" The Top 100 Items to Disappear First" - LewRockwell.com

[mikem317]

OK, "Big Dogs" was one that seemed a bit odd to me...

The Top 100 Items to Disappear First

by Mr. Smashy
Survival Cache

You could also call this “The Top 100 Things You should start stocking up on.” Even if you don’t need more than 2 (you should always have 2 of everything) each item on this list will be great for bartering. This list was discussed and chosen by the members of SurvivalistBoards.com. No Particular Order.

I’ve linked to a couple of the items you are less likely to find at Wal-Mart and other local stores.

1. Generators
2. Water Filters/Purifiers
3. Portable Toilets
4. Seasoned Firewood
5. Lamp Oil, Wicks, Lamps
6. Coleman Fuel. Impossible to stockpile too much
7. Guns, Ammunition, Pepper Spray, Knives, Clubs, Bats & Slingshots
8. Hand-can openers, & hand egg beaters, whisks
9. Honey/Syrups/white, brown sugar
10. Rice – Beans – Wheat
11. Vegetable Oil (for cooking) Without it food burns/must be boiled)
12. Charcoal, Lighter Fluid
13. Water Containers
14. Mini Heater head (Without this item, propane won’t heat a room.)
15. Grain Grinder (Non-electric)
16. Propane Cylinders (Urgent: Definite shortages will occur
17. Survival Guide Book
18. Lantern Mantles
19. Baby Supplies: Diapers/formula. ointments/aspirin, etc.
20. Washboards, Mop Bucket w/wringer (for Laundry)
21. Propane Cookstoves
22. Vitamins
23. Propane Cylinder Handle-Holder
24. Feminine Hygiene/Haircare/Skin products
25. Thermal underwear / Polypropylene
26. Bow saws, axes and hatchets, Wedges (also, honing oil)
27. Aluminum Foil Reg. & Heavy Duty
28. Gasoline Containers (Plastic & Metal)
29. Garbage Bags
30. Toilet Paper, Kleenex, Paper Towels
31. Milk – Powdered & Condensed
32. Garden Seeds (Non-Hybrid)
33. Clothes pins/line/hangers
34. Coleman’s Pump Repair Kit
35. Tuna Fish (in oil)
36. Fire Extinguishers (or..large box of Baking Soda in every room)
37. First aid kits
38. Batteries
39. Garlic, spices & vinegar, baking supplies
40. Big Dogs (and plenty of dog food)
41. Flour, yeast & salt
42. Matches
43. Writing paper/pads/pencils, solar calculators
44. Insulated ice chests
45. Workboots, belts, jeans & durable shirts
46. Flashlights, Lightsticks, torches, Lanterns
47. Journals, Diaries & Scrapbooks
48. Garbage cans Plastic
49. Hygiene: Shampoo, Toothbrush/paste, Mouthwash, floss
50. Cast iron cookware
51. Fishing supplies/tools
52. Mosquito coils/repellent, sprays/creams
53. Duct Tape
54. Tarps/stakes/twine/nails/rope/spikes
55. Candles
56. Laundry Detergent (liquid)
57. Backpacks, Duffel Bags
58. Garden tools & supplies
59. Scissors, fabrics & sewing supplies
60. Canned Fruits, Veggies, Soups, stews, etc.
61. Bleach
62. Canning supplies, (Jars/lids/wax)
63. Knives & Sharpening tools: files, stones, steel
64. Bicycles…Tires/tubes/pumps/chains, etc
65. Sleeping Bags & blankets/pillows/mats
66. Carbon Monoxide Alarm (battery powered)
67. Board Games, Cards, Dice
68. d-con Rat poison, MOUSE PRUFE II, Roach Killer
69. Mousetraps, Ant traps & cockroach magnets
70. Paper plates/cups/utensils (stock up, folks)
71. Baby wipes, oils, waterless & Antibacterial soap
72. Rain gear, rubberized boots, etc.
73. Shaving supplies
74. Hand pumps & siphons (for water and for fuels)
75. Soysauce, vinegar, bullions/gravy/soupbase
76. Boy Scout Handbook
77. Chocolate/Cocoa/Tang/Punch (water enhancers)
78. “Survival-in-a-Can”
79. Woolen clothing, scarves/ear-muffs/mittens
80. Reading glasses
81. Window Insulation Kit
82. Graham crackers, saltines, pretzels, Trail mix/Jerky
83. Popcorn, Peanut Butter, Nuts
84. Socks, Underwear, T-shirts, etc. (extras)
85. Lumber (all types)
86. Wagons & carts (for transport to and from)
87. Cots & Inflatable mattresses
88. Gloves: Work/warming/gardening, etc.
89. Lantern Hangers
90. Screen Patches, glue, nails, screws, nuts & bolts
91. Teas
92. Coffee
93. Cigarettes
94. Wine/Liquors (for bribes, medicinal, etc,)
95. Paraffin wax
96. Glue, nails, nuts, bolts, screws, etc.
97. Chewing gum/candies
98. Atomizers (for cooling/bathing)
99. Hats & cotton neckerchiefs
100. Goats/chickens

