I was out for a bike ride today and pondering a good way to get across how to prioritize while prepping. Personally I see nothing wrong with excel spreadsheets sorted and filtered for results, but those are just boring. How could I come up with a simple graphic which quickly gives the reader a snapshot of the point I’m trying to make? Then it hit me, the food pyramid! Everyone remembers that while growing up, the poster your parents referred to when making their point that you should eat shredded wheat cereal instead of fruity pebbles. All I had to do was model my pyramid after that framework and I would be good to go.
When I got home from my ride I typed the words “prepper pyramid” into google and of course, someone had already made one. I guess I shouldn’t be all that surprised. It seems like there really is no new information out there, it’s all about how to package and deliver it. I was slightly discouraged but the good news was that the other pyramid did not reflect what I had in mind to create, which is what you see below.
As you can see there is a hierarchy, from bottom to top according to relevance. Additionally I chose to add a ring around the pyramid which reflects three tenets that really do not have a ranking because they are always important. What follows is a breakdown of the pyramid and the three 3 tenets.
The Prepper Pyramid
Shelter: Some would argue food and water should be at the bottom, or the most important. I think shelter gets the nod for the foundation because if your homestead is where you want it to be and fully functional, everything else should fall in line. Why do you think people put so much time and effort into moving to the redoubt, places like Idaho or Wyoming. If your shelter (homestead) is good to go food and water naturally should follow. You will hopefully have a well on site (or be able to access one) and you’ll be able to grow food and raise animals. It all starts with shelter.
Food and Water: Next up the pyramid are your life support items in the form of food and water. If you are prepping you need to put special emphasis here, especially considering what is going on lately with the drought and the possibility of soaring food prices. Having a stockpile of food is essential to survival when times get tough and I doubt anyone would argue against the importance of having fresh water to drink and cook with.
Protection: Guns and ammo! Probably one of the most popular prepping topics even though it is not the most important. Remember protection isn’t always about defeating a threat with firearms, it’s also about detecting and deterring that threat. Operational Security (OPSEC) is crucial in helping you protect your loved ones. Be careful who you share information with and who you choose to trust.
Medical & Hygiene: Often overlooked in many prepper stashes are medical and hygiene supplies. An untreated infection or illness caused by poor hygiene is more likely to kill you should the SHTF versus some gun toting looter. Having lots of supplies to treat multiple types of wounds/injuries can only be seen as the smart thing to do.
Barter: If you have made progress in all of the other categories on the pyramid it might be time to start thinking about barter items. Of course you can trade anything on the list to others who might find them valuable, but your bartering stash should include a few other essentials. Alcohol would make a nice item to trade for example. Think about what people in your area might be willing to trade for and stock up on some of it.
Gold & Silver: I am not a huge fan of stockpiling precious metals but I cannot deny the popularity of it. If you choose to keep gold and silver on hand I would make it the lowest of your priorities, as indicated by its place at the top of the pyramid.
The 3 Tenets
Skills: Having all of the items listed on the prepper pyramid will only ensure that you last a bit longer than those around you should things get crazy. You truly need skills to survive. Knowing how to grow your own food, how to hunt, how to split wood, how to fix a car, stitch a wound, and the list goes on and on. The importance of having skills cannot be stressed enough.
People: In keeping with skills, people or community are always an important consideration no matter where you are in your prepper journey. I’ve said it before, you have to sleep sometime and there is no such thing as a one man army. Getting to know your neighbors and finding like minded individuals will greatly increase your chances of survival in a post SHTF scenario. More people with more skills can only be a good thing.
Health: Often overlooked, this is such an important category. Over 2/3 of the USA is considered overweight. That’s shameful at best. Being healthy is a daily task which permeates through all stages of preparedness. It’s not just about being physically strong and being able to run 5 miles, it’s also about not being dependent on medication or machines (if possible). If resources become thin once treatable illnesses or conditions might become fatal. Putting in the work to stay healthy is another responsibility of a prepper and should not be ignored.
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Ranger W
September 20, 2012 at 9:13 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I like the prioritization. It is good to remind real preppers that gold and silver have no place for a survivalist. I have plenty of supplies but I wouldn’t even think of trading for gold bars.
