Prepper Glossary

Essential terms, acronyms, and concepts every prepper should know.

7

72-Hour Kit

A portable emergency kit with enough supplies to sustain a person for 72 hours (3 days) after a disaster. Also called a Bug-Out Bag or Go-Bag.

A

Avtomat Kalashnikova — a family of assault rifles widely referenced in survival/self-defense contexts.

ALICE

All-Purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment. A military-style pack system still popular in prepper communities.

AR-15

A lightweight, semi-automatic rifle platform popular for home defense and survival scenarios.

Austere Environment

A location with limited or no access to medical care, infrastructure, or modern resources.

B

B.O.B.

Bug-Out Bag. A pre-packed bag containing essential survival supplies for evacuating quickly.

B.O.L.

Bug-Out Location. A pre-designated safe destination to retreat to during a disaster or collapse scenario.

B.O.V.

Bug-Out Vehicle. A vehicle prepared and stocked for emergency evacuation.

Barter

Trading goods or services without using currency. In SHTF scenarios, barterable goods like food, ammo, and medicine hold high value.

Black Swan

A rare, unpredictable event with severe consequences. Term popularized by Nassim Taleb, frequently referenced in prepper risk assessments.

C

Cache

A hidden stash of supplies, food, water, weapons, or gear buried or stored in a secondary location.

Caloric Density

The number of calories per unit of weight or volume in a food. High caloric density foods (rice, beans, fats) are prioritized for long-term storage.

CERT

Community Emergency Response Team. A FEMA-trained volunteer program that helps communities respond to disasters.

Comms

Short for communications. Preppers plan comms using ham radio, FRS/GMRS radios, or satellite communicators for when cell networks fail.

COMSEC

Communications Security. The practice of protecting radio and electronic communications from interception.

CONOP

Concept of Operations. A strategic plan outlining how a group or individual will respond to a specific scenario.

Cover vs. Concealment

Cover stops bullets (concrete, engine blocks). Concealment only hides you (bushes, drywall). A critical self-defense distinction.

E

EDC

Every Day Carry. The items a person carries on their person daily for preparedness, self-defense, and utility.

EMP

Electromagnetic Pulse. A burst of electromagnetic energy that can disable electronic devices and infrastructure. A major concern in prepper scenarios.

EOTWAWKI

End Of The World As We Know It. Refers to a civilization-altering catastrophe that permanently changes modern life.

F

Faraday Cage

An enclosure made of conductive material that blocks electromagnetic fields, used to protect electronics from EMP.

FIFO

First In, First Out. A food storage rotation method where the oldest stock is used first to prevent expiration.

G

G.O.O.D.

Get Out Of Dodge. The act of rapidly evacuating an area when danger is imminent.

G.H.B.

Get Home Bag. A smaller bag kept in a vehicle or office with supplies to get home during an emergency.

Grey Man

A person who blends into a crowd and does not attract attention in a survival or SHTF situation. The art of being unremarkable.

Grid Down

A scenario where the electrical power grid has failed, either partially or completely.

H

HAM Radio

Amateur radio — a licensed two-way radio system capable of long-range communication when cell and internet infrastructure fails.

HEMP

High-altitude Electromagnetic Pulse. A nuclear detonation at high altitude specifically designed to disable electronics over a wide area.

I

IFAK

Individual First Aid Kit. A compact trauma kit carried on the body, typically containing tourniquets, hemostatic gauze, and chest seals.

INCH Bag

I'm Never Coming Home Bag. The ultimate bug-out bag packed for permanent relocation with no intention of returning.

O

OPSEC

Operational Security. The practice of keeping your preps, plans, and resources private to prevent being targeted.

P

PAW

Post-Apocalyptic World. A scenario following a civilization-ending event.

Prepper

A person who actively prepares for emergencies, disasters, or societal collapse by storing supplies, learning skills, and making contingency plans.

Prepping

The practice of preparing for disruptions to normal life, ranging from natural disasters to long-term grid-down scenarios.

R

Reciprocal Altruism

Mutual aid between people in a survival community — helping others with the expectation of help in return.

Rule of 3s

A survival priority guide: 3 minutes without air, 3 hours without shelter in harsh conditions, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food.

S

Seed Vault

A secure collection of non-GMO, heirloom seeds stored for long-term food production in a post-grid-down world.

Self-Sufficient

The ability to meet one's own basic needs (food, water, shelter, energy) without reliance on external systems.

SHTF

Shit Hits The Fan. Slang for a major catastrophic event that collapses normal societal systems.

Situational Awareness

The practice of continuously observing and understanding your environment to identify threats and opportunities.

Soft Target

An easily accessible location with limited security, considered vulnerable to attack.

Subsistence Farming

Growing just enough food to feed yourself and your family with little or no surplus for trade.

T

Teotwawki

See EOTWAWKI. Sometimes spelled out as 'The End Of The World As We Know It.'

Tourniquet. A device used to stop severe limb bleeding by compressing blood vessels. The CAT and SOFTT-W are popular choices.

TSHTF

The Shit Hits The Fan. Same as SHTF, emphasizing the definitive event.

Triage

The process of sorting injured people into priority groups based on urgency of care needed.

W

WROL

Without Rule Of Law. A scenario where legal authority has broken down and social order is not enforced.

Water Purification

Methods to make water safe to drink including boiling, filtration (Sawyer, Berkey), chemical treatment (iodine, chlorine), and UV treatment (Steripen).

Y

YOYO

You're On Your Own. The mindset that in a true SHTF scenario, emergency services will be unavailable.

Z

Zero Days

Emergency food days with zero calorie intake. Planning avoids zero days by maintaining adequate food stores.