The Christmas season is officially upon us, and with it, the time-honored tradition of gift giving.
For many of us, that might mean a new pair of jeans or some good reading material. But for preppers, holiday gifts are an opportunity to beef up on critical self-sufficiency gear and supplies.
Dan Carpenter, founder and principal of Homestead Launch and SCP Survival explains that the Holiday season is the perfect time to “kill 2 birds with 1 stone”, by giving gifts that can be both interesting and practical. In an annual guide that he publishes, he packages up gift ideas and recommendations for self sufficiency enthusiasts–homesteaders, bushcrafters, tactical guys and more. Gifts ideas begin at just a few dollars and come in all shapes and sizes.
If you’ll be shopping for a prepper this Holiday season (or you happen to be one yourself), here are the top 10 gifts that every prepper needs for Christmas:
1. A Personal Water Filter
This inexpensive prep can save your life, as well as help you enjoy the outdoors more! Personal water filters are small, packable, and low-tech enough to be extremely durable (i.e. they won’t break if they get dropped or scratched). Drink untreated water with confidence that you won’t get sick–whether in a “grid down” situation, or hiking the Appalachian Trail.
2. A High-Capacity Battery Bank
These days, our lives depend upon our phones and other devices. A backup battery bank gives you an extra phone charge if the power goes out, or you’re on the go and can’t charge it in a moment of critical need. Versatile and inexpensive–the perfect gift!
3. An Online Concealed Carry Class
If you live in a state where it’s possible, the gift of a concealed carry class is life changing. Take advantage of the opportunity you have to be a responsibly armed citizen. Online classes allow you to take the class on your schedule, and from the comfort of your own home. After you successfully complete the class, you get the official certificate that you need to send in to your licensing bureau.
4. Pepper Spray
If protecting yourself with a firearm isn’t an option, pepper spray is a great “less than lethal” alternative to protect yourself. Effective against humans or animals, it’s a smart idea to have some around (particularly smart gift idea for people runners and hikers!).
5. A Permaculture Gardening Handbook
Learn how to grow your own food, in a simple, homescale way. “Permaculture” is a design science that emphasizes the use of natural patterns to increase your garden’s yield and nutrient-density (as opposed to dumping a bunch of chemical fertilizers and pesticides on it). Although you may not produce every single calorie you need, growing at least some of your own food is an important step towards self-sufficiency. Home-grown food is almost always more nutrient dense; plus, growing it gets you outdoors!
6. A Headlamp
This is perhaps the most practical and most affordable gift on the list. For just a few dollars, you can get a headlamp that will give you hours of hands-free illumination. Perfect for a power outage, night time car emergency, camping trips, or even reading in bed at night. Due to their low cost, it’s not a bad idea to grab a few and strategically place them in different places.
7. Emergency Car Kit
Speaking of car emergencies, a car kit is a terrific gift, particularly for people that you know will never buy one on their own (think driving-age children). A good car kit should include jumper cables, Fix-A-Flat, road flares, basic tools, and more. Better still, assemble your own kit, and include a few “non-car” items like blankets and snacks. Easily mitigate some of the many risks of driving by stashing a car kit in the trunk.
8. A Handheld Ham Radio
Although you need a license to legally operate one, a Ham radio provides you with effective low-power communications, should the phone and internet networks go down. A simple handheld radio can be used at home, in your car, or thrown in a bug out bag and taken with you on the go.
9. Seed Bank
Storing food is good, but the ultimate in long term self-sufficiency is being able to produce your own. Seed banks or “vaults” package up thousands of non-GMO, heirloom fruit and vegetable seeds (some include as many as 15,000 seeds!). Seeds can be used this spring, or in a decade–whenever the need or inclination arises.
10. Biometric safe
Part of being a responsibly armed citizen means that our firearms need to be secured. But secured doesn’t have to mean inaccessible. A biometric safe offers the best of both worlds, giving the ability to safely store firearms, yet retrieve them at a moment’s notice. They typically operate with a simple fingerprint lock, and are quick to deploy. Help the prepper in your life to practice sound firearms principles with a solid biometric safe.
Conclusion
While bad things can certainly still happen to anybody, gathering a handful of thought preparations ahead of time can mitigate or significantly lessen a lot of would-be disaster scenarios, into completely manageable situations.
So this year, instead of giving somebody a fruit cake or some peanut brittle, why not gift a little self-sufficiency under the tree?
To see the complete prepper’s gift guide, with more than 160 gift ideas, click here.