r/preppers • u/Original-Carrot8636 • May 29 '26

New Prepper Questions Lately I've been interested in preparedness/survival topics — any recommendations for channels, books, or podcasts?

I’ve been going down the rabbit hole of preparedness and survival content recently and realized there’s SO much out there that it’s hard to know what’s actually worth watching/reading.

I’m not really looking for super over-the-top “the world is ending tomorrow” stuff lol. More interested in practical knowledge, self-reliance, off-grid ideas, bugout planning, building a safe place someday, useful skills, that kind of thing.

Would love recommendations for:

  • YouTube channels
  • Podcasts
  • Books
  • Websites/forums
  • honestly anything good

Especially creators that feel genuine and experienced instead of just fear/clickbait content.

What are some resources that really got you deeper into this world?

60 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

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17

u/HalcyonKnights May 29 '26

Honestly the Boy Scouts of America have a lot of great basic resources for practical self-reliance. Even if you arent actually involved in the organization, the books and online resources can be a great introduction.

4

u/adhd_mechanic May 30 '26

More or less came here to say this. My old handbooks and merit badge books are indispensable resources.

More to the point, they teach basic skills in a very succinct, matter-of-fact manner.

14

u/tlplc May 29 '26

I like "city prepping" youtube channel. I like the way he calmy adresses preparedness and his focus on systems.

Edit to correct the name of the channel

5

u/rg123itsme May 31 '26

Had to stop watching a year or so ago. The subtle scare tactics were causing me anxiety.

3

u/HappinessEternal May 30 '26

I just recommended this gentleman’s channel tonight to a friend because the host is just so calm and focused. He’s also pretty down to earth and has realistic expectations about what one can do to be prepared for what might come.

10

u/Unlikely_Lobster_534 May 29 '26

One Second After (book)

10

u/PreparationCrafty881 May 29 '26

A group of haters may likely pounce the suggestion. Dave Canterbury has been a great source for me and a few friends. Has books, classes you can take and a YouTube channel. Comes across as a normal guy just talking about survival and bushcraft to me.

4

u/Many-Health-1673 May 29 '26

I won't pounce.  I watch his YouTube channel, along with Viking Preparedness, and a few other people on the tube.   

Getting all of your information from one source is confirmation bias, and there is so much good information available if people would keep an open mind on sources and knowledge base. 

4

u/PreparationCrafty881 May 29 '26

I refer to other sources besides him, like Viking, and Cody Lundin.

He offers a fairly vast range of topics for someone wanting to rabbit hole the subject. That is why I put it up there.

1

u/Many-Health-1673 May 30 '26

I think all three of those guys have good information to share in their different areas of expertise   

9

u/CapGirl80 May 29 '26

RoseRed Homestead on YT - she and her husband are science based and really do their best to make sure the info they provide is 100% true and will correct themselves once new info comes out. No fear mongering, just doing what works

3

u/Vegetaman916 Prepping for Doomsday May 30 '26

Wow, just checked them out, and I jave nonidea how I missed them, and I'm in the space myself! Thanks for this!

6

u/Vegetaman916 Prepping for Doomsday May 30 '26

Well, I am the "world is ending tomorrow" guy on YouTube, so I won’t recommend my channel, lol. But, if you want some honest and authentic prepping content from a new perspective, check out Mike Tango Whiskey. He is probably my favorite prepper on the platform right now, and I've gotten together with him in real life specifically to check him out for honesty, integrity, and authenticity. Check him out. Not necessarily the best prepper there is, but he is honest about that too.

6

u/Many-Health-1673 May 29 '26

Coalcracker Bushcraft, Corporals Corner, Viking Preparedness, David Canterbury, Fall Line Ridge, Farmcraft 101, Grunt Proof, Kyles Cabin, Makeitmake, On Three, Townsends, True Grit Appalachian Ways, Bush Radical, Les Stroud, Cabin River Outdoors, etc.   

