What Guns and Gear to "Panic Buy"? 

Pro tip: just make buying arms and gear part of your regular purchase schedule and then you don’t have to panic buy.

"Stay ready so you don't have to get ready" This goes for gear, equipment, and physical fitness.

As an infantryman in the Marine Corps I learned from multiple deployments that physical fitness and skills/practice were the most important things. I also learned to keep my gear as simple as the particular mission allowed.

Books. I ordered 2 books on wild edibles and I was absolutely astonished at the number of plants I recognized that are not only edible, but in some cases have 60x the nutritional value by weight compared to some of our best cultivated foods. Half the weeds in your back yard are edible, and if you only focus on the gear you need for a fight, you’ll die of starvation not knowing those stubborn weeds are a life saving garden. You could walk through a roadside ditch and gather a meal.

An underrated preparedness item. Friends. Like minded, nearby, friends.

Imagine being 100% prepped, putting on your kit, and then going into a diabetic coma.

As a European I thought you were crazy in the USA for arming yourself for so little reason, then covid arrived and then I could really see the madness of the people. Since then I have obtained my licenses (which are relatively complicated to obtain for weapons other than hunting in Belgium/France) and I go to the shooting range every week. I also invested in several 1m³ water tanks to collect rainwater and created a large, varied vegetable garden. After reflection, I also prepared a stock of canned food and when these are a few weeks from expiry I renew my stock and give those that I would not be able to consume in quantity to associations so that they remain useful. I have also accumulated various heals, solar panels as well as chemical products such as bleach and alcohol to possibly prevent disinfection. Finally, camping equipment, tarpaulins and useful objects such as ropes, tarpaulins, nails, axes, spades, shovels. I am not preparing for a war or an apocalypse but for a possible catastrophe that could drive people crazy again. Man is a wolf to man and in critical situations the most prepared people will be the ones who come out the best. Since the covid where I was able to see with my own eyes attacks in stores and in pharmacies by panicked people I have added the defense factor in the emotion and in the event of an even greater disaster I now have what to defend myself and my loved ones if someone wants to attack us for coveting my possessions. It's better to be too careful than not enough. For my part I accumulated little by little all the things I said, it cost me a little money but not excessively and even if I would perhaps never use some of them , this reassures me that they are useful when needed. Thank you for this video, even if I have already prepared in my own way it will certainly be useful to others. Sorry for my bad English, I did the best I could, stay safe

As a father - would love to hear an additional video on what the kids could need / use and what that preparation means for me.

Pro tip: be in the habit of backpacking a couple times a year. You’ll figure out what works, and acquire and use a lot of this gear in the process.

There's always a run on weapons & ammunition, there's rarely a run on first aid & medical.

The fire extinguisher comment at the end hit me. I purchased my first home 4 years ago and don't have one. I'm feeling like a real dum dum now, wow. Gonna fix that real quick! Thanks for the great info Lucas!

I have gotten a few friends fully kitted out from everything on this list and got them to start take training alot more seriously. These videos help me and other people so much. Thank you as always!

Lucas is right about the fire extinguisher! Guys and Gals make sure you have fire extinguishers that are working and staged properly. Great video. Everyone, please add a whistle to your kit. I was trapped beneath rubble after an IED explosion and a whistle that a kid from kunar gave me saved my life. I blew that sucker so hard I passed out. Anyway the EOD guys found me and from that day onward I carry a whistle everywhere.

My worse fear is I have all this cool stuff and I have trained only to get clapped by a guy with a hi point firing into the air 🤣

Always great thought exercises Lucas! Thanks for all the things you guys do!

Being prepared is a multilayered, multifaceted process that you have to be aware of. And it is VERY involved both in thought and actual process.

Being prepared is relative. I’m 71 years old I did two tours in Nam. Now there’s no way I’m gonna be prepared the same way T.Rex might at 30 years old. I Was still on active reserves at that age. Women who are 45 will prep differently. We’re going to need all kinds of people to prep differently, if any of us are going to survive, you just Gotta do the best you can and hope nothing ever happens that’s worse than you prepped for.

