Assessing A Safe Property After The Collapse
Alright listen. If you want to survive a real collapse, you need to understand one thing: your terrain can save your life or get you killed.
And the people who survive are the ones who know how to read the terrain and ground. That's where OCOKA comes in.
OCOKA is an acronym. It stands for Observation, Cover and Concealment, Obstacles, Key Terrain, and Avenues of Approach. you can use it to evaluate any environment before you move. And preppers can use it the exact same way for home defense, bug out locations, or choosing a safe shelter in a post collapse world.
First, O is for Observation. This means what you can see and what others can see of you. If you're defending your home or evaluating a building, ask yourself: can you spot threats early, or are you blind until they’re right on you? The more visibility you have, the more reaction time you have.
Second, C is for Cover and Concealment. Cover protects you from bullets. Concealment only hides you. You need both. Look at your house, your cabin, or any structure you're checking. Where can you take real cover that actually stops rounds? And where can you stay hidden without exposing yourself?
Third, O is for Obstacles. These are anything that slows movement. Fences, debris, locked doors, terrain features. Good obstacles slow down attackers but don't slow you down. If you enter a building and everything is wide open with no chokepoints, that's a bad defensive position.
Fourth, K is for Key Terrain. This is ground that gives you a major advantage if you control it. High ground. Narrow entrances. A structure with only one staircase. A cabin overlooking a valley. If you're choosing a bug out spot or evaluating a random shelter, always choose the one that gives you a natural tactical advantage.
Last, A is for Avenues of Approach. These are the routes someone can take to reach you. Roads, hallways, alleys, staircases, trails. You need to identify every single one. Which paths attackers would use, which ones give them speed, which force them into bottlenecks, and which route is your safest exit if things go bad.
OCOKA turns any location into a tactical map. Your home. Your bug out location. A random building you find after a collapse. Once you understand the acronym and apply it automatically, you stop looking at terrain like a normal person and start seeing threats, advantages, and weaknesses instantly.

