Using the essential gloves for a prepper will help to ensure that you face emergencies without any hand wound or injury. At first thought, this may not hit the point, but when you rethink things and remember that your hands (alongside the legs) may be the most important body parts at home and in the wilderness, you realize the importance of using gloves to prevent avoidable wounds. Even if you’d be injured while having on gloves, the effects would be very much lesser.
5 Essential Gloves For A Prepper
You can’t deny that an injured hand will hamper survival when SHTF. Think of the lifting, holding, dragging, digging, and what else you’d have to do when on the run. Would suffering a deep slash across the palm help? This is relative to your home tasks, as well. With a wounded hand, your job will suffer. So, why not protect yourself from injuries you do not have to suffer.
Let us look at five must-have gloves for a prepper, considering the various activities your label as a “prepper” requires.
Disposable Gloves
Although disposable gloves aren’t that sturdy (they even let water in through the wrists), they are highly effective for temporarily protecting the hands from spills, germs, and other potentially harmful substances. So, I suggest that you keep latex gloves or sterile vinyl handy for managing injuries and other emergencies on time.
That aside, depending on how much your palms sweat, a pair of powdered gloves will be a good wear if you value comfort. However, have in mind that the powder does not last for long, and you’ll eventually end up with sweaty gloves that have to be changed.
You are also advised to have semi-disposable gloves nearby if you’d like to keep your hands dry in basic washing scenarios. They will help you to avoid contact with unhealthy items. Depending on the severity of usage, these gloves may be reusable after washing.
You should keep four pairs of semi-disposable rubber gloves. This allows you to change them mid-task and use them for a long while since you can use two pairs while you dry out the other pairs.
Elbow-length Chemical & Waterproof Gloves
From doing laundry with hand to making soap, reusable elbow-length chemicals– and waterproof gloves are indispensable. Unfortunately, most people who think that wrist– or forearm–length gloves will do the job learn their lesson when they suffer injuries while on the task. Think of it, can wrist-length gloves provide protection as much as elbow-length gloves? It doesn’t matter how careful you are; casualties are unavoidable sometimes. I suggest that you keep a pair of these gloves around the house, another in your car, another in each bug-out bag, and another in your stockpile room. You never know when they may be needed.
Padded Work Gloves
Few things can cause injuries faster or worse than moving brush or searching through piles of items that may have glass debris, nails, or other sharp, injurious items that are not easy to see. However, with a pair of padded work gloves, you can keep the hands protected from a diverse range of serious wounds. Although they aren’t too comfortable, you have to wear these gloves when necessary, as your safety is a top priority. You can wear padded gloves in cold weather as well. Keep a pair in your car, shed, and any other place you may need it.
Shock-resistant or Shock-proof Gloves
Most people disregard the relevance of shock-resistant gloves because they do not suppose they would willingly touch a charged wire. However, this may reflect inadequate thoughtfulness because accidents are bound to happen. Even the most meticulous planners need some luck to avoid problems. Besides, other situations may cause you to touch a live wire apart from doing so intentionally.
You may be breaking walls at home for overall repairs or any other purpose, say build a stockpile. In case you don’t know, the possibility of live wires sticking here and there in your walls depends on the age of your home, as well as the standard of electrical infrastructure used. Unfortunately, not knowing this will not matter when you accidentally grab a charged wire.
Most Americans simply buy mortgages; we don’t know for sure what was used in their construction. Alternatives such as using a live wire finder or shutting out the circuit breaker to a particular area may not work. This is because there’s no assurance that you’ll find every live wire in the same area, and also, the wiring could have been diverted at some point in time.
Note that although live wires within walls are typically insulated, this insulation can be damaged if you strike with an ax or instrument that is sharp enough. Keep in mind that electricity does not go back when it finds a path that offers the weakest resistance. And should this be your hands grabbing a live wire tightly, survival will be difficult.
Fireproof Gloves
Ordinarily, you may be forgiven for thinking that kitchen mittens are good substitutes for fireproof gloves. However, what if you are caught up in a situation that has the likelihood of leaving your hands burnt, say driving through a wildfire? These mittens will be nothing to write home about, plus they do not even allow enough freedom to move fingers effectively.
You have to keep in mind that fireproof gloves protect only the hands. The rest of your body can still easily be reached by flames and sparks. Thus, it is advisable to have an overall fireproof suit, particularly if you suspect that you may get in a situation that involves fire. You have to stay safe.
Concluding The Essential Gloves For A Prepper
I’m sure you’ve realized the importance of these essential gloves for a prepper. Emergencies are difficult to face even with able hands, much more without them. Remember, you are a prepper; you must be prepared to survive all disasters, whether unexpected or not. Other gloves that you may find very useful are cut- & puncture-resistant gloves and thermal gloves.