When I first got into guns during and just after covid, I made it a point to buy two 20 round boxes of 5.56 every month, and at least one box of 9mm, either my carry ammo or some cheap FMJ. Made sure to keep it to brands I could find everywhere. If I saw a good deal in a store, I’d grab that too. Never much. I literally built a 1000+ round 5.56 stash, 20 rounds at a time.

one of the best presentation on you tube I have seen. Very detail. very organize very informative

Super awesome video man. I truly and wholeheartedly appreciate most of your content.

A note on hearing protection. If you're still using Howard Leights, and you're jawline/neck is breaking the seal, consider the upgrade to gel cups. Depending on brand and purchase location, they're between $20-$40 dollars in my experience. It makes a VAST improvement to the quality of the earpro, and you'll save a bunch of money instead of a total upgrade (if the budget is tight). Ive had the same pair of HL ears for 6 years and 3 sets of cups. And I just retired them because the left ear stopped working. They’ve been in countless rain and snow storms, probably 30+ matches, many hundreds of hours of training and tens of tousands of rounds downrange. They allow you to wear your ears for hours without pain and discomfort, and I still have fairly sensitive hearing after all of that. After a single incident where my 10.5 rifle caused the gap Lucas mentioned here, I spent the money on the upgrades. Nearly doubled the cost of the earpro at the time, but my hearing was irreparably damaged in that ear from that specific incident. At this point, I consider the gel a must have upgrade to the howard leights or anything you're wearing. The superior seal is primary and comfort is secondary. Both are massive benefits. As a final detail, most of my shooting is outdoors and if you're indoors you may want to double up or go with something else, and most of my shooting is with pistols or shotguns, with only about 8k or 9k rounds of rifle thrown in over the years. People shooting higher volumes of rifle may also want something heavier duty. Food for thought. Happy prepping 🎉

“Make a purchasing plan” My Amazon save for later section is way ahead of you 😂😂😂

An Outstanding introductory/starter video..... you got into the basic security items in a short concise video...👏👏 Thank you

Video quality, color grading, whole production of videos on your channel is awesome man

You may be prepared with your choice of gear, storage food, etc. Being PSYCHOLOGICALLY prepared is something entirely different. Great video Lucas

Funny thing is in a SHTF situation where you would actually need all of this, most people wouldn't live long to even utilize it very long.

Dude you and your Dad (I think) do the best videos in terms of specific content. They are usefull and informative! I remember you Dad doing, " Why Everyone Should Own An AR15" style rifle. It was so well done. This one is also.Thanks alot and God bless you Guys and your family!

Absolute best prep my family has been working on lately is our health. Lots of walking and dietary changes, weight coming off, endurance going up, and best of all blood sugar finally under control without resorting to meds.

Add to your armor comment, loads of people forget about why you get armor. If you are in an urban environment armor will be a huge upgrade to your kit. But if you are out in the burbs or rural area, armor is heavy and trying to patrol or move around, you might need more water, food, etc and armor will just slow you down. Weight is important and moving faster might keep you alive more than armor depending on your environment.

Keep a "good amount" of ammo and spare parts. But most importantly have food, medical, power to supply your house. Clean water is VERY important and bottle water will run out so invest in water purification. Have the ability to make fire. For me, I also collect alcohol. Not just rubbing alcohol but booze. Not to drink but to use and to barter if it actually gets THAT bad Clothes is also important. Underwear and other hygiene things

With all the turmoil unraveling in the world. This content is most relevant. Thank you for the valuable information! 🇺🇸❤

Love it! You should have pre made packs for each category with different levels available for purchase on your site!

