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3 months of food rations, tubs of Crisco, rice and dried beans. Bags of beanfields chips which I gradually eat and re-order. Some canned stuff.
water purifiers (several kinds)
Bathtub water filler... the idea is to fill the bathtub full of potable water before the water tower goes dry right at the beginning of SHTF.
Buckets for rainwater collection
Items wrapped in foil and kept in empty popcorn tin for EMP protection.... solar battery and USB-C chargers, extra batteries, flashlights, HAM radio, shortwave radio
Extra candles, lighters, lighter fluid, charcoal
Firearms with ample ammunition
Extra clothing... I like to buy costco or Fleet Farm in their clearance sections where things are 75% off.
A recent power outage from a derecho gave me a chance to do a little field testing. I basically used my preps like I would have in a SHTF situation to see what works and what doesn't. That's when it occured to me that charcoal and extra lighter fluid would be great to have on hand for heat and cooking, so I'm buying that today. Candles are useful for light, not much else. The solar phone and battery chargers knocked it out of the ballpark... they worked great. I was pleasantly surprised.
Buy this at the very least and then get chargers and items that operate via USB type C charging. This charged multiple phones to full in a couple of hours, charged my Fenix PD36R flashlight right up, etc.
Needles, thread, extra needle threaders because they break easily, safety pins, a couple of lengths of elastic. Most of us here could live for many years with the clothing we already have and we can get more and longer use if we can patch them.
If TS really HTF maybe we will end up having to take our clothing in as we lose weight, so in addition to needles and thread, some way to punch additional holes in belts.
If we can stay in place, I have a treadle sewing machine. If we need to bug out, needles and thread.
A packet of sterile sutures is quite small and light and I hope you never need it, but that is one of those things that if you need it, you really need it, and you need it right now, and no one around you will have one or anyway to get one..
A packet of sterile sutures is quite small and light and I hope you never need it, but that is one of those things that if you need it, you really need it, and you need it right now, and no one around you will have one or anyway to get one..
Wound staplers are easier to use and don't take any practice. There is a trick to using them, and videos on the internet to show how. Getting it done fast and easy is important if being used on an uncooperative patient, like livestock or a dog.
If stitching or stapling an area with hair or fur, you'll need a way to shave it first. It's good to have some coagulant on hand as well.
Somebody had previously mentioned, liquor can stop someone from going into shock.
Gorilla tape, Duct tape.
hatchet, machete. I still have my hatchet from the Boy Scouts.
Some pond scum stole my axe.
PB Blaster, WD-40
Cutter Backwoods High Deet Mosquito Killer.
Bactine
antibiotic ointment.
paper tape, bandaids, assortment of bandages.
scissors, fingernail clippers
screwdriver kit for very small screws.
assortment of rope, string, thread, fishing line.
Wound staplers are easier to use and don't take any practice. There is a trick to using them, and videos on the internet to show how. Getting it done fast and easy is important if being used on an uncooperative patient, like livestock or a dog.
If stitching or stapling an area with hair or fur, you'll need a way to shave it first. It's good to have some coagulant on hand as well.
Somebody had previously mentioned, liquor can stop someone from going into shock.
Super glue works well too and was originally made for closing wounds.
I've used super glue with mixed results. The problem is that it can actually work too well. Sometimes a wound needs to drain to prevent an infection. It's best for smaller wounds where butterfly stitches aren't available.
A while ago in one of the "what's in YOUR bug out bag" (not your wallet!) Threads, I mentioned that when I get new prescription glasses, I put the old recent glasses in the bug out bag and stash the then older ones from the bob in a drawer.
Some said they wished they could rep me 1000 times, because they never thought of it, and YES it would be necessary to "have eyes" if the ones they wore broke.
Not to mention a repair kit.
I'm very nearsighted and can read the fine print on a prescription bottle, but I also have astigmatism and beyond my short arm length everything is blurry blobs!
An older, but recent glasses is better than being blind.
Not to mention parts off an older pair.
So..I thought of starting this thread.
This thread is NOT about "rice and beans and beans and rice" stock piling.
Instead, it's for the things I/you/we might NOT think of...like an extra pair of glasses, yet may be a "dire need" come SHTF.
I also wear dentures..so: denture cream/paste, reliner kit, and cleaning tabs are back up items for me. I also have kept my old partials...a partial is better than gumming the venison I just shot!
Which reminds me: do you have dental "repair kits" (i.e. temp filling kits) on hand? Ambesol?
So..let's see what items we'd not normally think of for a prep...yet will be golden if we can't get it later....
Best
Excellent post. I consider this a confirmation for me to get some extra reading glasses as I have been thinking of them a lot lately. Much thanks!
Every time people talk about glasses in this scenario, I think of the Twilight Zone "Time enough at last".
It's my worst fear! I have an semi-broken set of reading glasses outside the locked gate so I'll be able to read the numbers on the lock box to get back in if I get locked out, lol.
Glasses are super important! This was a good reminder, OP.
I remember that show well. He was so happy to have all the books in the world to read since he liked books more than people. And then he hopelessly broke his glasses into little bits . The nightmare begins.
I had some silly outdoor solar lights in with a Christmas candy cane theme. An impulsive purchase from Kmart or Walmart or some such place.
Well, I brought them inside during one of my power outages. They worked well lighting the hallways and were safer than candles.
I have no idea what happened to them, but I will definitely purchase solar lights - maybe without the Christmas theme.
Oh, that's a wonderful idea. That way I won't burn the house down, lol. I've seen plain outdoor solar lights at walmart last year for about $1 each. It never occurred to me to use them indoors.
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. The nightmare begins.
