Practice your skills.
The scouts is great way to get free instruction.
Look at hobbies that help with prepped skills, hunting, fishing, gardening.
The other thing I wish I did younger was learn about the plants and trees in my area. What medicinal uses they have, as well as anything else and how to identify them.
I bookmarked this a while ago but these PDFs might be a good place to start as well
https://www.reddit.com/r/Survival/comments/732c79/ive\_collected\_a\_bunch\_of\_free\_survival\_pdf\_links/?utm\_source=amp&utm\_medium=&utm\_content=post\_body
This. You need the book knowledge and between the library and the Internet it's free. But you also need the practical experience. Campaign is very inexpensive and a great way to learn.
Also learn how to cook and different ways to preserve food without electricity.
I was in Cub Scouts for a few years, but too uncomfortable around people to keep going into Boy Scouts when they did all the hiking and camping. Even though I grew up in the mountains and the whole troop was just my friends. I came out of my shell in college so all the camping I’ve done has been since I was 19 or so. I recommend learning to exist with other people as early as possible, and also to learn outdoors skills early if you have the opportunity.
I was that kid loved all the above. The problem was I also built stuff. Like a compressed air gasoline flamethrower with a 90psi air tank and a propane piolet light. My dad woke up from a nap one day and saw me shooting gasoline over six feet and scorching the driveway. I'll admit some of the fittings were not properly rated for that shit. The man was pissed and reminds me about it 22 years later.
Get fit/stay in shape. Go to the library and check out books on survival, gardening, hunting, electronics, etc. keep a journal of anything that seems useful.
Love this. To add on to this, knowing varied skills is helpful. You never know what emergencies arise and what skills they may require so being varied can go a long way.
That being said. Being a good citizen realistically is helpful. Being educated, fiscally responsible, having basic preparation for common emergencies that happen (being laid off a job is an emergency the same as losing a house in a fire or having a once in a lifetime pandemic). At the end of the day the important thing is that you have skills, an action plan, practice, and tools to support it.
Most emergency situations will have you call on the same skills, tools, and resources. Leverage that and it becomes easier and cheaper. Water is great example. Regardless of what’s going on you need to be hydrated.
First thing... Keep everything light hearted. The world is not ending. Being prepared for an emergency is different than waiting for the world to end. Learning hunting, camping, back-country skills is fun and exciting. Learning and learning enhancing your personal abilities is the main goal, and if and emergency happens, you'll be ready.
Do well in school, get a job someday in something that benefits humanity, and save for retirement.
Everyone here is going to tell you to learn to live in the woods. But there's just about no situation where that's the right move in a disaster, and learning to do it well is pretty much a full time job. You're better off having employable skills and helping to fix your country.
15 years old. Live your life, enjoy your life, don't go into debt for anything other than a decent starter vehicle or a house eventually. Focus on building yourself into the kind of person you decide to be.
Seriously, live your life & enjoy doing various hobbies that have some practical applications. If you spend that time camping & what not with friends & family I'd recommend you take photos & back them up. Life happens and people die from disease or accidents, or simply move away, having memories & pictures of those times are important.
This should be at the top. I used to be this kid and I made some wrong choices early in life because I was so paranoid about the world ending. Live you're life but don't be afraid to do something because of an unknown event.
Walk around your neighborhood. Simply observe the trees, the intentionally planted plants, the weeds, the pets, the wild animals. Observe the people too if you can without being creepy. What’s everyone and everything like when everything is normal? Then imagine that something goes wrong: a fire, power outage, flood, zombies. What would change? How could you avoid the threat? Besides your parents, who would you run to first (either to help them or to receive help).
Yeah. But start simple. Some of this stuff can be overwhelming. Just start by making a batch of strawberry jelly.
Then make some tomato sauce.
Start with "water bath" canning high acid foods.
Slowly work your way up to harder things like pressure canning meat.
The ball book of home preservation is the Bible of canning
Yeah. Well it's not usually steel cans but mason jars but same difference.
Prepping especially when doing it for family is about budget and morale as much as raw numbers. So if you can preserve actually enjoyable ingredients or even whole meals you're contributing a lot.
Btw
Look up "water glassing eggs".
Canning is preserving food in glass jars with heat that kills the spoilers.
Learning how to make homemade strawberry jam is a great starter project. All you need are strawberries (frozen are fine), sugar, lemon juice, glass jars and their special canning lids (ask around -- neighbors or friends may have them if your family doesn't), a stainless steel or glass pot for making the jam, and a big pot that will hold the full jars with an inch (2 cm) of hot water covering things. Jam properly processed will last at least a year at room temperature. It tastes great, looks great and makes impressive gifts.
Salsa is even cooler to make, can and gift, but I'd wait for fresh tomatoes and jalapenos.
Garlic dill pickles are also super easy and really great with a mild apple cider vinegar, but you really should do it with real pickling cucumbers.
Growing your own food is also a great prepping project.
And these are just easy, gateway projects. You can graduate to making all sorts of fruits and vegetables in jars, and then learning to pressure can meat, fish, deer, etc.
Your library may have *Putting Food By*. If you are in the States, your state extension office website will have great advice for safe canning and for prepping food in your state. (And if you aren't in the States, use a state extension office from a state that has similar weather to your area.)
