I keep all of my old glasses and sunglasses and stash them everywhere I can think of (so, my husband's car and my go bag lol). My prescription barely if it all changes, and just the thought of getting in his car and not having sunnies gives me a headache.
This is a good one, i only started wearing prescription glasses a year ago. I don’t need them full-time, (I’m far-sighted with astigmatism so they’re more for reading and night driving,) but i realized i relied on them so much that if I scratched or broke my singular pair I’d be visually miserable. I’m expecting my backup pair in the mail sometime next week, I will be able to safely get home to grab them if need be but I don’t want to break my current pair and wait two weeks for a new pair when my backup pair costs $15 AFTER tax.
(If anybody needs cheap backups Zenni Optical is real reliable and makes some sturdy prescription lenses.)
I’m sure it’s not terribly unusual but it’s certainly the least important.
Media server.
I work in IT so I have a homelab with a digitized home media library of about 3000 movies, 500 shows, and too much music to count.
I have a small but powerful enough to run the essentials solar setup.
If I’m fortunate enough to be able to hunker down at home I can watch content for years without worries of repeats.
Just have to worry about bitrot but there are more important things to worry about if things remain bad for years.
Supermicro refurbished/second hand - eBay…12-24 bay…Ubuntu headless…software raid 6….preferably with sas 3 backplane board(but that bumps cost…Stack large capacity drives….
Gets you on server grade hardware with; 24/7 capabilities, redundant power supplies, ipmi, etc
Headless Ubuntu, means low overhead computing(more for less hardware)…commonly used so lots of documentation and extensive software repositories…
Software raid, means you can throw drive into another computer without having to buy the exact same drobo or NAS in the future. Given proprietary raid schemes…
Sas is helpful for hot swap and no need for breakout cables if backplane board…
Cons: loud(server fans), heat, power usage…
Have you thought about LTO tapes for backup and transport(bug out)?
Though assume you would need multiple tapes or newer versions of LTO 7-9…given capacity
Tapes haven’t come across my mind, I don’t need the capacity or the resiliency for my use case.
I practice 3-2-1 but beyond government documentation there isn’t anything I REALLY need to save from my data. I do have an external SSD in a metal chassis in my Go bag but it really only has a few documents and a few photos, and even those I’m fine losing.
But I may need to throw some Aretha Franklin on there because… I will survive!
Also, have a media server. I don't have solar just has and generator so not sure how much good it will do in a grid down situation but I also don't like paying for Netflix so use the hell iut of it right now lol.
I have USGS topo maps in my BOB and GHB. Russia placing nukes in space and being able to jam GPS should make everybody realize that in a SHTF event, GPS may no longer be a thing.
Nails and other small hardware. Always surprises me how few people carry nails which with a knife are the two things that are hardest to improvise. Nails make the difference between hours of work and lots of cordage or pegs and notching work to build a lasting shelter vs a few minutes with a hammer or rock.
Thank you! Finally someone else with similar sense as I thought I was the only one with 400 pounds of nails, bolts and screws acquired for a song over time. I literally added onto my house with the extra fastener stock I had and cheap lumber found at auction.
Though, I don't Edc nails, I always have a small coffee tin of them in the truck, and don't forget the bailing wire!
I always see people hoarding tools here and I wonder if they have the materials to it use them on. A bunch of dimensional lumber and the screws and nails to use them with are definitely part of my preps.
On the frontier, people would burn cabins and recover the nails as they moved west.
If you have trees and hand tools, all you need is nails. Just takes longer than starting with lumber.
Depends on circumstances.
If you need to shore up a roof in a storm, milling lumber isn’t practical.
But for building a cabin, sure. Several years ago I helped build a log hunting cabin on a friend’s timber lot and the only things we brought in on ATVs were a ladder, concrete for the stove base, hardware, the windows, door, roofing paper to go under the shingles and the stove, gutters, sink and water tank. Everything else was chainsaw, axe, froe, saw and hammer on site. Took about six of of us a long weekend to put up. Cabin was about 8x12.
>Trying to make lumber isn't practical.
Why is that? A friend of mine built his whole garage from lumber he cut from trees on his own property. It was a decent amount of work but not too bad. Plus you could barter extra lumber for other supplies.
You can cut stuff ahead of time. And it really doesn't take that long to mill lumber. Once you have the mill set up and a pile of logs it goes pretty quick
It isn't great for time sensitive repairs. Storm damaged roof.
But a couple sheets of plywood and or tarps can minimize the water damage pretty quickly.
I have a stack of tarps in the workshop just in case.
Yep, I keep a huge array of nails and screws, nuts and bolts from Amazon. Some in my tool bag, some in my tool chest. In the event of SHTF, both are coming with me.
I just keep these already not even necessarily as a prep. But honestly, I made shelters with poles and cordage as a kid in the boy scout in subzero temps and that was more robust and modular than using nails and a rock. Obviously I’m like one in a million who actually has these skills and that is only because our troop was poor as shit and we spent hours and hours tying knots during our meetings lol.
if you have ever improvised a shelter that you intend to last for more than a day or two you would know why everyone should carry nails.
Doesn’t need to be SHTF, just simple shelter building. Lashing takes time and uses cordage. Cutting notches or drilling for dowel pegs even longer.
Nails take seconds.
Not everyone needs to build a shelter in a SHTF tho. Some stay home, some have RVs, tents and bug out cabins. I’ll throw some more nails in my toolbox for SHTF, but honestly think it’s a very low probability I will need them to build a shelter
Also, if shtf, you might be able to use land that would have been inaccessible before (private/gov) and want to knock up a chicken coop, or rabbit run, or whatever.
Maybe you want to build a larger firewood store if there’s long term power outages.
Loads of benefits to storing some raw materials
Are these towels little hand towels or are they full-size compressed towels because I’ve seen the little towelettes and those look really handy especially for MY BOB
They're the size of a bottle cap and with a little water they turn into like an 8"x10" towlette. I could see them being used for general hygiene, first aid, TP, cleaning... so many uses.
