Gifts For Preppers – Christmas, Birthday, Whenever…
What might be some good gifts for preppers? Are you wondering what might be on a preppers Christmas list? Or simply a list of some prepper gift ideas for any occasion? Or, what about prepper-oriented gifts for the non-prepper – things that are not so esoteric…
Well, I’ll put out a few ideas on the subject, and welcome your own input for ideas in the comments below.
Preparedness-minded people. The prepper. By definition, they prepare for (fill_in_the_blank) in various ways. One of which is to procure tangible assets within a wide range of categories (too big to capture here).
With that said, here’s a list of prepper-oriented gift ideas to consider for anyone (prepper or non-prepper). Maybe it will inspire further thoughts and ideas about this for those who may choose to gift.
Ideas On Gifts For Preppers — Prepper Oriented Gifts
This is a brainstorm list to get you thinking. Lets hear some more thoughts too. I suppose I’m referring to two scenarios… gifts for preppers, and prepper-oriented gifts for the non-prepper (a stealth prep gift?).
Emergency Wind up (Crank) Radio
Maybe one of the most common prepper gift ideas. The portable emergency AM/FM/SW/NOAA Weather alert radio with wind-up crank to recharge battery pack – or solar recharge… There are LOTS of them to pick from. Great for power outage emergencies, and/or just a cool gadget to play with. Likely the most popular brand in this category is Kaito. Such as the following…
Kaito KA500
(amzn)
Flashlight
Can a prepper ever have enough flashlights? Haha… I don’t think so! How about a nice compact flashlight to leave on the nightstand next to the bed? Or maybe one to keep on the end-table beside the recliner? Olight makes a really nice small keychain flashlight too (Mrs. J and I each have one). You can’t go wrong with a flashlight as a gift for preppers.
I own all of the flashlights below (and more!)
Maglite Mini Pro
(amzn)
Streamlight Stylus Pro Pen Light
Headlamp
Headlamps are great! Obviously, totally hands-free. I use them more than I do flashlights. Similar to flashlights, there are lots and lots of headlamps to choose from. They also make them an additional ‘red’ and/or ‘green’ light mode to preserve night vision. I do have the following headlamps (and others which have since been discontinued)…
Foxelli Headlamp with White & Red LED’s
(Foxelli on amzn)
Pocket Knife
Who wouldn’t like to get a pocket knife as a Christmas gift? This may be one of the most common prepper-oriented gifts for preppers. There must be a zillion different pocket knives out there. However the following is an awesome mid-priced folding pocket knife that I would be thrilled to receive as a prepper gift!
Ontario Folding Knife
(Ontario on amzn)
Knife Sharpener
I own a number of knife sharpeners. One of them is the Smith’s adjustable manual sharpener. The nice thing about it is this — you can set a range of angles (degrees per side). This will sharpen most any knife. I listed a chart of these angles (based on manufacturer and type of knife) in the following article:
[ Read: Knife Sharpening Angles Chart ]
Smith’s Adjustable Manual Knife Sharpener
(Smith’s on amzn)
Hurricane /Oil Lantern
Not only can they be decorative, but a hurricane oil lamp will also be an emergency light source as they were originally intended. I have owned quite a few over the years. I found that the cheap ones are not that good, and some may leak or ooze. Here’s an article I wrote about the topic…
[ Read: Best Oil Lamps For Preparedness – Safety, Quality, Recommendations ]
I do really admire the Vermont Lanterns for the quality and craftmanship:
Vermont Lanterns Brass Mini 7″ – Small Oil Lamp
(Vermont Lanterns storefront on amzn)
Multitool
Similar to a pocket knife, who wouldn’t love to get one of these for Christmas? My goodness there are a lot of variations of multi-tools nowadays. One of the most popular brands is the Leatherman.
Leatherman Multi-tool lineup
(Leatherman on amzn)
Silver
An ounce of silver. It sure is a unique prepper gift. It is a 100% tangible form of ‘money’, with no counterparty risk or claims against it (as with the dollar). It’s a storage of value.