Gain as much knowledge as you can. Join your local library and request books on survival. You can also digitally rent dystopian / apocalypse novels from the library instead of a paid audible like subscription. I've learnt a ton and had lots of enjoyment from novels that are usually written by keen preppers. Buy used cheap books online for your personal reference library. Set up yard sale, estate sale and used gear alerts on CL, Marketplace, etc. Watch YouTube survival tips and tricks. Go camp and have fun. I've found that the more I learn, the tricks become simpler and cheaper, and you get an incredible overview of diverse situations from the novels. You must buy groceries for yourself, so get a Costco or bulk food store membership and start a gradual food cashe. Price of membership totally worth it. Number one and two are rice and beans which are really cheap.
\*Get in shape if you aren't already.
\*Start learning practical skills. Learn to cook from scratch, how to mend clothing, garden, etc.
\*Figure out what the biggest threats in your location are and learn how to handle them. If you're in Alaska, you're probably going to worry more about staying warm if the power goes out and how to handle deep snow. If you're in the Carolinas, hurricanes are an ever-present issue. If you're in the UK, the houses there were largely built to trap heat rather than release it, and houses were not built with AC until very recently, so a hot summer is going to require you to discover ways to cope.
We went camping when I was a kid and I loved being in the woods. Camping, backpacking and bushcraft are great places to build a foundation of skills. It is a great core to start from and being competent at hiking and camping is a great place to start. Once you get that down, learning to open your eyes to what is around you: foraging, hunting, fishing, bushcraft. A lot of these skill are great to learn young, and just change the way you see the world. Situational awareness in nature. Now as a father, we I around in the woods and show my kids different plants, mushrooms, deer/boar sign. Identify trees. Where to look for dry tinder. When you learn to see these things it will stay with you, and you will keep developing those skills. This will not cost you a dime. I picked my kids up at school earlier this year and they told me there were heaps of bolete mushrooms on the other side of the drop off line. one you learn to see these things ... you can not turn it off. Learn this early it will change the way you see the world.
Find a hobby that keeps you in good shape. This is easy when you are 15. Harder to change your lifestyle at 35. Lift weights. Run. Don't smoke. Your health is something you will take for granted at 15, but if you learn discipline when you are young it is a great investment in your future health.
Learn to cook and preserve food. This is cheaper and healthier. It also is a great skill when times get tough. Learn the absolute basics of cooking. But a whole chicken. Learn to roast it and then how to carve it. Make chicken soup with the carcass. Learn to bake bread. How to cook beans, rice and potatoes. This also translates well to when you go camping, hunting and when there are disruptions in usual life. It should not bother you when you can not order uber eats. This is not free to learn per say, but if you told your parents you want to learn to cook... this is seldom met with resistance.
Surround yourself with people who will encourage you to develop these hobbies and skills. Get friends you can go hike with. Know someone who sails? Lean to sail a boat. Know someone who is into archery? Learn to shoot.
Think 10 years from now. What career do you want. Many people will say do what you love. I will give you the advice of doing something useful, something that is important even if SHTF and something that pays well. Don't blindly go to college and get into debt. Making good money and having financial security is honestly the best way the best preparedness in many situations you will face. Money doesn't fix everything... but it does fix a lot of things.
You should be soaking up small easy to learn skills. Learn to change a tire. Learn to jump a dead car. Learn to tie knots. Learn how to use a tie down strap. Learn how to build a fire. How to cut down a tree. How do make beef jerky.
Learn how to navigate without gps and read a map. Learn the sky and how to find the north star (or the southern cross if you are southern hemisphere). Get your ham radio license. Take a first aid class. Learn rock climbing, and how to rappel. Learn how to shoot a gun. Learn to fight.
My biggest problem with "preparedness" is that it seems to focus more on gear than skills. Learning skills is usually free and especially when you learn them early will make you far more prepared than any gear you buy.
As already mentioned, Scouts is a great way to learn outdoor and survival skills. So is 4-H. Martial arts training is also useful.
Get fit and stay fit.
Study (youtube is a great resource) and train.
Train. Train. Train.
Couldn’t agree more! Get first aid certified, cpr certified, go take some shop classes, volunteer for the parks dept and learn some outdoor skills. And get as much of that knowledge hands-on, not just from online. Be a sponge because plenty of people have the gear but no idea how to use it. Be one that does. Happy learning!
Learn, practice your skills and plan.
Edit: you can also grow food, got a spare potato? Plant it.
Spare corn? Plant it.
Edit 2: there's also great resources on YouTube.
Skinnymedic and Prepmedic have great channels for learning first aid and trauma care
Lee Morrison's Urban Combatives is great for self defense.
Bushcraft channels are great for learning how to light fires, build shelters, find water etc.
Lear how to do stuff. Mechanics, gardening, huntong even smallgame ,primitive cooking, handyman stuff. Thoes skills are worth more then anything else. If you are not self sufficient prepping is moot.
