Seasoned preppers know that skills beat gear almost every time. There’s no replacement for knowledge, expertise, and experience. But what the real ones know—the ones who have been there and done that—is that the gear really, really helps!

I don’t know about you, but I would much rather face a long night in the woods with some camping gear, a nice hatchet, and a backpack full of other goodies rather than just the clothes on my back.

Yeah, if you’re good enough you can still get it done, but why take the chance and waste the energy?

The problem is that buying gear to be ready for all eventualities can cost you a fortune, and that alone is enough to keep some people from prepping.

The good news is you can find some crucially important survival items at your local flea market if you spend a few Saturdays out there. Keep reading, and I’ll tell you about 20 flea market prepping finds to hunt for…

Knives

The one tool that no prepper should be without is one of the most common items you’ll find at any flea market around the country.

You’ll find all sorts of knives for sale, from vintage hunting and camping blades that are in need of some serious TLC to the best in modern folders and tactical knives.

Lots of folks sell entire collections at the flea market, either piecemeal or wholesale. You can always make a great case for getting just one more knife to stash in a pack, a go-bag, in your vehicle, or as a backup.

But if you don’t currently have any, get a sizable and stout fixed-blade knife for use in the bush, and a compact folder to always keep on you.

Wool Blankets

Whether you’re roughing it in nature or hunkering down at home, nothing beats a wool blanket for keeping warm.

Wool is a superb natural fiber and remains highly insulating even when it’s soaking wet. It’s also naturally fire- and mold-resistant, and given even a little bit of care, a wool blanket can last for many generations.

You can look for military surplus, old heirlooms that are being sold off for pennies, or even artisanally crafted new stock made by locals.

Just be warned if you are buying new that they can cost a pretty penny, and you should think twice before buying any used blankets that are seriously stinky or contaminated with chemicals.

Mil Surp

Mil surp, short for military surplus, is another constant fixture at most flea markets, especially those near military bases or in the American South. Military surplus covers everything from fatigues to load-bearing equipment, ammo cans to entrenching tools, and a whole lot more.

Much of this equipment is designed to put up with harsh use in unforgiving environments, and that means it is a great choice for prepping even if it’s got a little bit of life left in it.

Backpacks

I think every prepper by now understands the importance of having a good backpack.

Whether you are taking off into the wild blue yonder on foot during a bug-out, or you’re grabbing a go-bag for your road trip to the next state over, a pack full of survival gear and just-in-case equipment is immensely valuable.

You’ll find no shortage at your local flea market, and should reliably be able to pick up everything from a school backpack to a huge rucksack or multi-day camping pack—with or without a frame!

Tents

A tent is obviously useful if you’re going to be sleeping outside for any reason. Shelter concerns should be near the very top of your priority list in any survival situation because exposure is a constant and deadly killer in nearly any environment.

Consider too that you might need to use a one inside your own home to make a microclimate for sleeping if your home is damaged and the power is out!

Whether you’re looking for a multi-person tent or a tiny bivvy, double-check everything for mildew, damage, and missing frame components. Tie-downs and stakes can be replaced.

Tarps

Tarps are one of my very favorite pieces of survival gear, and as far as I’m concerned, an unsung asset among other preppers! A tarp can be rigged up into a tent, a windbreak, a rain catcher, ground cover, or used to haul materials, and a whole lot more.

A good tarp really is worth its weight in gold, and I like to keep a couple of small ones in my BOB at all times.

Whether you’re shopping for modern synthetic ones or heavy canvas ones, check them over well: even small tears have a way of getting bigger quickly, and blown-out grommets can render a good tarp useless.

Ponchos

This simple piece of survival gear is essential anytime you might get caught out in the rain or sleet. Keeping yourself dry goes a long way towards keeping you warm and happier. Nobody likes to go around soaked!

You’ll often find purveyors of survival equipment at flea markets selling semi-disposable ponchos still in the package, or you can look for ones that are sized and rated for heavier duty.

Both are viable, and in the case of used ones, they aren’t too hard to freshen up if they’re a little dingy.

Cold Weather Gear

Like I said above, exposure should be your number one concern anytime you’re in an outdoor survival situation, and the threat is magnified tenfold if it’s wintertime or you live in a cold environment.

Cold weather gear in the form of overalls, snow boots, parkas, gloves, and so on can be bought very cheaply at most flea markets if you live anywhere where winters aren’t too brutal.

The colder it is, the higher the prices will be, but you’ll also enjoy a better selection.

Canning Supplies

A big part of prepping is keeping plenty of food on hand in case you’re forced to shelter in place, deal with supply shortages, or any other possible contingency.

Store-bought canned goods are great, but canning your own food is both a time-honored tradition and a great way to improve your overall resilience.

Whether you want to use a water bath canner, a pressure canner, or both, you can find plenty of completely serviceable systems and lots of jars at the flea market. Just make sure to check the jars over really well for damage or cracks, and never reuse lids.

Cooking Gear

Field cooking gear, be it camp stoves, lightweight mess kits, stainless steel mugs, or classic cast iron, is great to have in case your kitchen gets knocked out of action or if you are forced to camp out in the wilderness.