Drones Will Be Used Against You After The Collapse, Here's How To Fight Back!.
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When society collapses, whether through war, economic destruction, civil unrest, or some other large-scale disaster, most people imagine chaos in the streets, empty grocery stores, and people fighting over basic resources. But there’s another threat you need to be prepared for. One that flies silently overhead and could strike you before you even know you’re being watched. I’m talking about drones.
As someone who’s been researching prepping, reading articles, studying books, and creating survival content, I see a lot of talk about the same cookie-cutter topics. Water filtration, food storage, home invasions, and civil unrest. But I rarely see anyone talking about drones, or even asking me about them, and that’s a mistake. Drones are already a massive part of our world. They are used by hobbyists, by militaries, by law enforcement, and even by cartels. After a collapse, I truly believe drones will become a major concern, and not many people are thinking about it now, but they should be.
To see for myself how accessible this tech is, I even ordered a couple drones off of AliExpress. They were cheap, around thirty dollars each. And they worked. I also saw higher-end models being sold with full HD cameras, 50 times zoom, and flight times of twenty-two to thirty minutes, all for under two hundred dollars. You can get much better ones from companies like DJI. This kind of technology is available to anyone. After the collapse, criminals will absolutely use it the wrong way. Let’s break it down.
How Criminals Will Use Drones After the Collapse
If the power grid fails, the economy crashes, or civil war breaks out, drones will quickly become a critical tool for attackers. They are cheap, quiet, and extremely effective. And they will be used to scout, surveil, and attack.
The first and most obvious use will be reconnaissance. Criminals or roaming gangs will launch drones to fly over neighborhoods, countryside roads, and forested areas to look for signs of human activity. They will be scanning for solar panels on rooftops, vegetable gardens in your backyard, rainwater catchment barrels, smoke coming from chimneys, or even livestock.
If you’ve bugged out to a remote camp, don’t think you’re automatically safe. Drones can cover miles of wilderness and pick up trails, tracks, or even heat signatures from above. That camo tarp you set up may look hidden from the ground, but from the air, it might stand out like a billboard.
Some drones will have thermal imaging, which means they do not need daylight to find you. They can detect your body heat, the warmth of a running generator, or even a campfire. If you're cooking outside, they’ll see the heat plume. If you're walking in the dark, they’ll see your body glowing in infrared. Unless you actively work to hide that heat, you’re vulnerable. And they won’t just use these drones to watch. Some will use them to strike.
Drones Will Be Weaponized
In war zones like Ukraine, we’re already seeing what’s possible. Commercial drones are being modified to drop improvised explosives on enemy positions. You can find footage of drones dropping grenades through sunroofs or into trenches. The same thing can happen to you.
Post-collapse, criminals will use drones to drop pipe bombs, Molotov cocktails, smoke bombs, or homemade incendiaries onto homes, vehicles, or camps. A single road flare dropped into dry brush could start a wildfire. A smoke bomb tossed into your backyard could confuse you long enough for them to rush your property. Some may drop rocks or debris through skylights to distract you before a ground attack. This is asymmetric warfare adapted for the collapse.
If you’ve made enemies, or if you’re guarding something valuable, drones will be part of their toolkit. They will scout, test your defenses, and possibly attack from above.
Do Not Advertise What You Have
One of the biggest mistakes people make in a collapse is showing what they have. If you own something that desperate people might want, keep it covered or bring it inside when it's not in use. That includes your generator, solar panels, rain barrels, even buckets and gardening tools. A drone flying overhead for two minutes can take a dozen high-resolution photos of your property. They’ll know what you have, what time you’re active, and whether you’re worth robbing.
You don’t need to live in fear, but you do need to live smart. If you’ve got gear, hide it. If you’re growing food, put it behind fencing or netting that breaks up the visual pattern from above. If your generator is running, place it in a shed or behind a sandbag wall. Muffle the noise and block the heat. Noise attracts people. Heat attracts drones. You cannot afford to make yourself a target.
How to Defend Yourself from Drones
You are not helpless. You can fight back. Start by limiting your visibility and heat signature. If you’re moving during the day in open areas, you’re easy to spot. Travel at night. Stay close to trees and shaded terrain. Forest canopies interfere with a drone’s line of sight and break up your outline.
To protect yourself from thermal drones, use mylar emergency blankets. These shiny blankets reflect heat and can distort your infrared signature. Wrap your shelter. Line the inside of your tarp. Cover stored gear. They won’t make you invisible, but they may throw off the drone’s thermal sensor just enough to protect you.
Now let’s talk about how to bring them down.
Shotguns. In Ukraine, soldiers and mercenaries have confirmed that 12-gauge shotguns with birdshot are highly effective against drones. One operator said he uses a Mossberg 500 and has downed multiple drones with ease. Birdshot gives you a wide spread, so you don’t need perfect aim. Just the right timing and angle.
Slingshots. If you want a quieter option, a high-powered slingshot is a great tool. Loaded with steel balls, marbles, or rocks, it can take down drones silently and without giving away your location. Slingshots are legal in most places and don’t require ammo you can’t find or make. They are light, reusable, and surprisingly powerful.
Anti-drone guns. These are more advanced tools that jam a drone’s signal using radio frequencies, causing it to crash or return home. They are expensive, starting around four thousand dollars, but if you are defending a large property, a group, or critical resources, they may be worth it.
Sandbags. Don’t underestimate them. Stack sandbags around your rooftop, generator, garden, or fuel stores. They block line of sight and absorb damage from explosives. Even a small sandbag wall around your gear could be the reason a drone fails to hit its mark.
Fire is a Weapon. Prepare for It
If drones are dropping flares or incendiaries, fire is going to be one of your biggest threats. You must be ready.
Every household should have at least two to four fire extinguishers rated for Class A, B, and C fires. That means fires caused by solids, flammable liquids, and electrical sources. Keep one near your back door, one in the kitchen, one in your garage, and one near your generator or tools. If you live on a homestead or larger property, have extras near fuel, outbuildings, and sheds.
Fires can spread fast, and in a collapse, there’s no fire department coming to save you. Your only option is to put it out yourself or watch everything you’ve built burn.
Expect Injuries. Build a Trauma Kit
Drones dropping explosives or sharp objects will cause injuries. And if you’re hit, you need more than a box of bandages.
You need a trauma kit. A real one.
Here’s what every prepper household should have:
Tourniquets like CAT or SOFTT-W
Pressure dressings such as Israeli bandages
Compressed gauze for wound packing
Hemostatic agents like QuikClot or Celox
Chest seals for puncture wounds
Nitrile gloves
Trauma shears
A nasopharyngeal airway with lube
Burn dressings or sterile burn sheets
Antiseptic wipes or iodine swabs
Eye shield and eyewash solution
SAM splint for fractures
Permanent marker to note tourniquet times
Emergency blanket
Basic trauma instructions in case someone else has to treat you
Train your group to use these tools. Don’t just own the kit. Know the kit. At the very least, if you don’t want to take an in person course, watch youtube videos from experts to see how you can use each item. Remember that when the collapse hits, you are your own medic.
My Final Warning
Drones are not just military tech. After the collapse, they will be used by gangs, looters, and anyone with bad intentions and access to basic tech. They do not need the power grid. They can be charged using solar panels, car batteries, or scavenged power stations. They’re quiet, fast, and deadly.
They will be used to scout your property, track your movements, cause chaos, start fires, and even kill. And they will be used by people in your own community, not just by organized forces or governments.
Hide your gear. Conceal your heat. Fortify your home. Train your eyes to the sky. Be ready to defend not just against what’s coming through the door, but what’s flying over it.
Keep prepping!

