Essential weapons every prepper must have

Despite her breathtaking beauty, Mother Nature is often fierce and unpredictable. When SHTF, weapons might just save your life. When spending time outdoors, it’s always better to carry wilderness survival weapons. (h/t to ThePrepperJournal.com.)

A knife

The knife is the most basic survival tool. You can use it when camping, hiking, or hunting. If you get lost during an outdoor trip, a knife will significantly increase your chance of survival. It’s a versatile tool, and you can use it for different purposes in all kinds of environments.

However, there are specific knives for specific scenarios, and you might have trouble defending yourself from a wild animal using a small fixed blade knife or a folding/pocket knife. If you’re looking for a self-defense weapon, consider a seven-inch large knife instead. For a longer weapon, go for a Bowie knife that’s usually eight to 14 inches long

A large hunting knife can be used to skin animals and for self-defense. Even if they do have some drawbacks, a large knife can be used to fend off an attacking animal.

Below are different knife blade types that you might want to consider:

• Clip point
• Drop point
• Hawkbill
• Needlepoint
• Pen blade
• Sheep foot
• Spay point
• Straight back
• Tanto point
• Trailing point
• Wharncliffe
• Speer point

A gun

A gun is the perfect long-range weapon, but you need to learn how to use it properly. According to statistics, a whopping 67,000 Americans are injured by firearms yearly. Most of these cases are self-harm-related injuries.

About 3,100 people die from unintentional shootings in the U.S. This means that beginners with guns have a higher chance of injuring themselves instead of actually using the weapon for self-defense.

Once you learn how to wield it properly, a gun is one of the best survival weapons you can have. But you must keep in mind that some guns are heavy and they can weigh you down.

If you’re getting a gun for self-defense, consider a small handgun that’s easier to conceal than other kinds of guns. A .22 caliber handgun won’t take down large animals, but it can be used to scare them off.

A gun will also need ammunition, but this will depend on how frequently you use the weapon. Ammo isn’t cheap, and it might be hard on the budget. To remedy this, invest in a high-quality progressive reloading press. A progressive reloading press lets you make your own ammunition, which you can’t have too much of in a survival situation.

A hatchet

If you’re relying on a campfire for cooking, light, or warmth, you’ll need a sharp and sturdy hatchet to get firewood. A hatchet can also be used to prepare food, like fish. The blunt back end of a hatchet can also be used as a makeshift hammer, such as when you’re setting up a tent. (Related: Emergency essentials for apartment preppers: 10 items for your bugout bag.)

Bear pepper spray

Bear pepper spray is a safer alternative to guns, and it can even be used to defend yourself against other kinds of animals. This is also a lightweight weapon that even prepping beginners can use.

Bear pepper spray is effective against non-aggressive bears, such as a bear that feels threatened or one that’s stalking you. A can of bear pepper spray will shoot at least 10 to 40 feet

A machete

The machete is an optional weapon and it can be incredibly useful when you’re outdoors. You can use it to cut through very thick vegetation, and it’s longer and stronger than the average knife. The machete is another weapon that’s suited for close quarters combat against wild animals that may sneak up on you.

In the U.S., a lot of individuals often participate in outdoor recreational events. Consumers have also spent at least $646 billion on these activities every year. Wilderness survival camping participants have gone up from 10.2 million in the 1990’s to 13.3 million today.

While there’s nothing wrong with spending time in the great outdoors, you also need to learn how to take care of yourself. Don’t be one of the estimated 212,708 individuals who were treated for injuries sustained when taking part in outdoor recreational activities.

Always be prepared, and bring at least one or several, if not all, of the weapons listed above so you can defend yourself whenever you’re out in the wild.

You can read more articles about the benefits of various wilderness survival weapons at Preparedness.news.

Sources include:

ThePrepperJournal.com

Survivopedia.com