Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

So you’ve decided to become a prepper. Maybe you’ve been putting it off for a long time and now you’re finally ready to get started. Maybe a friend or family member went through a personal disaster like a burglary or bankruptcy and it got you thinking. Maybe you looked at what’s going on in the world and it made you worried about the future.
Whatever your reason, you’ve made a good decision. Not only will prepping vastly improve your chances of surviving a major disaster, it will grant you peace of mind while everything is still okay. But where should you begin? There are literally hundreds of survival items you’ll want to get. However, you don’t want to do a panic shopping run and buy a bunch of things you don’t actually need.
Prepping is about building up a supply of goods a little at a time. You can’t do it all at once because it’s not a one-time thing—it’s a lifestyle. You’ll need to make several long-term goals, and you should keep in mind that you’ll never actually be done. However, there are many people who would like to get a running start. That way if a disaster does happen in the near future, they won’t be too late.
This post is for those people. It covers 30 things every new prepper should get in order to meet the needs of their family for about two weeks.
Note: These items are not necessarily listed in order of importance.
1. Bottled Water
Get enough to last at least two weeks. Most preppers recommend one gallon per person per day, but I recommend two gallons per person per day just to be on the safe side. You might need extra water for cleaning dishes, washing your hands, etc. You can go with 5-gallon containers, single bottles, or the one-gallon containers. Just make sure the containers are fairly sturdy so you can reuse them.
2. Water Purification Method
If you run out of bottled water, you’ll need to purify any water you manage to collect. You can use unscented bleach, purification tablets, or a water filter. You can also just bring your water to a rapid boil for at least a minute.
3. Two Ways to Start a Fire
At least. Bic lighters, matches, and Ferro rods are all good options. Ferro rods can be used over and over, which makes them a better option than matches.
4. Two Weeks of Food
For now, just stock up on what you normally eat, except for things that have to be refrigerated. Instead, focus on non-perishables like canned food, boxed meals, and various pantry items such as peanut butter, crackers, apple sauce, spaghetti, marinara sauce, etc.
5. A Manual Can Opener
To open all the cans of food you’ll be storing. It’s possible to open a can without a can opener, but that would be quite a hassle. Instead, keep a couple can openers on hand just in case you misplace the first one.
6. Cookware
The kind you can use to cook over an open fire, such as pots, dutch ovens, and cast iron skillets. Your standard kitchen cookware typically isn’t durable enough to use on an open fire.
7. A Campstove and Spare Fuel Tanks
Coleman makes a great camp stove, but if you’re trying to get a whole bunch of items right away, you might want something more affordable. This single-burner propane stove doesn’t cost much and can be used indoors. One propane cylinder will only get you 2-3 hours of cooking time, so get plenty extra.
8. Multitool
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Multitools can be very handy during a disaster. A good one can perform the job of a whole tool chest. But as with camp stoves, they can be very expensive. Fortunately, you can get a nice Leatherman for a reasonable price.
9. A Good Knife
This will be needed for many different tasks. Don’t settle for a cheap one from Walmart that will break after only a few uses. Invest in a good one with a full tang steel blade.
10. Axe for Chopping Wood
Even if you have a camp stove, you still might want to build a campfire and use it for cooking, heating up water (for bathing and cleaning), and warmth. But to do that, you’ll need to chop up some firewood. Fiskars makes a heavy-duty axe.
11. Space Heater
If you don’t have a fireplace or access to firewood, then your best bet is to get a space heater.
12. Extra Cash
If the power is out, banks will be closed and ATMs won’t be working. However, there still could be many people and stores accepting cash, so try to set aside several hundred dollars so you can purchase any items you forgot to get.
13. Gasoline
Gas pumps won’t be functional after a major event. If you have a generator or need to drive your car, you’ll need gas. Fill up some five-gallon gas cans, and don’t forget to put Stabil in it.
14. Bug Out Bag
This is a prepper must-have. It should contain the supplies needed to survive for at least three days while you travel to another retreat. Make sure you have a bag for each member of the family. As for what to put in it, here are some suggestions.
15. Tent
If your area is being evacuated, make sure to bring your bug out bag, whatever supplies you can fit in the car, and a tent. That last one is in case all the hotels on the evacuation route are full and you have nowhere else to sleep. Speaking of that, bring some sleeping bags, too.
16. Survival Books
You can’t possibly remember everything. Keep some references that will help you live in a post-disaster world. Here are some of my favorite survival books. Also, check out these free books you can print.
17. Emergency Candles and Holders
Emergency candles are designed to burn brighter and last longer than decorative candles. You’ll need several of them–one for the main room, one for the kitchen, one to bring to the bathroom, etc. Here are some other lighting options.
18. Flashlights
These are better than candles if you’re searching for something or if you’re on the move at night. I recommend LED flashlights because they last longer and usually don’t require as many batteries.
19. Batteries
Check the type and number of batteries each flashlight needs and write it down. Also, make a list of any other battery-powered devices you have and what batteries they need. Personally, I prefer rechargeable batteries. They don’t last as long, but if you have enough of them and a solar charger, you never have to worry about running out.
