# What am I missing in my supplies?



## sdgmcdon (May 6, 2012)

So I've been working on getting and being prepared for a little over a year now...Getting things here and there as I can afford them. I put together a written plan a year ago that I've been modifying and updating ever since.

In trying to be "prepared for anything" I feel like I've gone a bit overboard (family/friends think I'm nutts; just for having the items listed below), but when/if a disaster strikes there's no way to know WHAT that would be, so I try to have a well rounded supply ... Here's what I've got, what am I missing / should I consider adding? I'm in a typical newly built suburban neighborhood, not much land at all and what I do have isn't private, so can't do much with it.


320 gallons of clean drinkable water, the containers of which can be converted to a rain water collection and filtration system once emptied (and I have the conversion stuff needed as well)
180 days worth of freeze dried food for 2 people (only 2 people in my house; however I know of 6 other people that *if* something happened would likely be headed my way - reducing all my supplies to just over a months worth)
About two months worth of "pantry" food for two people (2 weeks or so if I end up with 8 people here)
Goal Zero solar kits (150W power pack & 350W power pack and 6 x 30w panels and 6 GZ LED lights)
Tons of stormproof matches
Crank radios, multiple maglites and rechargeable (from solar kit) D & AA batteries galore
Tons of space blankets, iodine pills, RAD detection cards, water treatment tablets and purifiers
Four 2 way long range radios with weather bands (and other radios also have weather bands; CCrane etc)
Two pretty comprehensive medical kits (not your $20 walmart kit)
Defenses are good as I'm a gun enthusiasts, can pretty much accomplish whatever I need to defense wise and hunting if needed; however I do need to stock up on more ammo
Camping style coleman grill and a small burner (would use the small burner for heating water, large grill, if needed I have it and use for camping anyway)
About a dozen small 1lb propane tanks (really need to add more of these, I know)

Obviously in case anyone is wondering this would be a "bugin" supply...for bugout I have a good deal of these supplies on a rack at the end of the garage ready to be tossed in my jeep at a moments notice if needed (water/food/power/lights/fire/warm clothes etc). I have no "on foot" plan/supply but considering where I'm at, I really haven't been able to come up with a reason why I would need to bug out "on foot" so though I will do that eventually, it will be the last thing I do.

Anything input on something I'm overlooking/missing? I feel like I'm pretty much close to done aside from increasing some numbers (ammo, propane, etc)...just feels like I'm missing something though?


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## lotsoflead (Jul 25, 2010)

just for starters,about a half ton of rice,half ton of dry beans,splt peas,half ton of wheat,a grain grinder,sugar,salt, bouillon cubes,1200 canning jars filled with chicken,beef,pork ect., a pressure canner,lard,salt.fifty pounds of junk silver.


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## tac803 (Nov 21, 2010)

I'd consider some junk silver for possible barter. Other than that, sounds like you are pretty well stocked. I'd pick up a couple of water filters in case you needed to go mobile...easier than dragging water around and they fit in the Jeep better.


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## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

And don't forget lots of booze. Its great for trade as well as.....making tuff times a little easier!! And I agree on some dry wheat berries and beans and quinoa. They store a long long time and will keep you healthier than freeze dried grub. And lotsa salt n sugar and cooking oil.


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## sillymoo (Oct 30, 2011)

What about your hygene products? I like to keep a year supply of soap, shampoo, and feminine things on hand just in case. Don't forget the Midol or at least Advil.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

sdgmcdon said:


> In trying to be "prepared for anything" I feel like I've gone a bit overboard (family/friends think I'm nutts; just for having the items listed below), but when/if a disaster strikes there's no way to know WHAT that would be, so I try to have a well rounded supply ... Here's what I've got, what am I missing / should I consider adding? I'm in a typical newly built suburban neighborhood, not much land at all and what I do have isn't private, so can't do much with it.
> 
> [..deleted..]
> 
> Anything input on something I'm overlooking/missing? I feel like I'm pretty much close to done aside from increasing some numbers (ammo, propane, etc)...just feels like I'm missing something though?


Are you in a house, condo, apartment or some other living-space? How much land do you have available (average grassed-in-yard or a paved parking-lot?) and what are you able to do with that land?

