The Minimalist Approach to Urban Prepping (Part 1)
Prepping for emergencies can often be an all-in approach. Some say, the more the merrier. While there is some truth in that, in cases where you need to be on the go, travelling light might be a better option.
So 1) how do we adopt a minimalist approach when the grid is down in a digital environment?
And 2) What items make the cut when stripped down to the bare essentials (Besides the usual survival items like water, food, or first aid, which have been covered elsewhere)?
The Criteria
To decide what items are needed, we've come up with a basic criteria in order of importance:
- Free, unlimited, self-sustaining
- Multifunctional
- Reliable
- Outdoor Ready: Portable + Wireless (how often do we go about without the necessary cables!) + Waterproofing
1. Free, unlimited, self-sustaining. Amongst the best resources you can have in an emergency has to be electrical energy. Electrical energy can power devices that produce light, heat, sound that are needed for survival. And if anything's better than having access to it, it is getting it for free! Free Energy doesn't cost you anything and isn't reliant on man-made sources. This means harnessing what nature has blessed us with, such as i) Manual energy (our bodies), ii) Solar energy (Sun), or iii) Heat Energy (Fire) and converting it into Electricity.
While emergency portable generators are great, free and natural energy is pretty much unlimited so there's no worry that will run out. Of course, the output generated would likely be less in comparison. But given that emergency survival would likely be a marathon instead of a sprint, we're looking at having back-up power with longevity in mind.
2. Multi-functional: With more functions in one item, you can worry about fewer and travel lighter. At the basic level, not only is power generation necessary to juice up your various devices, power storage helps collect it for crucial periods.
Lighting is another important function, where lack of sight at night can be consequential for survival, and where even a small flashlight can be crucial. Finally, communication tools are key to gaining awareness of any situation - while outbound communication is key to maintaining contact with others, inbound communication allows you to obtain info such as news or emergency reports.
3. Reliable: This one is obvious. During an emergency, even the most functional devices are worthless if they fail to work. Given that electronics tend to more easily break down. it’s precious to own items that have proven track record to work. Just make sure that the items have good reviews overall, and have been tested under various conditions over a period of time.
4. Outdoor-Ready: Ok so we cheated. We tried to squeeze in several different requirements. Portability is important for ease of carrying around, while Waterproofing and Durablility are crucial under harsh emergency condition. On a lesser note, having wireless capability might also be useful so you have one less thing to worry about - cables.
So based on the criteria above, what are some of the best products for minimalist prepping? We share our recommendations in Part 2 (coming up)!