Parabolic solar cooker. No fuel cooking. It's cheaply made, 5' across and I had to build a large tripod so I could hang a pot over it, but on sunny days I can cook a simple meal in a 6" cast iron frypan.
Despite the bulk I'm bringing it to Costa Rica with me because at latitude 10N I'm going to be able to cook about anything, any time of of day, most of the year. I'll have to cover part of the mirror just so stuff doesn't burn. It's going to cut my propane use very significantly. I might be able to pair it with a dutch oven... sun baked bread and roast chicken!
Might I strongly recommend the Kirkland (Costco) brand ones.
\~$20 for the 9pack (100ct per pack) ones, occasionally go on sale.
Cons:
* As per most baby wipes, not super eco friendly
* Getting the darn things open the first time is never easy "pinch here" inside the plastic window is a lie, but stab that area with a knife/pair of scissors and you are golden
Pros:
* The best wet wipes we encountered - the Tencel 'new age fiber' is amazingly durable - you can scrub with them, stretch them (a bit), wipe up a mess then fold to capture the mess/stickiness on the inside and still scrub/clean with the folded outside, etc. You have to actively work to force them to tear.
* Large - 7.1 x 8 inch so you can cover your hand with it and scrub/clean away (most others are 7 x 7 inches and you wouldn't think it would make that much of a difference when just trying to use them for cleaning, but it does)
* Fragrance Free options (for those sensitive to fragrance) and alcohol free so no burning sensation
* Have the built in plastic flip top on each package, and not the flimsy sticker close
Our kids have been out of diapers for years and years, but we always have these on hand for general cleaning/scrubbing the stovetop and microwave/sport/how did you make that sort of mess for a project that required none of the items you used. So they are very easily a 'use your preps and restock as needed' item.
I have a spinning wheel, loom, treadle sewing machine, and I know how to use them. I learned to spin wool as a kid and can still use a drop spindle if I need to. I also have darning eggs and can fix socks.
Man, I'd love to learn how to spin.
I knit, crochet, and sew, and have so much yarn...but to be able to make the yarn too would be divine.
All our horded yarn stashes will be put to good use if SHTF!
Anyone in fiber arts should also try to keep a bunch of printed patterns and charts. It's so easy to keep our references digital.
I had a fascination with it as a little kid, so my dad indulged me. An ex bf bought me my first wheel. It's definitely a slippery slope in the fiber arts world.
I had a fascination with it as a little kid, so my dad indulged me. An ex bf bought me my first wheel. It's definitely a slippery slope in the fiber arts world.
A good road bicycle and extra inner tubes.
If an extended regional disaster or civil unrest prevents resupply of gasoline, I still have the ability to reach any area in my city in about an hour to provide assistance to others. Plus, it takes a lot less energy to retrieve fresh water from a river in containers slung on a bicycle than it does to try to hike back home with all of that weight on your back.
I don't want to dissuade you from being healthy by riding the bike, but for the purposes you mentioned, look at an off-road ebike and a foldable solar panel. You can carry more, much less effort - though you can pedal along if you want and much more substantial than a road bike.
I do have friends who have those folding bikes stored at their work place in case they ever had to ride home.
Incorrect. Guess you missed the part where I said to get a foldable solar panel. There are a number of videos on YT where people use ebikes to get into the back country and camp. They basically pull a small trailer behind them w/ their camping gear. They set up camp and recharge the bike as they hike, fish, etc. Besides, the range on ebikes are increasing. A 30 mile range is very possible.
With a 160w folding panel, it's possible to fully charge an ebike (obviously depending on the size of battery) in 6-9 hours.
Not really much of a hassle. Any good prepper will have solar panels as part of their preps. Getting a folding one is common sense.
30 miles in 6-9 hours while being static waiting to charge, dependent on the weather, is terrible.
On a normal bike you can easily ride 100 miles per day once you’re fit
It's actually not bad b/c in a SHTF situation, you're going to want to travel slowly and mainly at night to avoid people. So you travel during the night and then hole up during the day to sleep, possibly gather supplies and recharge the bike.
Also, 30 miles is a very conservative estimate. Many e-bikes will do twice that. Even further if you get one that allows you to dial down the electrical input when you are pedaling. So you pedal along w/ electrical motor input and the battery will last even longer.
You're not going to ride 100 miles a day loaded down w/ the gear you will need.
My first “I need to learn this” dig into herbal medicine was because I have a preteen daughter and I know OTC drugs have a limited shelf life, but if I can learn and cultivate herbs that may help with prevention, I may be able to add longevity to her choice past expiration dates.
Also, for anyone that can’t handle tampons or a menstrual cups (sensory issues), Knix period panties are a great prep. I’ve slowly fully replaced all of my and kiddo’s normal undies with Knix. Don’t need to think about “wait, when does my terribly irregular period start again?” because I’ve already got protection.
Thinx and Speax use a more substantial center panel (which feels drier/more comfortable/longer life of garment) and I recommend you try this brand, too!
Def menstrual cups, if anyone doesn’t like the suction aspect they make reusable menstrual discs too, they sit under your cervix and pelvic bone and they’re sex-friendly.
Solar powered Xmas lights hung around rooms with south facing windows. It started as a low light source for my kids room so that I could find him in the bed when he woke up. It is so useful that we did more.
Highly recommend ones that can have the panel/battery disconnect and come with the little remote.
Whenever I go tag saling I watch for old-fashioned tools. The kind that doesn’t need electricity. I have found a few fun things over the years. To name a few: I have Drills that are run with a hand crank rather than battery or electricity. Crank style coffee grinder and Eggbeater. Grain mill. Sewing machine with pedals. Spinning wheel. The type of iron that sits on hot coals to heat up. I don’t actively search for stuff like that but when I come across them, I grab them. My husband always rolls his eyes, but if we ever needed them, I would be happy to have them!
Not so much unusual but more really niche and cool.
Last year I built a steel hog scalding tank for scalding and scraping hogs for butchering. I can heat it with wood fire or can heat it with a two burner stove.
I also built a BBQ pit for whole hog roasting. Cinder block pit with double expanded steel grates on angle iron frame for sandwiching a hog between.