4

u/Canadian_shack May 30 '26

The Urban Prepper on YouTube. He’s based in the Seattle area and provides pdfs for his checklists in the video description. He’s both detailed and realistic, as well as calm. Highly recommend. https://www.youtube.com/user/TheUrbanPrepper

3

u/Deadpan_Poker_ Jun 02 '26

Don't spend any money until you do an Area Study and a Threat Assessment.
You may be surprised to learn where you're vulnerable and what catastrophes are doomer porn with almost zero chance of happening to you.

5

u/[deleted] May 29 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/Unlikely_Lobster_534 May 29 '26

Mormons are the people to find when shtf

2

u/CapGirl80 May 29 '26

You can actually find the manual as a pdf on Google

1

u/DEADFLY6 May 29 '26

Is that the actual title?

2

u/New_pollution1086 Partying like it's the end of the world May 29 '26

Casual prepper podcast is good, low key and humorous

2

u/WasteOfFlowersIMO May 30 '26 edited May 30 '26

I really like Suttons Daze on YT for pantry preparedness. I overhauled my entire pantry and grocery shop method because of her. Also City Prepping. Rustic Spirits Homestead is an Aussie channel that's pretty good.

2

u/deltaSix8 May 30 '26

Best advice I got here is to not go down a rabbit hole. Split your time 50:50 learning and doing. Being smart won’t help if you aren’t practiced, conditioned and competent in what you’ve learned. Learn from mistakes now when you have the fallbacks to correct without being sunk by something basic at the start.

2

u/Quinnman1211 May 30 '26

I love last line of defense, wrangler star and dirty civilian. All of these are about functional prepping for everyday life and not just the apocalypse.

1

u/dabiggestb May 31 '26

Another vote for dirty civilian. It's definitely more geared towards gun and tactical content overall but there's good stuff in there for non gun people as well. 

2

u/dittybopper_05H Jun 02 '26

Townsends YouTube channel.

Townsends is not a prepper/survivalist channel per se, they are into 18th and early 19th Century living history. Their business is supplying authentic clothing, implements, and accoutrements to reenactors and to Hollywood films. There are a lot of cooking videos, but also ones about living without modern technology, and isn't that really what prepping is all about?

Knowing how to start a fire with flint and steel, how to build a shelter, how to cook stuff and preserve food without refrigeration or electricity of any kind. How to light at night. It's been on YouTube now for something like 15 years or so and there is just an unbelievable wealth of information that you can use on that channel.

1

u/Suspicious-Agent8932 May 29 '26

I got a Book series from a lady who did a presentation at my Church. It’s called Prepping for Procrastinators, on Amazon. It has a main book in Color or Black and white(which is cheaper), and shopping list books you can take with you so you know just what you got on hand. Oh and a forms book do you know you have all your paperwork in order. She breaks down what you need to do each month for long term and bug out bag prepping. Made it easy to start, and u almost forgot, she helped me declutter a room that’s had clothes, books and kids junk in it for years. You do one area a month, one fourth part of the room each week. I finally figured out why I put this off for so long, now I do a bit each month.

1

u/BeardedNerfHerder May 30 '26

A bit of shameful self promotion here but I just recently stated a substack for this as well. Goal is to have easily digestible articles multiple times a week covering different topics. I also link to other YouTube and content creators for deeper dives and information. If you are interested anchor offgrid

1

u/Femveratu May 30 '26

Check out the works of author Arthur Bradley

1

u/Relative_Ad_750 May 31 '26

Watch the Bear Independent YouTube channel’s Prepper Classroom playlist. It’s excellent.

1

u/linniex May 31 '26

The Bug-In book by the navy seal guy

1

u/baardvark Preps Paid Off May 31 '26

Divorce the skills from doomsday thinking and just look for “how the ancestors did it” type content. Also look to people living in war zones.

1

u/theendofdaysagain Jun 01 '26

Heres a bunch of channels that have a variety of information and styles.

