Topic Takeover - the definitive stockpile

[Stratter5]

Original credited to atticusclaw2*

water
water
water
water purification tablets/lifestraw
fold up water carrier
glucose tablets
cereal bars/survival biscuits
headache tablets/plasters/small first aid kit
essential medication
multivitamins
copies of important documents
photo of each family member
torch and head torch plus spare batteries
matches
knife
local area map
emergency whistle
small tarp
bin bags
waterproof coat
mylar blanket
compass
£100 in small denominations
wind up/solar radio
candles
glow sticks
parachute cord bracelet
paper and pencil
hand sanitizer
toilet paper
babywipes
hard wearing gloves
walking socks
sleeping bag

[winchester1]

What's the aim with this list?
Surviving in the wilds, a city, just getting to somewhere else?

This is where i struggle with whats needed tbh. My house is self sufficient we could survive 3 plus months with no power and the food we have. Longer during winter.

But what scenarios require everyone to leave their houses? So if its a house fire say we would stay with family we would need baby bed, pram, clothes (copies of docs are in the fire safe although that needs updating) but what else?

And what scenarios require us all to leave an area?

[Stratter5]

I work on the most likely scenarios, which for me are a pandemic or exceptional weather. We're not going to have a terrorist attack, a major earthquake, or tsunami here, I think any form of WW3 is unlikely, and bio terrorism is close enough to a pandemic scenario to be prepped for in a virtually similar way.

So for me, unless it's something like flooding, bugging IN is most likely.

[winchester1]

Yh I think house fire is the only likely scenario we would need to leave the house for.
So I guess that's as simple as check the insurance and update the docs in the fire safe.
What important docs do you have copies of?
So far I have,
Passports
Insurance papers (building, personal)
Bank details
Contact details for insurance and accountants
A bit of spare cash (maybe a spare bankcard) - don't know what's sensible though. I mean in a house fire local family would collect us (or we could walk round) and go back to theirs and a hotel is further so we wouldn't be going overnight any where.

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

Adding:-

Cat litter and strong plastic bin bags.

No water: empty your toilet of the water. Line with bin bag. Poo in loo-no peeing if you have a garden, do it there-put a little cat litter on top ready for the next person.

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

Yes I do that EmbarrassedPrepper keep on top of laundry and ironing in case of a.....in case I need to!

[atticusclaw2]

My original list was my OFRS list but I have other things in the stockpile for bugging in. Mainly a lot of food but also things like walkie talkies (which would come with us but live out of the bag so that they're always charged). Binoculars would also be handy but again they live out of the OFRS because we use them.

There's a list floating around on the internet somewhere about the things that would disappear first in the event of a disaster (compiled I think from someone who lived through the war in Bosnia). Top of the list was a chemical toilet.

[atticusclaw2]

Oh and tin openers. I have three in the stockpile!!

[atticusclaw2]

There's a cool video from a pair of Russian guys on youtube showing you how to open a tin in seconds without a tin opener.

[winchester1]

Its pretty easy to open a tine with a knife and it doesn't need to be very sharp (not a dinner/butter knife though)
Just stand I point down on the top and use the butt of your palm to knock it in. Then just use it to cut around the top of the tin.
I didn't own a tin opener for yrs as a student.

[winchester1]

Once its in tilt it back and use the blade to cut upwards into the metal and then move it on a bit. It works in the opp way tona solid opener.

[Toomuch2young]

Seriously?? People do this?! The only time I have heard of this is with hordes of people in the usa having underground shelters built in their houses and stockpiling a years worth of food!
Is this something we should all be doing or is this a joke. Confused.

[atticusclaw2]

It depends toomuch. Certainly its something you should consider.

You might take the view that you'd never want to bother and life will be fine - which it might.

But then there could be a major power outage leaving us all without food, water, heat, ability to access fuel or cash etc. If that happened for three months could you cope? Nothing would work, shops wouldn't be open or have anything in stock, people would be fighting over food and water for their children.

I'm not sure that being around in the event of something permanent and horrific would be what many of us would want but what if it was short term panic and breakdown of society followed by a return to semi normality after a few months? I'd certainly want to try very hard to get my family through that.

So yes, people really do think about these things

[atticusclaw2]

plus if you use a knife you could cut yourself and risk it getting infected.

The Russian guys do it by rubbing the tin on concrete. The seal goes very quickly and it just pops open.

[winchester1]

Yh blunt side for beer and champagne or any hard surface.

Yh some do it a little some alot a few extra tins of food for a power cut or job loss is never a bad thing I think.

[winchester1]

Always face the blade away from you and hold the tin with your elbow - of course! [I'm a loon - icon]

[Toomuch2young]

Thanks for explaining atticus it is certainly something to think about.

[atticusclaw2]

I might let DH try that one . He'd be useless anyway unless a lifetime supply of his gout medication dropped out of the sky

[KatherineMumsnet]

We are moving this over to our brand new Preppers topic in a mo

[ISpidersmanYouMeanPirate]

Placemarking to get ideas!

I'm actually beginning to think I need to have a bugging in place for everything. At the moment I have a bug out bag, then everything else (candles, matches, food, water) is just stored wherever.

Problem is I'm in a flat....! And space is not readily available. Plus I need it to be away from tiny curious fingers.

Any spare space we have atm is gradually being filled with Christmas presents (again, I consider it to be prepping )

[ISpidersmanYouMeanPirate]

How about disposable gloves and face masks?

I've bought a load of face masks in case of an epidemic - I'm sure pharmacies will run out of those quickly...