I personally didn’t think much of them at first: they’re small, lack firepower, and are a lot less reliable than their non-collapsible counterparts. Just take a collapsible baton, for example, the collapsible baton has a lot of moving parts that could break, basically undermining the benefit of being collapsible.
That’s until I realized how important saving space is when it comes to prepping properly.
Here’s why you should consider collapsible weapons in your prep plan.
Collapsible weapons are designed to save space while increasing your firepower if and when things get out of hand.
Continue reading below to learn more about how to add collapsible weapons into your prep plan. Or scroll further down the page to see what some of the best collapsible weapons are for preppers.
When You Might Need Collapsible Weapons
Collapsible weapons sound a whole lot better when we realize that 56% of the world population currently lives in cities where every square inch counts.
If you’re not in a city, congrats, you have more space to play with, but if things hit the fan then wherever you are, it’s gonna come down to taking what you can carry.
When prepping, space is a limiting factor, and collapsible weapons give you a whole lot more bang for your buck.
Building Up Your Go Bag
Go bags are typically used to survive leaving a location. Most only have supplies meant to last a few days. This usually means a couple of survival tools, water, some food and that’s about it.
When you’re making a Go bag, one of the main priorities is making sure you have everything you need to survive for a few days AND that you can physically carry with you.
What good is having everything you need to survive but you can’t carry it with you? It’ll all be gone if you have to leave it behind.
This is where collapsible weapons come in.
Collapsible weapons are able to fit in most Go bags without a hitch, they’re lightweight so you don’t have to be an athlete to carry them around, though it would help.
Building Up Your Get Home Bag
Get Home bags are the opposite of Go Bags, but their purpose is the same. Get Home bags are meant to give you enough supplies and resources to survive making it back home in case of disaster.
This means that at the very least, this bag has a change of clothes, some food, some water, a portable charger, some medical supplies and something to defend yourself with. Most of these bags are the size of a backpack so you’re not fitting much else in there.
Once again, this is a perfect example of where collapsible weapons are a much better choice than their non-collapsible counterparts.
Which would you rather be lugging around?
A telescopic baton which collapses into the size of a smartphone for easy storage or a regular baton the size of a baseball bat that you carry around with you all the time.
You can tell how in this situation the telescopic baton would be the much better choice.
Continue reading below to learn more about what makes a good collapsible weapon. Or scroll further down the page to see what some of the best collapsible weapons are for preppers.
What Are The Characteristics of a Good Collapsible Weapon?
What makes a good collapsible weapon?
Some of the characteristics of a good collapsible weapon are:
- Sturdy
- Discrete design
- Utility
- Size
Of course, no weapon has all of these so you have to balance out what is more important to you; what will allow you to survive the longest?
Some people may need a weapon that takes up less space in exchange for a less sturdy design.
This doesn’t mean the weapon is flimsy, it just means the weapon has more moving parts. This can save space, but also makes it easier to misplace or damage those parts.
While others may sacrifice a bit of the discrete design for more utility like choosing a fixed-blade knife over a folding knife.
It all comes down to priorities.
But now let’s get into what are some of the best collapsible weapons to choose from.
What Are Some of the Best Collapsible Weapons
Now that we’ve touched on when you might need collapsible weapons, and what makes a good collapsible weapon, let’s get into what are some of the best collapsible weapons on the market.
These won’t be in any particular order.
Telescopic Baton
Telescopic Batons are a personal favorite of mine because they expand at the flick of a wrist and they clock in anywhere from 12 inches to 21 inches when fully expanded.
That’s long enough to keep anyone at an arm’s length in a fight. Since law enforcement uses them we know they are sturdy enough to take a beating.
Some even have the ability to shrink down to a mere 4 3/8 inches when closed. That’s small enough to fit inside the pocket of a pair of cargo pants.
It doesn’t get much more stealthy than that.
Swiss Army Knife
When you look up versatility on google, a picture of a Swiss Army Knife pops up.
This should give you a hint at the importance of these collapsible multi-tools.
Would I consider this a weapon?
No, not really, but it deserves a place in this list because it can be used as a weapon in a pinch.
We know that foldable knives aren’t as good in a fight as their fixed blade counterparts. But they do take up less space and have way more utility. You can carry them around with you and use them to whittle down some tree branches, cut some paracord, open some cans.
With Swiss Army Knives, you are sacrificing some firepower for a lot of utility.
Folding Shotgun
If bang for your buck is what you’re looking for, the folding survival shotgun might be your answer.
A folding survival shotgun is a lightweight 12-gauge collapsible weapon. A lightweight 12-gauge will seriously mess up your shoulder if you’re not careful though, so watch your recoil.
These shotguns are single shot which gives them a simple design, pop open the gun to load, shoot, and do it again. These guns are perfect for hunting because they can kill game as small as rabbits or as big as bison depending on the load.
They definitely help you perfect the art of the hunt, if you miss your first shot, you’re probably not getting another.
Compact Foldable Crossbow
Crossbows have gained in popularity recently, slightly due to Daryl from the Walking Dead, but crossbows do make great collapsible weapons.
Crossbows combine the deadly accuracy of high-powered rifles with the stealth of the more traditional bow and arrow. Not to mention there’s also a smaller learning curve compared to the compound bow.
A popular model is the William Tell Archery WT-Scout Compact Survival Crossbow Kit.
Just to get an idea of the specs: This crossbow is a mere 20in long and 5 in wide when folded and it extends up to 29.5 inches long and 30 inches wide when unfolded.
Slightly too big to fit in a bag but can easily be strapped or tied to the side of a backpack.
When we talk about collapsible weapons, this is probably one of the best collapsible weapons a person can get because it’s accurate, quick, and lethal.
Just ask Daryl.
End Thoughts
Collapsible may lack some firepower, but what they lack in firepower they make up for in versatility and utility. Like most things in life, there are trade-offs; you sacrifice in one place to get more in another.
And it comes down to balancing your prepping needs.
