I was sitting here thinking about my preps – something that I do from time to time while reassessing my readiness.
You might ask, “Readiness for what?”, and I would answer, “Just about anything”. One’s readiness and preparedness might be as small or as large as you make it to be.
Sometimes there are limiting factors such as time, money, space, circumstances; but we all live with and make the best of our own situation.
That said, I thought it would be interesting for us to list some of the “most important” preps that we own (or would like to own) so as to come up with a list.
Everyone has their own opinions, priorities and concerns, so don’t be intimidated by what someone else may say if it’s different from your own. So lets hear from you:
After I’ve gathered a bunch of your answers, I will use them to present a list…
List as few or as many that you wish.
Comment below:
Top Pics:
Attitude (it is needed, even if not used, much like insurance)
Water
Food
TP
Rule of 3’s. 3hrs in bitter cold or heat. SHELTER
3 days without water
3wks without food….you could be dead all ready.
I’ll let everybody else dissect the particulars.
Guns, Ammo, water, food, first aid kit, neosporin, vitamins, and the wife 🙂
Does your wife ever introduce you as, this is “the husband”?
I guess it depends from which part of the country you come from to dissect your vernacular.
Exactly what he said!
100% agree with bluecatmatt, except for that last part. Mine is nothing but a detriment when it comes to prepping.
Food with different storage methods (cans, canned, frozen, freeze dried, glass jar vacuumed packed).
Water, bottled, Berkey filter, Sawyer Minis, deep well with generator, many 5 gallon containers. Need a large storage barrel.
Weapons, (short range/quiet-cross bow, handguns, medium range small caliber rifles and shotguns, longer range-rifles)
Heat, multiple ways.
Medical, (kits, meds).
Repair Gear, (tire fixes, house, vehicles, manual and power tools up the wazoo)
Seed vault
Waterproof vital doc bag
Emergency radios/solar, two-way walkies.
Health, all systems go after checks and repairs (surgery)
This is thought provoking. All preps are important but the most important took some time to work out. I have eliminated the ones I am using now. For instance the wood stove that heats our house or the treadle sewing machine didn’t make the list. ‘
Hand pump: this is indoors and provides drinking water, toilet flushing, hygiene, greenhouse watering, and rehydrating and cooking food.
Battery chargers: these are in a Faraday Cage. There is a solar charger, electrical, and goal Zero Solar charger for electronics.
Also, rechargeable batteries.
Shortwave Radio: information is necessary for setting up your priorities. How long will the disaster last? How widespread is it?
Is outside help coming?
Seeds: one can of heirloom seeds.
Antibiotics: infection can be a killer.
Wood Cookstove: the Ecozoom Plancha is a mere 18 by 22 inches and is two rocket stoves with a cast iron surface covering them.
Microsolar Lights: several 60 LED bulbs solar lights. These are also kept in a Faraday Cage.
Stay frosty.
I’ve never seen that particular wood stove cooker design. Interesting, especially knowing that the “rocket stove” combustion is a super efficient way to burn using a small amount of wood-fuel.
EcoZoom Rocket Stove – Plancha
There is a learning curve to using it. Thumb sized diameter sticks are used when using the grate. If feeding chunks from the top remember that it takes a lot of draft to get it going. Designed for third world countries to save on fuel it is really fuel efficient.
I bought a stovetop oven to go with it. Just remember to buy the one from the distributor, I think it was Ohio, that changes to glass to a heat resistant one.
I have looked at these and they are on my list. I have the standard zoom versa and it works very well but you can only cook 1 thing at a time with it. Curious how much this one weighs as the zoom versa is probably 15-20 lbs.
EcoZoom Rocket Stove – Versa
Health, knowledge, determination, the ability to learn and adapt.
Seeds land and water. Sooner or later all the THINGS will be gone. If I can’t replace it, it’s just an assist in getting to self sufficiency.
Lauren you are one smart lady. But I would add that you must be able and willing to defend what you have.
#1 is definitely WATER
Have had a leak at the house for 2 months,costing a lot.