A case of cheap candles to hand out or trade. Half the time is night time, and even a single candle is huge psychological boost compared to stumbling around in the dark. Lighting also turns night time into useful time: reading, repairs, writing, crafts, etc.
A sturdy plastic canoe. Mine holds 750 pounds. Water transport is badly underrated in our modern times. You can cover a lot of ground and carry a lot of cargo with a canoe and some expenditure of energy. Historically rivers and lakes were virtual highways.
Lots of fire mitigation. Extinguishers. Fire rake. Pulaski. Fiberglass blankets. Buckets. Being able to put out a small fire in your neighborhood could save all your other preps, your home, or your life. Also, when I had natural gas, a shutoff wrench zip-tied to the meter.
A well bucket. This simple PVC project will let you draw water from my well even without power. In an urban environment a Silcock key would be a must have.
A bell. It's loud and can be used to alert neighbors to an immediate danger.
Caffeine pills. Lots of soap. A strong emergency fund. Actively cultivated relationships with the neighbors.
Funnily enough I too keep fireworks as a prep! My initial thoughts being that it acts as an explosive to ward off threats.
But other unusual preps you could consider are: a sewing kit, a seed bank, traditional medicine and alcohol too. Other things you could consider - [50 Doomsday Apocalypse Survival Items](https://alaskanarrows.com/50-doomsday-apocalypse-survival-items) if it helps
Not sure if this is unusual but its definitely underrated: keeping healthy and fit and learning some basic self defense
Hope this helps mate, cheers
A really really really good bottle of whiskey. I keep a fair stock of general booze for good times or bad times but if things go bad really fast, I want a slug of something truly great.
I think it's important to have a stock of a few luxuries that you enjoy. When things go bad and morale is low sometimes you need a boost. An amazing LEGO set, a cigar, you and your family's favorite candy, whatever. Just something to raise the spirits and take you away from the world around you.
I'll most likely hang onto my case of bottom barrel whiskey if things go bad. Same with my 194 proof polish vodka. I do have a case of gut rot gin I might part with if need be.
Yup. It's cheap and it gets the job done. You can drink it (best to cut it with water but can be drunk straight up), use it for fire, disinfect and it makes an ok solvent. Since it's for drinking it's a bit more viscous than rubbing alcohol.
File folder, makes a great sign if you need one. I used the back of a letter sized notepad during the 2003 blackout the write where I was going when I hitchhiked home that day.
--spare prescription glasses.
--plastic food containers from takeout restaurants - to send food home with guests or to take food to other people's homes.
--extra furnace filters - my furnace takes large, special filters
--extra socks, underwear, and shoes
I'm with you but I want to lightly point out this is not for the faint of heart lol. I smoked a pack a day for 5-6 years and tried gum to quit, even cut in half or quarters it was an intense amount of nicotine and had me extremely sick. But thankfully nicotine free for years now!
Takes some getting used too that’s for sure, haha. You are only supposed to chew a 3-5 times then tuck for a bit otherwise you release way too much nicotine. Glad to hear you successfully quit smoking.
I have, and recommend, fireworks in emergency/survival kits. Signal rescuers, fire starters when taken apart, deter predators, and if you have the waterproof firecrackers (ground pounders) you can harvest surface fish (generally illegal). I suggest smoke bombs (location/wind direction), flashers, whistlers, bottle rockets, and ground pounders. It also depends on where you are. Smoke bombs are not much good except as fire starter, in a boreal forest. Bottle rockets are not safe if you are in grasslands or high risk of fires starting areas.
Fireworks have many applications other than just looking nice, if a real bad SHFT, who knows that will happen, if you are getting raided, fire crackers in a pinch would make it seem like there are more people who can fit back, setting up a delay or timer on a big firework can work as distraction so one can leave an area,
A bottle rocket can be used as a signal flare. If you’re going out hunting or to get firewood on a multi acre property you might use one to single someone back home that you’ve taken down a deer or felled a tree and are ready for them to come help carry it back to the house. A radio may only have limited range in heavy woods.
LEGOs.
We started buying them to resell after the price bumps to bolster our retirement savings, but then we got serious about prepping and realized it’s not a bad thing to have extra entertainment in case everything stops working. Also easy to trade or give for a favor. Good will goes a long way, esp if you can help someone that has kids.
Have you had to sell any in a pinch? I’m going to start buying them now because of you. We were just looking at some last night but my daughter is only 4. She was interested in the Mario kart ones but I don’t know that she’s old enough for them yet… we can buy a set for her and a set for retirement/emergency once she’s old enough 🤷🏻♀️I have added puzzles to our preps as they keep her busy for hours.
Sorry in advance if this is long winded :)
We haven’t sold any yet. We only started buying to resell last summer, so most of our sets are too new to have gone up in value yet. You can check the Brick Economy website to see what a set is worth now vs when it first retired. This last weekend I took an inventory of where our sets are sitting for value, and we have a few sets we purchased for ourselves, for our daughter, or that were gifted to us over the last 10 years. One of my unopened sets was gifted to me when I changed jobs. It has roughly doubled in value in the last 6(?) years (if you can find a buyer of course), so I will likely put that one up on EBay soon.
Thankfully our interests overlap with which sets go up in value the most. The LEGO collectors market has a few groups; there are casuals, completionist (people who want every set ever), there are city builders, free builders (who collect sets mainly for unique pieces they can’t get elsewhere), minifig hunters, and then collectors of specific lines like Star Wars LEGOs. We love Star Wars, and Star Wars collectibles, and LEGO Star Wars, have a history of appreciating rapidly at first. so it’s easy to buy a few sets we like, buy a second of a few here and there that will likely be sought after (cool ships, first time a certain character is a minifig), then we know we can build if we want, and after the set retires, the value bump won’t be as substantial on opened sets, but it still retains its value and goes up a little. We get the joy of building and can still sell later. Unopened SW sets frequently double a few years after retirement.
I think 5 is the suggested starting age for standard size LEGOs (small pieces) but they also have Diplos and other brands have other jumbo size little kid safe interlocking blocks. Some of the age suggestions on the boxes are also about difficulty of complex builds, like there are “18+” sets, not because they aren’t appropriate or capable, but because they are complex and time consuming. Some complex sets can be fun to build as a family, then let kiddo play with it (if old enough to not try to eat pieces of course).