1-ounce Silver American Eagles from our sponsor, GoldenEagleCoin.com
Car Jump Starter Battery Pack
Certainly a practical prepper-oriented gift! Who wants to be stuck with a dead battery during the winter? You don’t even need a jump from another vehicle with this device. NOCO is the most popular brand. They have different size battery packs depending on the vehicle engine size.
NOCO Boost Product Lineup
(NOCO on amzn)
Simple-To-Operate Walkie Talkies
Plenty of practical uses! Although some 2-way handheld radio walkie talkies are loaded with features, some with better distance than others… They can be complicated to operate and navigate menus. There’s gotta be something simpler, right? Here are a pair of Midlands that may fit that request – somewhere between kids walkie-talkies and those that are more complicated…
Midland 22 Channel FRS
(Midland on amzn)
Plush Fleece Throw Blanket
Staying warm during winter. With the cost of energy these days, there’s no better time to mitigate that to an extent by wrapping up in a throw blanket. With a wide variety of color choices, this plush fleece looks pretty warm to me (and Mrs. J)…
BEDSURE Fleece Throw Blanket
(visit BEDSURE on amzn)
Solar Charger Battery Pack For Cell Phones
This is a practical gift. A solar rechargeable battery pack that will charge up a cell phone (multiple times) when grid power is not available. Great for out camping too, or anywhere without access to power. Here’s a very popular solar power bank for this specific purpose, which also supports fast-charging protocols.
Solar Power Bank – 42,800 mAh
(amzn)
The product listed above will take a long time to fully charge in the sun (though maybe not an issue for some people). For a much more powerful and faster solution to this issue, read the following…
[ Read: How to Charge Your Phone When the Power is Out ]
Rechargeable Hand Warmers
What a novel gift idea. Again, keeping warm during winter. While I do purchase the traditional hand and toe warmers for occasional use during winter months, these rechargeable units are pretty neat. Hold in the palm of your hand while both sides heat up (3 temp. levels). This one lasts 4 – 8 hours before recharging. Other models will last longer if you need it.
OCOOPA Hand Warmers Rechargeable, 1 Pack
(amzn)
Let’s hear your further prepper-oriented gift ideas…
We are giving some sleeping bags, with good rating, down to -20. We are in a warmer area. Last year, we gave a few get home bags, since we want certain people to make it here. They included tarps, ponchos, a few packets of Mountain house and a little camp burner, also a heavy tin cup in which to cook. I think they got Sawyer water straws, some kind of safe water treatment, but I don’t remember.
All the suggestions here are good ideas, and can transfer over to any type of short term emergency or to check the chickens at night… Some #10 cans could be nice, if someone you know is starting out, in a half-way serious manner.
Made up some 5 gal buckets for my boys. One was first aid/hygienic body cleaning items like soaps along with matches, Bic lighters, candles, paracord, super glue, WD40, emergency blankets, light sticks and other such items, clothes pins too. The other was food stuff like drink/coffee salt and pepper, sugar, hard candies, chocolate which I vacuum packed and a nice can opener. I also give them commercial FD food buckets and #10 cans too. Solo stove with fuel. How about a Berkey. The clear blue one is not terrible expensive if you give as family present. A nice stocking stuffer would be Kilpit nail and toe clippers. Very nice and sturdy.
This year I am think of trade items maybe.
what is the best sleeping bags to buy. Me and my wife have no kids at home anymore and we are trying to start our prepping and we have almost everything that we need to live in the woods when tshf. just need a few more things toget.
@Gary – 2 major determinants for choosing a bag: how cold a temperature will you be sleeping in and will the conditions be relatively dry or wet / damp. The answer to the first question determines the fill and therefore the weight of the bag. The answer to the second determines whether to use down (real goose down) or polyfill which will still insulate when wet. There have been great strides made in the quality of polyfill in the last 10 years so there are now choices that are close to down in comparability for weight and insulating power and it makes sense to buy the absolute best bag you can afford because you will most likely have it for a long time. For our multiuse bags, we have bags that go down to 15 degrees F. I have an eddie bauer down bag taht I have had for 40 years and it is still in excellent condition. Because we camp and backpack, we also use the exped dreamwalker duo, which is more of a down quilt that covers both of us atop two insulated exped iinflatable pads. These are lightweight but we sleep super warmly. Consider buying your sleeping gear from REI which has a full satisfaction guarantee. I have been buyiing from them for decades.
