The Core Beliefs of Urban Survival
The Core Beliefs of Urban Survival
I myself have not always been into prepping and SHTF urban survival.
A few years ago I pretty much saw the writing on the wall so to speak. With all of the instability in our current paradigm it’s easy to see why emergency preparedness and urban survival is gaining so much popularity.
Now when you say urban survival were not talking just he wilderness urban survival where you live off the land and become john the forest man. SHTF Urban survival is more of a lifestyle now. It spans the areas from Urban survival to Emergency Preparedness.
Survival is by no means a new trend. People have been practicing urban survival techniques and Homesteading for many years now.
Preparing for emergencies, disaster preparations and just having enough food and water on hand in case of earthquakes or civil unrest, bank run is a good idea. Urban survival and surviving a calamity or economic breakdown with survival gear is the goal.
There are many titles for this type of life style such as urban survivalist, Prepper, Homesteading and many more but they all basically come down to one thing, being prepared. SHTF Survival – The old adage “better to be safe than sorry” is a core belief in urban survivalism.
The Urban Survival Lifestyle
To be a urban survivalist doesn’t mean extreme hording or any other fringe stereotype. In fact people prep all the time without even meaning to.
This could mean something as simple as buying a few extra cans of food every week to full on 5 gallon tubs with Mylar and oxygen absorbers for Food Storage. Either way you prep remember that something is always better than nothing.
Now here is a very important thing to remember. No matter what stage you are at with your SHTF urban survival prep you need to keep in mind that first and foremost get the basics.
I know so many people that are prepping for SHTF urban survival and they are stuck in what I call “analysis paralysis”.
They are stuck on getting everything perfectly planned out before they even start. This is a big problem. No one and I mean no one can predict when bad events will happen.
This means that you never know when you might need your emergency preparedness gear.
So before you start making extensive lists and narrowing down all of the “extra luxuries,” get the basics.
What I mean by the basics are:
- Bug Out bag – Start with the essential items first
- Water – The single most crucial item we need the quickest
- Food – Food, water and shelter, having this item is key
- Security – Protection for your ‘stuff’
- Clothes – Necessary in cold climates severity
- Evacuation Plan (this is especially important for SHTF Urban survival)
- Long term Food Storage – Need a plan for long term rotation and storage
- Bug Out Vehicle – Your vehicle can be flexible for your needs
- General Prep – Other prep once the needed preps are completed
After you have most of this covered is when I would start with the more in-depth urban survival gear. This is when I would start looking at things like a water purification system, alternative energy, alternative cooking methods and SHTF urban survival communications.
For your bug out bag check out my Bug Out Bag Checklist for some great starter ideas.
Your Bug Out Vehicle or BOV is another important thing to think about. As I mention in my post Bug Out Vehicle (BOV) and What You Need To Know About Them there are several lines of thought on what make the best Bug Out Vehicle. The most important thing is to have a plan.
If you live in an Urban Setting you will need to really prepare for this. Now you can use any vehicle for bugging out or you can go all out. Either way you go make sure you aren’t making any important decisions during the chaos.
Urban survival
Urban survival is a completely different area as I mentioned in my post on Top 10 SHTF Urban survival Bug Out Tips. When you are dealing with an Urban survival Situation you have many more things to think about.
The name of the game with this situation is blending in and getting out of the area. If the situation permits you might end up bugging in. For this situation I strongly suggest getting familiar with Urban survival Gardening. If you think about it logically when the bad things happen you better believe the stores will be cleared out in record time.
Food is the main priority in this emergency situation. Trust me having a sustainable food source will be one of the best techniques you could learn if it comes down to that. You don’t want to be waiting for food from some agency, waiting in line with thousands of other people and that’s assuming that whatever happens there will still be the ability to send out relief efforts to the people.
SHTF urban survival is keeping all of this in mind. It can seem daunting at times to have to plan for so many urban survival situations but like I said urban survival is a lifestyle and a way to thinking.
Homesteading is an increasingly popular lifestyle. This lifestyle is all about self-sufficient living. Most homesteading is gardening and keeping livestock. But anyone can homestead. Regardless of your location be it Urban or Rural you can adapt to this way of living.
Homesteading concentrates on canning and Food Preservation, alternative energy like Solar or Wind Turbines. Getting off the grid is a great way to prep for SHTF urban survival.
This is a very controversial subject with many different opinions. To put is simply it does not matter how you get off the grid, just getting off the grid will ensure that if infrastructure crumbles when you will have modern conveniences like electricity.
As for keeping livestock this can also be done regardless of your location. Even if you live in the city, depending on your city laws and regulations. I know for a fact that in my city we are allowed to have 6 chickens as long as they are 10 feet from the house and the neighbor’s house.
I know chickens are a bit loud and messy but get creative and thing about goats or turkeys. Food preservation is a basic way to start Homesteading.
Canning fruits and vegetable and meat is actually really easy. This is something that you can do to cut down on the cost of buying SHTF urban survival Food as well. There are plenty of great books and free information of Food Storage and Canning out there to get you started.
Urban survival and Emergency Preparedness are not only limited to food and water but think about Financial security in a situation.
Say the dollar crumbles or it’s so crazy people just don’t care about money. I mean if you were trying to SHTF urban survival would you trade for other good s that you might need or take money for a transaction? This brings us to urban survival Barter items.