What’s Missing?

What do you think will disappear before these things that’s not on the list?

Reprinted with permission from Survival Cache.

 

[Kevin_NH]

Get two big dogs now, and if you choose carefully, you'll soon have a lifetime supply

 

[Hiltonizer]

Two is One and One is none when it comes to many of these things.

- I think everyone this far north should have a wood stove, and a genny wired to run their central heat. A really good ice storm could mess us up for weeks. (A diesel genny should be able to run off syphoned home heating oil if SHTF)
- Can openers break and are cheap, 3 is a minimum.
- It doesn't cost all that much to have a good supply of extra food and water in the house. 30 days redundancy worth of "I'd rather not starve and go thirsty" is cheaper than you'd imagine. You can actually save money if you buy extra when stuff is on sale.
- Costco/Sam's/BJ's is great for keeping your medicine cabinet well stocked
- If you have a wood stove, or a gas range, tons of matches and lighters are a no brainer.
- You should have an ass tons of those matches and lighters anyway to go with a $20 stock up of cheap candles.

I could go on.. but no one asked me.

 

[mikem317]

Two is One and One is none when it comes to many of these things.

- I think everyone this far north should have a wood stove, and a genny wired to run their central heat. A really good ice storm could mess us up for weeks. (A diesel genny should be able to run off syphoned home heating oil if SHTF)
- Can openers break and are cheap, 3 is a minimum.
- It doesn't cost all that much to have a good supply of extra food and water in the house. 30 days redundancy worth of "I'd rather not starve and go thirsty" is cheaper than you'd imagine. You can actually save money if you buy extra when stuff is on sale.
- Costco/Sam's/BJ's is great for keeping your medicine cabinet well stocked
- If you have a wood stove, or a gas range, tons of matches and lighters are a no brainer.
- You should have an ass tons of those matches and lighters anyway to go with a $20 stock up of cheap candles.

I could go on.. but no one asked me.

Great advise.

I typically pickup the 24-pack of Poland spring bottles when they hit $3.33 or less. Also, when it comes to matches and lighters, be sure to store them in five different spots in the house: basement, kitchen, shed, office, etc. If a pipe bursts in the basement and all of your matches are destroyed, well, good luck creating fire.

 

[atmay]

What I've taken to doing is spending an extra <$10 every trip to the grocery store (some weeks we go like 8 times). A case of water here, some cans of meat there, you don't really notice the extra stuff in your cart, but it does start to pile up at home. This especially works well if you consume prep-friendly foods anyway (bottled water, canned goods, bulk rice, etc). You buy extra a little at a time until you have the amount of stock you want, then continually rotate stock.

 

[Admin]

What I've taken to doing is spending an extra <$10 every trip to the grocery store (some weeks we go like 8 times). A case of water here, some cans of meat there, you don't really notice the extra stuff in your cart, but it does start to pile up at home. This especially works well if you consume prep-friendly foods anyway (bottled water, canned goods, bulk rice, etc). You buy extra a little at a time until you have the amount of stock you want, then continually rotate stock.