I am single so I bought myself: 2 fleece housecoats or robes, several fleece sherpa fleece jackets (5, on sale at 40% off) to wear in my apartment or to layer under winter coats if it gets too cold. If we have fuel and heating crises, these will come in handy. I wear a sherpa fleece jacket every day inside my unit and rotate them. Enough toilet paper until the snow goes as it is bulky, some more Tylenol as even adult pain medicine is in now in short supply, boxes of kleenex, soups, tea and coffee. Almond milk or soy milk that does not need refrigeration. Canned chick peas and kidney beans, canned veggies, canned fish. Snack food such as popcorn. For those who can have the sugar, chocolate bars or boxes of chocolates. Good as treats to ensure compliance in children and youth, but NOT for pets. Fleece blankets that can be washed in the bath tub and hung to dry vs a comforter (in case of a power failure), warm jogging pants, warm socks including thermal house socks. Extra hats to wear inside if needed, various weights of mittens. Good ole garbage bags. Books and large print books. An extra pair of comfortable boots with good treads. An ice pick for the cane. A transistor radio, a flashlight and extra batteries plus a purse or backpack flashlight. Chocolate based cookies or Jaffa cakes. Reusable water bottles. A wagon sled with both wheels and skis in case the streets get snowed in and you need to walk to the grocery store and transport heavy items such as milk, cat litter, canned food, etc. Blankets and coats for your pets. Pet auto food and water dispenser stations in case the family has to go to the hospital and is stuck in the ER for a couple of days just waiting, Fluffy and Fido can be self sufficient up to a point. A visit to a vet clinic to have your pets micro-chipped for a safe return in case they get lost. For families, kids’ grow snow wear in case they grow and the stores are sold out of a larger size or sold out totally until the next season.
@CL – excellent list !
Food. Freeze-dried, canned, or bulk buckets of beans, rice, peas, lentils, etc. Even cooked, blankets are not to my taste.
A Red Ryder BB gun. And safety glasses. (Don’t want to put your eye out.)
If it’s a gift idea for a Prepper like myself? Gift cards. I hate getting gifts. At least with gift cards I can get what I know I’ll like or can put to practical use.
Survival seed pack of heirloom seeds. Dental kit (toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, clove oil, filling material, glue for loose fillings). Ammo. Motion detector lights, alarm, sprinkler.
I have given several of these to my kids over time. Weather radios because they’re both in tornado alley. Solar chargers were a hit to take biking or to kids’ ball games. Some of the other smaller items as stocking stuffers. This year more direct gifts. 72 hour dried food sampler. MyPatriot Supply had survival playing cards. Both families love card games. Another hit from the past The Camping Game was a trivia game with 3 or 4 levels of questions on each card. Animal identification and traits and outdoor know how. Grandkids loved it.
Regarding silver as a gift. I know GoldenEagle Coin is a sponsor, but try jmBullion as well, I feel, better prices and look into “cull” coins. They have just as much silver in them as higher graded coins, just not in perfect shape, but silver is silver when it comes down to it.
I don’t know. As far as Random Year, BU, American Silver Eagles, JM Bullion and Silver dot com are both $5.00 more each than Golden Eagle. Haven’t looked at the culls or rounds, but that’s a pretty big difference. Still paying almost twice over spot….
This year I gifted myself the silent power station. For me, it was an investment. For my wife it is a gift. Some peace of mind in event of the most frequent types of outages we will most likely experience in my AO. I do like the idea of receiving gift certificates. Just like money to spend as long as it is for the stores that I already go to. Now that I bought the big ticket item, I can look at Solar panels that are compatible and a small wind turbine from West Marine Boating Supplies.
I’ve lived and worked off grid for a number of years when I was younger. I don’t want to go that primitive ever again at my age. (Nights feel colder, the ground got harder and the hills got steeper than I remember 30 years ago).
Give the gift of self defense. 9mm pistol and jhp rounds with cleaning kit.
Good deals out there right now on both.
When the balloons go up water will be inaccessible. A life straw on the cheap side or a big berkey water filter on the more expensive end. Water is life. Merry Christmas all.