For starters, I would re-consider the little disposable propane-tanks and get some good-sized 20# or 30# or even bigger tanks for propane. Add-in a charcoal-grill (Big Green Egg), a propane cook-top / BBQ w/ side-burner, an outfitter's stove, a wood-stove (or any combination of that list of cooking equipment). My "collection" of cooking appliances consist of several 2-burner propane stoves, five different BBQs, wood-stove and enough 20# propane tanks that I can place two tanks on each propane-based cooking appliance.

Heating for small spaces could be taken care of with a catalytic-heater (tent-heater) - Coleman makes a great little unit - I have one and love it.

WaterTreatmentSystem - filter, purify, UV-purify, etc. RV-style water pump for pressure from your holding tank would work well (either hand-crank or electric).

Garden if you have the space or mini hanging garden if you don't have the space.

Setup your Jeep as a BOV (you don't say Wrangler or Wagon-style) with all the basics - permanent-storage of "camping gear" in case you need to run off ...

That's my quick short-list of things that I would consider looking into.


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## sillymoo (Oct 30, 2011)

I forgot to add blackout curtains, especially in the area you live in. I also live in a newer subdivision and everyone can see in each other's homes without leaving their couches. I can't afford to buy curtains for every window just yet, but I do have plenty of cardboard that I can put up. I want to upgrade to plywood in case of severe storms and we lose some windows.


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## Ration-AL (Apr 18, 2012)

NaeKid said:


> For starters, I would re-consider the little disposable propane-tanks and get some good-sized 20# or 30# or even bigger tanks for propane.


coleman makes a $15 adapter to use the large propane tanks with your camping grill, much more economical to buy 2 big 20 gallon tanks vs 40 1 gallon tanks...



> Heating for small spaces could be taken care of with a catalytic-heater (tent-heater) - Coleman makes a great little unit - I have one and love it.


get the big heater buddy, it has a better CO sensor in it, some of the coleman cat heaters have been known to kill people when used in small spaces for to long, there's been a few law suits over them in the past, the heater buddy brand has had 0 incidents and also has a better CO detection and fall sensors to boot, i use my heater buddy hooked up to a bbq style propane tank for winter camping in my trailer even in 0-5 degree winter weather the temps inside of my trailer is a nice warm 65 degrees. not only that the mr.heater heater buddy just throws way more heat then the coleman ver. all together.

also know how CO works, it is very dangerous and every winter here a few people kill themselves by doing stupid things like using a charcoal bbq indoors to try and stay warm, i can only imagine in a SHTF situation how quickly darwin will come to visit some people....

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Recall-of-Coleman-heater-urged-1222516.php


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

You didn’t mention a state where you are but appropriate climate clothes, you mention warm clothes but any warm weather clothes or rain gear?

Hygiene supplies were mentioned by sillymoo, you’ll need enough as well as some toilet paper. Sure you can live without it but why do it if you can put up at least a couple 12 packs. Couple of big and small towels, never go anywhere without your towel!

Cookware? Have you decided on what to take if needed or have a backup of any at home? Speaking of that, any sponges or dish soap stocked up?

An axe or hatchet for fires, perhaps a bow saw too and a few extra blades. Any mechanic or carpentry tools in your home? What happens if you need to fix something. Speaking of fixing, any extra 2 x’s, nails, screws (you only use the screwdriver to get them out!), roll of plastic. If a window blows out, could you repair it or at least close up that opening?

You are doing great, perhaps just take a look at the things you use daily and see if you really need to have them for a situation. For example: a pen/pencil and note pad? What if you needed to leave a note or write down directions or instructions. I found it was the little things that I was forgetting when I started out. I was more concerned with food/water/protection that I missed lots of things that I could need.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

tac803 said:


> I'd consider some junk silver for possible barter. Other than that, sounds like you are pretty well stocked. I'd pick up a couple of water filters in case you needed to go mobile...easier than dragging water around and they fit in the Jeep better.[/QUOTe}
> 
> And for not going mobile, calcium hypochlorite..I have 3 bags.
> You may have a Berkey and extra filters, but you never know.:gaah:
> ...


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## sdgmcdon (May 6, 2012)

Rather than quote everyone (and thanks for the tons of feedback!) I'll hit all points one by one:

-For the guy that recommended tons of beans/sugar/wheat/rice etc...I'm on a small lot, not acreage...I can't store anything and everything under the sun...

-Junk silver and booze, thought of that and will begin stocking up on booze (though tough, as I like to drink it when I have it ) - Silver/precious metals, in a barter SHTF situation I don't see a high value for that stuff, booze on the other hand people will want and it would serve as a "treat" in tough times for those of us hunkered down in the house, so will be adding a LOT of that (I already have a good deal stocked in my bar...just not "in bulk" like 20 bottles of whiskey etc...)