I argue with some of the older veterans. Even GWOT era grunts about suppressors and even hearing protection. There's a weird stigma that because they were never issued these fancy things and their hearing is already damaged "why bother?" I keep telling them, your hearing can always get worse as in permanent deaf and you don't want to be completely deaf where you can't go to the VA anymore since the world has ended and because they have families, I tell them you don't want your KIDS to try surviving when the world is ending deaf as well. So get a suppressor now or learn how to make one when there is without rule of law because it isn't like the AFT is going after you when there is no government control of your town anymore. Having knowledge to make things that when there was rule of law, restricted or illegal, is important as well.

In case people were wondering, Lucas' hair is rated IIIA.

This has been an incredibly helpful video and has helped to serve as a great general guide for some things I don’t have but can plan for and things to keep researching. It’s has has also served as a conversation started for my in-laws next door as we have begun to plan together for what it looks like to be “more” prepared. “Prepared” content like this is super pertintent to me right now. Thank you so much for investing in us through things like this.

Thanks for taking the time to do this.

I especially like the tip: if you buy something, make sure you know how to USE it. And maintain PRACTICE with it. Great content as always, much love from Texas. Also I definitely took a screenshot of the final layout for reference!

Many years ago I put together packs for my family - just basic stuff: first aid, fire-making, knife, emergency food, flashlights, emergency blankets, sealed towelettes, grease pens and paper, etc. All simply stuff into one backpack and placed in the house, ready to throw in the car. Not for the collapse of the world, but just breaking down on a long road trip, or fleeing the house due to a natural disaster, etc. There are so many slightly more trivial situations where you think "damn if I only had...". It's not terribly expensive to be at least a little prepared, let alone 'more' prepared. One thing I would add to the video above though is solar charging capacity. While phones and other products may be offline during something bad, solar charging panels for small electronic devices are cheap and robust. Heck during a power outage here I even charged my phone by aiming my flashlight at the solar panel which was plugged into the phone...it never hurts to have one on hand.

This is awesome. I would add a general reminder in awareness. All around awareness, and mental prep of being ready to defend and survive, but also awareness of situation and knowing when the best option is to leave and avoid risk ask together.

Very well thought out and presented. Great job !!

I've been prepared for years. I keep about 25 years of food stocked in my bunker. I update it yearly. I have over a million rounds. About 45 guns, all different types. A bunker 100 feet below my house with a well. A armored panic room in my house. And a food forest in my yard that can sustain my family. A wood burning stove with a huge forest behind my house for wood. I've been working on my gear and set up for about 25 years. Always changing and updating. I don't prep because I'm paranoid or crazy. I prep because it's fun to try and figure out survival stuff.

Great video. Really like that even though your a firearms / accessory company, you delve into subjects like this. Hope to see more of this content. Thanks Lucas!

Great video Lucas, thank you for your practical expertise. keep it at my man!

Honestly, prepping is a bit overwhelming. I'm very new to firearms and I have 3 platforms (handgun, AR15, shotgun) and a modest amount of ammo. I have water filtration but I'm short on emergency food and power generation. Great advice on optics. It's next on my list. Fantastic information, thank you

Great content Lucas! I have 50% of what you showed. This pushes me to continue to work on my preparedness! Keep it up! This is what I love.

2 years ago I developed a master list like Lucas referenced at the beginning, then I said “what do I NEED before summer 2024?” The 2024 list is significantly more manageable than the master list, and I’m pretty close to completing the list. I have a monthly defense budget (4% of my take home $) that I occasionally supplement with bonus’. I have to be careful with how I spend the money, often times waiting to buy something for 2-3 months as I save for it. The final few items on my Summer 24 list (radios, a drone, etc.) will definitely require a bit of saving. The strategy has worked very well for me as I attempt to get more prepared while being married, rehabbing a house & being a normal dude. I don’t over extend my finances and I’m feeling way more confident coming into these uncertain times than I did in Feb 2020.

Wow I've been looking for this exact kind of video. Very well done. Right down to the background music ❤❤❤❤❤ 💯

This guy is the first actual "essential items you need" video that I liked. Super informative. Glad I have most of this besides radios because I'm thinking grid down will happen, would raidos work? GREAT VIDEO I'LL SUBSCRIBE!