Barter items can be anything from shampoo and soap (check out my post on how to easily make soap) to other tangible assets as silver and gold.
Most urban survivalist and Preppers out there are also investing in security. These are the best self-defense items you can get. They can make just about any situation a level playing field. There are many different opinions on which protection is the best SHTF urban survival protections but in my opinion just about any security is better than none. I would suggest personal security.
These will most definitely provide great personal security. Keep in mind though that security aren’t the end all in security.
They are great for when the situation escalates to that point but the best SHTF urban survival defense is avoiding confrontation and staying hidden. In my post What is the 5 Levels of Personal security? I explain the levels of escalation and how to avoid force.

In a urban survival Situation communication is key to restoring order or finding like-minded people. Since most people agree that in a situation cell phones will most likely be down and email as well what other ways are there to communicate?
Well it can be something as simple as a short wave radio. A lot of preppers are investing in a shortwave radio or a HAM Radio. These are great solutions to communications problems in an emergency.
Not only are they really great of emergency communication but it’s a very tightknit group of like-minded people and I know you will find some great people on the radio waves!
Bugging in our bugging out is another great subject of urban survival. Every situation is different and this is something you will have to judge yourself.
If it is a natural disaster you might consider bugging in. If rule of law around the country is still up and emergency services are still functional then staying put and hunkering down is probably your best bet.
If we are talking civil unrest or things of that nature many consider bugging out to get away from the masses a better solution. Wither way it is vital to have several plans for evacuation planned out. Be it getting out of dodge or bunkering down to ride out the emergency situation a plan can save your life.
If you are reading this then you’re on the right path to SHTF urban survival and Preparedness. Sometimes you might feel alone in your quest for complete preparedness but remember just because you don’t see everyone doing it there are a lot of us out there that see the writing on the wall.
Don’t get frustrated or disappointed in your level of urban survival prep press on and remember everyone has to start somewhere and any bit you do helps you more than you will know! Stay strong in your beliefs and goals and have fun with your urban survival lifestyle.
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All of this said remember that Surviving does not mean living comfortably. A lot of people confuse that. You can go on and be extremely uncomfortable. But we urban survivalists and preppers WILL persist to see another day with urban survival and SHTF Survival.
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The Urban Bug Out Bag and What To Choose For The Urban Survival Situation
Urban Survival is much different than regular survival situations. Most people talk about BOB’s like they are going hunting out in the woods for days but what about us city dwellers?
Well An Urban Survival Bug Out Bag is actually quite different from a traditional bugout bag. We don’t need camoflage or tons of items from an army surplus store.
For us city folk the story is much different. We not only need gear for the urban situation but much more forethought on what we will need.
We are not trying to live off the land for days or fish for our food; we need more and less at the same time.
The goal for Urban Survival is survive and blend in. Blending in is the key to urban emergency preparedness. Check out my article on The 5 Levels of Personal Protection for great Urban techniques!
You will be surrounded by a mass of people who most likely will not be as prepared as you are so the more you can blend in a disguise your gear and supplies the better. The goal for us is a “low-key” bug out kit. Here is a few tips on how to prepare and be a prepper for your Urban Survival Bug Out Bag.
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Shotgun Accessories you actually need
There are tons of Shotgun Accessories out there on the market. Some are great others are just a waste of money. In times like these no one can afford to be dumping money into survival gear that isn’t worth it.
Everyone agrees that shotguns are great home defense weapons and survival weapons. So how do you convert your normal home defense shotgun to a survival shtf shotgun?
It’s easy with the right shotgun accessories. When you are looking at any Shotgun accessories ask yourself questions like how often and I going to use this and is this really something that I will need?
If you answer no to any of these questions chances are that they are a waste of money and you should just buy ammo with that money if you really need to spend it!
Here is my list of Shotgun Accessories that are well worth their money!
- Sling- A good sling is greatly needed when you are going to be carrying your shotgun around! The best sling for a shotgun is a two-point sling. Three point slings are overly complex and single point slings are pretty much useless when it comes to running or moving through bush. Considering you will most likely be using your shotgun for either quick security or long security patrols the two point sling will work really well for either scenario.
- Stock Carrier or Side Saddle- Considering the load capacity of a shotgun you will definitely want to find a way of keeping extra reload on the shotgun! An easy way to accomplish this is to get a sidesaddle or a buttstock carrier. Side Saddles are not recommended for Mossberg’s that have aluminum receivers this is because over time recoil can cause the pins to deform the action.
- Weapon Light- Better light = better shot right? If you check out the newer lights that are led most of them are unbreakable and run for hours with little battery usage. The key to getting a good weapon light for your Shotgun Accessories is making sure the light is durable and will hold up to recoil and rough handling.
- Extra Shell Carrier- If you looking for a concealed shot term solution you can get a two shot belt clip. Shotshell cards are also a great idea. Most of them are slim and have a system so that you can attach them to pack straps or your Bug Out Bag.
- Shotgun Forend- A shot gun pistol grip forend will allow you have maximum control and comfort when shooting your shotgun.
Shotgun Accessories
These are all great accessories to get. They will turn your regular shotgun into a great survival weapon that will be able to keep you safe in a huge amount of scenarios. With these Shotgun Accessories you will be sure to have a shtf ready shotgun.
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