Fall/Winter Preps: 10 Tips to Get Ready

In spite of being one of the most predictable events you could think of, winter season still catches thousands by surprise each year, including more than a few preppers and survivalists. Winter is just around the corner people, and its again time to sort out our preps so as to be ready for it.

1)Get your house in order. Organize your fuel supply, pump septic tanks, clean chimneys, service boilers, clean up gardens, take a good look at larger, nearby trees that may damage your home if they fall. Insulate pipes and exterior faucets. Several layers of plastic can be used. Remember that leaving a faucet dripping a little can avoid freezing. Check your fire and carbon monoxide detectors.

2)Service your vehicle for winter. Check tire pressure and liquid levels. Change your car emergency kit if you have a different loadout for winter.

3)Plan for blizzards and blackouts. Buy a generator before you actually need one. Now is the time, not when people are stealing each other’s generators from their front porches at gunpoint. Yamahas are great but Westinghouse, Champion and Wen do a good job as well while being more affordable. When you buy a generator, but enough generator to cover the initial starting (surge) wattage. Get your generator serviced if you have one already. Check your jerry cans (invest in quality metal ones) and refill those that are empty.

Westinghouse WH7500E Portable Generator, 7500 Running Watts/9000 Starting Watts

4)If you don’t need electricity during blackouts and you can get by with an alternative form of heating, seriously consider getting a kerosene heater. They are more efficient for heating than running a generator, they are affordable, safe and rock solid reliable. People that aren’t comfortable with kero heaters tend to live by Mr. Heaters.

Sengoku CV-23K KeroHeat Convection 23,500-BTU Portable Kerosene Heater

5)Get plenty of batteries, LED flashlights and lanterns. High lumen output flashlights are convenient for carrying around, but for blackouts you want lanterns which flood a room with light. Remember that headlamps are the best way of doing chores around the house when there’s no power. Energyzer headlamps are affordable and they work well. Get a NOAA Weather Radio so as to receive weather warnings and updates. Little Tip: Get a string of Christmas LED lights. The ones that use AA are great for blackouts. They last for days, put out a nice light that floods a room nicely and they even manage to look somewhat cheerful during a blackout.

American Red Cross FRX3 Hand Turbine NOAA AM/FM Weather Alert Radio with Smartphone Charger

6)Check your food supply. You need food that has a long shelf life, requires little fuel and water to cook, and your family (most of all your kids) will eat without much trouble. It is true that even kids will eat pretty much anything when hungry enough, but it can be stressful for everyone to get to that point.

7)Have alternative means of cooking your food. Camping stoves usually work well, but when you don’t need light weight camping equipment the larger models that have a burner and run on small gas bottles are an affordable option

Portable Butane Gas Camp Stove

8)Make sure you have enough salt and snow shovels in the areas where they are needed. Remember to take it easy when shoveling snow: Heart attacks while doing so are one of the main causes of death linked to winter hazards every year. Injuries after slipping on black ice are another classic of the season.

9)Don’t forget your water supply. You need to keep at least some of it inside so that it doesn’t freeze. Blackouts and frozen pipes could leave you without water fairly easily and its important to stay hydrated when fighting cold temperatures.

10)Stock up so as to minimize travel or avoid going out entirely if required. Car accidents are one of the main causes of death during winter storms.

FerFAL