Gifts for preppers have got to be some of the most useful items people give and receive. No frivolous bubble baths. No neckties that will never get worn.
Yet if you aren't familiar with prepping, self-reliance, bushcraft, living off the grid, or even homesteading, finding a gift for the prepper or survivalist in your life can seem daunting. Especially if you’re unfamiliar with the prepper lifestyle, characterized by self-sufficiency and off grid living skills.
As more people get intentional about preparing for all sorts of emergency situations, this gift list includes items for short and long-term situations.
And at the same time, these gifts for preppers are all important items that could be extremely helpful in an SHTF situation. Or even for plain old camping, fishing, and hunting.
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Whether you're looking for prepper gifts this holiday season or to keep on hand for birthdays and Father's Day, you'll love this list. Remember to save it to your Pinterest board or bookmark to return to it later.
Emergency Food Supply
In any emergency or disaster, people naturally flock to supermarkets and stores in a panic. They frantically buy up everything they can get their hands on.
The past few years have shown exactly how that goes. Remember the toilet paper shortage?
This mass hysteria often creates a food shortage for those not quick enough to get to the stores. So it's important to stock your own emergency food supply of non-perishable food.
Preppers want enough to feed themselves and their families in the event of a food supply cutoff.
Start by researching the best foods for prepping. Buy pre-packaged bundles of an emergency food supply designed for a prolonged shelf-life. Browse a variety of tastes and meals.
For example, the Wise Food Company sells a kit with 28 days’ worth of meals - The Wise Company Emergency Food Variety Kit. They claim their emergency food supplies have a shelf life of 25 years.
This is a great addition to an emergency supply for an amateur prepper.
Heirloom Seeds
When preparing for the worst, you’ll never know how long the bad times will last. A disaster could go on for a few weeks, years, or even decades. So it’s important to have some long-term food options as well.
Gardening, including planning a garden and then growing your own food with a backyard garden, is probably the most dependable way to ensure a constant supply of nutrients.
So a cache of various seeds is a must-have. Yet before you get started with saving seeds, you'll need some seeds to begin with.
An heirloom seed means that it’s a non-GMO version of that plant. And that means it hasn’t been genetically altered or hybridized and is open-pollinated.
This means saving seeds from each harvest to replant the following year is possible. You know, the way the pioneers did.
This, among other benefits, is why many in the prepper and survivalist community store a wide range of heirloom seeds.
The Survival Seed Vault is among the gifts for preppers that provide the best bang for a buck. It comes with approximately 20 types of fruits and vegetables for around $20 or less. So it's an inexpensive gift for a prepper.
Water Filtration Systems
When SHTF, a loss of water supply or contamination is a very real possibility. It’s always smart to have bottled water or a stored water reserve. Yet the ability to filter water is also extremely important.
Whether a stream, a tap, or another source, a filter allows you to change your potable water supply. After all, you could run out, or your own reserve could get contaminated.
The best mini water filters are compact, mobile, and easy to use. Even better, they're inexpensive, making them good options as gifts for preppers.
One popular choice is the “Travel Berkey Water System.” It's suitable for use with 1 to 3 people, holds 1.5 gallons, and filters up to 6000 gallons of water.
Or go for the bigger version - the Big Berkey. This stores just over 2.1 gallons of water and is best used in your kitchen. (This is what we have and love.)
Related: 8 Gifts For People Who Love the Outdoors
Portable Firestarters
When it comes to starting a campfire, matches can be unreliable. And the ability to light a fire fast is key to surviving. However, lighters eventually run out of fluid.
Yet a flint and steel fire starter lasts many years, is almost impossible to damage, and it's small. This makes it a must-have when you're considering gifts for preppers.
I use the überleben Hexå Fire Starter, but check your local outdoors supply store for cheaper options, or make your own firestarter.
A Military Grade Compass
A small and potentially life-saving item, a military-grade compass is worth considering when looking for preppers' gifts. It's simply a necessity for any prepper's bug-out bag.
In the event of societal collapse or EMP, chances are your electronics with those unreliable built-in compasses just won't work.
It’s best to have a classic and durable compass for navigation. The Cammenga 27CS Phosphorescent Lensatic Compass is simple and dependable. So that's probably why the U.S. military uses this model.
Sure, it's more expensive than other compasses. But then again, the compass for your bug-out bag must be of good quality and reliable.
Related: Off Grid Communication Options
Outdoor Multi-Tool
Another small and necessary tool for a prepper kit is a multi-purpose tool. The name describes its purpose. Instead of lugging around a whole toolbox, a reliable and compact multi-tool is ideal for many scenarios.
The Leatherman Supertool 300 multi-tool has the best versatility and dependability on the market. It offers 19 different functions, is made in America, and costs around $120 when I write this.
Once again, you do not want to try and save pennies on a multi-tool you’d rely on in a societal collapse. However, the Leatherman brand has a few other less expensive quality multi-tools, offering fewer functions.
Portable Solar Charger
Portable solar panels have recently become popular with hunters, outdoorsmen, and hikers. And a portable solar charger is a sensible gift for a prepper.
These solar chargers are usually about the size of a book. So they'll easily fit in a bug-out bag. They only weigh a few pounds, and they're waterproof.
They have USB charging cables and the ability to power your laptop, iPad, or any other USB device you might want access to in a SHTF scenario.
The Goal Zero Venture 30 is the most popular and reliable backpack-sized model on the market. It costs about $140, although there are a few cheaper brands.
Compact Bug Out Bag With Supplies
Want to equip your favorite prepper with a pre-packed bugout bag? If so, order a Premium Emergency Survival Bag & Kit with a mini first-aid kit, water filter, food, fire starter, and shelter supplies. It's also a good choice as an emergency kit for a vehicle and a popular gift for preppers.
Teeny-Tiny Emergency Waterproof Sleeping Bag and Blanket
Gifts for preppers often include really small items that can be easily stored and packed out in a hurry. This Delmera Emergency Survival Bag for sleeping fits in the palm of a man's hand. Grab it and go! Makes a great stocking stuffer for a prepper.
Books for Preppers
Maybe the prepper in your life needs a guide to get started. Check out The Prepper's Long-Term Survival Guide by Jim Cobb or Bushcraft 101 by Dave Canterbury.
Either one is an inexpensive gift for a prepper and a great read! For more ideas, check out our post on Off-Grid Reading List.
Whether you're looking for gifts for men or women, you'll find something on this list to suit the prepper you know.
When looking at preppers' gifts, consider what concerns them the most. And then consider your budget. These ten items are just a small sampling of items that could help equip and prepare someone to survive in various extreme situations.
What do you recommend as great gifts for preppers? Let us know in the comments below.
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