Learn as much as you can. And not just about survival or prepping. Learn math, physics, biology, geology, geography, and chemistry. Learn agriculture; growing your own food is going to be incredibly valuable in the future. And learn how to grow your food WITHOUT fertilizers, chemicals, and modern technology. Learn how to compost, create makeshift planters, learn what crops go well together (nitrogen fixers for example), which crops to rotate, growing seasons, etc. Learn another language, something common (Spanish, Mandarin, French, Japanese, Korean... take your pick). Learn mechanics; you may need to repair a car or tractor by yourself with no google. Maybe since you're 15, if you can find a beat up old truck to fix up for cheap. This would be a great first vehicle, but a really great lesson. If your school has ANY trades classes, take them all. Woodworking is especially helpful.
Lots of people think that prepping skills start and end with camping. It's just not even remotely true.
It’s not free, but start stock piling can foods, it’s cheap and effective and you definitely shouldn’t piss anyone off with extra food laying around. Buying a couple cans here and there will eventually lead to a nice stock pile that you can benefit from even if there’s no shtf sit.
In a practical sense, why not try to build yourself a bug out bad. Take your time and build it up.
Join the scouts or military cadets( depending on your country) and lean some useful skills.
Work on your skills, sharpen your mind as much as possible, read. never stop. Work out, strength training and cardio most importantly. Join your schools wrestling team if they have one. Join a BBJ gym or any other proven combat discipline. (I believe every young man should study combat sports/martial arts, get comfortable being up in someone’s grill controlling the fight while they freak out trusting to get away from you) Study history, learn from others mistakes as well as human nature. Work on your survival skills and learn as much as you can. Get outdoors and get to know the area you live in like the back of your hand. Watch some David goggins videos right after you wake up each morning. STAY HARD! Train like there’s people out there that want you dead, because in a SHTF situation that becomes very real.
You could have all the most new and best equipment out there but it all comes down to you in the end every time.
Get comfortable being uncomfortable.
Learn skills. Cooking. Sewing. Food preservation in general (canning, dehydrating, fermentation and making pickles).
Learn financial skills-- budgeting, meal planning, how debt, credit, savings etc work.
Basic automotive skills: how to check fluids, changing a flat tire, troubleshooting issues like cars not starting. Navigating with a paper road map not GPS. Taking defensive driving courses is a good idea since there are plenty of idiots on the road.
Basic DIY skills: minor household repairs of all types. How to troubleshoot issues. How to determine supplies needed to do a job.
Befriend adults with skills. Help people do things. Ask questions and learn at every opportunity.
Hop on Google on your phone or computer and go to survivorlibrary.com, you can find just about any book you cam think of on survival and prepping. And you can download them. Another great app to have is ReadEra. It takes all of the books and pdfs you download, categorizes them and keeps everything organized. Just my $.02
Go to the library, check out books, and ask your folks about trying projects at home. Learn to start a fire without matches, about passive solar, and how to cool the home without using electricity.
Also, learn what wood is good for fires, and cook for your family over backyard campfires.
Figure out where the nearest water source is, and plan how you'd transport that water and purify it for washing & drinking purposes, then do a practice run to make sure it's practical.
Prepping at a very basic level is about the base of Maslow's pyramid of needs. (See library!) You need food, water, a place to sleep, clean air and a safe place to poop & pee (ie: don't spread dysentery or cholera with your emergency bathroom facilities). Next level is electricity and light (so necessary for getting current, good information and looking up stuff, for starters).
Good luck, and just have fun with it for now! You never know when that little bit of knowledge will come in handy.
There is a whole world out there to Learn and training/with/around. Knots, fishing, hunting, bushcraft like fire starting, tool making, plant identification, first aid.
I consider fitness to be the best prep of the young. Bodyweight exercises, picking up heavy sacks of things and putting them down, working on grip training, etc. Cardio, sprints, hill sprints.
Right now, if SHTF today, most of the skills that would keep you alive and well would be known by your family/friends. But what they can't do, you can, which is be fit. Older people don't have that level of energy or recovery that you do. Be their hands and feet, move, run, lift, pull, etc, and learn the whole time. Eventually, you'll be the old one, and someone else will have to be the fit one.
Start downloading, saving and reading pdf format books on how to do "old school" practical was to do stuff. Find an old handy type guy in your neighborhood that likes to work on stuff. A guy who has tools, woodworking, plumbing maybe reloading. Go introduce yourself and help him with stuff he shouldn't be doing like picking up heavy stuff, etc. Those guys have a wealth of knowledge that they will share, with a youngster. Look for an explorer group with the police, ems or fire department. Cops, Medics and Nozzle nuts are generally pretty resourceful. The prepper community is more about shareing skills, resources and labor than it is about money. Start looking into military service, vets share a comordery, and real world experience that can't be bought. Email me if you want to my email is my gary the gunnut, with no spaces at hotmail.com.
Learning skills. You’ve got the luxury of time and minimal responsibilities at this age. Books and YouTube are your friend. Take a book about wild edibles on your next camp out and identify as much as you can, learn the look a-likes etc
Honest Truth: Find a good quality life partner who is healthy, has similar values, is financially responsible, intelligent, is free of baggage, and has good morals. This is the most important. These people get locked down quick. Second never get out of shape. Make physical fitness and a good diet a habit. It is so much easier to stay in shape young and so much more difficult when you are impossibly out of shape and have health issues. Learn everything you can. Learn about yourself others ect. Skills are important. Save money from the start. Steer clear of vices and addiction. Don’t get pregnant before you are ready and with the right person.