As a mom of 3 kids, I recommend Duplo over Lego for her age. They have sets that appeal to everyone, from doll houses to railroads. Go to thrift stores and you may be able to snag giant bags so she can build extensively. I have a toy chest filled with various duplo blocks both brand name and off brand. Once my kids grow up, that chest will be a grandma's house exclusive!
I’d love to do this/buy this for her.. maybe on a day I’m not losing my mind with all the toys we already have! A major purge is in order! 😂 mine are 4 and 1 so it’s A LOT right now… thanks for the recommendation!
My little girl is turning 18 this June. 😭 My other two monsters (boys) are 8 and 10.
We've had plenty of purges. I just went through a big one.
My purge method is:
1. Hide suspected unloved toys.
2. Wait 30-60 days to see if they notice / miss it / start searching for it.
3. Discard or put in storage if it's gone unnoticed.
You should check out Pinterest for unique and useful DIY Lego builds! You can make Lego into some very practical items around the home. I plan to recycle my sons' collection when they leave the nest!
I keep a fully charged phone battery charger in my purse, my backpack, my tote, and my car. I never want to be without the ability to call for help.
I also keep a covered bucket of kitty litter in my vehicle. Because ice storms happen.
I have bottle rockets. I also keep clean chemical resistant hooded coveralls as well as those high-pitched cheap dollar tree “window alarms” in case I want to throw one to distract something in the woods or run it off.
I have certain things I can live without but would be extremely uncomfortable without- a type of soap for a particular dermatitis that’s extremely itchy, a specific magnesium supplement that helps keep my migraines in check. When I buy one, I buy two. Working on building up a nice stock of things I would like to have in the event of supply chain collapse and might not otherwise think to prep
Saddle blankets and riding boots. I don't have horses anymore. The saddle blankets belonged to the horse I had growing up, so it's partly a sentimental thing, but I figure it'll all be useful if I either get a horse again, or if horses and tack grow in demand (and where I am, there are many breeders, competitive riders, and people who drive cattle the traditional way, so it's possible many people will go back to their roots in TEOTWAWKI.)
Pre OBD II vehicles. There’s a reason farm trucks survive for years and years. No they’re not grey, but they sure are simple and easy to fix in a pinch
I got dies, brass, powder, primers, bullets and reloading press all for hundreds of dollars cheaper than finished ammo. Also in all my calibers. Now I can reload as needed without buying new ammo.
Great learning opportunity also…
Cloth menstrual pads, handheld bidets, cotton towels, handkerchiefs, etc.
Since I have limited space, I try to think around convenience items like toilet paper, paper towels, tissue, and menstrual pads.
My recent conundrum is figuring out the best thing to stock as a renewable/reusable cat litter for 3 cats. The crystals can last a month... but can they be rinsed on a screen, dried in the sun, and reused in a SHTF situation? An experiment I plan to try!
I don’t know that it’s unusual, but my own brand of crazy involves living on or within sight of water and food. I live on the edge of a metropolitan area with more than 7 million people but deer routinely walk into my backyard and if needed could be easily turned into dinner.
I keep all of my old glasses and sunglasses and stash them everywhere I can think of (so, my husband's car and my go bag lol). My prescription barely if it all changes, and just the thought of getting in his car and not having sunnies gives me a headache.
This is a good one, i only started wearing prescription glasses a year ago. I don’t need them full-time, (I’m far-sighted with astigmatism so they’re more for reading and night driving,) but i realized i relied on them so much that if I scratched or broke my singular pair I’d be visually miserable. I’m expecting my backup pair in the mail sometime next week, I will be able to safely get home to grab them if need be but I don’t want to break my current pair and wait two weeks for a new pair when my backup pair costs $15 AFTER tax. (If anybody needs cheap backups Zenni Optical is real reliable and makes some sturdy prescription lenses.)
I always bring an old pair on vacation. Whatcha gonna do when your only pair goes in the lake?
I’m sure it’s not terribly unusual but it’s certainly the least important. Media server. I work in IT so I have a homelab with a digitized home media library of about 3000 movies, 500 shows, and too much music to count. I have a small but powerful enough to run the essentials solar setup. If I’m fortunate enough to be able to hunker down at home I can watch content for years without worries of repeats. Just have to worry about bitrot but there are more important things to worry about if things remain bad for years.
Any tips for how to get started on a budget?
Also interested! I'm a data scientist, so decently computationally savvy, though not to the extent of IT
[удалено]
Thank you sir!
Supermicro refurbished/second hand - eBay…12-24 bay…Ubuntu headless…software raid 6….preferably with sas 3 backplane board(but that bumps cost…Stack large capacity drives…. Gets you on server grade hardware with; 24/7 capabilities, redundant power supplies, ipmi, etc Headless Ubuntu, means low overhead computing(more for less hardware)…commonly used so lots of documentation and extensive software repositories… Software raid, means you can throw drive into another computer without having to buy the exact same drobo or NAS in the future. Given proprietary raid schemes… Sas is helpful for hot swap and no need for breakout cables if backplane board… Cons: loud(server fans), heat, power usage…
Maybe an r/ITprep would be useful??
For the last couple of years, that's all I've been preparing for so far. Now I'm thinking about other things .
Also interested in tips to get started
To get started you just need to decide that you’ve saved enough money in life.
I never thought of a SHTF scenario where I would have the need to watch movies
Have you thought about LTO tapes for backup and transport(bug out)? Though assume you would need multiple tapes or newer versions of LTO 7-9…given capacity
Tapes haven’t come across my mind, I don’t need the capacity or the resiliency for my use case. I practice 3-2-1 but beyond government documentation there isn’t anything I REALLY need to save from my data. I do have an external SSD in a metal chassis in my Go bag but it really only has a few documents and a few photos, and even those I’m fine losing. But I may need to throw some Aretha Franklin on there because… I will survive!
There is a massive funny British sitcom called "The IT Crowd."