#1 loose weight. #2 method to make water safe. #3 store rice. #4 medical and hygiene. #5 security.

Backpacker's Field Manual is a great book on essentials: Then Climb a few mountains, ideally with a friend or two. Overnight backpacking is a great way to sort out all the small non-combat kit: carrying, water, shelter, fire, lighting, teamwork all those skills and kit you can get sorted out while getting healthy. This was my approach to learning all the essential skills, that I missed by never being a boyscout and never serving in the military, along with a friend many years ago.

I also have a wagon. The harbor freight green one. Bought it on sale, changed out the bearings and tires, altered the handle; so it can attach to my mountain bike and can still be hand pulled; and added low side walls. I load it out with my gear and a little extra, the bearing and tires helped in making it easier to pull. I bought a child/dog bike cart, used, and the frame bent, with all my gear’s weight. That’s why I went with the harbor freight wagon. The wheels are the standard, every hardware store carry’s them, wheel. Not the bigger ten speed wheel, that only bike shops/places that sell bikes, carry, with easily punctured inner tubes.

Well thought out presentation. I'm more or less old school. I have military and law enforcement experience. I can still do land nav with maps and a compass and have most of the basic items you mentioned in the video. I was surprised at the range finder. I've had one in my bag for several years and it's also a learning tool. The more you use it the quicker you can judge distances without it. Communications is one of the more important items. I am a Ham operator and have a network of other operators and emergency management folks we practice with on a regular basis. Somebody commented below about a network of like-minded friends. There is no substitute for that. And last but not least... a pack. I have a large Alice pack with a frame. Sometimes you just have to go with what you know 😄

Remember, skill sets and physical fitness are more important than gear. That being said...gear is dope and it can seriously improve and augment you and your skills. Get some good footwear, a good ruck (gotta be able to carry sustainment), a rifle and a chest rig. Then all the things needed to go with that. Shelter, water, food, fire, and medical (not just immediate stop the bleed type stuff). Gear wise you will be more than ok for the apocalypse. For day to day a good concealed handgun, medical, and whatever else you may need. And get fit. If you can't carry that stuff its useless. Go ruck dudes and dudettes. Lift. Run. Do something. You'll be more ready for shtf and as a bonus...you gonna be looking good!

"Radio communications are very important, especially if you have people to talk to" 😂 That cracked me up! nice list and well thought out! I am checking out your holsters now

I like your style been doing this awhile. Great for the people who are trying to get started. Prioritize!

God bless you brotha! and those that help you do this RU-vid stuff. commom sense in a time like this. Going to tell everyone I know to watch this video. keep up the good work. stay free and stay safe.

Love it! Fire sources are one of the most slept on preps. 👍

I worked at a gun shop for several years, most notably during the entire arc of COVID panic buying. All too often I'd have a dude come in to get a firearm, ammo, or accessories and they'd brag about how they are ready for when "SHTF" and they'd proceed to tell me how many guns/bullets they have. (most of the time they had a DB15 with Amazon junk all over it) I'd ask them about basic med, food, or water and easily 40% of the time they'd say something like "oh, if I run out I have guns to get more." So their short-term prep plan is to kill/rob their neighbors rather than better prep a more general selection of supplies. They think it would be cool but in reality they are the very thing most people prep against. That's terrifying. So many out of shape men with Amazon junk believe that they will be an apex predator and will take what they want from their neighbors if they must. That's why it's important to prepare in silence and be ready for these Amazon Raiders.

Sir you are a god send I appreciate you and all you do for the citizens of this great country and continue to do what you do may God bless you and your family and to be successful in all your endeavors in the future

Solid points, Great general list. Nice vid

This is a good baseline review. Thanks for putting it out there. I would also add some form of power supply. My preps are geared more towards hurricanes and extended blackouts. Having a good dual fuel generator as well as a few "car battery-sized" power stations would serve you well in a blackout.

