Any good prepper knows that you need to store food and water. Time and time again we see situations arise across our world where the government, the weather or any number of unforeseen (or even foreseen) events cause a disruption to basic services. These outages can last months or even years.
Regardless of the reasons why, when you are out of something you are just out and with no chance of resupply here are 20 things that you will wish you stocked up on that you’ll be kicking yourself for not thinking of before they were gone:
Alcohol
Most of your basic liquors (e.g., brandy, gin, rum, tequila, vodka and whiskey) don’t go bad since they do not contain any sugars. Unopened they can last indefinitely so many argue that this makes them a great barter item. While this will likely be true it’s use as a wound disinfectant or to sterilize medical tools, or cool the body topically in case of overheating the would make it an ideal asset to have in your preps.
Plastic Bags
I feel like plastic bags of all kinds ranging from zip top to grocery bags to garbage bags are so ubiquitous in our culture that we no longer see what an important role they play in our day to day lives. I’m sure that we would find a way to get by without them once they are gone but their presence will be sorely missed. Everything from food storage to travel to general organization to maintaining sanitary conditions. I don’t think you could ever have enough plastic bags. When purchasing your supply be sure to get the thickest kind you can without anything added like scents and be aware of the kind that are ‘landfill friendly.’ Despite what you have been told in the past, plastic in general as well as plastic bags deteriorate quickly if not stored correctly. Again, your best bet is in a cool, dry, dark space and if you have the luxury of storing them in an airtight container with an oxygen absorber it will allow them to remain fresh and be in top quality when you do need to use them.
Soap
Some people think that since you can make soap from basic ingredients (lye, fat/oil and water) that stocking up on this most precious of resources is a waste of space. This just shows me that these are people who have never tried to make soap themselves in this manner. Not only is it hard to do but it is amazingly time consuming. Soap is cheap and the basic stuff doesn’t go bad if it is stored in a dark, cool, dry place. You will want to store plenty of bars and liquid soap. Since they are not going to make antibacterial soap anymore it might be worth getting a supply of that as well. It will be good to keep with your medical supplies.
Bleach
With an amazing assortment of uses bleach needs to be included in every preppers supply. The biggest trouble with bleach is that it has a shelf life of only about a year and that is assuming it was stored properly. This means that storing large quantities is probably out of the question because without just re purchasing your supply every year you will want to rotate your supply on a regular basis. It is possible to make bleach but again you are looking at storing the raw materials (Chlorine, caustic soda, soda ash, water) that if done incorrectly will go bad quite quickly.
Wool Blankets
If you are not already familiar with the many lifesaving properties wool has then you must be new to the prepping world. That’s ok, just know what most material if it gets wet will pull heat away from your body whereas wool will continue to stay warm. Most households have a closet or a spot in the home where old or unused blankets go to die unless you have company come over or the need to make a blanket fort arises. Having these kinds of blankets is great and nothing wrong with it. However, if you are looking at making a purchase to have some extra on hand for preparedness sake then there is no substitute for wool. You can’t have enough. If the power goes out or a natural disaster hits your area, these blankets will save your life.
Tarpaulin (Tarp)
I bet only half of you knew that tarp was actually short for Tarpaulin. Don’t skimp when purchasing your tarps. If you buy them at the dollar store you will be disappointed if you ever need to use them. The lower quality ones degrade very quickly in the sun and tear quite easily so don’t bother. A quality tarp can be used for 1001 different things so having a set of good quality tarps is fundamental. Common uses include: shelter, water barrier, water catchment, ground cover, dead body removal, harvesting, wind screen… like I said it has a lot of uses. Oh, you noticed the dead body removal? Yes no one thinks of that. In a SHTF or TEOTWAWKI situation there is going to be a lot of death and since bodies are heavy, unsightly and can spread disease a tarp can be a good solution.
Rubber Gloves
I’m not talking about the latex or nitrile gloves but the thicker more durable and reusable rubber gloves. These come in all sorts of colors and flavors from Neoprene to PVC coated to actual rubber. Personally, I advocate for the Linemen’s Electrical Rubber Glove. I feel that if the glove is properly cared for, has a wide assortment of uses from working with animals, electricity, offers mild thermal protection as well as some chemical protection. Are there better gloves out there for each of the reasons listed? Absolutely, and if you have the money and space to purchase all these kinds of gloves then I say go for it. But if you are anything like me working on a very limited budget and space then you are going to need your supplies to be able to do a little multitasking.
Most of these items are very inexpensive and easy to store. Doing so now will ensure a more trouble free time in the event that systems and the supply chain goes down. Don’t kick yourself later for not buying this stuff now.
You must be logged in to post a comment.