+1

I do the same thing.

 

[LoginName]

Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff.

 

[atmay]

+1

I do the same thing.

Now the real question is....a 3 month supply is what I want. How many porta-potties comprise a 3-month supply?

 

[lord1234]

1) what a great list, this gives you a good idea of what you should have backups available of

2) I also do 10$ a week at the supermarket of non-perishables. I'm thinking of converting that to 10$ a week for the market, and 10$ a week for purchasing survival goods(some might require multiple weeks of saving!)

 

[coastie]

People often seem to get hung up woth surviving TEOTWAWKI and neglect the far more likely issues of storms, power outages etc. I have a friend that has a cabin the woods all ready to go but no alternate heat in his main house. That cabin 150 miles away was useless when he lost power last year. He was able to borrow kero heater so his pipes wouldnt freeze but that is a huge prep fail. He has since brought his genny back from the cabin and wired it into the house. As mentioned above a 30 day supply of food and water, alternative heat and light will get you through 99+% of what we are most likely to face. Dont forget water for sanitation in your supplies. It can be rain water or snow melt but it needs to be planned for.

 

[Mr.T]

Dont forget water for sanitation in your supplies. It can be rain water or snow melt but it needs to be planned for.

I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but even having your water shut off just for the day because of some crew working down the street can keep you from being able to flush the toilet more than once. I've got at least a dozen old gallon milk jugs filled in the cellar as a backup. Plus with a couple of crates and a two wheeler, if it turns into a long term situation, I can refill 8 at a time at a brook that flows nearby that's a ten minute walk away.

 

[KBCraig]

Get two big dogs now, and if you choose carefully, you'll soon have a lifetime supply

Lessee... we've got a Great Pyrenees, a Bloodhound/Great Dane cross, Australian Shepherd, Border Collie, and a Standard Poodle. Then a couple of little terriers who would be too stringy and tough.

We're good for a few months, thanks.

 

[mannydog]

During the most recent hurricane scare I filled 6 five gallon gas jugs with gas in case this hurricane turned out to be the real deal and stored them in my shed away from the house. There'd at least be some be some gas for geneartor, chain saw and truck in case power was out for any length of time. Now I'm going to maintain that amount, put some Sta-Bil in the gas to preserve, and rotate (use) and refill one jug every month.

Another thing, bleach loses it's effectiveness over time so you want to rotate that as well. You don't want to rely on some two-year old bleach to disifect when you really need it.

 

[Chuck Would]

OK, "Big Dogs" was one that seemed a bit odd to me...

\\

Taste like chicken?

 

[atmay]

Another thing, bleach loses it's effectiveness over time so you want to rotate that as well. You don't want to rely on some two-year old bleach to disifect when you really need it.

I forget where I found this information originally, but powdered bleach supposedly does not 'go bad' the way liquid bleach does. If you keep it in the powdered form, and dilute it as/when needed, you should be GTG.

 

[coastie]

I forget where I found this information originally, but powdered bleach supposedly does not 'go bad' the way liquid bleach does. If you keep it in the powdered form, and dilute it as/when needed, you should be GTG.

I think it is a type of pool shock that is recommended. One package will treat something like 10K gallons of water for drinking. I have the info at home somewhere along with a couple of packages. I will try to dig it up and pass the info.

 

[atmay]

I think it is a type of pool shock that is recommended. One package will treat something like 10K gallons of water for drinking. I have the info at home somewhere along with a couple of packages. I will try to dig it up and pass the info.

That sounds like what I heard. I think it may have been ARFCOM where I got the info originally, but I really don't remember.

 

[coastie]

Here is the link:

http://www.survivaltopics.com/survi...-use-calcium-hypochlorite-to-disinfect-water/

 

[Hiltonizer]

Great advise.