20. Solar Charger
This solar battery charger can charge all the standard battery sizes (except for 9V). They also make solar charging stations for your phone and other devices.
21. Crank or Battery Operated Radio
You’ll need this so you can hear what’s going on via emergency broadcasts. This hand-crank radio is also a flashlight and a smartphone charger.
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22. Security Measures
During a grid-down scenario, many criminals will take advantage of the situation and start looting stores or robbing houses. How far you go with your security measures is up to you, but you should at least get some battery-powered alarms for your doors and windows.
They won’t necessarily stop a burglar from breaking in, but most burglars will move on to another house if they hear a noisy alarm. You may also want to get some motion sensor lights. Here are some other ways to deter burglars.
23. Weapon for Self Defense
This can be a gun, a taser, a knife, a bow and arrow, or whatever else you want to defend yourself with. I recommend a good gun, but if you go with that be sure to have plenty of extra ammunition.
24. Toiletries
Things like toilet paper, soap, and toothpaste. You don’t want to run out of these when there are no stores to buy from.
25. Hand Sanitizer
This will come in handy when water is in short supply. You can use hand sanitizer in between hand washings to keep your hands relatively germ free.
26. Trash Bags
Trash bags have multiple uses, but you’ll mainly need them for all the trash that will pile up when the garbage trucks stop rolling. They can also be used as toilet liners if you don’t want to waste water.
27. Two-Way Radios
It’s likely cell phone towers will be down or jammed during a disaster, so you’ll need two-way radios to communicate with your family if you’re out on a supply run. Here are some other ways to communicate.
28. First Aid Kit
Eventually, you’ll want to gather all sorts of medical supplies, but for now, just make sure you have a bit more than your standard kit with a few Bandaids. You’ll need to be able to handle emergencies that require more than that. Here’s a good first aid kit to start with.
29. Hammer and Nails
These will be helpful for repairing any damage around the house from heavy winds. They can also be used to board up windows if needed.
30. Roll of Plastic
Use plastic sheeting to cover broken windows, stop leaks, create a sick room, and more.
There are many other things I could list, but these 30 are enough to get you ready for most temporary disasters. With this stuff, you’ll be better off than 99% of people. Good luck!
Update: One of my readers made a really good point that I want to share. The most important thing every prepper should have is KNOWLEDGE. All these supplies are useless if you don’t know how to properly use them. Check out our other articles and some of the books I recommended above, and practice practice practice!
I live on a disability pension. So I don’t have a lot of money, but what I do is I am currently getting LITTLE BITS AT A TIME.
You get some of the best preps at good will and charity shops like St Vincent De Paul and Op shops. If you can’t find them at the OP shops, you can get them on trading sites or at garage sales.
I am also learning how to grow my own food and preserving it.
I am the only prepper in the house at the moment. My parents and my brothers and sister think I’m nuts and won’t help me at all. They think everything is fine at the moment, but this is just the opening salvo.
Prep for a EMP…. HAVE A 5 YEAR plan. If you can survive that. Your prepped!
Space heater? Seriously? If I have electricity, I have heat. If I don’t have electricity, a space heater is worthless?!
And most of all know Jesus, have faith he will get you an yours through any an all situations.
Well we have had good lesson in why you need to be prepared in the USA this year.
Houston , Fl and PR. The lesson is that the less prepared you are and the more you depend on someone else ( i.e. Govt) to help you the more trouble you will be in.
Was reasonably prepare for Irma but actually ran out of gas for the first time in 40 year. Glad I had 5 gallon can in the truck to get me home.
So many things in this list have cheaper viable alternatives, like Hultafors/Mora knives are not usually full tang but are solid enough for trade use, as for multi tools i have found that the SOG i was given is more usable than the Leatherman rebar i bought for work. Get what you can afford and search you tube for reviews. By the way i live in North East england and have stealth camped using a tarp, poncho and woobie for shelter, i use mostly surplus kit but i found a decent universal gun cleaning kit for cheap so even though i can’t own firearms (no reason to own) i can clean/maintain them.
Not every family in America can keep several hundred dollars of cash on hand and of course the shelves won’t be bare in all the stores even on a 3 day disaster because no one runs in and buys out the place in a panic. In the South if 4 flakes of snow hit the ground the stores are emptied.
Many survival books can be downloaded for free and put on a Kindle. It’s much smaller than a ton of books and can be recharged with a solar charger. I have over 600 survival books on mine.
Most criminals aren’t going to be scared off by a little alarm. If you love your family get at least a pistol to protect you and your family. You can be assured they will have them.
if the power grid goes out I hope you hav a back up source for kindle Good day!
learn how to use it, and all safety aspects of it ahead of time. don’t just bring it home, load it and put it in the closet
In a SHTF situation, the stores will likely be emptied of many supplies in just a few hours. If you aren’t prepared ahead of the “situation”, it will be too late to try and “learn” how to survive after the fact. Books will do little good if you don’t already have needed education and supplies.
Striving to improve survival (thrival) yet regularly running into resistance and issues… Thank you for this