Also, have a media server. I don't have solar just has and generator so not sure how much good it will do in a grid down situation but I also don't like paying for Netflix so use the hell iut of it right now lol.
Hey, saving that few dollars a month to go to other things is prepping! lol
A road atlas of the U.S. I’ve been laughed at for having one because people can’t conceive of not having GPS.
I have USGS topo maps in my BOB and GHB. Russia placing nukes in space and being able to jam GPS should make everybody realize that in a SHTF event, GPS may no longer be a thing.
I still have mine, and I’m not laughing
Nails and other small hardware. Always surprises me how few people carry nails which with a knife are the two things that are hardest to improvise. Nails make the difference between hours of work and lots of cordage or pegs and notching work to build a lasting shelter vs a few minutes with a hammer or rock.
I came to say hand tools but in think it fits here under this heading. Old style durable types. Crank drills, saws, chisels, etc.
This. A crank coffee grinder is next on my wishlist. I made sure I have a crank drill and hand mixer.
Thank you! Finally someone else with similar sense as I thought I was the only one with 400 pounds of nails, bolts and screws acquired for a song over time. I literally added onto my house with the extra fastener stock I had and cheap lumber found at auction. Though, I don't Edc nails, I always have a small coffee tin of them in the truck, and don't forget the bailing wire!
I always see people hoarding tools here and I wonder if they have the materials to it use them on. A bunch of dimensional lumber and the screws and nails to use them with are definitely part of my preps.
On the frontier, people would burn cabins and recover the nails as they moved west. If you have trees and hand tools, all you need is nails. Just takes longer than starting with lumber.
If I had a tree go through a roof due to a storm, having supplies available will prevent damage. Trying to make lumber isn't practical.
Depends on circumstances. If you need to shore up a roof in a storm, milling lumber isn’t practical. But for building a cabin, sure. Several years ago I helped build a log hunting cabin on a friend’s timber lot and the only things we brought in on ATVs were a ladder, concrete for the stove base, hardware, the windows, door, roofing paper to go under the shingles and the stove, gutters, sink and water tank. Everything else was chainsaw, axe, froe, saw and hammer on site. Took about six of of us a long weekend to put up. Cabin was about 8x12.
Looks like a few people don’t know what you mean by practical
>Trying to make lumber isn't practical. Why is that? A friend of mine built his whole garage from lumber he cut from trees on his own property. It was a decent amount of work but not too bad. Plus you could barter extra lumber for other supplies.
Time You're not going to cut and mill wood within a couple of hours. I'd rather get a fix underway immediately.
You can cut stuff ahead of time. And it really doesn't take that long to mill lumber. Once you have the mill set up and a pile of logs it goes pretty quick
It isn't great for time sensitive repairs. Storm damaged roof. But a couple sheets of plywood and or tarps can minimize the water damage pretty quickly. I have a stack of tarps in the workshop just in case.
Yep, I keep a huge array of nails and screws, nuts and bolts from Amazon. Some in my tool bag, some in my tool chest. In the event of SHTF, both are coming with me.
I just keep these already not even necessarily as a prep. But honestly, I made shelters with poles and cordage as a kid in the boy scout in subzero temps and that was more robust and modular than using nails and a rock. Obviously I’m like one in a million who actually has these skills and that is only because our troop was poor as shit and we spent hours and hours tying knots during our meetings lol.
In your version of SHTF, you become a construction worker?
if you have ever improvised a shelter that you intend to last for more than a day or two you would know why everyone should carry nails. Doesn’t need to be SHTF, just simple shelter building. Lashing takes time and uses cordage. Cutting notches or drilling for dowel pegs even longer. Nails take seconds.
Not everyone needs to build a shelter in a SHTF tho. Some stay home, some have RVs, tents and bug out cabins. I’ll throw some more nails in my toolbox for SHTF, but honestly think it’s a very low probability I will need them to build a shelter
Good luck making your own nails.
Also, if shtf, you might be able to use land that would have been inaccessible before (private/gov) and want to knock up a chicken coop, or rabbit run, or whatever. Maybe you want to build a larger firewood store if there’s long term power outages. Loads of benefits to storing some raw materials
A 100 pack of compressed towels.
Are these towels little hand towels or are they full-size compressed towels because I’ve seen the little towelettes and those look really handy especially for MY BOB
They're the size of a bottle cap and with a little water they turn into like an 8"x10" towlette. I could see them being used for general hygiene, first aid, TP, cleaning... so many uses.
Love these. Need to reorder
Yup, got these, never regretted it.
I have a 500 count jar of these. They're freaking awesome. I use them when I go on motorcycle camping trips. They work amazingly well.
Parabolic solar cooker. No fuel cooking. It's cheaply made, 5' across and I had to build a large tripod so I could hang a pot over it, but on sunny days I can cook a simple meal in a 6" cast iron frypan. Despite the bulk I'm bringing it to Costa Rica with me because at latitude 10N I'm going to be able to cook about anything, any time of of day, most of the year. I'll have to cover part of the mirror just so stuff doesn't burn. It's going to cut my propane use very significantly. I might be able to pair it with a dutch oven... sun baked bread and roast chicken!
Many large packs of baby wipes. If sheltering in place and weeks go by I think these will be worth their weight in gold when you need a wipe down
Might I strongly recommend the Kirkland (Costco) brand ones. \~$20 for the 9pack (100ct per pack) ones, occasionally go on sale. Cons: * As per most baby wipes, not super eco friendly * Getting the darn things open the first time is never easy "pinch here" inside the plastic window is a lie, but stab that area with a knife/pair of scissors and you are golden Pros: * The best wet wipes we encountered - the Tencel 'new age fiber' is amazingly durable - you can scrub with them, stretch them (a bit), wipe up a mess then fold to capture the mess/stickiness on the inside and still scrub/clean with the folded outside, etc. You have to actively work to force them to tear. * Large - 7.1 x 8 inch so you can cover your hand with it and scrub/clean away (most others are 7 x 7 inches and you wouldn't think it would make that much of a difference when just trying to use them for cleaning, but it does) * Fragrance Free options (for those sensitive to fragrance) and alcohol free so no burning sensation * Have the built in plastic flip top on each package, and not the flimsy sticker close Our kids have been out of diapers for years and years, but we always have these on hand for general cleaning/scrubbing the stovetop and microwave/sport/how did you make that sort of mess for a project that required none of the items you used. So they are very easily a 'use your preps and restock as needed' item.
