First Hundred Things That Go In A Collapse (Part 1)

I have referenced this list before, the first hundred things that disappear in a collapse. It was originally created based on the feedback from survivors of the Bosnian war with special attention from the experiences of those who lived through the siege of Sarajevo. The list has been updated (to some degree) to reflect the slightly different world we live in these days and a slightly different culture/economy.

I few weeks ago Wonderful Wife and I reviewed the list together. We did our best to determine what items did, or did not, apply to us. For the items that did apply we tried to determine how well we had that item covered. For the items where we determined there was a gap we put together at least a rough plan for filling the gap.

I thought it might be useful to some of you to share our thoughts on the items, our gaps and our plans. I also thought it might be useful to share these things because many of you might have better ideas than we did. So, feedback is not only encouraged but would be much appreciated.

We start with the first ten items on the list:

1. 1. Generators – Prices can range from a few hundred dollars to thousands. Lots of fuel must be stored (away from home). Noisy…target of thieves; maintenance, etc.
      We do have a generator and it has pretty decent capacity and can run our freezers, a room air conditioner and charge our devices. We have some fuel stored up and more in our vehicle tanks if we needed to use it. On the downside it is an older model and very noisy. We don’t have a spare or backup so if it were to go down during a crisis we will be out of luck. We would like to add  a second generator as a backup or new primary. Before making a purchase we want to evaluate and price dual fuel generators, inverter generators and even the battery packs they call generators.
   2. Water Filters/Purifiers – The Sawyer Mini Water Filter is highly recommended and widely available. For higher usage volume check out the Sawyer Bucket Kit.
      We already have a few smaller water filters, both Sawyer and LifeStraw. Our short term plan is to stocking up on a few more portable Sawyer filters and then look at something larger.
   3. Zippo Lighters, butane, Bic lighters
      We have a handful of these already in our preparedness kit and in our various bags. We will continue to stock up on them.
   4. Seasoned Firewood – (About $100 per cord; wood takes 6 – 12 mos. to become dried, for home uses.)
      This one is a non-issue for us. We don’t have a fireplace or wood burning stove so it would not do us much good.
   5. Lamp Oil, Wicks, Lamps – (First choice: Buy CLEAR oil. If scarce, stockpile ANY!)
      We did away with our hurricane lamps after the flood. It had been years or decades since we used them. We do have candles as well as some electric lamps and a propane lantern or two. We’ll use those for light if needed.
   6. Tents
      We have two or three. I have a backpacking tent I used to use when motorcycle camping. We have a larger family tent as well as a tent that fits in the back of the truck. I think we are set for this item.
   7. Guns, Ammunition, Pepper Spray, Knives, Clubs, Bats and Slingshots Any means of defense will be highly sought after.
      This is another area where I think we are pretty well set. We have at least one AR and one semi-auto pistol for each adult member of the household. We are pretty well stocked on ammunition. I have plenty of fixed blade and folding knives. I give each of my girls pepper spray for Christmas plus I have couple for myself. As a baseball and softball player I have a handful of bats laying around. There may be a crossbow and a few “improvised” weapons around as well. I would like to add some “bear spray” to the mix.
   8. Manual Can Openers – These can be picked up for as little as $1.00 each.
      We don’t have an electric one and we have several around the house but we bought a spare based on this list.
   9. Sweeteners such as sugar and honey.
      We stock both not only in our pantry as well as our emergency pantry. We will make sure to increase out supply level.
   10. Rice – Beans – Wheat – (White rice is now around $20 – 50# bag @ Sam’s Club, pack in Mylar with oxygen absorbers)
       We have a number of buckets set up with both beans and rice for long term storage. These are also a staple of our pantry and emergency pantry. We will continue to build up our stock.

We will work through the remainder of the list in future posts but as I mentioned above please make suggestions and provide your thoughts on these items.

Be alert, get prepared, fight the good fight!

God bless and God save the Republic.