Have gone through all my water except 2 gallons.
when it rained went outside & gathered water from holes in ground
that my dog had dug.
#2 Gun & ammo Discovered crazy people live in my neighborhood
#3 Fuel to get out of neighborhood, if needed
#4 Dog for protection & food, found out the mutt is a good hunter.(squirrels & rabbits)
#5 Food, canned & dry
#6 portable charcoal grill with the charcoal & fluid, matches
#7 flashlights & candles
#8 Blankets
#9 Toilet Paper & paper towels
#10 gardening tools & veggie seeds
#11 Money
#12 fishing rod & tackle
#13 water purifier
#14 Needed meds & vitamins
#15 Most important off all BIBLE
Water, Food, Guns, Ammo, TP, Survival library
Faith, I am not alone and I know who my Salvation is.
My loving help mate wife.
All the weapons in the world will not protect you without training and the “Eye of the Tiger” For years I had a bow hunting buddy who could out shoot me on the range and in competitions. Poor fellow never could make meat as he had no blood lust.
My full list would be many pages long even with the two tons of supplies that have been checked off my master list.
Amen to faith and also to the Bible. After that my most important prep is my home. Within it and attached buildings I have all my other preps. My defense system is built upon defending my acreage and Alamo. I am not bugging out into the unknown or other peoples property. This is where I make my stand.
My new 500 gallon propane tank
My garden
Stored food both dehydrated, freeze dried, and canned
Seeds
Rain barrel
My dog
Lots of non-food items, including tp, soap products, Clorox, First Aid supplies, OTC meds,
Lots of printouts of info I would need, from recipes, how to’s, etc.
3 types of water filters
Several self-defense weapons including revolvers, stun gun, pepper spray, and BB gun (for fighting off vicious squirrels)
I have water stored, but supposedly I won’t have a problem with that since our town’s water comes from an artesian will under pressure and the Town tells me we will have water no matter what (though it might not be treated)
That should be “artesian well” not artesian will
That short 1911 with the one JHP in the tube
1. Our small homestead/farm to provide some self-reliance
2. Our health, attitude, and well-being
3. Water supply (well, creek, untapped spring about 60 feet from the back door, 1,450 gallons of rainwater)
4. Food supply: diverse, but with renewable means from our gardens,small orchard, forage foods, and woods’ edge fruit and nut plantings
5. Wood supply to feed the woodstove and wood cook-stove
6. Our skill set and working knowledge of farming, gardening, and most homesteading needs
7. Guns and ammo, plus the riflesmithing and bullet-making tools and knowledge
8. Being debt-free
9. Tools and equipment for manual and light machine work (or horses that we’ll put to work)
10. Ability to house other family members in a crisis
I just checked my water in 30 gallon drums. It is so clear. I wouldn’t drink it, but dishes, sink bath, hand laundry(underwear)? Oh yeah.
Not bad for 6 years and it was not treated..straight from the garden hose.
An adventurous and creative husband who knows how to repair and build stuff 🙂
T
They don’t make many of that model any more so now you have to use bait – you will have to guess what will work. Or you can try Ken’s other site “Prepper Mate.com” A picture of your deep pantry is required lol.
@ hermit us
HEY!!!!!!
NRP
T
We may have attracted some prey – was it your bait or the pantry? Some house breaking may be required.
1. Health, including a clear mind (don’t be in a fog)
2. Education, Training, Skills
3. Experience (us old farts know how to do stuff with # 2. Above)
4. Patience and Tolerance (lose the temper, it WILL get you killed)
5. Faith in whatever ‘God’ you wish (even more so in yourself, in your spirit, your soul)
6. Adaptability (the world AND your life will be 100% different if/when TSHTF)
7. Common Sense and a Sixth Sense (listen to your gut feeling)
One might also consider a ‘Partner’ as an asset, but honestly that’s not some-thing/one you ‘own’.
Of course all of the Water, Food, Shelter, Guns/Ammo, Yada Yada Yada stuff.
As far as material things, I look around my place and think how much ‘stuff’ I will need to last 1-2-5 years, I need a bigger warehouse.