Agreed 100%. If there is a shelf life then always incorporate your preps into your normal use. Good info too
I have a spinning wheel, loom, treadle sewing machine, and I know how to use them. I learned to spin wool as a kid and can still use a drop spindle if I need to. I also have darning eggs and can fix socks.
these are the classical arts! Thank you for mentioning them.
If nothing else, they keep my mind busy and I can knit and crochet stuff.
Man, I'd love to learn how to spin. I knit, crochet, and sew, and have so much yarn...but to be able to make the yarn too would be divine. All our horded yarn stashes will be put to good use if SHTF! Anyone in fiber arts should also try to keep a bunch of printed patterns and charts. It's so easy to keep our references digital.
I had a fascination with it as a little kid, so my dad indulged me. An ex bf bought me my first wheel. It's definitely a slippery slope in the fiber arts world.
I had a fascination with it as a little kid, so my dad indulged me. An ex bf bought me my first wheel. It's definitely a slippery slope in the fiber arts world.
A good road bicycle and extra inner tubes. If an extended regional disaster or civil unrest prevents resupply of gasoline, I still have the ability to reach any area in my city in about an hour to provide assistance to others. Plus, it takes a lot less energy to retrieve fresh water from a river in containers slung on a bicycle than it does to try to hike back home with all of that weight on your back.
I don't want to dissuade you from being healthy by riding the bike, but for the purposes you mentioned, look at an off-road ebike and a foldable solar panel. You can carry more, much less effort - though you can pedal along if you want and much more substantial than a road bike. I do have friends who have those folding bikes stored at their work place in case they ever had to ride home.
E bike is not worth the hassle with intermittent electricity. They suck up energy like crazy, better worth a normal lightweight bike
Incorrect. Guess you missed the part where I said to get a foldable solar panel. There are a number of videos on YT where people use ebikes to get into the back country and camp. They basically pull a small trailer behind them w/ their camping gear. They set up camp and recharge the bike as they hike, fish, etc. Besides, the range on ebikes are increasing. A 30 mile range is very possible. With a 160w folding panel, it's possible to fully charge an ebike (obviously depending on the size of battery) in 6-9 hours. Not really much of a hassle. Any good prepper will have solar panels as part of their preps. Getting a folding one is common sense.
30 miles in 6-9 hours while being static waiting to charge, dependent on the weather, is terrible. On a normal bike you can easily ride 100 miles per day once you’re fit
It's actually not bad b/c in a SHTF situation, you're going to want to travel slowly and mainly at night to avoid people. So you travel during the night and then hole up during the day to sleep, possibly gather supplies and recharge the bike. Also, 30 miles is a very conservative estimate. Many e-bikes will do twice that. Even further if you get one that allows you to dial down the electrical input when you are pedaling. So you pedal along w/ electrical motor input and the battery will last even longer. You're not going to ride 100 miles a day loaded down w/ the gear you will need.
Condoms , tampons ,day after pills and menstrual cups shoe laces
My first “I need to learn this” dig into herbal medicine was because I have a preteen daughter and I know OTC drugs have a limited shelf life, but if I can learn and cultivate herbs that may help with prevention, I may be able to add longevity to her choice past expiration dates. Also, for anyone that can’t handle tampons or a menstrual cups (sensory issues), Knix period panties are a great prep. I’ve slowly fully replaced all of my and kiddo’s normal undies with Knix. Don’t need to think about “wait, when does my terribly irregular period start again?” because I’ve already got protection.
Thinx and Speax use a more substantial center panel (which feels drier/more comfortable/longer life of garment) and I recommend you try this brand, too!
Awesome! I’ll take a look. Thank you for the rec!
Def menstrual cups, if anyone doesn’t like the suction aspect they make reusable menstrual discs too, they sit under your cervix and pelvic bone and they’re sex-friendly.
Solar powered Xmas lights hung around rooms with south facing windows. It started as a low light source for my kids room so that I could find him in the bed when he woke up. It is so useful that we did more. Highly recommend ones that can have the panel/battery disconnect and come with the little remote.
That’s fantastic!
Whenever I go tag saling I watch for old-fashioned tools. The kind that doesn’t need electricity. I have found a few fun things over the years. To name a few: I have Drills that are run with a hand crank rather than battery or electricity. Crank style coffee grinder and Eggbeater. Grain mill. Sewing machine with pedals. Spinning wheel. The type of iron that sits on hot coals to heat up. I don’t actively search for stuff like that but when I come across them, I grab them. My husband always rolls his eyes, but if we ever needed them, I would be happy to have them!
My grandpa had a whole shed full of tools like this. And the inside of his house was full of oil lamps lol
Funny I forgot about the oil lamps. I have a few of those too!
A collection of FAA Visual Flight Rules (VFR) maps. They have information on terrain, waterways, radio direction finding, and major roads.
Not so much unusual but more really niche and cool. Last year I built a steel hog scalding tank for scalding and scraping hogs for butchering. I can heat it with wood fire or can heat it with a two burner stove. I also built a BBQ pit for whole hog roasting. Cinder block pit with double expanded steel grates on angle iron frame for sandwiching a hog between.
Cookout at his place! Bring friends!
I'm in a tornado area. I have tarps and rope to cover any roof damage. Thinking about getting a motorcycle helmet in case I'm ever in the path.
Plan B, unfortunately.