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EDC - Every Day Carry
What Is Your Every Day Carry To Protect Yourself While Out In Public.
I hope that everyone on this site is aware of the value of the items they carry on them daily. Perhaps some will share their views on the MUST-HAVEs of their personal, or perfect, EDC plan.

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5 Prepper Meal Ideas - All those ingredients, but what will you do with them?
Since most people don’t talk about prepper meals, I want you to really pay attention. When people start prepping, they usually just buy random food. Cans, rice, beans, pasta, snacks, whatever they can grab. But if you actually want to survive long term, you need to know how you’re going to turn that food into real meals.
Meals are what keep you alive mentally, physically, and emotionally during a crisis. Eating plain rice every day will crush your morale. Eating just beans out of a can everyday looks cool in zombie movies but will make you miserable. Buying random ingredients that don’t work together wastes money and shelf space.
So before you go on another shopping trip, ask yourself one thing. How am I going to turn this into a meal? Not just calories. A full meal that tastes good, fills you up, and uses ingredients that actually combine with each other.
Let me give you a few examples so you understand what I mean.
Example one. Rice, canned chicken, and a jar of salsa. That’s an actual meal. You can make a cheap chicken and rice bowl that tastes good, stores well, and gives you protein and carbs.
Example two. Pasta, tomato sauce, and canned ground beef or meatballs. That becomes a full pasta dinner with protein. Cheap, simple, and lasts years.
Example three. Oats, powdered milk, cinnamon, and honey. That is breakfast for weeks. Add peanut butter if you want more calories and protein.
Example four. Beans, rice, and taco seasoning. You can turn that into burrito style bowls, wraps, or chili. Same ingredients, multiple meals.
Example five. Instant mashed potatoes, canned beef stew, and canned vegetables. You mix them and you get a full comfort meal that feels like and is real food.
This is how you should be thinking. Build meals, not random shelves of ingredients. If you plan your meals now, your stockpile will last longer, taste better, and actually keep your family going when life gets hard.

