Do you have a prepper in your life? Congratulations – you never have to wonder what to buy them! Your job is to find out what they already own, so you can decide whether to buy them more of it or to find something new.

(Note: if you’re just getting started with prepping, these would make lovely gift ideas for yourself, too!)

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

Below are some ideas based on items I own, but of course this barely scratches the surface of the options that are out there. I’d love to get your thoughts on other great items in the comments.

Idea #1: Make them a sweet fire-making kit.

• They’ll need a bag to store it in. These waxed canvas bags from Campcraft Outdoors are hand waxed, will last for years, and look super cool. I use one for my fire-making stuff, and I love it. Of course, if you’re looking for something less pricey, a Rubbermaid container, dry sack, or backpack would work too!
• Making a flame: you can find inexpensive ferro rods and strikers on Amazon, but I’d recommend doing some research by looking at various top 10 lists of ferro rods and choosing a high-quality larger one. This one makes great sparks and I love it, but it’s admittedly a bit pricey. I would also include some Bic lighters like these or these longnecked ones.
• Tinder: you can include a homemade touch by making them some! Save your dryer lint and stuff it into empty toilet paper tubes, or rub petroleum jelly into cotton balls and put them in a Ziploc bag. You can also buy twine or rope for fairly cheap – cordage often makes decent tinder. (Vaseline-soaked cotton balls are still my favorite.)
• Kindling: I love to use fatwood as kindling, and you can find it in just about any size box you’d want. Fatwood is resin-rich inner wood from a pine tree. Your fire-making friend can build their fire up from tinder, to match-sized sticks, to larger sticks that will catch the fatwood on fire.

Idea #2: Get them a bug-out bag starter set.

• There’s a whole range of bags that would work for this. I’d recommend a backpack for portability/grab-and-go potential, vs a duffel or something. Here is a tan bag with MOLLE attachments that I use as one of my bug-out bags. My other bug-out bag (as you’ll know if you read my Bug-Out Bag Basics post) is a regular, nothing special, pink backpack.
• I’d try to hit each of the big four areas – fire, water, food, and shelter – plus a couple other items. See above for some fire-related ideas – definitely include a Bic lighter or two (in Ziploc bags), plus a ferro rod and striker.
• For water, these Potable Aqua tablets are a classic and they’re quite inexpensive. Or you could get them a Sawyer Squeeze filtration system. Finally, I have a similar Klean Kanteen 40 oz single-walled water bottle to this one that can be used to store and boil water.
• For food, no joke, get them a box of Clif bars. Maybe some small cutting boards (I haven’t used this brand, just found them on Amazon). And here’s my favorite spork (by Gerber – think multitools, not baby food).
• Shelter could go a number of different ways. I prefer to stock my bug-out bags with a couple of survival tents, like this one by Don’t Die in the Woods, emergency blankets, and ponchos – all of which are pretty inexpensive. Any of those would make nice additions to a starter bug-out bag.
• Finally, a good first-aid kit is important for any bug-out bag. This Adventure Medical Kit option from REI is what I have in one of my bags.

Idea #3: Get them the gift that keeps on giving: a subscription! Here are a few of my favorites:

• The Nomadik is an outdoor gear subscription box that I’ve been getting for a couple of years. Like any subscription box, they don’t know what you already own so you might get items you already have, but I look forward to opening it up every month and seeing what’s inside! I’ve gotten knives, hats, multitools, mini camp stoves – lots of things that would come in handy in many situations.
• By far my favorite magazine to get in the mail is Prepper Survival Guide. It’s jam-packed with great content, friendly to beginners, and I always read it cover to cover when it arrives. If anyone in your life is prepper-curious, they would likely get a lot out of this magazine.
• Another great magazine is Mother Earth News. They cover topics like DIY projects, homesteading, and sustainable living. I save copies of both this and Prepper Survival Guide for future reference.

Well, those are my gift ideas! They’re a little more geared toward beginning preppers who might not have all the gear yet. For advanced preppers, you’ll probably want to do some digging. Find out if they have their eye on a new multitool or if their fire-making kit needs refreshing, that kind of thing. And please let me know any gift ideas, thoughts, or questions in the comments.