If you’ve just stumbled into the prepper world, all the information out there might seem overwhelming…
There are literally thousands of different items that you can buy to prepare for different disaster scenarios – and choosing the most important ones is no easy task.
That’s why I decided to share with you today a list of the items that I consider the most essential to buy first when you’re prepping.
Of course, depending on your particular situation (environment, family, health, etc.), there will be plenty of other items that you’ll probably want to add to this list.
However, the 5 items I’m going to tell you about the absolute must-haves for any prepper, so this article should prove to be a good starting point for your prepping journey.
Let’s get started, shall we?

A good military-style backpack will keep your items safe and organized for a long period of time. I like one with extra waist and chest straps for better weight distribution and so I can avoid losing it during an attack.
Choosing a good backpack is ground zero of setting up your bug out bag. That’s why I strongly recommend investing in a high-quality backpack. You don’t want zippers or seams breaking in critical moments.

A good knife will come in very handy after disaster strikes. It’s a great self-defense weapon, as well as a necessary tool for hunting, cooking food and cutting wood.
Look for a durable knife with the blade made from stainless steel, and maybe watch some YouTube review videos to see how well it cuts. The one I linked to above is one of the best sellers on Amazon, and it’s no wonder as it has every feature a survivalist needs from a knife.

When you’re fighting for survival, you’ll run into many unexpected situations. So, having a well-equipped first aid kit with you is a wise decision as a prepper.
I really like this kit from Surviveware because it’s durable (the bag is made of 600D polyester) and includes 100 essential life-saving items. Let me give you just a few examples of what’s included: shears, alcohol wipes, tweezers, splinter probes, cotton swabs, different types of bandages, safety pins, eye pads and much, much more.
Maybe it’s not the first item you think about when considering your essential items, but tarps have such an incredible range of uses that you simply must have one in your bug out bag.

Obviously, you can use a tarp to make a temporary shelter, but you can also use it to cover yourself when it’s raining, as a cover to protect your gear, as a hammock or as part of a raft.
Make sure you choose a durable tarp, because you want it to withstand unfavorable weather or any other challenging situations you might encounter.

Keeping a stash of bottles with clean water in your bug out spot might be a good idea, but in the long run, you’ll still need to drink water that doesn’t come from a faucet or from a bottle.
That’s why a water filtration system is one of the very first purchases all preppers make. There are multiple options on the web, but the Sawyer Filtration System and the LifeStraw are the two that most survivalists go for.
These are effective in removing 99.9999% of bacteria and protozoa from contaminated water, which makes it safe to drink.
The main difference we see between the two is that the Sawyer Filtration System claims to filter 100,000 gallons of water, while the LifeStraw only filters around 1,000 gallons.
And with that, my top 5 list of first items to buy as a prepper ends here. What do you think? Will you purchase all of these? And if you’re an experienced prepper, do you already have all of these items in your arsenal?