10 Items To Buy Before The Next Depression
First is powdered baby formula, this is going to sell out very quickly and will be very expensive, I think that if you have a baby you should be buying it on a regular basis, rotating it and you should have at least 6 months worth or however long they may be on it.
Next is laundry detergent, you will still have a need to wash your clothes so stock up and I would go for powdered laundry detergent for long term storage, the liquid one starts to eat away at the plastic and doesn't last as long.
Make sure you have extra pet food and water if you have a pet, people always forget about this.
Stock up on all the common over the counter meds and get a few first aid kits
You should also stock up on ammo, you will need it for hunting when you try to go out and get your own food, like they did back then in the great depression. You will also need it for Self-Defense, when people get desperate and start looting.
Seeds, During the great depression, people who grew their own food had a huge advantage over other people, while many others were starving, they were able to eat vegetables out of their garden. Now some people were already growing their food which they were very happy they did and others started when they saw that things were getting really bad, don't be the person who only starts it only when you desperately need it.
Next is meat, again it was very hard to get some during the great depression, it was really considered a luxury item. So vacuum seal meat, put it in the freezer, start canning or buying canned meat or buy freeze dried meat which will last you 25+ years. You have many options.
If you are in a situation where you end up homeless and living out of your vehicle, you would still want a way to power devices like flashlights, radios, phones, medical equipment, a small heater, for that, you should have either a small solar panel USB charger for small devices or a large solar generator, its expensive but in a long term crisis, its priceless.
Dry foods like, rice, beans, past and oats, they’re all shelf stable and provide you with the nutrition and calories you need. Along with that you also need water and water filters.
Financial preparedness is also essential, if you can, start saving some money and build up an emergency fund that can cover 3-6 months of expenses and stock up on precious metals. For most people your best bet might be to buy an ounce of silver whenever you have some spare money as well.

How To Do A Threat Assessment Of Your Neighborhood
Most preppers focus on food, water, and gear. But the truth is, your biggest advantage or your biggest danger will come from the people who live within a few streets of you. So here’s how you do a simple threat assessment of your neighborhood before any crisis happens.
Start by making a basic map of your block. Nothing fancy. Just house numbers and the layout of the streets. This gives you a clear picture of your surroundings if things ever go bad and the power or internet goes down.
Next, find out who actually lives in each home. You can look up property owners through public records. If it’s a long-term owner, that usually means stability. If it’s a rental, people may come and go. From there, look at basic public information. What do they do for work. Do they have skills that matter in a crisis like medical training, electrical work, or mechanical skills.
Now pay attention to the household itself. Is it a big family, older adults, or a bunch of roommates. Larger or chaotic homes can become unpredictable during an emergency. Homes with kids usually try to stay calm and safe. A home with elderly residents might need help. Understanding these dynamics helps you figure out potential strengths and weak points around you.
Then watch behavior. This tells you more than anything. If a house constantly has police visits, fights, or loud parties, that’s a red flag. If a home has frequent medical calls, that could mean health issues that leave the house empty or vulnerable later. If someone relies on takeout every night and rarely cooks, they probably don’t store much food, and they may hit desperation early in a long emergency.
Look for helpful skill sets too. Police officers, nurses, military members, or people who clearly work in emergency services can become valuable in a crisis. They might also be gone if they get called in to work, so keep that in mind.
Lifestyle risks matter as well. People struggling with addiction, unstable behavior, or constant arguments at home can become unpredictable fast when stress hits. You’re not judging them morally. You’re assessing risk realistically.
Also keep track of transient activity. Cars with people sleeping inside, RVs parked for long periods, or homeless camps popping up and disappearing are things you should note. These situations can escalate quickly during a disaster.
Finally, notice how people talk online in local groups. If someone constantly stirs up conflict, posts angry comments, or acts aggressive online, they usually act the same way when things get rough.
When you put all of this together, you’re not creating a giant file on your neighbors. You’re building awareness. Who around you is solid. Who might need help. Who has skills. And who might become a problem when resources disappear.
This is one of the most overlooked parts of preparedness. Your home matters. Your supplies matter. But knowing your neighborhood can be the difference between staying safe or getting blindsided when everything falls apart.

MINDSET AND SKILLS

Preparedness is not only about gear and supplies. Your mindset and your skills decide how you respond under pressure. When people panic, they make bad decisions. When you stay calm, you think clearly and act with purpose. A strong mindset is one of the most powerful tools you can develop.

Why Mindset Matters
In every disaster, people who stay calm survive at higher rates. Panic shuts down your ability to plan. Fear makes small problems feel impossible. Preparedness gives you confidence because you already know what to do. When you understand the situation and your options, you do not freeze. You act.

