20 Essential Items for Preppers

I’m usually not the type of person to say ‘you must have these items’ so please take these items as suggestions.

While I do consider these to be essential, maybe you don’t and that’s totally cool. Use this list as more of a place to bounce ideas off of. These are no particular order.

Here are 20 essential items for preppers:

1. Food – what? this isn’t a single item! That’s right, it’s not. But food is essential and should be on this list. You need it. So get it. Lots of it. 
2. Water – hah, also not a single item, but pretty mandatory if we want to continue living,
3. Water purification – also not a single item in most cases. However, while we can store a lot of water, there may be times we need to collect and sanitize water. Take a look at my article about the best water purification options. 
4. Tarps – I collect tarps like they’re going out of style. Tarps can be used for so many things; shelter/shade, covering items, ground cover, etc. Ideas are limited by our imagination. 
5. Tools – specifically manual tools like a hammer, rubber mallet, axe, saw, screw driver, grain grinder, can opener, etc. Manual tools will be useful. You could also get battery operated tools and charge the batteries with solar panels. But definitely have the manual tools as backups. 
6. Solar panels – speaking of solar panels, I think every prepper should have at least a foldable solar panel to charge some batteries and comms. Keep some foldable solar panels in a faraday cage and you’re good to go. 
7. Cast iron – cook anywhere with cast iron. 
8. Knife – a good, solid fixed blade will last you a lifetime. Pocket knives are great but I do feel they’re more for everyday needs. I’ve done a lot with my beefy TOPS blade that I’d never get away with doing with my pocket knife. 
9. Sleeping bag – a good, zero degree bag, could be a life saver. Invest in a solid sleeping bag for each family member. Great for home use, or even having it in your vehicle, not just for camping. 
10. Gloves – work gloves, warm gloves, nitrile gloves; All necessary for a variety of reasons and tasks. 
11. Books – books of all kinds are essential. Hardcopy books are preferred but I also download a lot of eBooks, put them onto a tablet then secure that tablet in a faraday cage. I’m also going to include journals and notepads in this section.
12. Hygiene – whether you have the supplies to make your own hygiene items or whether you store hygiene items, or both, dishes need to be clean, the house needs to remain hygienic and of course, we need to clean ourselves.
13. Light sources – candles, rechargeable batteries for flashlights, oil for lamps and so on. May even consider storing beeswax and wicks to make your own candles.
14. Entertainment – from stickers to activity books to crafts to board games, puzzles, entertainment will be essential for any circumstance. Whether it’s to keep our minds off of a bad situation or just to stave off boredom, have a good supply of entertainment items and ideas.
15. Fuel – what do you use for cooking and heating? Propane? Wood? Charcoal? Be sure to have plenty of it on hand, as well as some way to obtain it or substitute it. Also don’t forget any matches, lighters and fire starters.
16. First aid – whether you have the supplies to make your own first aid (like supplies to make your own salve) or store it, such as bandaids, gauze, etc., first aid will come in handy. First aid knowledge is very important, too. Know how and when to use the first aid items that you’re storing. Storing certain medications will also come in handy for short term. Though growing herbs for alternative medications may also come in handy.
17. Storage – any type of storage such as bins, 5 gallon buckets, ziploc bags, etc. Stay organized and know where your preps are and how to access them.
18. Security – any and all security and self-defense such as solar lights, battery operated motion cameras, self-defense items such as a bat, firearm, etc.
19. Seeds – growing your own food is something anyone in any situation can do, even if it’s “only” microgreens or sprouts. Get some seeds and use them. Find an online or local seed swap and be sure to save your seeds when you can.
20. Shoes and clothing – really good shoes and clothing that will last could be the difference between being comfortable and being miserable. Invest in a few solid pairs of shoes and clothing that will last you for many seasons. May also want to have a sewing kit and know how to sew and repair your clothing to make it last even longer.

I’m sure there are plenty of other ‘essential’ items depending on your needs. And some of these will certainly be more of a priority than others.

Use this list as a guide to help you in your preparedness. Feel free to print it out and make notes for specific items or knowledge that you’d like to invest in.

Preparedness is an investment and a journey. Don’t rush and don’t go into debt to get prepared. Do the best you can. One step at a time. You got this!