Started with a panic buy, shipped so fast and was so impressed with the quality I’ve placed 2 additional orders…may or may not be in panic buy category anymore but who’s counting 😂 new TREX customer for sure

When it comes to suppressors remember that flash signature reduction is by far more important than noise reduction for real world survival in a combat environment. The fireball coming out of the end of your barrel will get the attention of opposition and cause you issues far worse than a DB or two especially considering that most conflict of that type happens at night or in bear dark plus it will interfere with either your naturalized or electronically enhanced night vision.

WOW! What a great video man. Thank you

I'm really enjoying these comments. Lucas, thanks for talking about the less thought of stuff at the end. The number one thing people can do right now to get prepared that doesn't cost any money is get to know your neighbors. No man is an island. The other obvious one is food. Do you have enough food to last one or two weeks? If not, the next two times you go shopping just buy double of your non-perishable staple items (if you can afford it). Then as mentioned, lots and lots of fire extinguishers. Loss of power is the most frequently experienced situation. Do you own a generator? Can it plug into your house?

I would love to see you guys make this into an actual prepardness order of operations/shopping list for everyone and have it available on your website. Like for new people getting into prepardness and for people who are into prepardness but are lost in the weeds on what is the next important item to purchase.

Fantastic info, I'll keep watching.

Thanks for the video. It was very helpful and informative.

Excellent content and great timing as well. I'd like to suggest you do more detailed videos for each of the categories along with recommendations. Don't be afraid to plug your own stuff or stuff that you sell. I know you're legit. You're not going to recommend crappy quality stuff.

First pushing woodland cammies, now 90's prepper gear lists? Apparently history does repeat itself. Having done the whole GWOT/ War/ watching government collapse thing, the best prep is moving to the sticks and having a 4x4.

Thanks for my Christmas list. I have most of this but I definitely can use more in certain areas for sure.

Awesome video! Really informative. I bought a ton of these things from Tacticon. IFAK, tourniquets, lasers, optics, my holster, BattleBelt, chest rig, slings, and obviously my NIJ certified armor. Really good pricing too!!!!

I wanna see Lucas take all of the gear on this table and do a 3 day trip outdoors on foot to see how he sets up camp and what his skillbase for basic campcraft/bushcraft is. It's one thing to have the ability to start fire, but how is he gonna do it when it's pouring rain and he has little to no shelter.

I have rifles with optics with backup irons , i also have a A2 clone with irons only for two different jobs. But i do want to note that i can hit a person size target center mass at 300 meters with irons no matter if it's the 20" or the 16 inch barrel.

Very excited to see more content on radios.

Great video overall. Helps me think if what else I need right now. Only thing, I would suggest putting a backpack much higher in the priority list. There is a lot of good miliqry surplus out there right now that will get you decent gear without breaking the bank.

Not sure if it was mentioned further down the thread but in this same vein ballistic rated eye protection wasn't mentioned and is so underrated especially if you end up finding yourself in some kind of a quote-unquote conflict is zone

I need a bigger boat because in the case of a flood all my ammo will sink the one I have. Although, I think I have enough toilet paper to soak up a lot of the water.

Excellent video. I have fine tune what I already have, & upgrade my medical supplies.

Excellent video. I would add: 20 meters (23 yds) of rope, paracord type, with 2 mountaineering carabiners, 10 meters (33 feet) of fine steel wire, piano wire type. An aluminized isothermal blanket. A couple of MREs and candy. Always a pair of sports socks. Greetings from Patagonia Argentina.

seeing all of this makes me realize how late to the game I am. super expensive, but my life is worth it. I became a first-time buyer a few months ago... this community can be filled with a bunch of show off's and turds and it also has some extremely generous people with the biggest hearts. 2020 caught me off guard. never again!

When it comes to ear pro on a budget, I think those slimline HL are a good entry level choice that can be made more effective by also wearing a pair of the safari land ear plugs. Neither are perfect alone but it’s a solid combination. I like to keep the SL ear plugs on my keychain so I have ear pro in my edc. Also works well for the range. You can wear both while shooting then leave the ear plugs in between firing to communicate clearer and still have some protection from the rest of the range.

