October 18, 2014

MOST UNDERESTIMATED PREPPER SUPPLIES



These are some of the most underestimated and under-appreciated prepper supplies.  It's time they get more recognition.  These underestimated supplies are for a wilderness bug out location.

SEEDS - I have seen SOOOO many long term bug out bags and survival supplies that don't have seeds included.  If you want life to be even a little bit comfortable after the collapse, you gotta have seeds.  Seeds = easy food.

BUCKETS - They are good for more than just storing food and using as temporary toilets.  Here, you can learn about all the uses of buckets for a survival situation.  The main reason we don't think about buckets is because right now, we have indoor plumbing and we have specialty containers for all sorts of things.  In a post-apocalypse world, we will finally see how useful a simple bucket can be.

SHOVELS - Shovels will be imperative for tilling a garden, digging irrigation canals, digging defensive trenches, constructing homes, digging root cellars, digging wells, etc.  Shovels are far more important than we realize.

SURVIVAL KNOWLEDGE - I see less than half of preppers packing survival guides. I've only seen a few preppers packing multiple survival books, survival knowledge, or electronic libraries.  I suppose most preppers think they know it all.  You can't possibly know everything you'll need to know.  Even if you do know everything you'll need to survive yourself, it is worthwhile to have information about wild edibles to pass on to others, so they don't starve.  However, if you plan on living a long time after the collapse, you should plan on being part of the rebuilding and revival process.  In order to do that, you will need to know more advanced information about human society, so you can get things working again and cultivate a better quality of life for all.  A good survival library for when the SHTF is Survival Sage.

COOKING RACKS - You're gonna need something to cook on and probably smoke meats too.  I don't see many people packing these.

SPOTTING SCOPE - Good for hunting, but it's also important for spying on others.  You want to be able to check out other people nearby without them seeing you.  You want to know who is good and bad.  You want to know is starving and violent, as well as who you might be able to ally with.

WALKIE TALKIES - Communication is of utmost importance.

MOSQUITO NET - Unless you plan on living in a tent forever, you're gonna want a mosquito net.  Mosquitoes are pests of the worst kind.

PAPER AND PENCILS - Communication in the form of notes, letters, journals, news, and helpful survival information is super important.  Make sure to pack as much of these as you can.

CUTTING BOARD - Cutting food on rocks will dull your knives.  Cutting on dirt will make your knives dirty.  Cutting food in your hand will result in dangerous cuts.  Cutting on plain wood will result in bacteria growth.  You best bring a few plastic cutting boards.

HORSES - At some point gas will run out.  Even if you can make your own fuel, a time will come when autos break down for good.  It's best to have horses.

LAPTOP - Laptops will be good for the information that can be stored on them.  Also, you can keep a journal.  You can watch movies.  You can play games, etc.

PROTRACTOR - This simple thing will help you navigate and find angles for construction and surveying.

FARM TOOLS - There are a lot of old school farm tools that almost nobody has anymore.  Find these tools and get them.

GAMES - Life after the collapse will be horrible without at least a little fun.  Board games and sports equipment might be worth having.

FLEX CUFFS - There is a big enough chance that you might have to restrain people at some point that it becomes worthwhile to have flex cuffs.

HOSES - Hoses are important for the movement of water.  The movement of water will be a prime aspect of life after the SHTF.  Remember, no plumbing, so you gotta provide the 'pipes'.

PVC PIPES AND FITTINGS - Same reason as hoses.

PLASTIC CONTAINERS - You're gonna need little containers for food, oils, perfumes, and many other things. Plastic bags will run out and you don't always need containers as big as buckets, so bring lots of little bottles and tupperware.

BIRD TRAPS - Birds will still be plentiful after the shtf. If you have some bird traps, you'll be ahead of the game. You won't have to waste ammo, but you will need to find bird food as bait.

BELLS - Small bells can act as a very elementary form of warning.

DUSTMASKS - There will be lots of city fires, forest fires, and fires of your own. They cost very little, but you'll be glad you have them.

MANUAL WATER PUMPS - The movement of water will be so important for life after the collapse. Foot or manual rotary pumps will be very important.

SOLAR OVEN - Normally we cook food over fire. Fire creates smoke. Smoke draws attention. If you can cook without drawing attention, that will be wonderful for you.

MINERAL SALT BLOCKS - These will be important for your horses but can also attract deer.

TWEEZERS - For splinters and hair removal.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS - Life without music will be dull. Something like a harmonica or small wood flute can lift spirits.

FLOODLIGHTS - These can be an important part of your defenses and give you the upper hand in battle.

LASER PRINTER WITH EXTRA CARTRIDGES - If you have the ability to mass produce important information, like survival info or survival group alliance communications, you will be a big help to everyone. It can even earn you a more prominent position among the survivors.

