26 of the Coolest and Most Useful Things for Preppers at Bass Pro Shops

Author of The Faithful Prepper and Zombie Choices

Bass Pro Shops is a grown man’s candy store. And, as soon as you walk into one of these behemoth buildings, you’re surrounded by fireplaces, guns, and all the other necessaries to make getting in touch with the wild feasible long-term. And here’s a secret – there are loads of things for preppers at Bass Pro.

Hunting, fishing, shooting, camping – it’s all there.

A lot of this transfers over to prepping as well. I’ve previously covered the prepping potential within Harbor Freight, but can the same be done within Bass Pro? I think so. Here are 26 of the coolest and most useful prepping supplies you’ll find inside. See what you think.

Protection

Collapsible baton – The more I study current events, the more I become a fan of these. If carrying a gun makes you feel paranoid all day, or you’re going to be traveling through an area where authorities will throw you in jail for carrying a gun, these may be an option.

Some localities still may harass and throw you in jail if they find you with one of these. But elsewhere, these are formidable self-defense weapons. With the flick of a wrist, you have a big piece of metal to whack somebody.

Roughly $50 is pretty standard for these things too. 

Speed strips – I’ve found that far too few preppers out there know about these, which is really a shame. These are little pieces of rubber you place spare cartridges in so that you can quickly reload in the field.

They’re all of $7, easily slip into a pocket, and are a compact means of carrying extra ammo on you if you EDC a revolver.

Spare mags – You need to buy these while you still can. If all you have for your weapon is the mag it came with, you’ll only get as many shots as you have in that mag. There are no timeouts during a shootout to refill mags. There’s a continued push to enforce arresting people for having these as well. Therefore, you’re not going to be able to find these for long. These are a great barter item as well, by the way.

Here you can find AR-15 30-round mags for $16.

Blackhawk SERPA CQC Holster – I really like Blackhawk’s SERPA holsters. As far as I’m concerned, these are the best holsters out there to retain your weapon until you need it. And then you can draw them with ease. A paddle holds the weapon in place until you need it, and pressing it during the drawing motion is very natural. I like a specialized holster for every handgun I own (consider the need to keep multiple family members armed post-disaster), and these are awesome. 

Taurus G2C – Right now, I highly recommend focusing on 9mm for all handguns. It’s the only caliber I can reliably find in my area, and I imagine it’s the same for you. Without ammo, your gun is an expensive stick. 

The G2C is a reliable and inexpensive ($280) handgun that leaves you plenty of money left over for ammunition and magazines. 

Smith and Wesson M&P Shield EZ Kit – This is a fantastic deal. The EZ, a case, and five magazines for $500. Grab this, a holster, and ammo, and you’re good to go. I’m a big fan of Smith & Wesson handguns, and this is one of their top sellers. Again, it’s chambered in 9mm. 

Smith & Wesson M&P15 Sport II AR-15 in 5.56 – I’m a big fan of the AR-15 platform, and you can find parts for it just about anywhere. 5.56 ammunition is relatively easy to find on store shelves as well. This gun is a great self-defense weapon when you need something with more range, capacity, and oomph than a pistol.

Savage 110 in 6.5 Creedmoor – When it comes to long-range work, the shooting world seems to be gradually shifting towards the 6.5 Creedmoor neck of the woods. The US Army is changing their main battle rifle chambering to a cartridge of a similar size primarily due to improvements in body armor over time.

Savage makes a respectable bolt-action design with a detachable magazine for only $700. That’s pretty hard to beat.

Winchester SXP Defender 12-gauge pump – What home battery is complete without a pump-action shotgun? I like 12-gauge the best, and I prefer pump over mag-fed with shotguns. Just personal preference there.

For $340, you can have a great home defense weapon that can also be loaded with buckshot to take down deer, skunks, or whatever else.

Water Purification

SteriPen – This is my all-time favorite method of water purification. They’re more expensive now than when I got mine (dang transitory inflation), but they kill everything. Viruses, bacteria, protozoa – they kill it all. They won’t remove dangerous chemicals or anything like that, but I don’t have to worry about most of the areas I backpack in the first place. 

This is $90 well spent.

Potable Aqua Water Purification Tablets – I always carry a backup means of water purification when I go out hiking, and more often than not, it’s a bottle of water tablets. There are a lot of different versions out there, and I’m not a huge fan of the taste, but it’s better than giardia.

For $7, this little 50-pill bottle will let you purify somewhere in the ballpark of 25-50 quarts of water. They fit easily in the hip belt of a backpack as well.

Katadyn Gravity Filter – This is more designed for camp purposes with multiple people. If you’re concerned about providing water for your family post-disaster, that means you. Fill the bag up with water, and pure water comes out of the tube at the bottom.

Bug-Out Bags

Osprey Rook 50 – I’m something of a backpack nerd, and Osprey is my favorite brand out there. My Osprey daypack has been with me all over the world for over ten years, and it still is holding up great. The Rook 50 is more of a BOB for at home. It’s large enough for a backpacking trip, but you’re not going to blend in walking through an urban environment with it. If you have plenty of notice to hit the road while you’re at your home, this makes for a great bag.

Osprey Daylite Sling Pack – For those who absolutely hate carrying bags but understand the importance of having extra, here’s a cool option by Osprey. It only holds 6L, but its small size means you can stow it away just about anywhere until it’s needed.