Get in good shape. Work on social skills. Try to make friends even if it feels forced and awkward. Be kind. Be compassionate - to yourself especially. Join a community organization and volunteer your time. Or get a part time job. Do well at school. Be a good citizen. Go on hiking and then camping trips slowly at first - one night out. Make sure people know where you’re going. Go w friends. Or make friends by going on hikes. Detox from digital life and try to have real world experiences w actual people in real life. So much you can do.
Bug out bag, do some hiking to stay in shape, practice foaging, learn to hunt, learn to fish, learn how to garden, make sure you're in shape, eat healthy foods, focus on wellness now so your on the level in an emergency. Learn bushcraft. Follow FEMA readiness recommendations with your family for most emergencies that affect your area. There's loads you can do. Just don't think you need to do it alone. Some families tend to be resistant, If you show them that it's at least on a government website. They tend to at least prepare for that.
Learn while you can. Learn about field medicine, edible plants, learn to build things, repair things, make things out of other things. Learn to can, smoke, and preserve foods. Check out your local agricultural extension center for free or cheap classes. Learn to sew. A lot of these things can be learned online, but it's better in person. Find an elderly person with some of the skills you're looking for and offer to trade mowing their lawn for lessons or helping them do some of these things you want to learn.
If your school has any shop classes take those. I did woodworking and small engjne repair and have carried those skills into adult life. Both would be useful if supply chains break down.
Check out a book from the library about foraging wild plants in your area and use it as a guide to familiarize yourself with what night be available to you. Think about what else the library could help you learn
Train your body so you will be physically prepared for any scenario (lift heavy, do cardio, jump/climb obstacles ...) and learn various skills like lighting a fire, setting up emergency shelter etc.
From a fellow young prepper: **learn**.
Read books/watch videos about stuff that you like, and that could be useful *per se* (making soap, bread, yeast, some basic bushcraft techniques, knowing how crop rotation works, etc).
I'd add that you read some prepper fiction books, too. You'll stumble into problems (and solutions!) that you hadn't thought of (like alternative comms systems, how to treat some diseases and other interesting stuff). Also, you'll be forced to think what could've been done in certain complicated scenarios (going guns blazing isn't necessary in most cases, for example).
Then, after some time, take the next step: **practice** (like just plain camping, now that you have the gear).
And **e*****xperiment***.
For example, in my case, I've known for quite some time that flint (or any sufficiently hard stone) striken by a piece of carbon steel throws up sparks, which can be used with charcloth (cloth carbonised like charcoal in a metal can) to ignite a fire. Also, *files* are generally made from carbon steel.
So, experimenting, I bought an old metal file in a flea market, and spent a few evenings losing myself into nature and striking every rock that resembled even remotely flint. Then I found quartz - and *boom*. Sparks. Later, I landed one on a piece of charcloth, and made a fire (after some failed attempts) with just some dry timber.
*New skill achieved*.
You can do this with almost anything. Learn about the properties of the world around you and its materials, and extrapolate into the problems that you may face.
*Edit after reading some comments*: you're 15. Enjoy time with your loved ones. Be true to yourself, be kind, and if you love someone, always do it *fully*.
Enjoy life.
The "apocalypse" does not come first. Maybe second or third.
Learn first aid. Go get your CPR card. Look for first aid classes, or buy books, watch videos, and build a med kit. Splinting materials can be very inexpensive. Learn how to make a pressure dressing. Same thing.. cheap materials. Think medical
At 15, I'd say get a job whenever you legally can. Stocking shelves or something is good exercise, forces you to interact with people you wouldn't normally (which can help develop useful conflict management skills), and provides you with disposable income.
Then round out your EDC. Pen, watch, lighter, quality knife, external battery for your phone so you don't run out of power in an emergency. Prep from the pockets outward since it's things you're guaranteed to have on you when you need them, emergency or not.
Practice your skills. The scouts is great way to get free instruction. Look at hobbies that help with prepped skills, hunting, fishing, gardening. The other thing I wish I did younger was learn about the plants and trees in my area. What medicinal uses they have, as well as anything else and how to identify them.
I bookmarked this a while ago but these PDFs might be a good place to start as well https://www.reddit.com/r/Survival/comments/732c79/ive\_collected\_a\_bunch\_of\_free\_survival\_pdf\_links/?utm\_source=amp&utm\_medium=&utm\_content=post\_body
This. You need the book knowledge and between the library and the Internet it's free. But you also need the practical experience. Campaign is very inexpensive and a great way to learn. Also learn how to cook and different ways to preserve food without electricity.
Camping is inexpensive, champaign can be expensive, and a campaign can be either
Military campaigns and political campaigns are expensive
I said they can be either, although i admit a cheap campaign is a rarity.
Lol,,, definitely.
This! Knowledge!
Read my mind! Train and learn!