Flea markets are my favorite place to get this stuff: lots of folks take up camping or overlanding as a hobby, and get out of it in short order. Then they try to sell off their stuff at the flea market.

Hand Tools

One of the very best places to get high-quality tools, especially real craftsman-grade stuff that was made around the middle of the last century. Hammers, screwdrivers, saws, drills, and a whole lot more can be yours.

This stuff comes in just as handy for impromptu repairs around your home or homestead as it does for actually crafting things you need, like shelving.

But make sure you know what you are looking at: some tools can be too old, battered, and worn to be of any use, and shysters might try to sell cheap “Chineseium” tools as top of the line.

Radios

CB, GMRS, and ham radio: all can afford preppers excellent self-contained and redundant communications capability no matter what’s going on. As handhelds, mounted in a vehicle, or set up as a base station at home, radio is flexible and adaptable.

You can often find newer and vintage sets for sale at flea markets and save a small fortune over buying new.

But if you don’t know what you’re looking at, you’ve got to bring along someone who does, both to function check the set in question and to make sure that it serves your needs.

Survival / Outdoor Manuals

Whether you are a real Mountain Man reborn or a complete greenhorn when it comes to prepping and survival, there’s always good cause to start building your survival library.

Survival, outdoor, and wilderness lore manuals are invaluable, both for rounding out your own skill set but also serving as a source of answers when you have questions and you can’t just hop on Google anymore.

From army and DoD handbooks to new and vintage tomes covering camping, hunting, and every other skill set imaginable, you can usually load up at flea markets for pennies: books are heavy, bulky, and more people are getting rid of them than ever!

5-Gallon Buckets

Beginners might raise an eyebrow at seeing a humble 5-gallon bucket on this list, but seasoned survivors know that they are another wonderful prepping multi-tool.

From hauling dirt, sand, and water to serving as an improvised toilet or even configuring as a field-expedient water filter or just a comfortable seat, these things rock.

Just keep in mind if you’re going to use it for any potable water purposes you’ve got to get ones that are new or didn’t contain any harmful chemicals so you can clean them out and refurbish them.

Flashlights / Lanterns

Bad things happen in the dark. Thieves and home invaders sneak around, and people get lost or fall down.

Considering that most major disasters or other survival situations will knock out electricity or take place far away from civilization, you’ve got to have your own means for providing light.

Flashlights of all kinds and lanterns, be they electric or liquid-fueled, can be found by the dozens at nearly any flea market. Once again, just take a moment to look them over well for functionality and test them if possible.

Bows / Crossbows

A traditional bow, modern compound bow, or high-tech crossbow can be a great addition to your survival arsenal. Equipped with the right bolt or arrow, these tools are capable of bringing down nearly any animal.

Best of all, they are quiet, legal everywhere, and represent a great value for hunting compared to most firearms. They are also completely legal and straightforward to buy when selling person to person, so you don’t have any weird liability to worry about.

Old-Fashioned Kitchen Tools

Another great way to improve your overall resiliency is to invest in non-electric kitchen tools and manual appliances that your great-great-grandparents would have used.

Things like hand-cranked meat grinders, grain threshers, grain mills, spice mills, and more are more commonly found set up as decorations in tacky restaurants or private homes, but with just a little elbow grease, they can be made to work as well as they always have.

Just keep in mind that many such devices will be missing small parts and you might need to improvise or track down replacements.

Medical Equipment

I’d be wary of buying any actual medical supplies or medicines from a flea market, but not medical equipment.

Splints, braces, wheelchairs, crutches, IV trees, stretchers, and a whole lot more pop up fairly regularly and this stuff can come in really handy in the aftermath of a major disaster.

Keep in mind that you or someone you know or love might be dealing with significant injuries in the aftermath, and this stuff can help keep them comfortable and improve the standard of care you can provide them.

Generators

Every prepper needs a generator. When the power goes out, even if it’s just from a rough passing thunderstorm, running essential appliances and other gear can save the day. If it only saves a refrigerator full of food, chances are good it will pay for itself in just a couple of uses!

Lots of folks try to sell their old generators at the flea market, and if you know what you’re doing, this is a great way to save hundreds of bucks off a brand-new one.

But as you might expect, it’s easy to get a used-up dog, too, so look them over carefully before you commit.

Rain Barrels

Catching rainwater is something you should be doing whether or not you are gardening.

Even a basic rain-catching system consisting of a diverter and a single rain barrel hooked up to one of the downspouts on your house can supply you with dozens of gallons of water from even a single rainy afternoon.

And even though they tend to be cheaper than they’ve ever been, rain barrels can be expensive.

You’ll regularly see ones in good shape at flea markets, even if they need a good bit of cleaning up and maybe some new sealing and caulking here and there.

The post Top 20 Prepper Items to Hunt for at Flea Markets appeared first on Survival Sullivan.

By: Tom Marlowe
Title: Top 20 Prepper Items to Hunt for at Flea Markets
Sourced From: www.survivalsullivan.com/flea-market-survival-items/
Published Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2024 17:11:19 +0000

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