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Starter kit

2K views 11 replies 7 participants last post by  CJM 
#1 ·
I don't have anything the way of a disaster preparedness kit, and I've decided to fix that. For now I'm just looking to get the basics needed to shelter in place for a month or so.

I'm looking at MREs, but I'm not sure how much I should spend for them. How much is reasonable for full meal packs and heaters? Any suggestions on where to get them?

What about those 4oz water packets? They seem like a good idea to me, assuming they have a long shelf life. Of course, I'd also get some water purification tablets.

What about pharmaceuticals? Can broad spectrum anti-biotics be bought off the shelf? What's their shelf life?

Additional items I'm looking at: first aid kit, hand-cranked radio, and heavy blankets.

As for ams and ammo, I'm sufficiently supplied in that department.[/*][/list]
 
#2 ·
Do I understand you will be staying put?

If so, you should skip the mre and water pack things and go to Sam's club or any warehouse club and stock up on canned and dried foods and bottled water, you can put this in rotation with your normal diet and not have to worry about shelf live as long as you don't over do it. Same with first aid stuff. I'm a little short on some of that, but I do have some basic stuff for non-emergency room events. Thirty day or more on any prescriptions drugs etc. should hold you for starting out. You should have some way to cook food in case those services are disrupted. Think of the things you would need and only stock up on those, anything else you can probably fore go unless you you can afford all the goodies, which most of us can't.

Hope that gives you some ideas for starting out.
 
#3 ·
I'm with Wild Trapper,to live out a short term(30 day) disruption of services you would only need the basics. Rice and beans(dried), and Ramen noodles store forever and take up little space and have all the carbs and protein you need. Canned vegetables and meats to supplement. A 30 day supply for just you of the above would cost about $50. Don't forget the multi vitamins to supplement the meager diet. MREs are great for a quick easy meal and field use and store really well. I pay $4 each in bulk for them at gunshows where a case of 12 go for $48-50. You will pay more if you MUST have them RIGHT NOW,about $60-75 a case of 12. Ebay always has a bunch,get the military type if possible. They have more calories per meal and most civie ones don't have heaters. Water for short term use could be a few cases of Dasani that you rotate out and gallons of Wal-Mart distelled water that you can either rotate out or throw away(.50 a gallon). Figure up your daily water needs and then DOUBLE that number. You have to wash,cook,clean,bathe.......

Medicine would be only what you need to keep from croaking during that 30 days,you should already know what those are :shock: . Blood pressure meds,Insulin,ect. Then a small first aid kit with the normal stuff. Anti-biotics are available over the counter almost everywhere....if you are a horse. Would work in a pinch but I will take my chances on a 30 day kit of not needing them.

Get a good sleeping bag instead of blankets,cheaper and more effective. Sportsmans guide has their Sascatchuan(SP :?: ) bag on sale for about $40 right now and it is quite a bag as long as you don't have to carry it around. It's a bit bulky. Rated to 0 degrees.

As Wild Trapper touched on get a gas grill or a multi fuel stove to cook with and some lights(flashlights and lantern) and a radio with extra batteries....the crank ones don't do so swift.

All of this would change if you said 6 months or a year living on your own............
 
#4 ·
Don't forget toilet paper, soap, toothpaste, femalion hygene products, and batteries. Wild Trapper was right with canned foods you eat anyway. The cost might be a little high at first but you will be rotating it in. By a little extra each trip to the store and you won't notice a big hit in your wallet. A tornado knocked out our power the day we moved into a new house. We stay pretty well stocked with camping supplies so it wasn't bad but the weather was a little hot. One of the mesh tents for picknics would have been nice while eating outside. We actually had a good time the six days the power was off. We still went to work and used the experience as a practice run. You could turn off the power and water for a day or so and learn pretty fast what you need. Just don't get overwhelmed and give up. It takes time and effort to be prepared but you going in the right dirtection.
 
#5 ·
trobertson5-0 said:
Get a good sleeping bag instead of blankets,cheaper and more effective. Sportsmans guide has their Sascatchuan(SP :?: ) bag on sale for about $40 right now and it is quite a bag as long as you don't have to carry it around. It's a bit bulky. Rated to 0 degrees.
I have one and find it isnt to hard to carry round if I did have to E&E anytime soon. It weighs about 5 lbs and is built tough, I would recommend it to anyone who will be possibly traveling in the winter or needs to stay warm.
 
#6 ·
A good way to start is to make a list of everything you buy for a month - food, soap, toilet paper, etc. That will give you (assuming you don't eat out a lot) an idea of how much you really need. You can also see what fresh and frozen foods you buy, and which can be replaced with canned or dried.