Learning One Skill At A Time
Skills make life easier during any emergency. Fire making, navigation, basic cooking, simple repairs, first aid, and situational awareness all play a major role in survival. You do not need to become an expert overnight. Learn one new skill at a time. Pick something small and practice it until it feels natural. These skills stack. After a few months, you will be a completely different person.

Fire Making
Fire keeps you warm, cooks your food, boils your water, and signals for help. Practice with lighters, matches, and fire starters. Try making a fire in different weather conditions. Even a few attempts will teach you things you never knew you needed.

Basic Cooking
A lot of people do not know how to cook simple meals. In an emergency, this becomes a real problem. Learn how to cook rice, pasta, oats, and basic canned foods. These are the same foods you store, so cooking them well makes your life easier now and in a crisis.

Navigation
Most people rely on GPS. If your phone dies or the grid goes down, you need to know how to find your way. Learn how to read a basic map. Learn how to follow landmarks. These simple skills help you move confidently even when technology fails.

Situational Awareness
Awareness is noticing what others ignore. It protects you from danger before it gets close. When you walk into a building, pay attention to exits, crowds, and energy. When you walk outside, notice vehicles, noise, and movement. Situational awareness turns you from a target into someone who is alert and prepared.

Confidence Through Preparedness
The more skills you build, the more confident you become. Confidence lowers fear. When you know what to do and how to do it, emergencies feel smaller. You stop reacting emotionally and start responding logically. This is what separates real preppers from everyone else.

Preparedness Is A Lifestyle
Preparedness is not something you do once. It is a mindset you carry with you for life. You stay aware. You stay ready. You keep learning. You take responsibility for yourself and your family. That mindset helps you in every area of your life, not just emergencies.

HOME DEFENSE

Your home is your base during any emergency. It is where you store your food, water, medical supplies, and your family’s security. When society gets stressed, crime rises. When people get desperate, they look for easy targets. Home defense is not about being aggressive. It is about protecting what is yours and making sure your house is never viewed as an easy opportunity.

What Makes A Home A Target
Criminals look for weakness. Dark yards. Unlocked doors. No cameras. No noise. No visible signs of activity. A house with poor lighting and no security measures looks like an easy win. During a crisis, this becomes even more true. People take more risks when they are hungry or scared. The goal is to make your home look harder to approach than the others.

Securing Doors And Windows
Most break ins happen through doors and windows. Strengthen your doors with good deadbolts, long screws in the hinges, and strong door frames. Window locks should be checked and working. If you live in a risky area or expect civil unrest, window security film adds another layer that makes glass harder to break. Small upgrades make a big difference.

Lighting Your Yard
A dark property is an invitation. Motion lights, solar lights, and porch lights remove hiding spots. When your yard is bright, people think twice before coming near it. Lighting is one of the cheapest but most effective home defense upgrades you can make.

Dogs And Alarms
A dog is one of the best early warning systems in the world. Even a small dog can make noise and alert you before someone gets close. If you cannot have a dog, a good alarm system and some basic sensors help a lot. The goal is awareness. You want to know if anyone is around your home before they get close.

Basic Self Defense Tools
You should have simple tools you can use if someone breaks in. This depends on your comfort and local laws, but every home should have at least something for defense. Even basic items like pepper spray, personal alarms, or a heavy flashlight can stop someone long enough for you to escape or call for help. Defense is not about fighting. It is about giving yourself a chance to survive.

Making Your Home Look Occupied
Criminals avoid homes that look active. Leave a light on at night. Use timers. Keep your yard clean. Do not let mail or packages build up. During a long emergency, make sure it always looks like people are awake and alert. Appearance alone can prevent trouble.

Awareness Inside The Home
Home defense is not only about the outside. Everyone in the house should know the plan. Where to gather if something happens. Which door to exit from. Where the phone is. Where the lights are. Who watches the cameras. A simple plan keeps panic under control.

Home defense is about confidence and control. When your home is secure, every other part of preparedness becomes easier. You sleep better. You worry less. You focus on taking care of your family instead of reacting to danger.