Last week we went over what a long term SHTF event would look like. This week we are going to continue that theme by talking about some valuable SHTF skills  for preppers, that could be important to know. While it’s impossible to know everything about everything, we can learn a little about a lot of things.

The skills, occupations and trades we have today could drastically change in a post collapse setting. A lot of jobs these days are behind a desk, in a cubicle, or retail sales. A post collapse scenario would require good old hands on work, rebuilding, and require much more self-sufficiency.

SPP236 Valuable SHTF Skills for Preppers

Any thriving society needs a number of different people with different skills, but how this looks in a post collapse scenario is anyone’s guess. This article and podcast go through some of the general skills we should be learning now, and some of the trade skills that would be useful for rebuilding society.

General Preparedness Skills

First Aid: Learning about first aid is not only something very important in a SHTF scenario, it’s also useful today. Today it could save us money, in a SHTF situation, it could save our lives.

Fire Starting: If you have been interested in preparedness for any amount of time, you have probably heard about 50 ways to start a fire. This is because it’s absolutely necessary in any survival situation, and something we tend to take for granted.

Sanitation: When things are already bad, the last thing we want to do is make it worse by getting sick. Sanitation is not only washing the dishes, it’s waste Removal, trash removal and personal hygiene.

Shelter: While none of us plan on bugging out, we need to be ready if we need to. Learning how to build a shelter may be one of those things you never need to do, but if you ever need to, you’ll be glad you know how.

Sewing/Mending: In a SHTF scenario there will be no Walmart or clothing stores, so when the seat of your pants splits open, you’re going to be on your own. The same holds true for shoes, socks, and coats.

Ham Radio: When all other forms of communications are down, being able to operate a ham radio will make you a very valuable person. The great thing about ham radio is it doesn’t matter how old you are. As a matter of fact, the older you are, the more you probably know about ham radio.

Alternative Energy: If the power grid goes down we are going to need ways to generate electricity. While batteries are great, they won’t last forever. Learning about solar and other renewable energy could make life a whole lot easier when the sun goes down, or temperatures rise and fall.

Water Safety: Another thing that gets taken for granted these days is clean drinking water. A majority of people don’t even think twice about water, because it’s already clean when it comes out of their faucets. Learning about water filtration, and water safety should be a top priority with preparedness.

Food Preservation: While there are many options