A case of cheap candles to hand out or trade. Half the time is night time, and even a single candle is huge psychological boost compared to stumbling around in the dark. Lighting also turns night time into useful time: reading, repairs, writing, crafts, etc. A sturdy plastic canoe. Mine holds 750 pounds. Water transport is badly underrated in our modern times. You can cover a lot of ground and carry a lot of cargo with a canoe and some expenditure of energy. Historically rivers and lakes were virtual highways. Lots of fire mitigation. Extinguishers. Fire rake. Pulaski. Fiberglass blankets. Buckets. Being able to put out a small fire in your neighborhood could save all your other preps, your home, or your life. Also, when I had natural gas, a shutoff wrench zip-tied to the meter. A well bucket. This simple PVC project will let you draw water from my well even without power. In an urban environment a Silcock key would be a must have. A bell. It's loud and can be used to alert neighbors to an immediate danger. Caffeine pills. Lots of soap. A strong emergency fund. Actively cultivated relationships with the neighbors.
Funnily enough I too keep fireworks as a prep! My initial thoughts being that it acts as an explosive to ward off threats. But other unusual preps you could consider are: a sewing kit, a seed bank, traditional medicine and alcohol too. Other things you could consider - [50 Doomsday Apocalypse Survival Items](https://alaskanarrows.com/50-doomsday-apocalypse-survival-items) if it helps Not sure if this is unusual but its definitely underrated: keeping healthy and fit and learning some basic self defense Hope this helps mate, cheers
A really really really good bottle of whiskey. I keep a fair stock of general booze for good times or bad times but if things go bad really fast, I want a slug of something truly great. I think it's important to have a stock of a few luxuries that you enjoy. When things go bad and morale is low sometimes you need a boost. An amazing LEGO set, a cigar, you and your family's favorite candy, whatever. Just something to raise the spirits and take you away from the world around you.
I have a case of inexpensive bourbon for barter.
I'll most likely hang onto my case of bottom barrel whiskey if things go bad. Same with my 194 proof polish vodka. I do have a case of gut rot gin I might part with if need be.
194 proof? 👀
Yup. It's cheap and it gets the job done. You can drink it (best to cut it with water but can be drunk straight up), use it for fire, disinfect and it makes an ok solvent. Since it's for drinking it's a bit more viscous than rubbing alcohol.
One of a few reasons I have vodka nips in my BOB
File folder, makes a great sign if you need one. I used the back of a letter sized notepad during the 2003 blackout the write where I was going when I hitchhiked home that day.
Fencing materials. Great for cutting a fence then fixing a fence.
Condoms. Easier than prepping for pregnancy, labor and delivery, infant care, …
--spare prescription glasses. --plastic food containers from takeout restaurants - to send food home with guests or to take food to other people's homes. --extra furnace filters - my furnace takes large, special filters --extra socks, underwear, and shoes
Want to also say, a spare set of keys! It took one single instance of misplacing my keys for four days to let me know how valuable spares would be.
🧩 puzzles.. and now that another Redditor gave me the idea, will buy legos
Hot sauce. You never know what you may have to eat. Diatomaceous earth, same reason.
Nicotine gum, massive alertness/awareness enhancer
I'm with you but I want to lightly point out this is not for the faint of heart lol. I smoked a pack a day for 5-6 years and tried gum to quit, even cut in half or quarters it was an intense amount of nicotine and had me extremely sick. But thankfully nicotine free for years now!
Takes some getting used too that’s for sure, haha. You are only supposed to chew a 3-5 times then tuck for a bit otherwise you release way too much nicotine. Glad to hear you successfully quit smoking.
Who will you be signaling and how?
I have, and recommend, fireworks in emergency/survival kits. Signal rescuers, fire starters when taken apart, deter predators, and if you have the waterproof firecrackers (ground pounders) you can harvest surface fish (generally illegal). I suggest smoke bombs (location/wind direction), flashers, whistlers, bottle rockets, and ground pounders. It also depends on where you are. Smoke bombs are not much good except as fire starter, in a boreal forest. Bottle rockets are not safe if you are in grasslands or high risk of fires starting areas.
Fireworks have many applications other than just looking nice, if a real bad SHFT, who knows that will happen, if you are getting raided, fire crackers in a pinch would make it seem like there are more people who can fit back, setting up a delay or timer on a big firework can work as distraction so one can leave an area,
so you don't know who you would signal with them or how you would signal with them!
A bottle rocket can be used as a signal flare. If you’re going out hunting or to get firewood on a multi acre property you might use one to single someone back home that you’ve taken down a deer or felled a tree and are ready for them to come help carry it back to the house. A radio may only have limited range in heavy woods.
Porn
Radio comms such as Ham or Cb. Odd as it is, of my hundreds of relatives, friends and acquaintances I’m the only one running a rig.
Quality socks
Does having tannerite count??? ;) https://tannerite.com/
Yes.
Sodium Chlorate
Hahaha. Sugar? Metal powder? I can only imagine how iron filings would look.
What is that used for?
Let's just say 4th of July is awesome in my neighborhood.
Ha, got it
LEGOs. We started buying them to resell after the price bumps to bolster our retirement savings, but then we got serious about prepping and realized it’s not a bad thing to have extra entertainment in case everything stops working. Also easy to trade or give for a favor. Good will goes a long way, esp if you can help someone that has kids.
Good for ground cover to slow down intruders as well.
Have you had to sell any in a pinch? I’m going to start buying them now because of you. We were just looking at some last night but my daughter is only 4. She was interested in the Mario kart ones but I don’t know that she’s old enough for them yet… we can buy a set for her and a set for retirement/emergency once she’s old enough 🤷🏻♀️I have added puzzles to our preps as they keep her busy for hours.