Then, if money is a concern (and when isn't it), you can buy just a few extras each time you go to the store. For example, if you need a new tube of toothpaste, buy two - the extra $3 or 4 won't be as much of a hit as buying an enire months supplies, all at once. You just have to be disciplined enough to buy another when 1 is used, not when 2 are. Put the new items on the shelf in in the back, and rotate everything.

Now, you need a way of cooking and heating. Hopefully you have a fireplace, store a lot of wood. Close up most of your house and get everyone together in one or two rooms to cut down on heating requirements. Get sleeping bags, don't plan on using lightweight blankets or radiant heat.

Get a propane (easier to use and store) stove and a couple of 5-gallon propane tanks, and the hose to connect the two. You can often find these at garage sales. If it's at al possible, cook outside for safety's sake.

You do have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, and smoke detectors, right? Your local fire station will most likely be tremendously willing to show you how to use an extingusiher, if you ask.

Water is an issue - realistically you'll need 2-3 gallons a day per person (more in the summer or winter) for cooking (especially with dried foods) and basic hygiene. If you don't have a large body of water handy you should store it. I have a couple of 55 gallon poly drums set up plumbed into the water softener, so the water is always refreshed. You can also get water out of your water heater (make certain that the valve actually works, they occasionally will corrode shut). If you have more than one bathroom, decide on which ONE you're going to use, and then save used water (after you've cooked, washed, etc) in buckets to flush the toilet - just pour a gallon or two into the bowl and away it goes.

A wind-up radio is a great idea, as are some flashlights and lanterns. I buy batteies in bulk at Costco and store them in the freezer so they will last longer, just let them warm up before you install them in anything. A battery powered or wind up clock, books, board games, etc are good ideas as well.


Other things to do: Get some 2 liter soda bottles, and fill them most of the way (not all) with water - then freeze them. Leave them in the freezer and if power goes out, they will help keep things frozen longer. Get some first aid training, and then make a first aid kit (the commercial ones are usually junk). If you need any special medications then get an extra months (or more) supply. Stock pet foods.

BTW, all of these preparations are good for all sorts of things, not just a natural or man made disaster.

Good luck!
 
#8 ·
Wow, lots of good advice here.

I am planning for shelter in place, but I would like the flexibility to head for the hills if need be.

A sleeping bag do seem like a much better idea than just blankets.

I'd forgotten about flash lights! Has anyone used the ones that you can power up by shaking? Not having batteries is great, but I wonder how long they stay lit before you have to shake them up again.

I was thinking MRE as opposed to canned goods or Raman for a couple reasons: I wouldn't need a stove or lots of water for them; they're nutritionally complete; and if bugging out starts to look more attactive than staying put, they're easier to manage. My basement stays nice and cool year-round, so I'm not too worried about their shelf-life.

Water is more of a concern since there isn't a lot of water around here. I might have to look into Flighterdoc's water softener tank idea.
 
#9 ·
MRE's are expensive, and get old very quickly. If you want the flexibility to leave, get some MRE's and get regular food as well - you can't carry a months worth of MRE's with you.

I keep meaning to get one of those shaker flashlights. Even if it's not the worlds best flashlight, the storage options are terrific.
 
#11 ·
CJM said:
trobertson5-0 said:
Get a good sleeping bag instead of blankets,cheaper and more effective. Sportsmans guide has their Sascatchuan(SP :?: ) bag on sale for about $40 right now and it is quite a bag as long as you don't have to carry it around. It's a bit bulky. Rated to 0 degrees.
I have one and find it isnt to hard to carry round if I did have to E&E anytime soon. It weighs about 5 lbs and is built tough, I would recommend it to anyone who will be possibly traveling in the winter or needs to stay warm.
I just meant it takes up alot of space,it's not too heavy,but even in the compression sack it fills up a large ALICE pretty well. GREAT bag other than the bulk. I have 3 that the family uses for camping during the fall and we love them. TJR
 
#12 ·
TJR I strap mine to the outside of my italian ruck i also got from SG, works like a charm with some carbiners and some nylon straps.

Anyways if your looking for a good battery powered flashlight I carry 3 simple ones in my ruck i love. a small white inova led with lith. battery,
a mini mag AA with a redlens i made from another mini, and my favorite a streamlight twintask (3/5 led and kyrpton bulb) in either 3C or 2D. Both last a damn long time on one set of batteries and use common batteries. sure i love the surefire lights or the lithium powered ones but where you gonna find some of those in a pinch?
 
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