Basics

Survival isn't just about gear. Its about knowledge and practiced skills. The Basics Category deals with the fundamentals and foundations for every prepper or survivalist—or anyone interested in self-reliance. The Preparations subject covers the broadest range of basic topics and may be a good starting point for those of you just looking to begin your essential preparations. We have added the very important topic of Family where you will read various articles about how to incorporate your family in your preparations. As your interests and search for information narrows, we offer more specific topics such as Shelter (whether a tarp or tent), Fire (how–to-make), and Disasters. Bugging Out covers the when, why and how to leave your primary home while the Lessons Learned section is a good place to find out how others have dealt with perilous situations. For those with interest on roughing it in the wild, we have added the topic of Bushcraft (wilderness survival skills), Navigation, Communications (both techniques and gear), as well as OPSEC (operational security), which describes how and why you may want to keep a low profile with your plans and preparations. Be sure to check out Survival Kits, which covers bug-out-bags, get-home-bags, Get-Out-Of-Dodge bags, everyday-carry, and other “kits.” Under Survival Gear you will find specific gear and product  reviews. Finally, we have added a Miscellaneous are for those basic articles that might not fit into a single topic listed above.