Great video, especially for those just getting into the game, and after the 2020 Pandemic there are a lot of those! I've been prepping since the 80's (yeah Im a old fart...but ret. Vet and I still got game!) but I am always looking for new angles and holes in my game plan. No matter how prepared you are, I promise there are probably areas you lack in. I've always viewed it as a journey not an arrival at a destination.

I just got my sidecar holster today. I'm impressed. It's far superior to the one I was using (We The People Holster). I've been a sub to this channel for years now and it's clear that Lucas puts alot of thought into what he does, it's clear with this holster. It's really comfortable and easy to draw. Thanx man, I plan on ordering more for my other pistols. Hopefully, you guys can make one to fit my S&W SD40Ve with an Olight PL2. I was thinking the one for the M&P 4.25" might fit but, who knows.

Finally, someone who can call a spade a spade. No single or group of persons can truly prepare for any number of problems on a laundry list of just terrible probabilities. Setting ourselves up for success is key to make it past the first 90 days. The "prepper" grift train has taken a number of us for a wild ride and ultimately made folks less prepared for the coming struggle. Act accordingly.

Such a good video thank you. I'm in France so it's extremely difficult for the self defense side of it, but at least I 've learnt things.

10:41 "radio communications, especially if you have people to talk to" lol that implication is gold

This is amazing content. Thank you so much

You should do a video on physical fitness. What’s a priority? (Strength vs endurance) how should you train? Obviously training like a power lifter would not be ideal just like training like a marathon runner to carry kit. You’ve got guys that have been in the military working for you and you have experience working in kit for long periods of time. Physical fitness is greatly overlooked and will probably be the reason most people fail at being “prepared”

Go camping a few times a year in different seasons. You'll quickly learn how little you need, but what little things you absolutely need. Most (if not all) of the gear helps in various emergency situations too.

Training and diversifying is key. I have a lot of guns and ammo but I’m lacking in some of the other areas. Thank you for the video. I have my list made

Trex gave solid advice many moons ago in a video regarding NVGs. Cut out useless spending (video games, tobacco, alcohol etc) - it really frees up funds to rid yourself of bad choices and invest in yourself and personal safety...you could also buy 2 boxes of ammo a week in your grocery run over time that builds up.

Love the gear layout thumbnail! Another thing to consider is to invest in an airsoft replica of your pistol and rifle, along with protective equipment and bb's. It will make your training ammo go SIGNIFICANTLY further as you can practice MUCH more at around $1.67 for 400rds than even the cheapest training ammo. You also get force on force and small unit tactic experience, as well as shaking out your tactics, skill, and gear. Then you only really NEED to expend your training ammo on recoil management and accuracy testing.

Great video and great points. The backpack brand Kelty makes some killer packs that originated in the hiking community, and eventually made some for the military that are available for Civilians. Very affordable. The redwing series is what I am referring to and have had one that has lasted years through some rough environments and still going strong. Most I have seen are sub $200.

Excellent presentation. Deciding to be prepared is like deciding to climb Mt. Everest. You ain’t gonna be running up it. It’s step by step, like your life depends on it or something like that…If I want to be lazy about it, I fully expect I’ll freeze to death or fall by the wayside. It goes without saying but learning from others and being open minded about meeting challenges is the biggest badass “prep” one can do. Thanks for the tips and solid info.

Excellent content and I’m really looking forward to a comms video!

Panic buy a rifle, a pistol you can conceal, and a shotgun. Panic buy them now

A good knife should be near the first things to have during a shtf/survival situation. Even before a firearm of somesort imo.

Great video. Other considerations: fire extinguishers and fire suppressant blankets, water storage, printed and secured copies of essential legal documents, laminated list of phone numbers and addresses, offsite cloud backup of critical files. I know these are out of scope in some measure for this channel, but are equally important.

One of your best videos in my opinion. I suspect the number of couch commando's who couldn't even built a fire in the woods would be shocking.