What’s One Prep You Wish You’d Started Sooner?

[EchoTangoFox]

Looking back, I really wish I’d gotten my water filtration squared away much earlier. It’s easy to stockpile bottled water, but a sustainable long-term solution took me longer to prioritize than it should have. Only after doing a few drills with the local group did I realize how fast stored water can run out and how unreliable tap or surface water sources become in a real emergency.

For me, learning the ins and outs of gravity-fed systems, as well as the difference between filters and purifiers, was a real eye-opener. Being able to communicate over ham radio is great for info and support, but if you don’t have safe water, all the comms in the world won’t help for long.

Curious if others faced the same blind spot, or if there’s another prep you overlooked at first? Was it something practical like food storage rotation, or gear maintenance? Or maybe a skill you wish

 

[MarigoldBreeze]

Wish I'd started serious food rotation way earlier. It's not just about having enough—keeping things fresh and learning which staples actually get used makes a huge difference. I lost a fair bit to expiration those first couple years because I underestimated how tricky it’d be to use and replace everything consistently. Now it's second nature, but it took a while. Anyone else end up eating way too much rice just trying not to waste those stockpiles?