Ok Ok for my ‘Stuff’ list, disregarding the obvious items; Water, Food, Security, Shelter, Heat, ETC.
1. Communications; Ham, CB, AM/FM/Weather
2. All weather clothing
3. Camp Trailer (for minor local bugout, fire, chemical, flooding, etc.)
4. WELL maintained, versatile vehicle with extra fuel (500 gallon minimal)
5. BOL and/or a ‘place to go’ if TSHTF and needed to leave Homestead.
6. A nice Hat.
7. TP, if I did not list that everyone would ask if I was sick or something…. HAHAHAHA
NRP
Been checking out TP alternatives. A spray bottle of water would work. One under pressure even better. Then there is the mullein plant for summer use. The leaves are a useable size and soft. Just watch the way in which the “down” grows.
@ Pieface
Just make sure ya don’t get ahold of Toxicodendron radicans or Toxicodendron
NRP
Here in Southeast Alaska, when out in the woods and caught without TP, many things can be (and have been!) used – such as moss, lichen and leaves. 🙂
I bought a half-dozen perineal irrigation bottles last year and began using one (to rinse after urination). I’ve used a water-rinse ever since and if we have to go without TP, or must begin using cloth wipes, the rinsing water will be a good ‘first step’ towards cleanliness.
I got the bottles on Amazon and were certainly worth the couple of $$!
OKAY–I’m stupid but how did wetting yourself save paper??
Did you just pull up your pants while wet or actually drip dry??
I’m too impatient to do that..sad, I know.
@ JJs question
Just so we all have an understand here…. there is no way in HELL, I’m going to answer that question….
NRP
JJ
I’ll bite. Just a half sheet of paper towel does nicely. Or, For NRP’s information, two sheets of double ply. 90% reduction in paper use. Because the paper is unsoiled, you can stick it in a bag for burning later rather than filling the septic tank.
@ hermit us
Two FULL sheets of TP, what a waste…… just a corner to clean under the fingernails will do ya…..
HEY!!!! You started this one… LOLOL
NRP
Sorry Ken for imparting information to the water closet troglodytes. They must learn to adapt for survival.
NRP,
When I was a kid, we kept two buckets of corn cobs in the outhouse, one with white cobs, one with red. We would use a red one first, then a white one to see if we needed another red one.
@ Dennis
Ahhhh yes. The good old days
OUCH!!!!!!
NRP
Water, as a rinse can cleanse the girly area. I use TP to dry with but not as much. Without TP, it’s either cloth rags or drip-dry. I haven’t yet quite figured out how to ‘shake it’ dry like the guys do…
NRP
I thought you did not like hats or is it just black hats? 🙂
@ hermit us
Unfortunately I do have a Black Suit and a Black Hat…. Seems like lately I have used them wayyyyyy too much. 🙁 🙁
NRP
Attitude/skills/know-how
Water & filtration
FOOD including Greenhouse, seeds and Livestock
Security and the know-how to use it
Medical supplies and knowledge
tools
alternative power and generators
alternative transportation (horses, bicycles)
Alternative currency and cash
Room and supplies for the entire family village
Guns, water, seeds and extra food, skills, and I agree with NRP, common sense. You gotta have that.
Also here in Texas, a way to survive the heat and drought. Cause you can have all the seeds you want, but we can go a long time without water. You need to think about that. Rain collection, water storage and access to a tank (pond for the northerners), or stream is a must. The heat/humidity most certainly will get a lot of people. The air conditioners have spoiled us.
#1 attitude or will
#2 knowledge, skills
#3 stuff (Water, food, shelter, security, sanitation, first-aid & medical and communication.)
Without #1&2, #3 is useless. With #1&2 you can improvise, fabricate, scavenge #3.
1. Water filtration
2. Firearms, ammo, bow
3. Knives and sharpening stone
4. Fishing pole & tackle
5. First Aid everything (including fish meds in lieu of antibiotics)
6. Gardening tools and seeds
7. Waterproof, layer-able clothing, means to make/mend clothing
8. Tent, sleeping bag, blankets
9. Family (husband, pupper)
10. Faith, knowledge, attitude, tenacity, social skills
My kids.
