Need to get a head start on your Preparedness Plans? I’ve made it easy with this 150-item Preparedness List for you!
I’m part of a group of amazing women who are interested in keeping their families prepared for any of life’s emergencies (big or small), and in creating a life that’s more self-sufficient, self-reliant, and sustainable. I’m proud to call them my friends, to look to them for information and knowledge, and advice.
Recently, we’ve all gotten together to create the 150 Series, and I’ll be sharing them with you here on the blog.
Best 150 Preparedness & Homesteading Items
I want to thank all the ladies who put these lists together. This is a valuable resource for those just getting started and those who want to make sure they’ve gotten everything!
And as a word to those of you who are just getting started. PLEASE, please don’t let this list overwhelm you! It’s just a list that you can work on as you go. Not every item is something you’ll need for your particular circ*mstance, so don’t feel like you have to have it all right now.
Use the list as a reference guide for those things you can use, keep track of what you need to purchase or learn to make, take pride in how far you’ve come, and make goals for what you need to accomplish!! It’s a tool, not a judgment!
These lists aren’t exhaustive, and I’ve included items in places you might not normally think to use them (vinegar and baking soda as sanitation supplies, etc.) While I haven’t linked to how you can purchase all of the items, I have linked to a few specific products or a blog post to explain further. Feel free to add your own items in the comments, and I’ll add them to the list!
Food Storage
- Ready-to-eat canned goods
- Beans, rice, and other staples
- Powdered milk and/or shelf-stable milk
- Canned proteins
- Salts
- Spices (store whole to last longer!) & herbs
- Condiments
- Water supplements (Kool-aid, Tang, Crystal Light)
- Grains & flours
- Sweeteners (syrup, sugar, honey)
- Yeasts & leaveners
- Off-grid appliance alternatives (french press, hand grinders)
- Buckets, bags, vacuum sealers, and other storage containers
- Wheat, grains & seeds (can be used for sprouting which is a good fresh food source full of protein when nothing else may be fresh)
- Freeze-dried, dried, & prepared food storage
- Powdered foods (milk, peanut butter, honey, butter, cheese, eggs)
- Can, jar & 5 gal bucket openers
Preserving
- Canners
- Canning equipment
- Pressure Canner
- Water bath canner
- Canning Jars
- Canning Lids (tattler or regular)
- Dehydrating equipment
- Dehydrator
- Mandolin
- Pickling jars
- Fermenting supplies
Water
- WaterFilters
- Berkey
- Lifestraw
- Sawyer Mini
- LifeFamily
- Coffee filters
- Bleach/pool shock
- Water Storage
- Waterbob
- WaterBricks, etc.
- Water bottles
- Hand pumps
Clothing
- Coats
- Shoes & socks
- Clothing
- Linens
- Gloves, hats, mittens
- Winter gear
- Boots & galoshes
- Bandanas
- Clotheslines, racks & clothespins
- Fabric
- Sewing kits, needles, thread
- Sewing machines
- Crochet & Knitting supplies (needles, drop spindle/hand cards/hackles)
Fire, Fuel & Heat
- Fire Starters
- Flint
- Matches
- Tinder
- Homemade fire starters (wax + tinder)
- Ferro rods
- Lighters
- Magnesium starters
- Propane
- Fuel tabs
- Firewood
- Charcoal
- Gasoline & diesel
- Generator
- Kerosene
- Lamp oils
- Matches (waterproof as well as kitchen)
- Camptoves, fireplace, room heaters, stoves + equipment
First Aid/Medical/Herbal
- First Aid Kits (to get a head start until you build a full first aid system)
- Bandaids & bandages
- Scissors, tweezers
- OTC Medications (be sure to keep in adult & children dosages)
- Pain relievers
- Allergy meds
- Cold remedies & symptom relief (Mucinex!)
- Antibiotics & creams
- Diarrhea treatment
- Vitamins & Supplements
- Eye drops, washes/rinses
- Prescription Medications
- Extra glasses & supplies
- Extra dentures & supplies
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Alcohol wipes
- Epsom salts
- Medical kits & supplies (for suturing, major wound trauma)
- Tampons & pads (yes, these help in wound care)
- Dental kits
- Condoms & other barriers (Condoms can be used for water gathering, etc.)
- Alcohol
- Surgical gear
- suturing kits
- major wound trauma (Israeli bandages, Quick clot)
- masks
- duct tape
- shrouds
- tarps
- plastic sheeting
- garbage bags
- gowns
- etc.
