What is good to stock up on?

Ok so i have been stocking up on food and wate for awhile now and i just wanted to know what the best things to stock up on were?

Like foods that will last a good long while under any temperature.
How to store water, the best way.


And other such things.

Read through some of the older, "classic" survival threads in this forum.

As a quick general guide...

Canned food, water and water purification devices, fire-starters of various kinds, guns and plenty of ammunition, possibly gold or other barter tools.

I go with cheaper things that will last longer, including, pasta, rice, crackers, jams, and jellys. pickles, and relishes can even be used for a meal if needed. Canned meats. Including fish, corned beef, and even canned hams, and vienna sausages.

I also buy plenty of fruit rolls they will last a long time on the shelf as long as they are kept cool and dry. and it gives you your vitamins for the day.

Hilda

Aspirin, disinfectant, any medication you are now taking, toilet paper!!!!

But if you don't have a plan to protect your stuff from the maurding hordes that have nothing; it won't matter.

It's a brave new world, welcome to the monkey house.

Oatmeal has a very long shelf life and can last up to 80 years. I think canned foods are good, but avoid tomatoes in cans because eventually the acid in them will eat the can. You can store water in various ways, but if you have a purification system, that might be the most efficient. Water will eventualy go bad if alge or mold starts to form, so i say dig a well and use that. You can go to your county board of health and request a water test, and see if its safe to drink. If not, use your purification system.
Guns and ammo are good, also get some traps so you can catch some wild game, and not have to use your ammo. Stock up on things to start a fire, like matches dipped in wax for water proofing.

If you do not have your own well, or cannot operate said well with a hand pump, storing water should be the number one priority, IMHO. If nothing else, you've got to drink.

Here are a couple links with more information. Bear in mind that different philosophies exist on water storage, and you'll ultimately have to make your own decision on what's right. Personally, I've chosen soda bottles to make my water stores. I do not use any diet soda bottles, though, as I have read that the artificial sweetener involved can prematurely begin degradation on the plastic which would normally take decades to begin decomposing. Likewise with milk jugs which degrade in sunlight. Also, my municipal water supply chlorinates our water (thanks! ) so I do not add any bleach when storing. To prepare the bottles, I clean vigorously with dish detergent and hot water, rinse thoroughly, and use a cold bleach/water (about 1tbsp/bottle) brew to sanitize, being careful to make sure the cap gets special attention. Then they get dated and stored. As for storage, be clever. Remember, these are plastic bottles and could even be buried if space is tight.

www.ext.colostate.edu...
pubs.cas.psu.edu...
www.endtimesreport.com...

Ammunition.

Seriously, even if you do not have plans to rely on a firearm, at the very least, ammunition would be worth its weight in gold as a barter 'currency' as the demand for it will likely be enormous. Knives, fishing tackle and other various tools will have similar value. Along those same lines, a dozen boxes of cigarettes might not be a bad investment, either. Anything useful that you can trade will be an excellent investment.

Toilet paper, soap, toothpaste, etc, would be next on my list. As a bonus, its relatively inexpensive and lasts virtually forever in storage. Salt would be another good, practical choice that's imminently useful, cheap, and takes up little space.

Food and water? Stockpile to some degree, but realize that if it gets bad enough that you actually need to heavily rely on that stockpile, its probably going to be an extended crisis and you're eventually going to run out no matter how much you have. My advice would be to spend time learning as much as you can about which wild plants in your area are edible. 99.9% of the populace won't have a clue, and as such, you'll likely have a huge supply of food at your disposal, in addition to any game animals and fish that are available.



[edit on 29-6-2008 by vor78]

I like what im hearing guys I am getting good advice fom all of you and its really helping me out.

For water i never thought to date it but I do keep an inventory, I was also going to bury my plastic bottles to keep them chill and hidden. If worst comes to worst and people dont have clean water but they see me with my clean water I dont want them to rob me of my most valuable item.

As for guns, I dont currently have one I was going to get one soon though (I heard the crap was going to hit the fan sometime this year or next year). What model would be best for defense/hunting purposes?