-For heygene products, I shop costco, so I generally have enough for a year on hand most of the time anyway, but couldn't hurt to double the supply, so I will

-For the large propane containers, this is one of the reasons I went with solar equipment for power instead of a generator (besides not wanting to attract attention)...I don't have a "safe" place on my property to store fuel...I figure having a bunch of the small containers is safer than a bunch of large ones. They are easier to store and a lot less propane concentrated in a single area as I can scatter them a bit. 

-Jeep is a wrangler 4 door rubi, but I don't want to start sacrificing some of the reasons for having it (convertible etc) for this; again, the plan is bug in...jeep as last resort. However with that said, it is a 4 door rubicon and it's about to need new tires at which time I'll be lifting it and adding some good off road/BOV mods. Currently it has enough food and water treatment stuff in it to survive for about a week (in it all the time). 

-For water and water treatment, again, I have over 320 gallons currently stored and enough water treatment supplies (portable) to easily treat another 320 gallons or more if needed. Then if all else fails, there's always boiling it. The containers I have for the storage now I can EASILY convert to a rain water collection and filter system as it rains A LOT here and I've already tested it on a small scale, works fine BUT may still need to treat or boil it first since it would be coming off the roof.

-For questions about the home/property...Typical suburban 2,000 sqft house on a lot that's about 6,000 sqft...decent/good front yard (but can't exactly use it for anything like this (HOA's etc) and back yard is large amount of land but not useable as it's sloped (house is on edge of steep hill, "view" home)...On sideyard I can do a small garden for veggies and what not, but no more than say 300 sqft or so and it would need to be terraced

-HEAT has been a HUGE concern that I haven't been able to resolve other than "bundle up!"...It gets COLD here during the winter (not minnesota cold, but cold enough to kill you if you can't keep warm)..Problem is everything I've looked at to resolve this requires a massive amount of stored fuel or a dedicated and VERY EXPENSIVE home solar system - Because there's no way I can store massive amounts of fuel safely (and no "close" rentable storage units either, I checked :-() I am looking into the solar system for the home...good prepper addition and in the long run saves money and good for re-sale if I ever sell the home. ANY OTHER IDEAS HERE WOULD BE AWESOME!

-Something I forgot to mention in original post, I keep several portable eletronic devices (kind of a geek) and am building a PDF repository of how to's (medical, building, survival tips/tricks, gardening, hunting - you name it) on those devices and will be printing them into a hard copy as well...basically an "everything you need to know how to do" survival book. 

-I also keep the above mentioned devices (tablets etc) not just for the PDF repository as mentioned above, but also for books, movies, music etc...IF SHTF and you're "bugged in" you will get BORED AS HELL, so to alleviate that a bit I have started to store a lot of digital media (takes up no space) and I can recharge everything easily and quickly with the solar equipment I already have (tested as well, even on a rainy/cloudy day I can recharge my solar packs in a few hours and each will recharge several devices, power several lights and radios etc on a single charge). 

-If anyone knows of a LOW POWER ELECTRIC stove, I would like to get one to run off the solar equipment to reduce my need to store propane...can't find one. 

-For tools etc, I have a ton of stuff, plenty for whats needed and for "boarding up" windows/doors etc I live in a new home development with new homes being built right next to me, so for the time being when/if I need to do that I've got stock piles of lumber right next door I can use. Once those homes are built though I will store the lumber I would need to board up the home completely if needed. 

-For blackout curtains, I have good wood blinds on all windows already, so "covered" (forgive the pun) there  

-Cookware wise, I need to get another small burner and have been considering getting a charcoal BBQ (but the need for storing that charcoal "fuel" comes into play again here); plenty of pots/pans etc

-For food, I do need to diversify and will...I've seen studies done on being able to survive on freeze dried stuff without a problem but going nutts/getting depressed as a result of it. So, will be adding more fruits, candies, junk food (stuff like twinkies that have absurdly long shelf lives from all the crap they put in them - just as "treats")...Again though, space for me is pretty limited so I can't store a ton of 6 gallon buckets of wheat/flour, sugar etc and I don't use that stuff, so it would go bad a lot sooner than the MH stuff would...I stick with MH #10 can's because they are compact, easy to store and contain complete meals that are fast and easy to prepare. Boring yes, but they will keep us fed and take up very little room to store large amounts. 

