy or cookies
- A hand crank radio
- Any prescriptions you take
- A sleeping bag
- A small tent
- Waterproof matches
- A flashlight
- Important documents
- Local maps
- A phone and charger
- Paper and pencil
- Cards and other small games
For a more exhaustive list of potential items—and some disaster-specific suggestions—you can check out the resources at Ready.gov.
You should have a go-bag for each member of your family, including for each of your children, if you have them, and older relatives. If you have pets, you should have supplies in your go-bag for them, too.
If your kid is big enough to carry a backpack, they should have their own go-bag with the same stuff you’d stock for yourself. But for really little ones, you might want to have a special kit in your bag stocked with their supplies, including:
- 72-hour supply of disposable diapers and wipes
- If breastfeeding is an option for you, be prepared to—it is much safer than bottle feeding during disasters, since you don’t have to worry about finding safe water, keeping bottles clean, and tracking down formula. If breastfeeding isn’t an option, make sure you have sterilized water and enough formula for 72 hours.
- 2–3 changes of clothes
- Lots of appropriate food and snacks if your little one is eating solids
- Warm blankets
- A high-quality carrier that you can wear while also carrying your go-bag
- Supplies of any medicines, creams, etc., that you or your little one need to be healthy and comfortable
- A few toys/games to keep everybody sane and entertained
You could, of course, bring much, much more along with you to keep your little ones happy in the event of an emergency, but there is a trade- off between being agile versus thorough when you’re on the move with a very small child. If you have a car, you can also stock a larger kit in your vehicle—which can help you prepare for road-side emergencies, too.
How to stock a car kit
I love my car kit. From stemming my nephew’s gushing nosebleed in the middle of nowhere, Arizona, to doling out Band-Aids to not-so-outdoorsy dates, I’m always grateful to know I have almost everything I could ever need in a tight little duffel in the trunk of my car.
A car kit can look like a second, slightly bigger go-bag, or it can focus on the sort of emergencies you might encounter while already on the road. Here’s what’s in mine:
- Gloves
- Emergency blanket
- Ice scraper
- Wet wipes
- Spare tire
- Food
- Emergency triangle
- Jack
- Masks
- Toilet paper
- Paper towels
- Water
- First aid kid
- Jumper cables
- Hand sanitizer
- Wet wipes
- Reflective vest
- Snow chains (if weather-appropriate)
- Shovel (ditto)
How to prepare for any situation with your everyday carry kit
Finally, the most on-the-go prepper tool of them all: the everyday carry (EDC) kit. There are many different types of everyday carry kits, from adventure kits to the stuff that you just happen to carry with you every day.You might be wondering what your purse or laptop bag has to do with prepping. But prepping isn’t just about being ready for disasters. It’s also about knowing yourself better, and understanding your strengths and vulnerabilities.
Each of us has an EDC for urban days. These are the items you put in your pockets and/or purse in the morning before you head out, or the things you (intentionally or unintentionally) leave in your bag day after day.
My EDC is multilayered. It starts with my wallet and phone—those are non-negotiable. My next layer for a typical day includes my sunglasses (with case) and my 16-ounce water bottle. Then I have my adventure EDC, which I take with me when I’m out of my usual comfort zone, including traveling, hiking, biking, skiing, and climbing. Then there’s an extra addition for road trips: a multitool I clip to the outside of my bag, so I remember to take it off if I am getting on a plane (because those babies don’t fly).
The great thing about these on-the-go preps is that you can tailor them to your specific needs when you’re out and about. Do you get flat tires on your bike? Often have car problems?
Get hangry? There’s a prep for all that. Here are some popular EDC kit items to get you started:
- Wallet
- Sunglasses
- Snack
- Phone
- Water
- Hydrocortisone cream
- Benadryl
- Ibuprofen
- Paper and pencil
- Multitool
- Mask
- Hand sanitizer
- Zip tie
- Tissues
- Whistle
- Antibiotic cream
- Lighter
- Band aids
- Emergency blanket
But the point of an EDC kit is that it should hold the things you find useful. The suggestions above are simply items other people have realized they reach for again and again. As you get to know yourself and your own strengths and weaknesses, you’ll develop your own approach to being a prepper.
For example, I’m really good at removing splinters and cactus needles, so
I have tweezers and a pen light in my EDC. That way I know that I’m always prepared to offer up my splinter-removing expertise if someone should need it. I also have a thin wool headband that folds up to almost nothing but will keep my ears warm in a pinch, because I know I become completely nonfunctional if my ears get cold.
Getting intimate with a cactus isn’t (usually) a full-blown emergency, and neither is getting cranky because it’s a bit cold out. But this simple act of prepping ensures that I’ll be happier and more comfortable than I might otherwise be—and that I’ve got the tools I need to help others in the ways I already know I’m able to.
A good EDC balances preparedness with practicality, so it shouldn’t weigh you down with every object you might possibly need in a pinch. That’s what car kits (and well-prepared friends!) are for.
You might be feeling overwhelmed right now, but remember: starting small is okay. You won’t regret taking steps to prep, even if you never end up needing to shelter at home or evacuate from an emergency. The more you prep, the more at ease you’ll feel with the prospect of disaster—and the more at ease you feel, the easier it is to be prepared for anything life might throw at you.
Excerpted from A Field Guide to the Apocalypse by Athena Aktipis, copyright ©2024 by Athena Aktipis. Used with permission of Workman Publishing Co., Inc., a subsidiary of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Athena Aktipis is the Director of the Interdisciplinary Cooperation Initiative and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Arizona State University. She is the author of The Cheating Cell: How evolution helps us understand and treat cancer (Princeton University Press, 2020), and is currently on tour for her second book, A Field Guide to the Apocalypse: A mostly serious guide to surviving our wild times (Workman, 2024).
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