About
Preparedness for people with normal lives
Survival 101 exists because most preparedness advice is either too vague to act on or aimed at someone living off-grid. We help ordinary households work out what they need, how much of it, what they already own, and what to buy next.
Our standards
How we work
Practical, not theatrical
We write for households with jobs, kids and a mortgage. No bunkers, no camouflage, no scenario fiction — just the outages, storms and evacuations that actually happen.
Needs before products
Every guide starts from what a household needs and how much of it. Products come afterwards, and only where they solve a stated need.
Safety over completeness
We would rather leave a topic out than publish instructions that put a family at risk. Generators, fuel, heaters, batteries and water treatment always carry their warnings.
No fear marketing
We do not use scarcity language, countdowns or threat imagery to sell gear. If a product is optional, we say it is optional.
What we will not publish
The lines we do not cross
- Weapons, improvised weapons and anything designed to harm people.
- Explosives, pyrotechnics and improvised devices of any kind.
- Dangerous chemical handling, mixing or storage.
- Indoor use of generators, charcoal, propane or any combustion appliance not rated for the space.
- Detailed medical procedures — we tell you to see a clinician, and we stock the kit.
- Illegal activity of any kind, including fuel storage that breaks local codes.
Safety first, always
Carbon monoxide, fuel vapour and unattended flames are the most common causes of harm in an outage — far more common than the outage itself. Where a product carries a risk, the warning sits next to it, not buried in a footer.
Always follow your local emergency management guidance, and call emergency services when life or health is at risk.
Affiliate disclosure
How we make money
Survival 101 is funded primarily through affiliate relationships. If you click a merchant link on this site and buy something, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
We use that revenue to keep the guides free and the product library maintained. We do not accept payment to include a product, we do not rank products by commission rate, and we never publish live prices, ratings or review counts that could mislead you.
Future revenue may include direct merchant partnerships, digital products, sponsorships and our own e-commerce. When that changes, this page changes with it.
Survival 101 is an independent publication and is not endorsed by Amazon or any merchant we link to.
Questions
Frequently asked
Free download
Start with your own household
The plan builder takes four minutes and gives you a specific list with quantities, priorities and an estimated budget.
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