This is one of a series of posts on some commonly held prepping beliefs, and reasons why they may be wrong and possibly dangerous to you and your loved ones.

Their Myth Reasoning (not me talking/writing) – I was motivated to write this article by a thread I saw on a message board where people were comparing the contents of their bugout bags. Seven people in a row described having less than two days’ worth of food. What is the point of having survival gear if you are so debilitated by hunger that you can’t use it? Some people who’ve never been without food for a couple of days will point out correctly that the human body can go for weeks without food, but I suggest that you fast (go without eating) for just four days and then try to engage in any kind of real physical activity – it’s a nonstarter. The body can keep itself alive without food, but that’s about all it can do. In a real survival situation, you won’t be sitting behind a desk typing e-mails; you’ll be running, walking, digging, and fighting, plus any other actions that a machine used to do for you. All that requires energy – lots of it. You’re going to have to supply that energy – all of it. Now multiply that obligation by the number of people in your group, and the number of days you’ll have to go without a resupply of food. The result is a mountain of food, much more than what casual preppers sock away. The problem isn’t just food – what are you going to drink? How are you going to sanitize that water supply? How are you going to cook all that food? However much food you store, you’ll need an equivalent source of energy to cook it, since most long-term survival foods, like grains and legumes, all need to be cooked. The myth I’m describing is perhaps more a tendency than a myth – preppers focus on weapons and defensive equipment (some out of fear and some because those are the things they like using anyway), when they should be focusing on food. You can buy an awful lot of wheat for the price of a single gun.

My Opinion –  I agree with this…to a point. But, you will never know exactly how much food and water you will need. There is no magic number of days/months/years worth of food storage. Your food storage may be just for your family of four but you may end up with 5 other families as well. So I keep adding to my pile every month; a little here and a little there.

And now here is the first real point…ability to produce food (i.e. garden). To hedge my food storage bet I have started only buying heirloom plants for the garden and then store the seeds. And just to make sure I would get off to the right start I bought three good starter kits of seeds for a garden. Here is the most important aspect about having PLENTY of food storage – you can always use it and it will never go to waste. You or someone else in your family or community will enjoy it; even if it is in retirement reducing your food bill.

And here is my second real point…their comment about “weapons and defensive equipment” is WAY off!! Their statement “some out of fear and some because those are the things they like using anyway” shows their true feelings against guns and tactical gear. This is a typical view of many people. Why? because they don’t really understand the actual risks/threats that will exist during emergencies, disasters, and grid-down. They don’t understand risk mitigation and they have this powder-puff view of the world once the SHTF. If you are not properly armed and trained, the first guy that is will end up with all that great food and water storage of yours.

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