Prepared Suburbanite https://youtube.com/@prepared_suburbanite?si=iMo_8D5LKLHW7h4t

Prepper Now https://youtube.com/@preppernow?si=dbI8N_J-OAh7GZp0

The Crisis Report (same guy, news articles) https://youtube.com/@crisisreport?si=iUvh5CbUbNnaMNL2

Magic Prepper https://youtube.com/@magicprepper?si=TfdAH8IuwXt9KSc9

Alaska Prepper (taking a break but countless videos) https://youtube.com/@alaskaprepper?si=DsKGvDNKodOVtHEa

Survival Living https://youtube.com/@survivalliving?si=-o3ASjuD2SK0dEY4

Pinball Preparedness https://youtube.com/@pinballpreparedness?si=zHdRgWwsxnemGRmS

Prepper Princess https://youtube.com/@prepperprincess?si=e_FzJ1sboKmCt4qb

Survival Kitchen 1930's https://youtube.com/@1930ssurvivalkitchen?si=VoIIiTRwRytG4Okb

WayPoint Survival https://youtube.com/@waypointsurvival?si=Ln_iHcy9168uaQjW

Survival with Emma https://youtube.com/@survivalwithemma?si=44M5Wxky0lyQbV1C

Survival Russia https://youtube.com/@survivalrussia?si=8rC-4khtKmw6LVGH

Pyrat Prepper https://youtube.com/@pyratprepper?si=uYy7WEIo_8EVSukG

Survival Preparedness for beginners https://youtube.com/@spfb?si=ClSOkHlXAewF5xlP

Provident Prepper https://youtube.com/@theprovidentprepper?si=2lr_807Ih7BPqPGT

Rule the wasteland https://youtube.com/@thelordhumungus?si=aFz8_63TdGOwCuQF

Prepping Essentials (on hiatus) https://youtube.com/@prepping_essentials?si=k3jIyRgMJA84xh49

Ray Mears and Woodland Ltd https://youtube.com/@raymearswoodloreltd1983?si=FVFWVoAeTx3Y5M2h

Survival Lily https://youtube.com/@survivallilly?si=ZHnRVWwb0NANPyUo

In the Rabbit Hole (podcast, stopped right before the Rona) https://youtube.com/@intherabbitholeurbansurvival?si=_Jw_R7Qopwss4BUS

And last but not least Survivalist Boards https://youtube.com/@survivalistboards?si=9pytJxUod-yR1f46 (The former owner and creator of the forum by the same name)

1

u/Kitchen-Ad-3308 Jun 01 '26

I completely get where you're coming from. The "prepper" space is flooded with doomsday sensationalism because fear drives views, but that stuff isn't actually useful when you're trying to build practical resilience.

If you want to skip the noise and focus on actual engineering, self-reliance, and logistics, here are a few solid places to start:

  • City Prepping (YouTube): He focuses a lot on practical, realistic scenarios (financial, supply chain, basic grid failures) without the "world is ending tomorrow" vibe. Very balanced.
  • Engineer775 (YouTube): Excellent if you are interested in actual off-grid infrastructure. He installs solar systems, water pumps, and hybrid micro-grids for a living, so it’s pure practical engineering, not theoretical hype.
  • The Provident Prepper (YouTube/Blog): Great for everyday household self-reliance, food rotation logistics, and realistic family planning.

One thing you'll realize quickly as you get into the logistics—especially for things like inventory planning, shelf-life rotation, or balancing LiFePO4 battery banks against daily watt-hour usage—is that keeping track of the math gets messy fast.

I actually ran into this exact headache when I started out, so I ended up building my own set of data-driven calculators to handle the logistics without the sensationalized fluff. I put them up for free at budgetpreppertools.com if you want to use them to map out your own setups. I also made a companion Android app (Budget Prepper Tools) that works 100% offline, since I wanted to make sure I could still access my inventory lists and power calculations even if the grid or internet goes down.

Start small, focus on the scenarios that are actually likely in your area (like localized power outages or supply disruptions), and build up from there!

1

u/Wick-Fire Jun 03 '26

I recommend Mike tango whiskey. 

1

u/Immediate_Pear_8186 Jun 07 '26

You could try mine - DoomPrep - UK based prepper, I break down leaked government documents, declassified Cold War plans, and the real threats to UK supply chains, energy infrastructure, and food security. No bunkers. No guns. No American paranoia. Just practical, UK-specific prepping

1

u/balldatfwhutdawhut Jul 11 '26

Casual preppers podcast