DIGITAL CAMERA (and digiscope connection) - You can spy on others and reveal pictures of friends and foes. You can document the historical events for future generations. You can take pictures of survivors.

EXPLOSIVES - Helpful for defenses and tactical uses.

LARGE FRESNEL LENS - Start fires. Cook without smoke. Melt metal. Yeah, this is a good item to have.

RADIO TRANSMITTER - If you can manage a radio broadcast, you can help thousands of people and do so much good with it. Talk about survival information, preach on Sundays, play music, share news of survivors, etc.

DIRT BIKE WITH SPARE PARTS - Dirt bikes can handle mountain trails and nearly any terrain. They are also fuel efficient. If you have a dirt bike, you should be able to escape from nearly anybody.

SCALE SET - Somebody will need to weigh and validate precious metals. A scale is a very important part of a primitive economy.

MANUAL OIL PRESS - Oil is important. People who can make oil, can make a living doing it.

HORSE CART/WAGON - It wouldn't take too long for horses to become the main method of travel. Therefore, it makes sense to have a good horse cart.

TRASH CANS - Not for trash, but for make shift refrigerators, compost bins, and general containers.


GARDEN CART/WHEELBARROW (collapsable one?) - Garden carts are a very efficient way to transport stuff with regular man power.

CARRIER PIGEONS - These guys will do a heck of a job communicating over long distances if there are no radio communications available.


KNEE PADS - You'll probably be doing a lot of tasks on your knees, like gardening and building stuff. Knee pads will be helpful for many.


SMOKE GRENADES - The tactical applications of these could save your life someday. Cover for a retreat. Cover for a rescue mission. Cover for...whatever. They also can be used to signal something.


TYPEWRITER - Communication will be very important for building networks of survival groups and rebuilding society. A typewriter can help with that. A printer is better, but maintaining a computer and printer is harder than maintaining a typewriter. If you are able to manufacture your own ink, you will be able to use your typewriter for a loooong time.


POSTERS - If you have bugged out to the woods (even if you haven't), you will start to forget the beautiful sights of the world you once knew. I recommend having some posters to hang up and show to the next generation to teach them about how the world once was. It might also be nice to have one poster be a picture of the view from your front window or a view of your street or your house. It will be a nice reminder of home.


SAW SET PLIERS AND TAPER SAW FILES - With these you can continue to keep your saws in working order, which is very important.


SWORDS - Someday, ammo will run out, well, maybe not for you, Mr. 'I have 25,000 rounds of ammo', but for a lot of people ammo will run out some day. When that day comes, you might need a sword to compliment your bows and arrows.


SIGNS FOR PEOPLE APPROACHING - Signs can be an important part of your defense and security strategy. You can buy or create signs now that will be helpful later.


WHITEBOARD AND DRY ERASE MARKERS OR CHALKBOARD AND CHALK - These will be very helpful for planning, organizing, and teaching.


HYDRAULIC JACK - At some point, you might need to jack up really heavy things.

KIDDIE POOLS - Kiddie pools are great for raising minnows, fry, locusts, worms. They can also be used for a washtub.

SAND BAGS - Sandbags allow for quick construction, flood control, and building up barriers.

HANGING SCALE - A hanging scale for weighing produce will be a very important part of a market.

DVDS, CDS, COMPUTER SPEAKERS, PROJECTOR, PROJECTION SCREEN (AND LAPTOP/COMPUTER) - If you can have this stuff, you can entertain like it's 1999, instead of n years post collapse.

TRAIL MARKING TAPE - If you're living in the wilderness and trekking through the bush, you'll need ways to mark trails and leave markers for many other things. You'll find use for trail marking tape--trust me. Just be careful. You don't want to lead trouble back to you.

SUNDIAL - I think it would be cool to have one of these in camp. They're not perfect, but they will give you some frame of reference. Dividing the day up into hours can help with workflow.

TREADLE SEWING MACHINE - With a treadle sewing machine, you can become a taylor or seamstress after the collapse and you won't need to rely on electricity.

WRIST, ANKLE, AND KNEE BRACES - In our new life of manual labor, there will probably be lots of sprains and pains. These will help.

BAROMETER - With no more weather man or weather.com, a barometer and a glance at the horizon will be your best method for weather forecasting.

SETS OF FLAGS - With different kinds of flags, you can fly Old Glory, fly your own symbol, communicate information to others, and use some flags, like semaphore flags, to signal messages.

MAGNIFYING GLASS OR MAGNIFYING LENS - Matches can start a few fires. Lighters can start hundreds of fires. Fire starters can start thousands of fires, but a magnifying glass or magnifying lens can start fires forever (as long as it doesn't break and the sun is shining).

CROSS COUNTRY SKIS, BOOTS, AND POLES - If it snows, you'll need a way to get around quickly. You can fly along logging roads on these.

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