About TruePrepper
TruePrepper was founded in 2016 as a blogging experiment and rapidly developed into the fastest-growing prepping site thanks to our loyal subscribers. We take time to dive deeper into prepping topics in our guides and thoroughly review survival gear.
Our Mission
To spread and normalize prepping by getting more people involved with their preparedness.
We accomplish this by:
- looking at prepping from unique angles in our guides
- providing survival kit lists
- thoroughly reviewing survival gear for confident kit building
- finding deals and providing giveaway gear to help our readers’ budgets
Importantly, we also strive to clarify the difference between the public perception of preppers, who preppers are, and what they do.
Sean and his team have been writing prepping guides and reviewing survival gear for 9 years in pursuit of this mission.
Sean, Founder & Lead Writer
I’m Sean Gold, the founder of TruePrepper.
I’m also a husband, dad, and experienced prepper. I view prepping as a personal journey that pushes anyone and everyone to improve themselves and their situation.
Besides being able to share what I’ve learned through TruePrepper, I’ve also learned a lot from it and readers like you.
Check out my prepping guides and my preparedness journey, and thanks for taking the time to visit TruePrepper.
Beyond being a prepper, Sean is uniquely qualified to review a wide range of survival gear and prepping supplies.
Sean’s Qualifications
- Founder of TruePrepper in 2016
- Written over 300 posts on TruePrepper since 2016 that have been read by millions of preppers
- USAF Veteran (2007-2013), Enlisted 3E9XX, HazMat Technician, CE Deployment Manager
- Degree in Emergency Management (emergencies, disasters, and survival situations)
- Degree in Industrial Engineering (manufacturing and quality)
- Masters of Business Administration (margin analysis and marketing)
Sean’s Experience
A few things Sean specializes in include:
- Bug Out Bags – Since the ‘go-bag’ deployment kits in the military, Sean has been building, maintaining, and perfecting bug out bags, get home bags, and his everyday carry loadout to complement his home survival kit for decades.
- Quality Control – As a manufacturing engineer (Go Pack!) with 10+ years of experience in factories, he is well-versed in material quality, design, and assembly processes. He’s a stickler for scientific approaches to durability analysis, knowing that measurements don’t lie. He brings this quality focus to reviews, using testing equipment to provide data to compare products.
- Disaster Planning – Sean has earned a degree in Emergency Management, holds FEMA, DoD, and USAF certifications, and has contributed to high-impact plans executed for real-world disasters, like Fukushima Daiichi. He can break down large-scale issues and complicated situations.
- CBRN – With extensive experience with live agents, training thousands of military members on proper PPE wear, and HazMat certification, you would be hard-pressed to find a better CBRN expert.
The TruePrepper Team
The TruePrepper team consists of a network of family and good friends living in central North Carolina. They have contributed articles, support, and their extensive knowledge of prepping. For the sake of OPSEC, we do not disclose their names.
With most of the team serving in the military, and all of the team well-versed in sustainable preparedness, they bring a well-rounded view to preparedness guides and survival gear reviews.
Contributing since early 2018, our team has brought a vast knowledge pool that has boosted this project’s expertise.
The Team’s Experience
With a wide range of life experience and formal training, here are just a few qualifications the entire team brings to the table:
- Amateur Radio – An extra-class radio operator with years of experience and equipment.
- Flood Mitigation – A scientist with a PhD specializing in environmental runoff concerns.
- Firearms – Multiple team members (including Sean) have trained on various weapons platforms through the military and recreation, all with marksman ribbons.
- Bug Out Vehicles – Overlanding, van life, and transportation alternatives.
- Wilderness Survival – Professionals who know what they’re doing in the woods and how to build anything with bushcraft.
How We Test
First, we research to ensure we have the latest and greatest gear on hand. The research part is where all of our combined experience helps out. After that, we get hands-on with practical use.
Besides relying on expert experience and field usage, we also use some tools to verify claims and add metrics to our observations. We’ve caught errors on manufacturing websites and strive to improve our testing processes continuously.
Determining that a flashlight is ‘brighter’ than another is much better when you measure the Lux with a light meter. Testing seam strength by ripping apart tarps and bug out bags with a ratchet strap and crane scale is good, plain fun!
Testing gear systematically with these tools allows for an even playing field and helps us support our decisions with cold, hard data. Plus, it helps us to get to know how our survival gear works rather than just its performance in the woods.
Lumens and throw distance are tough to figure out without equipment, so we made a 1-meter light trap and use a light meter to measure Lux. We use lux to compare brightness (which is better than the Lumen, anyway) and can convert to candelas to find the throw distance.
Updates, Contact Info, and the Fine Print
Occasionally, we publish ‘state of the union’ updates, so you can look out for the latest here. This also details the various ways you can support our team and the website.
If you’re trying to get a hold of us, it’s simple. Email us at [email protected] to request a review subject or to chime in directly with our team. You can also grab hold of us at any of our social handles:
Lastly, we have our affiliate disclosure, privacy, and terms of use listed at the bottom of every page and/or on the side. Like many review sites, we make a small commission if you buy something from a link we suggest here on the site.
We strive to be the trusted source online for prepping, minimizing ads, and never running pop-ups or spam. With complete editorial independence, unlike larger prepping and survival sites, we provide unbiased advice. We earn income through various affiliate marketing programs that we select with discretion. This means we might get a commission on products purchased through our links. However, we recommend gear and supplies based on our research, testing, analysis, and practical use. This is a win-win for our readers, as we can provide top-notch advice on a wide range of survival gear.
We are vigilant about privacy and will not spam your email. We hate spam as much as you do and prioritize our subscribers’ trust. If you haven’t subscribed to get a free weekly update of our guides and reviews, you’ve been missing out.
Thank You
Our most important asset is our reader base, and for that, we’d like to thank you. I assure you, we learn more from all of you than you do from us. We are thankful for the chance to serve our readers in a way that will help them be more prepared for the toughest times in their lives.
This website and the community that supports it are a blessing we don’t take for granted.
See more of our expert-written guides, resources, and reviews in your search results – add TruePrepper as a preferred source.
Prepping Your Way
No judgement and no imperatives. Prepare the way you want to with the trusted source millions of modern preppers have relied on.Our newsletter fires out every Monday where you can expect:
- Practical prepping guides and tips
- Thorough survival gear reviews
- Noticeably absent spam and popups
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