As long as thing stay calm for another 15 years they will be great assets 🙂
Toilet paper- lots
Sleeping bag wi teddy bear- not optional
Water purifier
Axe, saw, hammer, nails, etc…
Rifle/amo- lots
Matches/lighter
Boiler, spoon, cup.
Knife
1-Sold my weapons
2-Drained my water storage
3-Finally down to one day food supply
4-Ripped out propane appliances and went all electric
5-Donated all alternative communication gear to charity
6-Dulled the blades of all knives for safety reasons
7-Donated all lamp oils to “Save the Whales”
8-Tore down all perimeter fences in protest of “the wall”
9-Renounced my membership in the NRA
10- Embraced Snowflakery and will vote democrat in the future
……or not.
@ Dennis
And here the other day I though Nailbanger was smoking some good stuff…. HAHAHAH
Ya need to share dude… ROFLMAO
NRP
Dennis
You forgot – Hanging around Seven Eleven everyday consuming pop and chips. Getting a hair dooo that allows you to go months without a shampoo. Low hanging trousers with pink floral underwear. And you got to work on that superior attitude over all working dudes.
hermit us,
I had the droopy pants thing going until my wife sewed up the galluses on my overalls.
Good for her. Did she work on your attitude as well?
hermit us,
She’s had me whupped for 35 years now.
1. Weapons for protection.
2. Buckets of grain for long term storage.
3. Canning equipment. Pressure and water bath canners and hundreds of jars. Quarts and pints.
4. Books about how to do all kinds of stuff from butchering and preparing all manner of wild game, seafood and livestock to raising livestock and small animals, gardening, farming and construction of everything under the sun.
5. Our own recorded knowledge and experience from a lifetime of prepping. For example, we have several 4” three ring binders we use to record the procedures for everything we’ve done over the years with regards to our gardening practices and canning.
– Literally, every thing we’ve ever canned is in our canning bible; the recipe/process/ problems/jars canned/modifications to procedures and why, and dates, etc… It is group indexed with a different section for everything from fruits, vegetables, pickles, jellies, meats etc… This is a treasure trove of information that we would be lost without. Actually, we wouldn’t be lost, but it would become a royal pain in the rear if it were lost/stolen/destroyed.
– Literally, everything we’ve ever planted is recorded to include type vegetable, date planted, date set out, garden size and layout, garden/bed location, weather patterns during the season (freeze/drought/flooding/temperatures), types and amounts of soil amendments and fertilizers applied, 1st harvest, total harvest amounts and quality of harvest, etc…
6. Medical supplies.
7. Tools. From hand tools to small gardening tools, tillers and irrigation tanks.
8. Tractor and big farm/garden equipment
9. Camping equipment and cold weather gear.
10. Miscellaneous and other things not listed here like chain saws, arbor and logging equipment etc..
Oh… I forgot. Lots of TP. I mean NRP isn’t the only one who would be upset without TP. :}
1. Obammaphone
2. EBT card
3. Sec 8 voucher
4. Free medicare
5. Electric subsidy.
6. Free bus pass
Nailbanger
You forgot the gender change operation – with first class supervision and counseling on which washroom to use. ZE NailBanger
Ha!
Good one, was running out o stuff to put on the list because my brain doesnt work like that,
Obahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ya, figger we all need a good laugh….
Free college? Even if you’re not a citizen!!!!
1) Water and water processing equipment.
2) Multiple fire sources.
3) Self defense supplies,of multiple lengths and various diameters.
4) Food storage.
5) Food production supplies.
6) First Aid/Trauma kits.
Hey Dennis:
I would like to add that I would miss your comments on this site but somehow, I sense that you are joking. Made me snort coffee out my nostrils too.
On top of all the material goods and a tight house, I would like to add the factors of: 1. experience in times of hardship. 2. Education and practice in self reliance. 3. Faith in God or whomever you worship and associated holy books. 4. A companion be they animal or spouse of like minded or at least agreeable temperment. 5. Willingness to barter or trade of goods and services.