-Pens/Paper, I have a TON of quick grab stuff but I've NEVER thought about including it for bug out until reading this...I do have pens and paper in my jeep, but not a lot.


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## sdgmcdon (May 6, 2012)

FYI, I posted a lengthy reply to everyone here but apparently it's waiting for moderation and when I posted this originally the same happened and it took a day for it to be ok'd. Should show up soon?


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## sdgmcdon (May 6, 2012)

Ration-AL said:


> i can only imagine in a SHTF situation how quickly darwin will come to visit some people....


Pretty quick actually 

Can't find an easy way to solve the heat problem though (other than bundle up); because really, Darwin could easily visit the guy with a bunch of full size BBQ propane tanks stored in his garage too.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

sdgmcdon said:


> Pretty quick actually
> 
> Can't find an easy way to solve the heat problem though (other than bundle up); because really, Darwin could easily visit the guy with a bunch of full size BBQ propane tanks stored in his garage too.


For heating the house, look into a Rocket Mass Heater - simple to build, easy to maintain and it will keep your house warm for a good while when proper fuel is used.

As far as propane goes, it is more economical to have a couple of propane-bottles associated with a large backyard BBQ than it is to have to store lots of little ones. No-one would look twice at the propane-tank on the front of a trailer - make use of that "hidden-in-plain-sight" type of planning. A small garden-shed would be perfect for keeping track of lots of prep-supplies - call it camping supplies or whatever you want.


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## sdgmcdon (May 6, 2012)

NaeKid said:


> As far as propane goes, it is more economical to have a couple of propane-bottles associated with a large backyard BBQ than it is to have to store lots of little ones. No-one would look twice at the propane-tank on the front of a trailer - make use of that "hidden-in-plain-sight" type of planning


I have no use for a large propane tank though as my BBQ is currently plumbed into natural gas...I know i could store one near it and one in the garage and no one would think twice about it, but dont you have to use them/empty/refill them every now and then? I wouldn't be able to do that...?


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## goatlady (Nov 7, 2011)

I see no mention of provisions for disposing of human waste?? You state you have a 2000 sq, ft. house - plenty of space to store rice and beans if you think outside the box, guy. Just raise up your beds 6" on blocks and look at all that space! Storing propane is not a danger, storing gasoline is a danger. No need to use and reill, it just sits there (like your 1 gal contaiers do) until you are ready to use it, just like my 250 gal tank outside my house which is still 1/2 full after 6 months of heat and cold, rain and shine.


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## sdgmcdon (May 6, 2012)

goatlady said:


> I see no mention of provisions for disposing of human waste?? You state you have a 2000 sq, ft. house - plenty of space to store rice and beans if you think outside the box, guy. Just raise up your beds 6" on blocks and look at all that space! Storing propane is not a danger, storing gasoline is a danger. No need to use and reill, it just sits there (like your 1 gal contaiers do) until you are ready to use it, just like my 250 gal tank outside my house which is still 1/2 full after 6 months of heat and cold, rain and shine.


Sorry, I think there are several levels of preppers, and I don't intend this as an insult by any means, just saying some of us have lives/career's etc that would be severely damaged if we were known openly as "extreme preppers".

Just because I feel something is amiss/coming, DOES NOT mean I am right...throughout history all kinds of people/groups even entire society's thought "the end is near" and they were all wrong, *every one of them, every time*...I am not willing to wreak havoc on my personal/professional life to be prepared for something that, despite my own "gut feeling", is not likely to happen in my lifetime. I am however perfectly willing to do what most "normans" would consider crazy **if they knew** I was doing it like have a 1-2 year 8-10 person plan, organized and complete, _yet stealth_.

Off the top of my head (prepper levels):

-Normal folks that keep their pantry's well stocked

-Folks that live in natural disaster prone areas (hurricanes etc)

-Folks that want to ensure they can feed their family in an extended emergency situation but have little/no "regular possibility" for a natural disaster to occur (unlike those living in Hurricane prone areas or similar risk prone areas) - this level is approaching but not to the point of frequenting forums like this one

-Folks (like myself) that feel that anything can happen at anytime and feel something is amiss; something isn't quite right with the world...Want to be prepared but don't want to risk their personal/professional lives doing it because we know; just as history shows, we're probably wrong; but we're going to be prepared anyway just in case we're right