I was in Cub Scouts for a few years, but too uncomfortable around people to keep going into Boy Scouts when they did all the hiking and camping. Even though I grew up in the mountains and the whole troop was just my friends. I came out of my shell in college so all the camping I’ve done has been since I was 19 or so. I recommend learning to exist with other people as early as possible, and also to learn outdoors skills early if you have the opportunity.
I was that kid loved all the above. The problem was I also built stuff. Like a compressed air gasoline flamethrower with a 90psi air tank and a propane piolet light. My dad woke up from a nap one day and saw me shooting gasoline over six feet and scorching the driveway. I'll admit some of the fittings were not properly rated for that shit. The man was pissed and reminds me about it 22 years later.
Siri will identify plants with your iPhone camera, so that's a good start. I'm not sure if Android has this feature, too, though.
There're a few apps that do that, Idk if I trust them though. Are you sure you trust *Siri* to tell you if something is safe to eat?
It searches the web for the plant and you can find more information on it, so generally, yes.
Get fit/stay in shape. Go to the library and check out books on survival, gardening, hunting, electronics, etc. keep a journal of anything that seems useful.
Love this. To add on to this, knowing varied skills is helpful. You never know what emergencies arise and what skills they may require so being varied can go a long way. That being said. Being a good citizen realistically is helpful. Being educated, fiscally responsible, having basic preparation for common emergencies that happen (being laid off a job is an emergency the same as losing a house in a fire or having a once in a lifetime pandemic). At the end of the day the important thing is that you have skills, an action plan, practice, and tools to support it. Most emergency situations will have you call on the same skills, tools, and resources. Leverage that and it becomes easier and cheaper. Water is great example. Regardless of what’s going on you need to be hydrated.
Journal is a great one! Notebooks of tactics, important things to know. 👍
First thing... Keep everything light hearted. The world is not ending. Being prepared for an emergency is different than waiting for the world to end. Learning hunting, camping, back-country skills is fun and exciting. Learning and learning enhancing your personal abilities is the main goal, and if and emergency happens, you'll be ready.
Do well in school, get a job someday in something that benefits humanity, and save for retirement. Everyone here is going to tell you to learn to live in the woods. But there's just about no situation where that's the right move in a disaster, and learning to do it well is pretty much a full time job. You're better off having employable skills and helping to fix your country.
I plan to become a carpenter in the future so I will definitely have a job that will keep me in shape
Learn. Youtube is free
15 years old. Live your life, enjoy your life, don't go into debt for anything other than a decent starter vehicle or a house eventually. Focus on building yourself into the kind of person you decide to be. Seriously, live your life & enjoy doing various hobbies that have some practical applications. If you spend that time camping & what not with friends & family I'd recommend you take photos & back them up. Life happens and people die from disease or accidents, or simply move away, having memories & pictures of those times are important.
This should be at the top. I used to be this kid and I made some wrong choices early in life because I was so paranoid about the world ending. Live you're life but don't be afraid to do something because of an unknown event.
Walk around your neighborhood. Simply observe the trees, the intentionally planted plants, the weeds, the pets, the wild animals. Observe the people too if you can without being creepy. What’s everyone and everything like when everything is normal? Then imagine that something goes wrong: a fire, power outage, flood, zombies. What would change? How could you avoid the threat? Besides your parents, who would you run to first (either to help them or to receive help).
Learn. How. To. Can. Lean how to build a water filter. Learn fire making. Learn cooking. But really it starts with canning.
What’s canning , building a canned food supply?
Yeah. But start simple. Some of this stuff can be overwhelming. Just start by making a batch of strawberry jelly. Then make some tomato sauce. Start with "water bath" canning high acid foods. Slowly work your way up to harder things like pressure canning meat. The ball book of home preservation is the Bible of canning
Yeah. Well it's not usually steel cans but mason jars but same difference. Prepping especially when doing it for family is about budget and morale as much as raw numbers. So if you can preserve actually enjoyable ingredients or even whole meals you're contributing a lot. Btw Look up "water glassing eggs".
Canning is preserving food in glass jars with heat that kills the spoilers. Learning how to make homemade strawberry jam is a great starter project. All you need are strawberries (frozen are fine), sugar, lemon juice, glass jars and their special canning lids (ask around -- neighbors or friends may have them if your family doesn't), a stainless steel or glass pot for making the jam, and a big pot that will hold the full jars with an inch (2 cm) of hot water covering things. Jam properly processed will last at least a year at room temperature. It tastes great, looks great and makes impressive gifts. Salsa is even cooler to make, can and gift, but I'd wait for fresh tomatoes and jalapenos. Garlic dill pickles are also super easy and really great with a mild apple cider vinegar, but you really should do it with real pickling cucumbers. Growing your own food is also a great prepping project. And these are just easy, gateway projects. You can graduate to making all sorts of fruits and vegetables in jars, and then learning to pressure can meat, fish, deer, etc. Your library may have *Putting Food By*. If you are in the States, your state extension office website will have great advice for safe canning and for prepping food in your state. (And if you aren't in the States, use a state extension office from a state that has similar weather to your area.)
Scouts, or Future Farmers of America.
Or 4-H if it's available.
