Practical Prepping Podcast — Episode 541

Make Reality Your Training Partner: Break Your Prepping Gear Before Life Does

Date: February 9, 2026
Hosts: Mark & Krista Lawley

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the vital preparedness principle: “Confidence without testing is just hope.” Mark and Krista challenge listeners to get uncomfortable by intentionally exposing their prep plans and gear to failure before real emergencies do. Their message is rooted in real-life practicality—not apocalyptic fantasy—with actionable steps to help regular people foresee and patch the weak points in their emergency readiness. Key themes include realistic gear testing, learning from mistakes, and leveraging "after action reviews" to create a cycle of continuous improvement.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Test Gear to Failure? (00:00–03:07)

• Purposeful Discomfort: The episode sets the tone by encouraging listeners to seek out discomfort:

  "I want you to listen to this episode and feel slightly uncomfortable because we're going to talk about breaking our own gear, exposing weak plans, finding failure points, and admitting what didn't work." — Mark (00:00)

• Reality Over Appearances:

  "Reality doesn't care how much you spent or how organized your closet looks. It only cares what works when things go wrong." — Mark (00:29)

• Proactive Identification: Test and challenge gear purposefully to spot failure before your life depends on it (01:47).

2. How to Test Your Gear Effectively (02:40–05:18)

• Environmental Stress: Use gear in rain, heat, cold, dust, and mud. Example: Can you start the generator while your hands are near frostbite?
• Time Pressure: Deploy gear quickly when tired or under stress—simulate real, rushed conditions.
• Physical Limitations & Fatigue: Use gear one-handed, with gloves, or reduced dexterity; practice for injury scenarios.
• Endurance Testing: Run items (batteries, boots, etc.) longer than normal.
• Improvisation:

  "Sometimes we have to MacGyver... A friend of ours... made an ugly contraption that went over [his generator], that kept it warm. And it involved a Rubbermaid tub and a shop light..." — Mark (05:31)

3. Common Failure Points Most People Miss (06:33–15:12)

• Batteries Drain Fast:

  "Just having your flashlight come on and off is not the same thing. You may have to run your flashlight for eight hours." — Mark (06:47)

• Cold Weather Effects: Batteries and gear lose efficiency in freezing temps (07:07).
• Cheap Components: Zippers, straps, Velcro, and buckles often fail sooner than expected.
• Water Filters: Clog quickly in silty or “crunchy” water sources; pre-filtering extends filter life.
• Lighting & Gloves: Headlamps may be dim or too awkward in the cold; gloves reduce dexterity, affecting everything from firearm handling to fine motor tasks.

  "If your glove is too big, your fingers are just going to roll around in there and you're not going to get an exact curl…" — Krista (10:20)

• Fire Starters: Many fail in wind or dampness; redundancy and real-world practice are key.

4. Responding to Failure: Redundancy and Documentation (13:15–15:55)

• Identify the Type of Failure: Is it design, quality, or user error?
• Two Is One, One Is None:

  "If you've got one way and one way only to do what you're trying to do, and that fails... This comes back to two is one and one is none." — Krista & Mark (14:28)

• Document Issues:

  "Document the failure so that it's not repeated... especially if it's user error." — Mark (15:17)

5. After Action Reviews (AAR): Learning & Improving (17:25–25:00)

• Definition: Structured debriefs after drills or real incidents to capture what worked, what failed, and why—with zero ego or blame.

  "If it didn't work, don't be trying to defend why you did that. Don't get your feelings hurt... We're trying to make this better." — Mark (18:14)

• When to Conduct AARs:
  • After drills/simulations (e.g., blackout weekends, bug-out tests)
  • After near-misses (fuel shortages, communication breakdowns)
  • After real events (storms, evacuations, medical emergencies)
• Framework (19:19):
  • What was supposed to happen?
  • What actually happened?
  • What went well?
  • What went wrong—and why?
  • What will be changed or improved?
• Areas to Review: Gear performance, clarity of communication, decision-making under stress, time delays/bottlenecks, human factors (fatigue, confusion, “paralysis by analysis”).
• Involve the Whole Family: Kids can spot solutions adults miss (e.g., let the air out of the tires to fit a truck under a bridge).

6. Focusing on Systems, Not People (24:09–24:56)

• Systemic vs. Personal Issues:

  "It's not that so and so failed, but did the system fail?" — Mark (24:09)

• Document changes and assign follow-ups to address “gaps or thin spots.”

7. Continuous Improvement: The Compounding Effect (27:05–28:55)

• Exponentially Better Preparedness:

  “A single after action review can improve maybe just one outcome. But repeated AARs will create exponential preparedness gains over time…” — Krista (28:25)

• Practice what you preach:

  “This show applies to you and me just as much as it does anybody else…even Mark and I…we don’t always have 100% of our gear tested as well.” — Krista (29:12)

8. Notable Memorable Quotes

• “Preparedness isn't proven when things go right. It's proven when things go wrong. And you've already planned for it.” — Mark (30:32, repeated for emphasis)

Important Segment Timestamps

| Segment | Topic | Timestamps | |--------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------| | Gear Failure Testing | Introduction, why test, reality of gear failures | 00:00–02:07 | | How to Test Gear | Environmental stress, improvisation, endurance testing | 02:40–05:18 | | Failure Points | Batteries, water filters, gloves, fire starters | 06:33–15:12 | | Responding to Failure | Redundancy, documentation, learning from error | 13:15–15:55 | | After Action Review (AAR)| Structure, timing, involving all members | 17:25–25:00 | | Focus on Systems | Systems vs individuals, writing changes, follow-up | 24:09–24:56 | | Compounding Effect | Value of repeated reviews, personal example | 27:05–29:59 | | Key Quote | “Preparedness isn't proven when things go right...” | 30:32 |

Notable Quotes

• Mark (00:00): “Confidence without testing is just hope.”
• Mark (00:29): “Reality doesn't care how much you spent or how organized your closet looks. It only cares what works when things go wrong.”
• Krista (14:28): “If you've got one way and one way only to do what you're trying to do, and that fails... This comes back to two is one and one is none.”
• Mark (18:14): “If it didn't work, don't be trying to defend why you did that... We're trying to make this better.”
• Mark (24:09): “It's not that so and so failed, but did the system fail?”
• Krista (28:25): “A single after action review can improve maybe just one outcome. But repeated AARs will create exponential preparedness gains over time…”
• Mark (30:32): “Preparedness isn't proven when things go right. It's proven when things go wrong. And you've already planned for it.”

Key Takeaways

• Test Your Gear Ruthlessly: Don’t rely on hope or assumptions—put your equipment, plans, and yourself under real stress to uncover true limits.
• Failure Is Data: Each failure or flaw you find is a gift; patch it before it matters.
• Embrace AARs: Regular “after action reviews”—even after success—transform good intentions into real-world improvement.
• Family & Team Input Matter: Involve everyone, and focus on improving processes, not blaming people.
• Preparedness Is a Cycle, Not a Checklist: Real readiness is built by continually testing, reviewing, and refining your systems.

This engaging and practical episode reminds listeners that prepping is about honest self-assessment, not “buying confidence.” As Mark and Krista put it:

“Preparedness isn't proven when things go right. It's proven when things go wrong. And you've already planned for it.” (30:32)