Preppers List of Supplies I

November 16, 2017

OK, so you have decided that you want to take steps to protect your family from unseen events. You may not know what events to plan for or you could have a much defined idea of the threats you see, but regardless you recognize a need. There are people who come to the Prepper Journal after they read something on another prepping blog or they may have been visiting our site for a year. The newer visitors are usually just getting starting in this crazy world of Prepping and if they are anything like I was at the beginning, knowing where to start can be pretty daunting. Prepping isn’t the same for everyone but most people eventually look for a simple guideline to follow so I have pulled together this preppers list of supplies.

How is this list of supplies you need going to be different from any of the 523 million other lists out there? Maybe it won’t be, but I am going to try to go in order of importance so you can follow along at home and let me know what I missed or what should have received priority.

Your list may be completely different from mine, but I believe the items contained in this list of supplies will be common to most people and more importantly will be required if you are going to be as prepared as possible if the manure hits the hydro-electric powered oscillating air current distribution device. This list is not all-encompassing either. I am probably not going to have blacksmith supplies or leather working tools although I can see the use in each of those. This list is going to be for the average person to get by if we have a SHTF event, not start a new life in the wild west. Please let me know what additional items you would recommend and I’ll keep this list updated so you can print it out whenever you need to purchase items or want to build your supplies out.

Lastly, this list is primarily for Sheltering in Place and the requirements/resources the average person would be able to lay their hands on. This doesn’t take more extreme climates into consideration but should still provide a base regardless of where you live. For other lists you can check out our Resources page. For something more specific to the Bug Out Bag checklist, click here. Also this list is going to be missing the specifics of the amounts because each family or individual is different. So without further ado, here we go.

Water

Method of Disinfecting or Filtering Water
- Big Berkey Light or similar gravity fed water filter (capacity 2.25 gallons). It doesn’t get much easier than this. The capacity in only one of these units might not be enough for a family of 4 in the summer though so plan accordingly. You can also buy the filters and make your own water filter much cheaper.
- Paint or coffee filters – to remove sediment prior to filtering. This will keep your filters working much longer if your source is murky. Bandannas or old t-shirts can be used too.
- Backpacking/ Camping Water Filters – MSR Miniworks, Sawyer for individual use or travel. Gravity filters like the Platypus are fastest and have less moving parts to break.
- Bleach – Non-scented or Calcium Hypochlorite is a better long-term option that won’t go bad. For additional instructions on treating water, you can read this article.
- Boiling water over a fire will kill organisms, but will not remove chemicals.
- SODIS Method which you can read about online.
- Water purification tabs – These are last on my list because they do not last long.
- Polar Pure is an iodine based disinfection method that will last far longer than any water tablets.

Method of carrying water
- Plastic Nalgene Bottles or Stainless Steel water bottle for each individual if you plan on needing to boil water for individual use.
- 5 Gallon water jugs – These are pretty heavy when full. Get the heavy plastic onesnot the collapsible bladder type. These will need to hold up to a lot of abuse.
- Yard wagon or wheel barrow to haul the water jugs and reduce trips to your water source if it is remote.

Methods of obtaining/Storing additional water
- Assuming you don’t have running/well water on your property…. Rain Barrels are bestin most climates if you plan ahead.
- Find additional water sources by exploring your neighborhood
- 55 Gallon Storage barrels are easy to set up and forget.
- WaterBOB is great for emergencies with warning you are about to lose water.

Food

Short Term Food Items – This should be the food you eat every day. Just ensure you have 30 days’ worth of food storage at all times at the minimum. Build out to one year as your resources allow.
Long Term Food
- Canned vegetables, fruits and meat (chicken/Tuna/Spam if you can stand it)
- Hard Red Winter Wheat
- Rice
- Beans
- stored in sealed Mylar bags
Staples (Food to make food taste better)
- Flour
- Salt – Will last forever if kept dry
- Sugar
- Honey – Will last forever…
- Spices
- Yeast
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Powdered Milk
- Vinegar
Ultra-Long Term Food
- Freeze Dried foods would be the last item to stock up on unless you have an abundance of money and zero time. The benefit with these are super long shelf life and virtually zero work so even with the added cost, they are a really smart choice if you have the other bases covered first.
Misc
- Canning Jars
- Pressure Canner
- Water Bath Canning pot (all of these are reasonably purchased at Walmart or Amazon)

Security

Personal/Home Defense
- Identify what you will use to protect your family if a bad guy is beating down the door. For me I have chosen several firearms and you can read what I consider are the top 5 firearms you need here, the best gun for home defense if you can only afford one and how to find the best handgun for self-defense in other articles on the Prepper Journal.
- Door Security – EZ Armor Door Security Kit
- Sandbags – great for protection from water and bullets.
  Barbwire
- Camouflage clothing – This can have multiple advantages
- Body Armor in either Soft or Hard panels
- Heavy Duty Knife
- Holster for Pistol
- Ultra bright flashlight
- For firearms purchase additional ammo and use our Ammo inventory spreadsheet to help keep track of what you have
- Firearm Safe bolted to the floor
Extra weapon cleaning supplies
- Gun Oil
- Cleaning Solvent
- Spare brushes

Financial Security
- Personally I would store most of my extra cash outside of the bank. Your mileage may vary and this is not without risks. This doesn’t prevent a currency devaluation but it does circumvent blank holidays or power outages.
- Precious Metals – Investigate this for yourself, but I find the arguments and historical track records against fiat currency and the current rumblings of Government wanting to take care of your investments for you very compelling. Gold is easier to transport with the high cost to weight, but you might have problems cashing a gold coin for a tank of gas. Silver is where I have chosen to invest in precious metals.
- Pay off bills – move now to ensure you won’t be in debt if the economy collapses.