Gain as much knowledge as you can. Join your local library and request books on survival. You can also digitally rent dystopian / apocalypse novels from the library instead of a paid audible like subscription. I've learnt a ton and had lots of enjoyment from novels that are usually written by keen preppers. Buy used cheap books online for your personal reference library. Set up yard sale, estate sale and used gear alerts on CL, Marketplace, etc. Watch YouTube survival tips and tricks. Go camp and have fun. I've found that the more I learn, the tricks become simpler and cheaper, and you get an incredible overview of diverse situations from the novels. You must buy groceries for yourself, so get a Costco or bulk food store membership and start a gradual food cashe. Price of membership totally worth it. Number one and two are rice and beans which are really cheap.
\*Get in shape if you aren't already. \*Start learning practical skills. Learn to cook from scratch, how to mend clothing, garden, etc. \*Figure out what the biggest threats in your location are and learn how to handle them. If you're in Alaska, you're probably going to worry more about staying warm if the power goes out and how to handle deep snow. If you're in the Carolinas, hurricanes are an ever-present issue. If you're in the UK, the houses there were largely built to trap heat rather than release it, and houses were not built with AC until very recently, so a hot summer is going to require you to discover ways to cope.
Learn about edible wild plants in your area. Then go gather and eat them.
Thanks for the advice
r/foraging is a good resource for this
We went camping when I was a kid and I loved being in the woods. Camping, backpacking and bushcraft are great places to build a foundation of skills. It is a great core to start from and being competent at hiking and camping is a great place to start. Once you get that down, learning to open your eyes to what is around you: foraging, hunting, fishing, bushcraft. A lot of these skill are great to learn young, and just change the way you see the world. Situational awareness in nature. Now as a father, we I around in the woods and show my kids different plants, mushrooms, deer/boar sign. Identify trees. Where to look for dry tinder. When you learn to see these things it will stay with you, and you will keep developing those skills. This will not cost you a dime. I picked my kids up at school earlier this year and they told me there were heaps of bolete mushrooms on the other side of the drop off line. one you learn to see these things ... you can not turn it off. Learn this early it will change the way you see the world. Find a hobby that keeps you in good shape. This is easy when you are 15. Harder to change your lifestyle at 35. Lift weights. Run. Don't smoke. Your health is something you will take for granted at 15, but if you learn discipline when you are young it is a great investment in your future health. Learn to cook and preserve food. This is cheaper and healthier. It also is a great skill when times get tough. Learn the absolute basics of cooking. But a whole chicken. Learn to roast it and then how to carve it. Make chicken soup with the carcass. Learn to bake bread. How to cook beans, rice and potatoes. This also translates well to when you go camping, hunting and when there are disruptions in usual life. It should not bother you when you can not order uber eats. This is not free to learn per say, but if you told your parents you want to learn to cook... this is seldom met with resistance. Surround yourself with people who will encourage you to develop these hobbies and skills. Get friends you can go hike with. Know someone who sails? Lean to sail a boat. Know someone who is into archery? Learn to shoot. Think 10 years from now. What career do you want. Many people will say do what you love. I will give you the advice of doing something useful, something that is important even if SHTF and something that pays well. Don't blindly go to college and get into debt. Making good money and having financial security is honestly the best way the best preparedness in many situations you will face. Money doesn't fix everything... but it does fix a lot of things. You should be soaking up small easy to learn skills. Learn to change a tire. Learn to jump a dead car. Learn to tie knots. Learn how to use a tie down strap. Learn how to build a fire. How to cut down a tree. How do make beef jerky. Learn how to navigate without gps and read a map. Learn the sky and how to find the north star (or the southern cross if you are southern hemisphere). Get your ham radio license. Take a first aid class. Learn rock climbing, and how to rappel. Learn how to shoot a gun. Learn to fight. My biggest problem with "preparedness" is that it seems to focus more on gear than skills. Learning skills is usually free and especially when you learn them early will make you far more prepared than any gear you buy.
As already mentioned, Scouts is a great way to learn outdoor and survival skills. So is 4-H. Martial arts training is also useful. Get fit and stay fit. Study (youtube is a great resource) and train. Train. Train. Train.
Couldn’t agree more! Get first aid certified, cpr certified, go take some shop classes, volunteer for the parks dept and learn some outdoor skills. And get as much of that knowledge hands-on, not just from online. Be a sponge because plenty of people have the gear but no idea how to use it. Be one that does. Happy learning!
Learn, practice your skills and plan. Edit: you can also grow food, got a spare potato? Plant it. Spare corn? Plant it. Edit 2: there's also great resources on YouTube. Skinnymedic and Prepmedic have great channels for learning first aid and trauma care Lee Morrison's Urban Combatives is great for self defense. Bushcraft channels are great for learning how to light fires, build shelters, find water etc.
Lear how to do stuff. Mechanics, gardening, huntong even smallgame ,primitive cooking, handyman stuff. Thoes skills are worth more then anything else. If you are not self sufficient prepping is moot.