- Essential oils
Gardening & Homestead
- Seeds & Heirloom Seeds
- Diatomaceous Earth
- Tools (think human-powered – scythe, push mower, hoes, rakes)
- Pet supplies
- Chickens and other livestock + supplies
- Bedding for livestock
- Feed
- Forging equipment
Home
- Candles
- Lanterns & Lamps
- Fire Extinguishers & Alarms
- Escape ladders
- Extra locks & keys
- Flashlights (my favorite personal)
- Weather Radio
- Ham, CB & 2-way radios
- Batteries and chargers
- Glow sticks
- Solar lights
- Blankets
- Hot water bottles
- Meat Grinder (hand crank)
- Grain mill & food mill
- Sewing kits
- Water dams
Knowledge
- Gardening Books
- Food Preservation Books
- Herbal Remedies
- First Aid
- Homestead Skills & knowledge
- School books
- Survival skills
- Identification books (plants, birds, trees, mushrooms, snakes)
- Family Emergency Encyclopedias
Sanitation
- Feminine Hygiene (Tampons, pads, cups)
- Alternatives for toilet
- Emergency toilets
- Buckets
- Trash Bags
- Lime, cat litter, and sawdust for layering
- Potty wipes (whether homemade or store purchased)
- Baby wipes (bathing and cleaning)
- Toilet Paper
- PaperProducts
- Plates
- Cups
- Towels
- Utensils
- Soaps of all kinds
- Laundry
- Hand
- Soap Making Supplies
- Anti-bacterial and anti-fungal sprays and cleansers (bleach, peroxide, tea tree oil, etc.)
- Vinegar
- Baking Soda
- Bleach
- Teeth (brushes, floss, mouthwash, picks)
- Dental kits for repairs
- Cat litter (cleans up oil spills, etc.)
- Heavy Duty Garbage bags and liners
- Washtubs and washboards for clothing
Shelter
- Tarps
- Tents
- Sleeping bags
- Emergency Blankets & ponchos
Survival
- Navigation equipment & maps
- Signaling equipment
- Mirrors
- Flares
- Tags & markers
- Backpacks & bags
- Escape plans
Tools & Gear
- Bullets
- Self Defense items (guns, bats, knives, sprays, tasers, etc.)
- Tools
- Duct tape, electrical tape, strong glues
- Rope, string, twine, fasteners, zip ties
- Tarps
- Chainsaw & supplies (hand-powered versions, too)
- Hand saws, hacksaws & blades
- Hand-powered tools
- Hunting equipment
- Guns
- Bows/Arrows
- Slingshots
- Extra supplies
- Fishing
- Hooks, sinkers, bait
- Rods & reels
- Traps & nets
- Extra supplies
- Traps & nets
- Fur trade equipment
- Axes, hatchets & knives
- Extra building materials
- PVC
- Wood
- Hammers & nails/screws
- bricks
- fencing
Transportation
- Bikes & Scooters
- tires
- tubes
- pumps
- patches
- Tires & extra equipment for cars, trucks & motorcycles
- Fix-a-flat, tools & patches
- Battery chargers
- Wagons, carts, and other pull-behinds
- Fuel
- Tools
- Emergency equipment
- De-icer, cat litter
Misc. & Treats
- Sweets & Treats (everyone needs a little chocolate now and then, else no one will survive!)
- Coffee, tea
- Cards & board games
- Paper
- Pens
- Books
- Crayons
- Rubber bands, zip ties, and other fasteners
- Sports equipment
What Are Your Best Preparedness Items to Stock?
If you would to print off this list of preparedness items to add to your Family Emergency Encyclopedias, click here to find a great tutorial on how to print it and edit it to suit your needs!! If you’d like to print it off as is, without editing, download a copy here. (Please don’t share the document, just send your family and friends to this post so that they can read it for themselves and download their own copy).
Again – this list isn’t exhaustive. The food storage portion, alone, can be massive, but this is a list to get you thinking about the basics that you may or may not need and to get you started! Feel free to add your suggestions in the comments, and I’ll get them added!
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Katy Willis is a writer, lifelong homesteader, and master herbalist, master gardener, and canine nutritionist. Katy is a preparedness expert and modern homesteader practicing everyday preparedness, sustainability, and a holistic lifestyle.
She knows how important it is to be prepared for whatever life throws at you, because you just never know what's coming. And preparedness helps you give your family the best chance to thrive in any situation.
Katy is passionate about living naturally, growing food, keeping livestock, foraging, and making and using herbal remedies. Katy is an experienced herbalist and a member of the CMA (Complementary Medical Association).
Her preparedness skills go beyond just being "ready", she's ready to survive the initial disaster, and thrive afterward, too. She grows 100% organic food on roughly 15 acres and raises goats, chickens, and ducks. She also lovingly tends her orchard, where she grows many different fruit trees. And, because she likes to know exactly what she's feeding her family, she's a seasoned from-scratch cook and gluten-free baker.
Katy teaches foraging and environmental education classes, too, including self-sufficient living, modern homesteading, seed saving, and organic vegetable gardening.
Katy helps others learn forgotten skills, including basic survival skills and self-reliance.
She's been published on sites such as MSN, Angi, Home Advisor, Family Handyman, Wealth of Geeks, Readers Digest, and more.
