If We Had to Start Prepping from Scratch in 2026

Coby Coonradt
3 minutes ago
4 min read

What if everything was gone tomorrow?

No bins. No bags. No stockpiles. No carefully built systems collected over years of prepping. Just you, your current life, and the world as it actually exists in 2026.

That’s the question behind our latest episode of the Casual Preppers Podcast. And honestly, it’s one we probably should have asked ourselves a long time ago.

After more than a decade of talking preparedness, testing gear, watching real emergencies unfold, and seeing where people waste time and money, we wanted to reset the board. Not how people should prep in theory—but how we would actually rebuild if we had to start from zero today.

Spoiler: it wouldn’t start with gear.

Start With Reality, Not Gear

When most people first get into prepping, the instinct is to buy stuff. Kits. Tools. Gadgets. It feels productive. It feels like you’re doing something.

But we’ve learned the hard way that gear-first prepping is usually backwards.

If we were starting from scratch in 2026, the very first thing we’d do is a personal threat assessment. Not global collapse scenarios. Not Hollywood disasters. Real life.

Job stability. Health. Family size. Commute. Weather. Location.

That’s where Your Personal Apocalypse comes in. Because the emergencies that actually derail people’s lives aren’t usually apocalyptic—they’re personal. A medical issue. A job loss. A vehicle breakdown. A power outage at the wrong time.

Once you understand what’s most likely to hit you, everything else becomes clearer—and cheaper.

Plans Before Purchases (Learn From Our Mistakes)

If there’s one thing we both regret not doing early, it’s writing things down.

Buying gear without a plan almost guarantees wasted money and mismatched equipment. Plans define what you actually need—and what you don’t.

That includes:

Evacuation plans
Shelter-in-place plans
Communication plans
Reunification plans
Inventory lists

And not just in your head.

Stress wrecks memory. Written plans reduce confusion, hesitation, and bad decisions when things are already chaotic. Paper copies matter. Digital backups matter. Redundancy matters.

Supplies without plans are just stored objects. Plans turn them into usable capability.

The Most Economical Prep Order (Hard Truths)

Here’s another lesson we’ve learned over time: financial instability causes more emergencies than disasters ever will.

If we were starting from zero in 2026, finances would be near the top of the list. Emergency funds come before ammo. Cash solves problems that gear can’t—repairs, travel, medical bills, job disruptions.

Reducing monthly fragility matters too. Debt, subscriptions, and unnecessary dependencies quietly increase vulnerability. Simplifying buys you flexibility when things get weird.

And when it is time to buy gear? Buy once and buy right. Panic-buying cheap junk feels good in the moment, but it almost always costs more in the long run.

Secure the Home You Already Live In

Most emergencies don’t involve fleeing into the wilderness. They involve staying put.

Weather events. Utility failures. Fires. Safety issues.

That’s why improving the home you already live in delivers immediate, everyday resilience. Simple upgrades—lighting, locks, water access, fire safety—compound over time and pay off even when nothing bad happens.

Water, especially, beats most gear purchases. Stored water buys time. Filtration extends options. And none of it requires a bunker.

Preparedness should work whether you live in an apartment, a suburb, or the middle of nowhere.

Movement, Health, Skills, and the Long Game

Your vehicle is one of your most important preparedness assets. Maintenance beats mods. Getting home safely matters more than fantasy bug-out scenarios.

Health and fitness matter too—more than most people want to admit. Most emergencies are medical, not tactical. Injury, illness, and fatigue are real-world failure points.

And then there’s the part people don’t talk about enough: sustainability.

Prepping that feels like doomsday living doesn’t last. Skills and hobbies do. Fitness. Camping. DIY. Cooking. Community. These build resilience without burning you out or isolating you from normal life.

Preparedness should fit into your lifestyle—not replace it.

More We Cover in the Episode

We also dig into a lot of other areas that matter if you were truly starting over in 2026, including:

How to use modern tech without becoming dependent on it
Why analog backups still matter in a digital-first world
Simple, modular gear setups that avoid clutter and failure points
Realistic movement and get-home planning—not just bug-out fantasies
Seasonal risks people consistently overlook
Health, fitness, and medical preparedness beyond first aid kits
Skills and hobbies that build resilience without burnout
Community as a force multiplier when systems strain
How AI, automation, and fragile systems change what preparedness looks like
A realistic 30 / 90 / 365-day pacing plan to avoid overwhelm

If you’re looking for a grounded, realistic approach to preparedness—not fear-based, not gear-obsessed—this episode walks through how we’d rebuild from zero using everything we’ve learned over the last decade.