About Me

Hello fellow “preppers” and welcome to “The BackYard Prepper”. I decided to start this website because I am fascinated by the various schemes and tools mankind has developed over time to deal with virtually every environment on the planet.

We have managed to settle in almost every corner of the globe, from the coldest parts of Antarctica to the driest parts of the Sahara and on to the hottest and humid regions of South America.

As my interest in this area grew I began to integrate some basic principles of preparation and survival into my life for the sake of my family and loved ones. However, as I implemented one strategy there always seemed to be another, better idea that improved upon the original. So, inadvertently, this because a side passion of mine.

However, I began to realize that these skills, plans and tools should be pulled together and shared among others who may see “prepping” as not just a personal interest, but a necessary requirement for a lifestyle that may not be as permanent as others think.

So, it’s here that I hope to pass on what information I’ve learned plus guide others to ideas, skills and tools that may help them and their families reduce, if not mitigate, the effects of a catastrophic change in lifestyle.

How I Began This Journey.

Interesting enough, my journey down this road began when I was a child living with my grandparents. I noticed how they stocked everything imaginable in the dry cellar.

There were shelves and shelves of canned goods, rice, beans, anything that would allow them eat for a prolonged period without going to the grocery store. There was even a standalone freezer in the basement that dated back to the early 1940s that contained every kind of frozen meat (including several Turkeys if I remember correctly) imaginable.

To this day I don’t I have ever seen the bottom of that freezer.

When I asked my grandparents why they stored so much food, the told me stories of the Great Depression when just about everything was in short supply. Of course this was only worsened by the rationing implemented during World War II. They learned the hard way how important it was to store necessities, especially food, as uncertain times could come at a moments notice, giving you absolutely no time to prepare.

As it was told to me, “better to have and not need than to need and not have”.

As I grew up and began living on my own I began to see the wisdom in my grandparents thinking. Thankfully I have never been on the brink of starvation but I have experienced power outages lasting several days causing all our food to spoil and all our valued entertainment to be completely worthless. I realized how vulnerable my family was without electricity. Virtually everything we used relied on that energy source and having no access to it for only a short time was crippling.

It was at that time I began to investigate further into survival skills and tools that seemed to have been lost to time. What I discovered is that they hadn’t really been lost (thankfully). They just weren’t taught anymore because everyone has come to assume that our modern society will always be here. It only took three days of no power in the deepest summer to convince me otherwise…

There Is A Lot Of Simple But Critical Information.

As I began to build on top of what my grandparents taught me I realized very quickly that in spite of all I had learned, I still had much to learn. No matte how much valuable information I had acquired, it became clear it was only the tip of the iceberg.

There were ways to gather tasty and edible food and also ways to keep it from spoiling. There were ways to find potable water in places most people wouldn’t even think to look.

And most of all, I discovered how important the value of entertainment was to maintaining a person’s sanity during the occurrence of a crisis. It’s astounding how quickly the human mind degenerates into madness when meaningful activities or suitable diversions aren’t available.

No One Person Knows Everything.

I’m often amazed as to how much I keep learning about this topic. Just when I think I’ve got myself and my family in a good position I hear about something new that enhances my previous understanding.

Then I find myself asking “Geez, why didn’t I think of that?” Or, I’ll see a new product or a more efficient way of implementing a sound idea and want to incorporate that into my plan.

That is the purpose of this website: To gather and share as many “prepper” ideas, skills and tools as possible. I don’t pretend to know everything and I’m always investigating and learning about how to be properly prepared. I don’t think we can be prepared for everything. But I work to share every sound idea and tool that I think is valuable and useful

If you ever need a hand or have any questions, feel free to leave them below and I will be more than happy to help you out.

To being prepared,

Ty

Founder – BackYard Prepper