Dry food will be VERY good, it sits for a long time and you can get in bulk for cheap. So I was planning on getting loads of oats, rice and beans. Oats and rice both have carbs, and beans have healthy fats and protein which is great because you can store up a good source of protein without worrying of it lasting. Canned foods though what kinds are best like spam how long will it last? Also canned fruits how long will they last?

You guys are great thanks for all your help thus far.

My two cents:

start growing your own food. If you live in apartment start growing food in containers on your balcony or under lights inside.

Make sure you have canned chickpeas (garbanzos), and learn how to grow chickpeas. They hate winter but need lots of water in summer. It is the single most underrated food crop that has so many benefits, especially once other protein sources are exhausted.

Also, you can pretty easily stock up on all sorts of nuts and with a little prep keep them good to eat for quite some time.

Be sure you've got water. You at least need something like a Berkey Light to purify water.

reply to post by caballero


If you know nothing about guns, you might consider bows and arrows. They are easy to hide and with a little practice you can learn how to hunt with one.

Also there are many cross bows available, and that is also a handy thing to have together with a supply of bolts to launch from the crossbow.

Depending on the length of time situation X will last. I would stock at least 2 yrs worth of dried and tinned goods. After this look at growing your own food and hunting.
Stock pile Heirloom seeds (google search) not Monsanto stuff.

Read all you can about agriculture/Horticulture etc, Blacksmithing, Preserving food. Basic mechanics like water wheels, Mills, rope pumps etc.

Get a good rifle .22 is good as you will be hunting small game mostly, But learn how to create snares/ traps. Problem ammo will run out eventually so learn how to make weapons from scratch.

Also learn about natural medicines in your area.

what you LEARN now will allow you to adapt more easily to future situations.

reply to post by caballero


As far as the firearms question is concerned, it depends on your situation and budget.

In all cases, I would purchase a couple of .22 rifles along with several thousand rounds of ammunition. Its ideal for hunting small game and while I'd want something more for self-defense, its not a toy by any means and makes a solid, inexpensive choice as an all-purpose backup rifle and one fully capable of tackling larger tasks in an emergency. Also, it is unique in the fact that you can pack 1,500-2,000 rounds in a backpack if you have to without suffering a terrible weight penalty, making it an excellent choice if you ultimately need to be on the move for an extended period. I'd guess that every 500 rounds weighs 4-5lbs.

Otherwise, there are an overwhelming number of choices in larger calibers that are much more suitable for large game and self-defense, none of them bad. I'll stop short of making a recommendation here. There have been past discussions on the board that can guide you or perhaps look to gun owner forums across the internet for guidance.



[edit on 29-6-2008 by vor78]

I havent seen this Idea yet and it helped me when i was living over seas.

I read alot about people suggesting firearms, and i agree 100%, but i suggest you dont rule out a high powered pellet rifle. somthing with a velocity of say 1700 fps which they make and higher.
if your a decent shot you can kill anything from squirls, birds, rabbits, wild turkey. It sounds rather foolish i know as air rifles are considered in most cases to be a childs toy but it reality and i speak from experience are absolutly the gold standered in my oppinion for hunting small game.
I have even caught fish with it in shallows.

Think about this, a rifle is loud and if you miss tend to scare of potential prey, not so with an air rifle.
A firearm has bulky and costly ammo.
With an air rifle you can carry on person multiple thousands of rounds that are cheap.
Firearms are high maintenance in comparison to an air rifle.
Air rifle are cheaper than actual firearms.
the one I used when I was in the jungle was only like 180 dollars.

I recomend having on hand actual firearms for larger game as well as self preservation. But when it comes to hunting and consuming a large amount of food with out costly ammo expended and with out alerting unwanted people to your presence with loud shots being fired, I tell you an air rifle is indispensable.

I gotta see how many people laugh me off the thread over this.

reply to post by snowen20


Its not a bad idea at all, particularly if you are on a very strict budget or in a country that limits firearm ownership. As long as it uses a manual spring or pneumatic pump, I think it would be an effective choice. Whatever you do, don't get one that needs to be pre-charged with a scuba tank or that uses CO2 cartridges. Obviously, these aren't going to be available in our scenario.