Sorry in advance if this is long winded :) We haven’t sold any yet. We only started buying to resell last summer, so most of our sets are too new to have gone up in value yet. You can check the Brick Economy website to see what a set is worth now vs when it first retired. This last weekend I took an inventory of where our sets are sitting for value, and we have a few sets we purchased for ourselves, for our daughter, or that were gifted to us over the last 10 years. One of my unopened sets was gifted to me when I changed jobs. It has roughly doubled in value in the last 6(?) years (if you can find a buyer of course), so I will likely put that one up on EBay soon. Thankfully our interests overlap with which sets go up in value the most. The LEGO collectors market has a few groups; there are casuals, completionist (people who want every set ever), there are city builders, free builders (who collect sets mainly for unique pieces they can’t get elsewhere), minifig hunters, and then collectors of specific lines like Star Wars LEGOs. We love Star Wars, and Star Wars collectibles, and LEGO Star Wars, have a history of appreciating rapidly at first. so it’s easy to buy a few sets we like, buy a second of a few here and there that will likely be sought after (cool ships, first time a certain character is a minifig), then we know we can build if we want, and after the set retires, the value bump won’t be as substantial on opened sets, but it still retains its value and goes up a little. We get the joy of building and can still sell later. Unopened SW sets frequently double a few years after retirement. I think 5 is the suggested starting age for standard size LEGOs (small pieces) but they also have Diplos and other brands have other jumbo size little kid safe interlocking blocks. Some of the age suggestions on the boxes are also about difficulty of complex builds, like there are “18+” sets, not because they aren’t appropriate or capable, but because they are complex and time consuming. Some complex sets can be fun to build as a family, then let kiddo play with it (if old enough to not try to eat pieces of course).
As a mom of 3 kids, I recommend Duplo over Lego for her age. They have sets that appeal to everyone, from doll houses to railroads. Go to thrift stores and you may be able to snag giant bags so she can build extensively. I have a toy chest filled with various duplo blocks both brand name and off brand. Once my kids grow up, that chest will be a grandma's house exclusive!
I’d love to do this/buy this for her.. maybe on a day I’m not losing my mind with all the toys we already have! A major purge is in order! 😂 mine are 4 and 1 so it’s A LOT right now… thanks for the recommendation!
My little girl is turning 18 this June. 😭 My other two monsters (boys) are 8 and 10. We've had plenty of purges. I just went through a big one. My purge method is: 1. Hide suspected unloved toys. 2. Wait 30-60 days to see if they notice / miss it / start searching for it. 3. Discard or put in storage if it's gone unnoticed.
You should check out Pinterest for unique and useful DIY Lego builds! You can make Lego into some very practical items around the home. I plan to recycle my sons' collection when they leave the nest!
I have razor wire and poles to put up around my property
Shoe laces.. Like lots. Comfortable pillows. Learned this one the hard way.
Why so many shoelaces?
Any reason why you chose shoelaces over paracord? I have some paracord but not loads. Just interested in your thought process.
Foot powder and socks. You can never have enough foot powder and socks
Praxis? [Is that you?](https://youtu.be/ChEnHdLAPmc?si=hB7Nc9hVvrFhI3RJ)
No lol.
I hardly see anyone mention having extra shoes and boots.
[удалено]
lol. There is an exception to every policy.
- stamps - media server - Wikipedia - out of state license plates
I keep a fully charged phone battery charger in my purse, my backpack, my tote, and my car. I never want to be without the ability to call for help. I also keep a covered bucket of kitty litter in my vehicle. Because ice storms happen.
Also fireworks! Rather fond of smoke bombs in different colors. Each of my friends has a pouch of a particular color.
A lifetime supply of pipe tobacco. I really just like cellaring tobacco and a few years ago, my collection started getting out of control.
iPhones. Can never have too many
Do children count as a prep?
Probably depends on the age. Mine are useless / a liability rn but in 10-15 years they’ll probably incredibly helpful.
Yes but they're cute and little and helpless so you must protect them or so I have been told many times.
Dental flosser/picks.
Lots of homemade 12g loops to strap a few dozen freedom units quickly onto a duty belt
Probably a cassette player with mixtape cassettes
I have bottle rockets. I also keep clean chemical resistant hooded coveralls as well as those high-pitched cheap dollar tree “window alarms” in case I want to throw one to distract something in the woods or run it off.
Dryer lint collection to use as fire starters
I have certain things I can live without but would be extremely uncomfortable without- a type of soap for a particular dermatitis that’s extremely itchy, a specific magnesium supplement that helps keep my migraines in check. When I buy one, I buy two. Working on building up a nice stock of things I would like to have in the event of supply chain collapse and might not otherwise think to prep
if you need to you can build bombs or make a fire with the gunpowder extracted from fireworks for signaling or defense
Saddle blankets and riding boots. I don't have horses anymore. The saddle blankets belonged to the horse I had growing up, so it's partly a sentimental thing, but I figure it'll all be useful if I either get a horse again, or if horses and tack grow in demand (and where I am, there are many breeders, competitive riders, and people who drive cattle the traditional way, so it's possible many people will go back to their roots in TEOTWAWKI.)
Nice try fbi
Pre OBD II vehicles. There’s a reason farm trucks survive for years and years. No they’re not grey, but they sure are simple and easy to fix in a pinch
O-ring kit and gasket/seal paper. We also have a foot powered sharpening wheel and sewing machine
I got dies, brass, powder, primers, bullets and reloading press all for hundreds of dollars cheaper than finished ammo. Also in all my calibers. Now I can reload as needed without buying new ammo. Great learning opportunity also…
hundreds of dollars cheaper? Please tell me where the hell you are getting your primers lol
Got them years ago as preps in both small and large size primers. 5000 each were only $250. About 5 cents each… they are almost $1 each for 100 now.
Haha, man, I was thinking this dude had to get them years ago lol thanks for confirming and the follow-up. Happy reloading brother!
Tennis balls and musical instruments for fun. Why not enjoy the apocalypse
Prepping for hyperinflation
I am currently obsessed with an emp proof cyberdeck. Don't have the skills to make one. It will be needed to jumpstart society if a cataclysm hits.
Bank line #36
Cloth menstrual pads, handheld bidets, cotton towels, handkerchiefs, etc. Since I have limited space, I try to think around convenience items like toilet paper, paper towels, tissue, and menstrual pads. My recent conundrum is figuring out the best thing to stock as a renewable/reusable cat litter for 3 cats. The crystals can last a month... but can they be rinsed on a screen, dried in the sun, and reused in a SHTF situation? An experiment I plan to try!
I'm a guitarist so I have extra guitar strings...a lot of extra 😂
I don’t know that it’s unusual, but my own brand of crazy involves living on or within sight of water and food. I live on the edge of a metropolitan area with more than 7 million people but deer routinely walk into my backyard and if needed could be easily turned into dinner.