We talk a lot about gathering supplies and tools that will come in handy if you have to become totally self-reliant, and/or are trapped in your home due to a natural or man-made disaster. But when it comes down to the absolute must-haves, what makes the cut? Survival Lilly created a video to show us her personal Survival Kit, which you can easily put together for your own home.
At a minimum, even the government recommends that you be prepared to spend 72 hours without electricity, medical assistance, or the ability to leave your home. That means you need to have at least 3 days’ worth of food, water, and power sources that you supply yourself. Here’s what you should be stocking:
The Essentials
- Water filters and purification tablets – Keep in mind that you can also boil water to make it potable, but that will use valuable resources that you may prefer to save for cooking.
- Solar panels – You can purchase solar panels that can be used to charge your phone and tablet (or anything that connects via USB port).
- Power banks – Keep these on-hand and charged up. Check them monthly to make sure they are holding a charge.
- Duct tape & Paracord – In case you need to fix anything.
- Candles & Long matches – These will become your primary source of light in your home.
- Camp stoves – You may want to keep both alcohol and gas stoves, along with fuel supplies for cooking.
- Pots & pans – Camping cookware is recommended so that you can comfortably cook over an open flame without fear of damaging your pots and pans. These should also fit better on your camp stoves.
- Lanterns, Flashlights, & Headlamps – All will be helpful as you move around your home or yard, but check each month that the batteries are charged.
- First Aid Kit – You may not have any access to medical attention, so be as prepared as you can to take care of yourself.
- Communication devices – Hand-crank radios and ham radios will both provide you with a means to communicate in an off-grid situation. Getting your ham radio license will be incredibly helpful in learning how to use one.
- Mask with filters – The cloth masks that most people are currently wearing will not have an impact on preventing particles from entering your system. Lilly showed us her 3M mask with P3 filters that will even block virus particles.
- Self-defense tools – You will want at least one self-defense tool per person in your household. It’s key that whatever you choose, be it firearm, knife, baseball bat, etc. that you are comfortable using it.
- Food & Water – You should have a pretty good stockpile going, so 72 hours should be a breeze. But what if the situation continues for 3 months?
- Generator – Definitely one of the most expensive items on the list, a generator will also require fuel to work. But it can be a real lifesaver, especially after a severe storm.
The time to prepare is before disaster strikes. If a significant event occurs, you will need to protect your family, as well as have access to information about the details. You’ll need to know when it’s safe to leave your house and if/when help may arrive.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on August 16th, 2019, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.