LONG-TERM SURVIVAL NEEDS

 for a PDF copy of this list

1.  Water stored to last at least 5 days, at one gallon per day per person. (If you buy cases of l/2 liters - you can buy enough to last a couple of months) 

2.  A good canteen and basins to catch rainwater. Also have a good supply of water purification tablets or bleach, or plan to boil your water. The surest way to purify water is to boil it for 15 to 20 minutes.

3.   Food for one year: (see: Longer Storage)  

If you have a baby, include formula and baby food.  If you have pets, you will want food for them as well.  Store food needs in waterproof containers, capable of also protecting against insects and mice. Use Steel garbage cans or plastic 5 gallon buckets.

4.  Manual grain grinder

5.  Medicines - Assemble a standard first aid kit, with a comprehensive first aid book. Also include things for headache, upset stomach, congestion, colds, such as Pepto Bismol, aspirin, Tylenol, Excedrin, disinfectants, prescription medicines; and anything else you use regularly. Include vitamins, apple cider vinegar, honey, garlic, golden seal, herbal tinctures, hops, catnip (which helps you sleep), herbs for cooking, including dried garlic and onions, cayenne pepper, cumin, basil, and coriander and salt.

6.  Toothbrushes, baking soda or salt to brush with, a good supply of dental floss (which can be used for other things as well) and another items you need for good tooth care.

7.  Extra eye glasses (even non prescription reading glasses)

8.  For a camp kitchen you need: camp stove with good supply of fuel (in wooded areas, all you need are rocks and a flat tin or grill), pots and pans, Dutch ovens, plates and bowls (unbreakable)  (you can use Army surplus camp kits)  cooking utensils, knife, forks, spoon, spatula, biodegradable dish soap, towels, bucket to carry water, dish pan, matches dipped in wax and stored in waterproof containers.

9.  A good tent, sleeping bag for each person, extra blankets, sleeping pads, and ground cloth - and another waterproof tarps to cover your camp gear.

10. Clothing - Have clothing for all weather. Include a good warm coat and sweaters, hat for rain or shine, rain gear, a good pair of hiking boots that will take years to wear out, warm winter underwear, wool socks, summer socks (don't wear socks with holes in them as they cause blisters) (learn to darn socks) (do not use cotton socks), work gloves, hats, and whatever else you need for warmth and protection.

11. Hunting equipment. Hunting might be necessary for survival in some situations. Be prepared both with equipment and knowledge of how to use the equipment. First choice of a gun is a .22 caliber rifle.  You can kill anything up to a deer with it. 1,000 (minimum) rounds of .22 hollow point bullets. A shotgun comes in handy for shooting things flying or running.   The bow and arrow is still one of the best weapons.  Practice, and of course, you can never run out of shells.  If you want to be unseen and unheard by unfriendly people, this would be a good idea.

12.  Fishing equipment. - Get basic equipment. Include assorted sized hooks, fish lines, sinkers, etc. Fishing takes time, but if you are moving toward long-term survival, time is something you may have plenty of.

13.  Wood stove. Get one with a secondary burn chamber. It uses less wood and creates less pollution. Get one with a flat top for cooking on.

14. Chain saw, extra gas and oil, spark plugs, chain, etc.

15. Bow saw and a tool to set the teeth with, extra blades.

16. Skill saw (for when you have electricity)

17. Axe, hatchet, files.

18. Spitting maul

19. Flashlights (LED last longest), with extra batteries and bulbs; candles; propane, kerosene, or Coleman lantern with plenty of fuel, and extra wicks and mantles.

20. A good pocket knife and a sharpening stone.

21. Hammers, assorted nails, assorted screws, wrench set, pliers, wire cutters, screw drivers, pipe wrench, 200 feet of 1/4 inch nylon rope, duct tape, epoxy glue.

22. Shovels, spades, hoes, and rakes with strong teeth

23. Charging system - wind, water, or solar - to pump water and provide electricity.  Generator with large fuel supply, diesel preferably.

24. Backpack - Waterproof. If you are forced to relocate, it may be all that goes with you.

25. Compass.

26. Up-to-date maps of the area you want to live in. This will show you land and water away from human habitation.

27. A 4 wheel drive vehicle with all the proper tools for maintaining it. Extra parts.

28. Tire chains for snow.

29. Radio. Have more than one (crank operated)

30. Soap for laundry and bathing.  Also learn how to make your own and have those supplies.

31. Insect repellent.

32. A mirror.  You'll want to see yourself, but you can use it for signaling as well.

33. Extra toilet paper.  Also keep old newspapers and telephone directories for emergencies. (Hint: if you need to use old newspaper, crinkle it up and straighten it out several times first -- it's much softer!)

34. Female needs - (Use cloth pads you can wash)

35. Baby diapers. (Use cloth you can wash)  

36. A basic sewing kit (needles and threads)

37. Safety pins

38. Swiss Army knife (multi-tool is better)

39. Bobby pins

40. Pencils and paper

41. Musical instruments (harmonica, flute, guitar)

42. Crazy glue, epoxy glue

43. Patch kit

Note: Warm clothing, think fleece. Fleece throws (the single blankets) are great gifts, roll up nice and compact and are very useful as blankets, capes, padding for sleeping on the ground, tablecloths or even hung up on a lean-to to break the wind.