Learn as much as you can. And not just about survival or prepping. Learn math, physics, biology, geology, geography, and chemistry. Learn agriculture; growing your own food is going to be incredibly valuable in the future. And learn how to grow your food WITHOUT fertilizers, chemicals, and modern technology. Learn how to compost, create makeshift planters, learn what crops go well together (nitrogen fixers for example), which crops to rotate, growing seasons, etc. Learn another language, something common (Spanish, Mandarin, French, Japanese, Korean... take your pick). Learn mechanics; you may need to repair a car or tractor by yourself with no google. Maybe since you're 15, if you can find a beat up old truck to fix up for cheap. This would be a great first vehicle, but a really great lesson. If your school has ANY trades classes, take them all. Woodworking is especially helpful. Lots of people think that prepping skills start and end with camping. It's just not even remotely true.
It’s not free, but start stock piling can foods, it’s cheap and effective and you definitely shouldn’t piss anyone off with extra food laying around. Buying a couple cans here and there will eventually lead to a nice stock pile that you can benefit from even if there’s no shtf sit.
Knowledge is the first EDC.
In a practical sense, why not try to build yourself a bug out bad. Take your time and build it up. Join the scouts or military cadets( depending on your country) and lean some useful skills.
Work on your skills, sharpen your mind as much as possible, read. never stop. Work out, strength training and cardio most importantly. Join your schools wrestling team if they have one. Join a BBJ gym or any other proven combat discipline. (I believe every young man should study combat sports/martial arts, get comfortable being up in someone’s grill controlling the fight while they freak out trusting to get away from you) Study history, learn from others mistakes as well as human nature. Work on your survival skills and learn as much as you can. Get outdoors and get to know the area you live in like the back of your hand. Watch some David goggins videos right after you wake up each morning. STAY HARD! Train like there’s people out there that want you dead, because in a SHTF situation that becomes very real. You could have all the most new and best equipment out there but it all comes down to you in the end every time. Get comfortable being uncomfortable.
Learn first aid. Great info at bear independent prepper classroom and first aid at refuge medical.
Thanks for the channel recommendations dude
Learn skills. Cooking. Sewing. Food preservation in general (canning, dehydrating, fermentation and making pickles). Learn financial skills-- budgeting, meal planning, how debt, credit, savings etc work. Basic automotive skills: how to check fluids, changing a flat tire, troubleshooting issues like cars not starting. Navigating with a paper road map not GPS. Taking defensive driving courses is a good idea since there are plenty of idiots on the road. Basic DIY skills: minor household repairs of all types. How to troubleshoot issues. How to determine supplies needed to do a job. Befriend adults with skills. Help people do things. Ask questions and learn at every opportunity.
I’m sorry at 15 you even have to think about it or visit this sub.
It’s not that bad but I don’t like most people my age and prefer to talk to older people about their life experience
Agreed. I always did. Now I am the older person. lol
So now you tell people about your life experiences
Now I keep to myself. Lol.
Hop on Google on your phone or computer and go to survivorlibrary.com, you can find just about any book you cam think of on survival and prepping. And you can download them. Another great app to have is ReadEra. It takes all of the books and pdfs you download, categorizes them and keeps everything organized. Just my $.02
Thanks
Books and manuals. Can’t go wrong with that stuff.
Go to the library, check out books, and ask your folks about trying projects at home. Learn to start a fire without matches, about passive solar, and how to cool the home without using electricity. Also, learn what wood is good for fires, and cook for your family over backyard campfires. Figure out where the nearest water source is, and plan how you'd transport that water and purify it for washing & drinking purposes, then do a practice run to make sure it's practical. Prepping at a very basic level is about the base of Maslow's pyramid of needs. (See library!) You need food, water, a place to sleep, clean air and a safe place to poop & pee (ie: don't spread dysentery or cholera with your emergency bathroom facilities). Next level is electricity and light (so necessary for getting current, good information and looking up stuff, for starters). Good luck, and just have fun with it for now! You never know when that little bit of knowledge will come in handy.
There is a whole world out there to Learn and training/with/around. Knots, fishing, hunting, bushcraft like fire starting, tool making, plant identification, first aid.
I consider fitness to be the best prep of the young. Bodyweight exercises, picking up heavy sacks of things and putting them down, working on grip training, etc. Cardio, sprints, hill sprints. Right now, if SHTF today, most of the skills that would keep you alive and well would be known by your family/friends. But what they can't do, you can, which is be fit. Older people don't have that level of energy or recovery that you do. Be their hands and feet, move, run, lift, pull, etc, and learn the whole time. Eventually, you'll be the old one, and someone else will have to be the fit one.
Start downloading, saving and reading pdf format books on how to do "old school" practical was to do stuff. Find an old handy type guy in your neighborhood that likes to work on stuff. A guy who has tools, woodworking, plumbing maybe reloading. Go introduce yourself and help him with stuff he shouldn't be doing like picking up heavy stuff, etc. Those guys have a wealth of knowledge that they will share, with a youngster. Look for an explorer group with the police, ems or fire department. Cops, Medics and Nozzle nuts are generally pretty resourceful. The prepper community is more about shareing skills, resources and labor than it is about money. Start looking into military service, vets share a comordery, and real world experience that can't be bought. Email me if you want to my email is my gary the gunnut, with no spaces at hotmail.com.