Lola
September 20, 2012 at 9:40 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I liked the pyramid and agree with how it’s prioritized. I’m a big believer in food and water. When I say food I don’t mean crap food but good nutritional food that can help keep your immune system healthy and ways to filter water to have clean water available at all times. As humans we need food and water, if there is a shortage no gold, silver, or diamonds can make me give up the essentials.
HalfKin
September 21, 2012 at 1:04 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Hello PJ!
Saw your link over at the SHTFanclub!
Will be coming back to visit, good work.
HalfKin
PJ
September 21, 2012 at 9:15 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Thanks everyone for the comments, and I’m glad you all appreciate the work I put into the pyramid. Also – Halfkin thanks for coming over from the other site, hope to see you around here more often.
PJ
Capt Crunch
September 24, 2012 at 9:34 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Excellent article. Love the emphasis on knowledge and skills as one of the foundations for surviving, and perhaps even thriving, in a SHTF environment.
PJ
September 24, 2012 at 9:45 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Thanks much CC, the kind words are appreciated. I hope you share it with your friends! Skills and knowledge truly are some of the most important assets in any SHTF situation.
Doug Bergstrom
November 21, 2012 at 7:25 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
This is a bit late getting to you-all – with a comment – but, maybe you and/or someone will read my note.
I did a search for the other pyramid and found it (the focus there-in is different) – and you are right = to me it does not even come close to the pyramid you created.
do have to say that what you presented put my mind in a better focus – in that shelter being the foundation is and has to be the critical and key and primary support for all of the other issues. What you indicated about the need for shelter being primary is so true – with out an effective and adequate shelter all of our preps would/could be useless.
What you say – “I think shelter gets the nod for the foundation because if your homestead is where you want it to be and fully functional, everything else should fall in line” ,,,, may-be best altered a bit and indicate ‘everything else will fall into line” (if – as you indicated “It all starts with shelter”).
Thanks for all you do – keep up the good work – have a wonderful Thanksgiving! /s/ doug
PJ
November 22, 2012 at 6:59 AM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Doug,
Thanks much for the comment and observation with regard to the statement I made. While there are various opinions on what weight we should put on all of the categories, I think the important thing is to simply get people started. Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to come back!
PJ
Lyn Robison
November 30, 2012 at 9:55 AM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I like this diagram. It illustrates the “hierarchy of needs” quite well. However, I think there is something missing. What are people (preppers) going to do for a living after they survive the chaos of the collapse? How will they get the resources they will need to sustain their lives and provide for their families after their one or two years of stored food runs out? The world is going to be a different place, and they will need to make living in that new world, or else they will die as soon as their food is gone.
For example, in my current career, I am an IT industry analyst. In the new reality, I suspect that I won’t be able to provide for my family as an IT industry analyst, because the world will no longer need them. As I have thought about my post-collapse career, I have tried to think about what the world will be like post-collapse. Some people think that we will go back to life in the 1800s, but I suspect we will go back to life in the early 1900s instead. IOW, we won’t be all horses and blacksmiths — work will be mechanized and manufacturing will be possible, and vital. In addition, we will hopefully retain a some of our ability to produce high technology. So I have decided to train myself to be a machinist (machinists are the ones who put the blacksmiths out of business around 1899 or so).
Anyway, the development of a new way to support yourself long term after the collapse seems to me to be the pinnacle of prepping.
PJ
November 30, 2012 at 4:50 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Lyn,
Great points you’ve made there and something I have neglected to write about. Post collapse, once it has been all said and done what will our “careers” look like? I like the idea of being a machinist or similar. Agriculture will be huge, transportation, medical professions, law enforcement (on the local level), moonshiners, like you said early 1900′s style. Great stuff and thanks for sharing.
PJ
George Henson
April 8, 2013 at 2:54 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
This is excellent. There is so much info out there these days regarding prepping and survival it is hard to know where to begin. This simple pyramid easily illustrates the hierarchy of the whole prepping activity and how to get started. Thank you so much for the info. I have the first layer down and perhaps some of the third and working on the second and others.
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