44. Lots of good books to read.

45. .22 ammunition - amount stored should be 5000 rounds. It is small, inexpensive, and can be used as barter material if need be.

46. Bow & Arrows, extra strings, fletching tools & knocks

47. A sturdy, fixed blade hunting knife, survival or Marine Combat knife.

48. Sharpening stone

49. A pocket tool, such as those by Leatherman, Gerber.

50. 200' to 500' of 550# test Paracord is a great addition to your supplies, especially when the 1/4" nylon cord/rope is too thick or not the right tool for the job.

51. Boiling water may be effective, but it is not the best way to purify water. Boiling removes the oxygen content and causes it to be flat. For EMERGENCY purposes only one can use un-scented household bleach to purify water, but you should use only 1/2 teaspoon per 5 gallons of water (1 tsp should the water be cloudy). The best method is to use HTH dry chlorine (65%), which can be purchased in bulk at stores like WalMart, Target, KMart, etc. (Also a great barter item.)  The amount to use is 1/4 teaspoon (0.03 ounce) per 300 gallons for a 0.5 ppm of chlorine.

52. A complete cook set, cook pots, frying pan, plates, and cups...of good or better quality.

53. Two or three pairs of good hiking boots and one dozen pair bootlaces per pair of boots (laces also come in handy for short term temporary uses, too). Should the long-term effect be much longer than anticipated, then the extra boots will be needed. Also a couple pair of good cross-trainers or running shoes would be advisable.

54. Large handful of disposable lighters in addition to matches.

55. Diatomaceous earth is full of minerals and is a safe, non-toxic way to treat your food. Use 1/4 cup for a 5-gallon bucket of grain.  Half-fill the bucket, sprinkle 1/2 the dust on, put the lid on, roll the bucket all around, take the lid off, fill the bucket with more grain to the top, add the rest of the dust, roll it around and you're done.  You can do it in smaller batches, too.  In gallon jars and then pour it into the bucket.

An added step would be to re-open and add a small piece of dry ice to the top. Let the lid rest on top while the dry ice sublimates into gaseous carbon dioxide and displaces bug-breathable air. Then seal tightly.

Sealing your bags, boxes etc. to keep from getting damp, then freezing them for 3 days kills the eggs. 

You can also drop a couple of Bay leaves in since most bugs hate.  Bay leaves are good to use in almost any food storage situation

Another good storage trick for grains and legumes is to use oxygen absorber packs that can be purchased wherever food storage supplies are sold.  No oxygen = no living things, and no oxidation of the contents or the container.

To avoid insects, vacuum seal your food and store in 5 gallon plastic buckets with the snap on lids.  Or, store food directly in the 5 gallon buckets and pay to have the buckets nitrogen injected.

Second to vacuum sealing, you can use zip-lock bags.  Fill the bag, lower it into a sink full of water until the water is just to the zip- lock.  Seal the bag.  Remove and dry the bag off.  The water pressure pushes a lot of the extraneous gases (air) out of the bag.

Rats can, but won't gnaw into the 5 gallon buckets unless they have a reason to, like the odor of something on the other side. Properly sealed, a 5 gallon buckets should be odorless.

Rats require 3 things to survive, food, water and shelter.  Remove any one of these three things and the rat population disappears.

56. MAKING DO: Stock up on kids clothing from the 2nd hand stores, jeans, sweats, warm winter clothing, and if you can't get to a store for any reason, you should have plain white/beige muslin cloth to make longs skirts & shirts once your regular clothing is gone. You can make strong sandals out of tires so keep a few around and learning to work leather is a good idea too. Get a couple of old bikes too. Also get extra tubes & stuff to fix them with. 

58. MONEY?  Paper money is usually the first thing to become worthless in a sinking society. Gold, silver, gems and ammunition are what are needed after the governments all collapse.

59 - SALT:  Salt is scarce in wet climates away from the ocean.

60.  SPROUTS - A great source of food in time to come. For families with financial constraints buying even very large amounts of seeds to sprout is affordable.  You can live entirely on sprouts.

The seeds stay viable for many years and are packed with nutrition and living. 

Practice now, making and using sprouts.  You can do it simply:  for alfalfa sprouts (the most common) just use a tablespoon of seeds, soak them in some water in a jar over night.  The next day pour off the water.  The health food stores have a 3- piece lid kit to screw onto any wide-mouth canning jar.  After you pour off the water invert the jar on an angle upside down (I use a little dish to set it in).  Rinse those same sprouts twice a day, morning and night.  They don't need the sun to sprout.

After 2 or 3 days they will have all sprouted and you can set the jar in a sunny window if you wish to "green" them up for use in salads or eat out of hand.  You can drink the rinse water because it's packed with vitamins and minerals.  Or use this water to water your plants.  Or for your pet's water.

Some of the bigger seeds will make really big, long sprouts.  They taste the best when eaten young, though.  Older sprouts tend to taste somewhat bitter.  A sprout can actually be eaten anytime the tiny little root appears.

 61. CONTAINERS - get 5 gal. sturdy plastic containers. Fill EACH one with things such as Medical supplies, clothing, food, ammo, survival books, reading books, Classic books, tools, etc....and don't forget all the family pictures.