I have recovered the bodies of those that did not survive after accidents, results of poor decisions and people that had all the resources with them or nearby. The official cause of death was what we put down on paper for the official report. The unofficial reasons behind the demise of so many out there was through: Loss of faith in themselves and their own abilities, loss of faith in God and the world around them, Nobody waiting for them at home ( climbers will carry pictures of their loved ones with them as motivation to get home safe. ) Lastly, poor decision making leading to a catastrophic event.
90% is attitude backed by education and experience.
1. Faith/attitude, these two go together for me. It’s where I get my courage and persistence.
2. Knowledge/ability, these two go hand in hand. One is no good without the other.
3. Knives, a selection of good blades are the most useful tools you can have.
4. Kitchen, garden and shop tool, so I can restock everything else when it runs out.
5. Firearms, to protect my family.
Maybe I oversimplified this list a bit, but I operate better at a kindergarten level. When I can get my head right and have a few tools there is no limit to what can be done.
1. Multiple water filtration options
2. Multiple sources of water as well
3. Acreage for harvesting own firewood for heat
4. Long term food storage
5. Multiple non-electric cooking methods
6. Multiple non-electric tools
7. Survival Library as well as downloads of helpful info
8. Medical Supplies and non-conventional medical supplies
9. Multiple food storage options
10.Seed Vault
Now my wish list is a bit different
1. Large greenhouse because we have such a short growing season
2. Large root cellar
3. Wood cook stove
4. Outdoor wood cook stove
5. More fruit trees
6. Freeze dryer
7. Hidden underground storage
8. Better communications such as a ham set-up
9. A manual hand pump for our deep well that can handle the depth of 500′.
10.A good drone that will have a long flying time for surveilance
I am assuming that 10 is the golden number, because of the list visual..
1. Faith and accompanying attitudes and moral code
2. Family
3. Skill sets and abilities of family and self (including medical, cooking, preserving, agricultural, hunting, sewing, etc.)
4. Health
5. Water source
6. Farm and animals
7. Seeds
8. A wide variety of tools
9. Security measures and skills
10. A like-minded community
Thanks!
Great list…well thought out. Trying to get there myself.
To get back on topic, what is left on my list that I can anticipate a need for (besides a doctor and a dentist) is a hardened above ground building that would deter most assaults by persons, vehicles, or fire. And, yes I can design the structure that would survive a force of a D6 Cat (an unlikely event). I foresee the need to last about six months (definitely shorter in winter). Need to save a bit more but a person can dream.
Probably guns and ammo first along with attitude. I know that many here are pretty pessimistic when it comes to survivability odds if something were to actually happen, but I think that humanity is tenacious. If people are put into the position to keep themselves alive, I think that their instincts will surface and they will stubbornly clasp onto life–not everyone mind you, but many people. With that in mind, I think this tenacity is something that many of us have. That’s why I think security and attitude are first and foremost.
Hmm, I am finally going to have my paycheck again after four years of unemployment. So, it will be going down a list item by item and refreshing my horribly depleted things, like food and water and sanitation items. I should be able to recover in couple of months for at least a year on food alone.
Congrats on the job.
Thanks Sandismom 🙂
P.S. this has been a test for us to see if we are ready for anything. Huge learning curve and lots of lessons learned. And if I run out of TP, going straight to NRP for some. He is my closest MSB member. For NRP, will bring ajvar and rakija.
1. 16 channel camera/NVR system with night vision and facial mapping out to 150 feet in total darkness, interconnected to an HP U1 blade UPS.