Osprey Skarab 22 – This is more of a bag you could get by with for EDC without raising a lot of eyebrows. It’s a 30L capacity, meaning you can shove in a pretty hefty amount of gear, is an Osprey, and just looks good.

Osprey Poco LT Child Carrier – Another topic I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. How do you get back home with small children if The Event happens while you’re on the road? I believe this is the ticket. You don’t have to stick to the road with one of these. It’s a comfortable option for both parties and has a little sun shade for kiddo as well.

They’re expensive ($260), but I don’t know of any other option out there as versatile as a kid carrier for The Long Walk Home with babies. 

First Aid Gear

QuickClot – I think it’s a good idea for everybody to have some of this readily available. Should you end up with a bad bleed, this is an awesome tool to have on hand. It causes the blood at the wound to clot, stopping the bleed from going on too long.

It’s not cheap stuff, coming in around $17-$33 depending on the length you buy, but it’s most certainly a comforting item to have in your house, car, and BOB.

TecNu Poison Ivy Scrub – The inventor of this deserves a Nobel Prize. If you get poison ivy terribly, you need to keep this on hand at all times. Let’s say you just walked through a big patch of poison ivy and just now realized it. This scrub will absorb the oil, keeping you from getting the itchy rash. 

Another item that not a lot of people know about but should…

Dental First Aid Kit – This is so cool. I didn’t even know these things existed. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Where There is No Dentist, and this kit meshes perfectly with that book. Inside, you’ll find what you need for a temporary filling, a temporary cavity filling mixture, some pain meds, and more.

Really cool kit for $16.

Hygiene

Luggable Loo – Do you remember when that “accidental” incoming ICBM alert hit Hawaii a few years ago? If such were to happen, where would you go? And once you got there, where would you poop?

That’s another topic I’ve been thinking about lately, and the Luggable Loo could be the ticket here. It’s a 5-gallon bucket with a toilet lid attached – so, nothing fancy, but this is a good means of staying hygienic post-disaster. 

5-gallon Solar Shower – On one particular backpacking trip, I came to the base of a small hill. A noxious odor was present, and as I hiked, it was inescapable. When I reached the top, there sat the stinkiest hiker I have ever met. He needed one of these.

Life in the backwoods without power will quickly make you unbearable without one of these. 

Sleeping

SOL Escape Bivvy – These things are awesome, and I’ve had my eye on them for a while. Sleeping bags are typically gigantic, poufy sacks that take up the majority of your pack space, or you have it noticeably strapped to the outside of your bag. If you’re looking for a small and more discrete option, this is it. They’re around $60, weigh 8.5 oz., and pack up to about the size of a Nalgene bottle. And they work. A full 70% of your body heat reflects back to you when you’re using these bags.

From everything I’ve seen on the market, I think this is the perfect BOB sleeping bag. I’ve yet to find anything I think would be a better fit.

Ascend Sleeping Pad – Too many people take a sleeping pad for granted. To me, this just means you haven’t spent a night out in the woods. It gets cold. If you don’t have a sleeping pad to insulate you from the ground, you’re going to be miserable. There are self-inflating options out there, but I’ve never been able to justify to myself spending $200 for one. I’ve always used foam versions like this.

Food

Cabela’s Heavy Duty Vacuum Sealer – As you delve further into prepping, you quickly realize that you can save a lot of money by making your own preserved food. This is where a vacuum sealer can come in. You’ll be able to protect better any dry goods (rice, beans, lentils, etc.) you pick up at the store with one of these. Even if you’re just trying to cut back on home expenses and are tired of how much food you’re throwing away daily, a vacuum sealer can even help with that.

Keep the Lights On

S&W M&P Delta Force CS Flashlight – A flashlight is a convenient piece of EDC gear (and makes a good stocking stuffer!) Here’s a little skinny guy that will easily fit in your pocket as you go about your day. Power outage at the office while you’re stuck on the 5th floor? You’ll easily be able to find your way out with one of these. 

Goal Zero Nomad 100 Solar Panel – Ever heard of Cyber Polygon? Check out what Good Patriot has to say about it. Check out what Candace Owens has to say about it. Shoot, check out what TOP has to say about it!

If there’s going to be an attack on the power grid, you’re going to need some way of keeping the electricity flowing, and small solar panels such as this one can help. This is a foldable 100W version for $400, a pretty standard price within this marketplace.

Ready to check out stuff for preppers at Bass Pro Shops?

As you can see, there is no shortage of awesome gear that one can find within a Bass Pro to assist the prepper in their efforts to mitigate disaster better. This is nowhere near an exhaustive list of what Bass Pro has to offer, either. Check them out! I think you’ll be surprised with what they have to offer.

Are you a Bass Pro fan? What are your favorite Bass Pro prepping items? Share your thoughts in the comments.

About Aden

Aden Tate has a master’s in public health and is a regular contributor to PewPewTactical.com, SurvivalBlog.com, SHTFBlog.com, ApartmentPrepper.com, HomesteadAndPrepper.com, and PrepperPress.com. In addition, he is a freelance writer and also works part-time as a locksmith. On his micro-farm, Aden raises dairy goats, a pig, honeybees, and chickens. He also grows tomatoes, mushrooms, and greens. He has two published books, The Faithful Prepper and Zombie Choices. You can find his podcast The Last American at Preppers’ Broadcasting Network.