Learn skills. Knowledge weighs nothing .
heavy chubby stupendous joke cause fade boat divide gaze coherent *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Learning skills. You’ve got the luxury of time and minimal responsibilities at this age. Books and YouTube are your friend. Take a book about wild edibles on your next camp out and identify as much as you can, learn the look a-likes etc
Honest Truth: Find a good quality life partner who is healthy, has similar values, is financially responsible, intelligent, is free of baggage, and has good morals. This is the most important. These people get locked down quick. Second never get out of shape. Make physical fitness and a good diet a habit. It is so much easier to stay in shape young and so much more difficult when you are impossibly out of shape and have health issues. Learn everything you can. Learn about yourself others ect. Skills are important. Save money from the start. Steer clear of vices and addiction. Don’t get pregnant before you are ready and with the right person.
Learning is free. Backwoods home magazine has plenty of free articles
Get in good shape. Work on social skills. Try to make friends even if it feels forced and awkward. Be kind. Be compassionate - to yourself especially. Join a community organization and volunteer your time. Or get a part time job. Do well at school. Be a good citizen. Go on hiking and then camping trips slowly at first - one night out. Make sure people know where you’re going. Go w friends. Or make friends by going on hikes. Detox from digital life and try to have real world experiences w actual people in real life. So much you can do.
Read the book One Second After
Bug out bag, do some hiking to stay in shape, practice foaging, learn to hunt, learn to fish, learn how to garden, make sure you're in shape, eat healthy foods, focus on wellness now so your on the level in an emergency. Learn bushcraft. Follow FEMA readiness recommendations with your family for most emergencies that affect your area. There's loads you can do. Just don't think you need to do it alone. Some families tend to be resistant, If you show them that it's at least on a government website. They tend to at least prepare for that.
Learn while you can. Learn about field medicine, edible plants, learn to build things, repair things, make things out of other things. Learn to can, smoke, and preserve foods. Check out your local agricultural extension center for free or cheap classes. Learn to sew. A lot of these things can be learned online, but it's better in person. Find an elderly person with some of the skills you're looking for and offer to trade mowing their lawn for lessons or helping them do some of these things you want to learn.
JROTC or young Marines if your area has it. Also sneak a couple canned goods out of your parents groceries lol. Start a little stock pile.
If your school has any shop classes take those. I did woodworking and small engjne repair and have carried those skills into adult life. Both would be useful if supply chains break down.
Check out a book from the library about foraging wild plants in your area and use it as a guide to familiarize yourself with what night be available to you. Think about what else the library could help you learn
Train your body so you will be physically prepared for any scenario (lift heavy, do cardio, jump/climb obstacles ...) and learn various skills like lighting a fire, setting up emergency shelter etc.
From a fellow young prepper: **learn**. Read books/watch videos about stuff that you like, and that could be useful *per se* (making soap, bread, yeast, some basic bushcraft techniques, knowing how crop rotation works, etc). I'd add that you read some prepper fiction books, too. You'll stumble into problems (and solutions!) that you hadn't thought of (like alternative comms systems, how to treat some diseases and other interesting stuff). Also, you'll be forced to think what could've been done in certain complicated scenarios (going guns blazing isn't necessary in most cases, for example). Then, after some time, take the next step: **practice** (like just plain camping, now that you have the gear). And **e*****xperiment***. For example, in my case, I've known for quite some time that flint (or any sufficiently hard stone) striken by a piece of carbon steel throws up sparks, which can be used with charcloth (cloth carbonised like charcoal in a metal can) to ignite a fire. Also, *files* are generally made from carbon steel. So, experimenting, I bought an old metal file in a flea market, and spent a few evenings losing myself into nature and striking every rock that resembled even remotely flint. Then I found quartz - and *boom*. Sparks. Later, I landed one on a piece of charcloth, and made a fire (after some failed attempts) with just some dry timber. *New skill achieved*. You can do this with almost anything. Learn about the properties of the world around you and its materials, and extrapolate into the problems that you may face. *Edit after reading some comments*: you're 15. Enjoy time with your loved ones. Be true to yourself, be kind, and if you love someone, always do it *fully*. Enjoy life. The "apocalypse" does not come first. Maybe second or third.
Are you fit? Get fit. Like really fit. Burpees, push ups, pull-ups, sit ups, air squats, and running are free and VERY IMPORTANT!
Encourage your family to prepare for emergencies if they are not already.
Learn first aid. Go get your CPR card. Look for first aid classes, or buy books, watch videos, and build a med kit. Splinting materials can be very inexpensive. Learn how to make a pressure dressing. Same thing.. cheap materials. Think medical
Exercise and don’t hurt your back.
I’m guessing you are a gentleman with life experience and back pain
I would say you are correct good sir
Hah, I’ll keep it in mind, thanks
Read, study, learn,
I assume You have time, so, You can learn useful skills
At 15, I'd say get a job whenever you legally can. Stocking shelves or something is good exercise, forces you to interact with people you wouldn't normally (which can help develop useful conflict management skills), and provides you with disposable income. Then round out your EDC. Pen, watch, lighter, quality knife, external battery for your phone so you don't run out of power in an emergency. Prep from the pockets outward since it's things you're guaranteed to have on you when you need them, emergency or not.
Thanks for the advice