-Folks that feel like myself but have the luxury of not needing (or caring) to be concerned with what those around them think of their prepping; think they are absolutely 100% correct (despite history on the subject) and go all out "knowing" they are right - this is the stage I will never get to...well, if I won the lottery and no longer needed to work, then I'd get to this level I guess 

As for waste disposal...that's one "service" that isn't going to get cut off like power/gas/water could...it would just eventually fill up...but if the kind of situation occured that would cause this to be a concern, more than likely only the preppers would survive long term and thus it would take a LOT longer for those sewer systems to fill up with so few people still using it - once they do, cap it off and start heading outside. As for how to keep the facilities running (since all a toilet needs to operate is liquid), if you've gotta pee, do it in the tank, if you have to poo, do it in the bowl and flush it with the pee from the tank. Keep a decent amount of bleach on hand to deal with the resulting smell.


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## Ration-AL (Apr 18, 2012)

sdgmcdon said:


> Pretty quick actually
> 
> Can't find an easy way to solve the heat problem though (other than bundle up); because really, Darwin could easily visit the guy with a bunch of full size BBQ propane tanks stored in his garage too.


National fire code states that you can keep no more than two (2) one pound canisters of propane in your house at any given time.

always store outside preferably at least 10ft from your home, i saw a neighbors detached shop and 3 car garage go up and it was like 4th of july, a few of these large propane tanks going off next to each other is quite the show , luckily it was detached or your right darwin would be a knockn , be responsible no matter what you do , lol , i didn't think that needed to be said....

side note all my heating and cooking units in my home are powered by a 1000 gallon tank that is 100ft from my home , the larger the tank the further it must be, 10ft is good to 500 gallons though, fyi.

if rationed my tank could last well over a year, the power goes out often at least 4 to 5 times a winter as at least one of those lasts a week or so , its a nice perk to be able to enjoy snowmageddon in comfort as opposed to relying on a genny that may run out of fuel or solar panels that won't charge as well when you need them most in winter , suns weaker and shorter that time of year, that said solar is great and i plan on doubling down with a solar system asap,


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

sdgmcdon, To me there are two types of preppers - those who want to store up supplies and those who want to make their own supplies.

Personally, I started out as a "store it all" kind of prepper - going shopping and buying a case of soup instead of a can of soup. I have gone from buying the cans of soup to making my own soup and doing my own canning of it or freezing it. Then I started to look at how to cook up food and found that there are many ways to warm up food - from burning stuff (wood, dung, fuels like propane, etc) to using the power of the sun through the use of a SolarCooker or SolarOven ... and then I started to look at ways to keep my house warm in the long winters as there isn't enough solar-panels that I could attach to my house to keep an electric furnace going ... and I found out about Rocket Mass Heaters ...

You don't need to be an extreme prepper to take advantage of the tools and technology that is available to you - and as long as you explain to those wondering, you are looking to live a "green life" where you can use net-zero tech to reach for a better way to live life ... To prove it to others, consider riding a bicycle more often instead of always getting into the big SUV ..


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## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

Well sdg I put all my stuff in the basement in a room about 120 sq feet. With floor to celing shelves its suprising how much you can store. I still have lots of room and we use it for regular storage also. I have enough grub to feed my family for a year or more depending on how thin we need to get and how much our garden kicks out. Also, buy lots of seeds. If there is a disaster economically or otherwise you can count on turning your yard into a farm so plan for that too. I know how you feel. Sometimes I see my preps and I'm just sure I've gone batshit crazy but I can't shake the feeling that we are about to pay the piper and he's gonna be pissed! So, as they say in poker, time to go all in.


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

What is wrong with small gas containers? They're cheap and easy to store. Might not be as efficient as the big ones but why not?

I have a full size gas grill and 3 tanks (one on it and two in the basement) and have a cupboard that I'm gradually filling with little ones for a camping stove.


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## headhunter (Nov 21, 2008)

It sounds as if you're getting it together and doing a good job of it. 
Should you decide to make use of your spectacular view on summer evenings, a fire pit and a supply of wood to burn in it would not be out of place. You may find sitting out side enjoying the view, a camp fire, and doing some serious "sipping" may be enjoyable. (So maybe it could be used to provide a hot meal or two in an emergency. Who can tell?)
If you are a shooter, it would seem that hunting and camping are almost synonymous in people's minds. Or the , "We planned on doing some serious camping , but this summer we seem to always run out of time." Is easily understood and sure beats, "The sky is falling", for acceptable behaviors in many people's minds.


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