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When it comes to survival situations, the ability to estimate what the future will hold is a practical and often life-saving skill. There are plenty of necessities needed to ensure that you and your family remain safe even when SHTF. The reliance on power, water access, and fuel is often null and void when it comes to actual survival.
Stockpiling off-grid supplies, those items that don't require provided energy connections to function, are a great way to keep your family safe in the future. While some of these items may seem trivial today, they would be valuable in a life-or-death situation.
Keep reading to find out which off-grid supplies will be worth their weight in gold one day.
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1. Ammunition
Many homesteaders and homeowners alike have access to a firearm within their homes. Stocking up on ammunition is always a good thing because you never know when or if the use of ammunition or firearms will be regulated.
It is essential to stock up on ammunition that you use for your own guns, as well as others that you could trade in an emergency situation. Always store ammunition in a secure safe where children and strangers can't access it.
2. Baking Soda
Another easy supply to stockpile is baking soda. This natural neutralizing powder has many uses when wanting to be self-sufficient and off the grid.
Baking soda can help clean pipes, drains, and hard surfaces mixed with a bit of water. It also has medical properties like helping to relieve heartburn and disinfecting raw fruit and vegetables. Baking soda can also help put out a fire in an emergency.
3. Bleach
Another great item to stockpile is bleach. Not only is bleach a natural disinfectant, but it can also help sterilize water and kill germs and bacteria. Bleach is a cheap supply now but could very well be a hot commodity in the future.
The recent COVID-19 pandemic showed us all how vital bleach is in disinfection and keeping people safe from disease. Add bottles of bleach to your supply as a necessary off-grid item.
4. Dryer Lint
Although this supply doesn't weigh a lot, it would definitely be worth its weight in gold in a survival situation. The dryer lint you collect from the dryer screen is an easy way to start a fire and is highly flammable.
Start collecting dryer lint after every few laundry cycles to store away as a helpful fire starter. Store collected lint in a glass jar or container to keep it dry and safe from flames until you need it to start a fire.
5. Duct Tape
Another useful off-grid supply is duct tape. This supply is hard to reproduce in a survival situation, making it quite valuable. You can use duct tape to secure fabric or curtains around windows as well as wrap a splinted leg or arm after an accident.
It also helps to secure or cover holes within a shelter. Duct tape also is quite helpful when trying to fix a pipe or rig up a contraption that you may need in an emergency. It stores well, doesn't spoil, and is easy to add to your stockpile.
6. Flint and Steel
While matches are helpful during an emergency, you will want to rely on a reusable fire source instead of a one-and-done option. Flint and steel is an easy tool to have in your stockpile that should always provide a spark with a quick strike. Store a few of them throughout your supply so that you always have one on hand.
7. Hydrogen Peroxide
This emergency supply staple is critical to have in your first aid kit. Hydrogen peroxide is a great option to clean cuts, wounds, or scraps on both people and livestock. It disinfects wounds that could escalate into a major medical emergency or infection. Hydrogen peroxide is relatively easy to access, and purchasing large bottles of it is a great way to keep your family safe in the future.
8. Liquor
Storing bottles of liquor in an emergency has plenty of uses as well. While alcohol could help calm your nerves, it also is a natural painkiller after an accident or sickness. Liquor is flammable, making it an option to help start a fire if needed. It also is a natural disinfectant for cuts and scrapes to kill bacteria. Liquor doesn't go bad and is easy to store in glass bottles.
9. Painkillers
Everyone should have a good amount of first aid and medical supplies within their home. Painkillers are part of a well-stocked first aid kit, and while they do expire and diminish in potency, you can use the medicine in an emergency situation if needed. Make sure to stock multiple types of adult and children's painkillers to ensure that everyone in the family is covered when it comes to killing pain in a survival situation.
10. Salt
We all need salt in our diets to help maintain proper body function. Salt is one of those supplies that you may not think about until it is too late. Stockpiling salt is a great way to ensure that your family's diet is healthy even off the grid.
Salt without any added ingredients doesn't expire, making it a great option to store away in the stockpile. There are also plenty of uses for salt, like killing poisonous plants, repelling insects, and even putting out a grease fire.
11. Trash Bags
You may think that trash bags have little to no use in a survival situation. However, when you think of the many ways you can use a trash bag (other than gathering trash), you begin to see the value of this off-grid supply.
The function of a trash bag is to keep things contained and to keep things out. Use this supply to shield yourself from rain as a poncho, wrap-around worn shoes for protection, or draped across windows as blackout curtains. Trash bags also can help keep the body warm in an emergency and protect food from predators. Stockpiling a few boxes of trash bags is an easy way to prepare for survival.
12. Vinegar
As a natural cleaner, the acidity of vinegar makes it very useful. Vinegar can be used to clean up messes as well as disinfect germs and bacteria. It also can help preserve food by pickling fruits and vegetables to use for later. Stockpiling multiple varieties of vinegar, like apple cider and white, is a great idea.
All of these off-grid supplies are an essential part of any emergency stockpile. Not only can they help ensure that your family is safe, but they also provide many uses for those families who prefer to use off-grid options as well.
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Good list but three of those items degrade over time; baking soda, bleach and hydrogen peroxide. The list would be better with things that would still be worth using as time goes by.
I’m not sure about bleach because I’ve never tested them but, as for hydrogen peroxide and baking soda…….absolutely “wrong”. I have baking soda that is over 10 years old and when tested by the hot water test and others, it’s just fine. As to peroxide, that too is still effective after 8 years so, so much for that claim. I have been prepping for emergencies for well over 25 years now and I’ve done many, many tests on items on this site and most of them are mostly if not completely wrong. “Nuff said. Stay safe and God bless.
liquid bleach degrades dramatically over time. Get solid, powdered bleach. Last 10x longer
All liquids normally have a experation date of 6 months the exception is alcohol.so this list is a poor quality
Your spelling and grammar are also of poor quality – should we “throw all of Timothy out because of a minor quality problem” as you seem to think should be done to this entire list? Besides, most expiration dates are put there only because the gov’t. says so. The only reason water has a date is due to the plastic leaching into the water.
If you want to store bleach long term, go for the powdered forms, like pool shock granules. Once bleach is mixed into liquid form it starts to degrade. After 6 months it’s no longer at full strength, and it’s certainly not a good long term item. I store calcium hypochlorite one pound bags for making liquid bleach in an emergency, and its well worth reading up on.
Good job dmwalsh568. Strange that so few prepper articles mention dry bleach crystals. Regular liquid bleach has 6.35% strength. A regular gallon of ‘Pool Shock’ has 12.70 % strength. Dry bleach crystals has 74 % strength. No need to ever buy regular liquid bleach when ‘Pool Shock’ is usually the same price and on clearance at the end of summer. Keep up the good work. Blessings
People don’t seem to consider plain old vaseline. Good for chapped lips, cracked hands, and cuts. It keeps germs out of cuts. Doctors have told me not to use Hydrogen Peroxide on wounds because it kills the heathly tissue around it. I have used a clean rag that was soaked in kerosene wrapped around wound that needed stiches. Vaseline and kerosene do not have a shelf life. I have a jar of vaseline in my tool box that is over 40 years old and will still use it.
I wish I could download these In pdfs
There’s a green print button at the top of each article that also allows you to download the article as a pdf.
I personally wouldn’t use AMMO to barter with they could come back and try to take your supplies and KILL YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.
All people who plan on bugging out; who’ll guard the place you’re leaving?