2. Motion lights, both solar and UPS-backed.
3. Decent supply of water and extra filters.
4. Plenty of FD, canned and bulk goods in a climate controlled storage.
5. Large first aid and trauma kit.
6. Dozens of flashlights and hundreds of batteries.
7. Generators, Propane, Gasoline and Solar.
8. Outdoor hot water and shower tent
9. Shortwave radios – several
10. Guns and ammo as a last resort
Water…..18gal
can food/manual can opener
lights w/xtra cells
Shotgun
Radio (ham…am/fm/shortwave)….portable dvd player….Bible….kindle
Xtra power packs
Xtra smokes
My most important items are:
1. Salt water offshore ready sail boat for the family
2. Alpine, tx bug out ready farm(defensible and remote)
3. Trained family members that know what is required
4. Means to defend my family/myself
5. Sufficient solar power
6. Sufficient medication with trained family
7. Landing strip cleared at Alpine if needed
8. Good water supply
9. Deep pantry(underground)
10. Many items I would not mention since they are a bit unusual
Moved to the Texas Hill Country from Redondo Beach, Ca
Downsized & debt free
Acreage & Well with & w/o power
Food & OTC meds
Weapons & Amo
Other family members
Dogs
Good fencing & defensible site
My truck
Most important thing is the team members I can count on ,,every thing else is just stuff and fluff ,,no man is a island,,
1) 15,000 gallons of water.
2) The tools and know-how to replenish the water.
3) Bullets.
4) Beans.
5) Bandaids.
Don’t you need the biscuits to go with those beans??
In a HARD grid down circumstance:
Shelter
Security
Water
Food
Health
My land is the most important prep I own.
It produces wood for heat, cooking, and used for building material. It has a home, a wood stove, garage, and all the tools I need in it. It produces a garden, a cammo garden, natural fruits, and eatable wild plants, and plenty of meat living on it like grouse, squirrel, deer, porcupine, and geese and ducks often violate my airspace. The location of my most important prep makes it easy with a fresh water spring next to it, and the government property adjacent to mine has 3 lakes with fish, turtles, and turkeys. Then I have my dogs as part of my property on the land who gives me moral support and security. That about sums it up.
To this point we’ve mostly had to deal with heavy snow that knocks out power for up to 5 days, so our preps are mostly for that. To that end, these are the things that help us most in those particular situations:
#1 Our primary residence hidden in the woods
#2 A deep well (never ran dry even during droughts)
#3 A generator (runs the well pump, and other necessaries)
#4 A Jeep with 4 sets of chains for deep snow
#5 Firewood. Lots and lots of firewood (also a good axe, splitting maul and wedges)
#6 A freezer filled with half a cow
#7 Good boots and cold-weather clothing
#8 Several jugs of fuel (gas AND diesel)
#9 Tractor
#10 Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, books and playing cards (it can get boring sitting around staring at each other).
In the summer, our biggest fear is wildfire. Aside from keeping the acreage clean and clear around the house, the only real thing we can do is be ready to drop everything and get the heck out.
Water bottles, tote bags, food supplies in cans plus manual can opener, a minimalist lifestyle, older age thus no menstruation or fear of pregnancy if raped when chaos occurs. I have thrown out all my late fathers war medals because there is no respect for older people in society any more and after i am gone through natural aging or premature death I have no desire to leave a legacy to a corrupt world. I work with a bunch of snowflakes in their early to mid 40s and cannot believe how immature they are especially the women who are like teenagers.
I’m new on this board and don’t have lots of ‘stuff’ for prepping. But I do have:
1. A fresh water spring
2: A pond with some fish
3. A couple of dozen chickens and a rooster
4. A good relationship with the dairy farmer next door
5. A couple of guns
6. A large wood burning stove that could heat the house and lots of trees
7 Maple trees I can tap for syrup
8. Good neighbors
9. Fruit trees and blueberry bushes
10. Faith
@Newgal, Sounds like your 99% there 😉
Welcome aboard…
Thank you, Ken!
What would you say the other 1% is?
Well, I could fill that up with lots of ‘stuff’ 😉
In all seriousness though, I would say that since you have your water source wrapped up, I would concentrate next on a long term food storage plan. Building up an inventory of extra foods for “just in case”.
As far as other “stuff”, I would prioritize acquiring a good drinking water filter.
Then we can go from there…
I have a Berkey water filter. The problem with food storage is I eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, but I do have several buckets of rice and beans, and I can my own meat. I know that’s boring, but I also have a few spices….hopefully with eggs and milk it will keep me for a while! I also just ordered 2 books on foraging. I’m interested if you have more suggestions, but don’t feel you have to respond!