Personally, I'd just buy a couple of $40 Crosman 760s and a ton of BBs if I went that route. It has more than enough power to kill birds, rabbits, squirrels or anything else of similar size with no trouble at all. I don't know what the current construction quality is, but the one I had as an 8 year old is still working well over 20 years later, despite being horribly abused.

I think you're better off going with a .22 over the more expensive air rifles, though. The higher quality air rifles, when combined with quality pellet costs, save very little money over the .22 and you lose the ability to kill larger animals somewhat reliably if you absolutely have to. You can get a used Marlin 60 for around $75, for example. A new one is only about $130.


[edit on 29-6-2008 by vor78]

reply to post by vor78


Well thanks for lending me credit i expected less.
I actually used a break over pellet rifle and i purchased 10,000 rounds for a little less than 80 dollars. It lasted quite some time.
Bare in mind however i am all about going with an actual rifle and only advocated the use of a pellet gun as one of those last resort weapons when you are trying to ration amunition.
I myself at the time had an AR-15 and a marlin 30-30, and a cusomized 22 rifle that i actually liked better than them all.
so 22 is truley the way to go.
But if the time comes that ammo is running low, or you want to avoid attracting unwanted attention from "whoever" thats what i was recomending.
Silencers can also be made for them that are quite simple to construct and are nearly completely silent.

Yea I also like the air rifle idea, especially when I live in suburbia how many large game are going to roaming suburbia? But there will be TONS of small game, that is a really good idea I hadnt thought of.

If I was going to go for defense I would also have a rifle as well.

I also like the bow and arrow idea, however it would only be used fo hunting, so I can either get air rifle/rifle, or bow and arrow/rifle. Im just gonna go with whats most affordable on that one.

Guys, get real.

If you are within a gas tank's radius of any American metropolitan area when TSHTF, you'll be quickly dead if all you have is a Bow or a BB gun.

If you are on a budget, get a used Remington 870 or Mossberg 590 12 gauge Shotgun for around $200, 00 Buckshot and Slugs with Ghost Ring Sights for Fighting.

Get lots of Slugs, Brennekes, they punch through Brick Walls, Windshields and probably defeat soft body armor.

You can accessorize from there with assorted chokes, a light, birdshot, a sling, etc. if you wish.

I also highly recommend Fighting Tomahawks, Push Knives and Bear Strength and Size Pepper Spray Cans.

It's the software, you, not the hardware that really matters but a BB gun?, please.

Two Kick A backpacking water filters and a ton of replacement filters might be a plan of sorts.....could sell what you pump.....

We have a BB gun that we use now to keep feral cats out of the yard and any stray dogs. But he use to kill rabbits with it. So yeah it can be used to kill a meal . But we also have a 22 and a big shot gun just in case if we ever want to go hunting which we havent done in 4 years. But I better buy some extra ammo for it, just in case, with all the news lately its sounding more and more like it may be needed sooner more then later.

As for canned goods most canned goods will stay good up to 2 years on the shelf. But my mom has had some things for up to 5 years past there date and it was still good. just make sure the seal never breaks. And home canned goods stay longer then canned goods from the store.

Another thing that I do every now and then is I buy extra shampoo for the family. I buy up the cheap shampoo and soap. When its $1 a bottle I will buy 5 bottles and put 3 bottles away just in case and that will never go bad. And that may be worth trading some day.

Readers digest had a book out a few years back on wild plants if you can get that it would be great, it had medicinal values and edibal values. My mom had that for years and when she went in the boarding home it got lost. So I dont have it I wish I did but most any book store should have one something like it.

Hilda

Some better advice than what you've gotten so far(other than firearms and ammo) is knowledge. Learn how to grow crops, and how to survive in the wild. Stocking up on stuff is a good idea only if you have a secure location to keep it, but it limits your mobility. Through brigade quartermaster you can get water filter straws that you stick one end in a water source and just suck through it. Very lightweight and removes 99.9 percent of metals and bacteria. Also they have emergency ration bars that weigh very little and taste good. They have an 8 year shelf life and provide 600 calories per bar and are loaded with vitamins. Stocking up on stuff to barter with is the most retarded thing people are saying, because if you have something someone needs, then there is a high risk they'll kill you for it instead of trading. Then they have what you had and all their stuff too.