I typically pickup the 24-pack of Poland spring bottles when they hit $3.33 or less. Also, when it comes to matches and lighters, be sure to store them in five different spots in the house: basement, kitchen, shed, office, etc. If a pipe bursts in the basement and all of your matches are destroyed, well, good luck creating fire.

Hey Mike,

FYI, I stock up on bottles at Costco for $3.50 for a 35 pack of the Kirkland. Thats even cheaper that most of the gallon jugs if you do the math. I keep a 2 month rotation of those on hand at all times.

 

[OPM]

Overall the list is not bad, but it is certainly not the best one. And some of the thinks on that list are retarded – Slingshots???, Portable Toilets???, Charcoal???, and many more. I do not know about you, but I used to build my own slingshots (at least 3 different types). Do not sweat it guys, after SHTF I’ll start a slingshot manufacturing business and flood the market with my product. No need to stack up on those.

 

[Knob Creek]

What I've taken to doing is spending an extra <$10 every trip to the grocery store (some weeks we go like 8 times). A case of water here, some cans of meat there, you don't really notice the extra stuff in your cart, but it does start to pile up at home. This especially works well if you consume prep-friendly foods anyway (bottled water, canned goods, bulk rice, etc). You buy extra a little at a time until you have the amount of stock you want, then continually rotate stock.

I write the expiration date on canned goods right on the front with a sharpie. That way I know at a glance how to stock and rotate them.

 

[atmay]

Overall the list is not bad, but it is certainly not the best one. And some of the thinks on that list are retarded – Slingshots???, Portable Toilets???, Charcoal???, and many more. I do not know about you, but I used to build my own slingshots (at least 3 different types). Do not sweat it guys, after SHTF I’ll start a slingshot manufacturing business and flood the market with my product. No need to stack up on those.

A slingshot, if you know how to use it....can be a viable small-game harvesting tool. Not to mention a fun way to pass some time.

Portable Toilet....stick it out in your backyard when the plumbing goes out....sitting on a seat instead of squatting over a hole in the dirt could be considered a small comfort in an otherwise rather stressful time.

Charcoal...if you're staying at home, could be used to very quickly get a warm, coal-heavy fire going (ie good for cooking), and if you wanted to let your fire die down, but not go out, lighting up a small pile of coals might be a solution.

All 3 of these items, obviously are not needed, by any stretch of the imagination. The slingshot should probably be filed under "cool to have", the toilet "nice to have" and the charcoal "I need it to grill with anyway, so I may as well keep some around"

I write the expiration date on canned goods right on the front with a sharpie. That way I know at a glance how to stock and rotate them.

That is an awesome idea. We do that with stuff that we won't necessarily use up before it goes bad around here anyway.

 

[P-14]

Don't forget the hot water tank as a reserve for water. Just kill the power and take the water as you need it. Transfer to jugs and filter/purify if needed. This way, I have 55 gallons of H2O on hand all the time plus the bottled water.

 

[OPM]

A slingshot, if you know how to use it....can be a viable small-game harvesting tool. Not to mention a fun way to pass some time.

Portable Toilet....stick it out in your backyard when the plumbing goes out....sitting on a seat instead of squatting over a hole in the dirt could be considered a small comfort in an otherwise rather stressful time.

Charcoal...if you're staying at home, could be used to very quickly get a warm, coal-heavy fire going (ie good for cooking), and if you wanted to let your fire die down, but not go out, lighting up a small pile of coals might be a solution.

All 3 of these items, obviously are not needed, by any stretch of the imagination. The slingshot should probably be filed under "cool to have", the toilet "nice to have" and the charcoal "I need it to grill with anyway, so I may as well keep some around"

It’s not a question of whether you need it or could use it, but rather of how easy it is to make one on your own. If something can easily be built post SHTF, why waste valuable resources on getting it now? And if you are not getting it, why list it?

Back in a day, every kid knew how to build a slingshot. I assure you, in the post SHTF world there’ll be no shortage of slingshots.

 

[atmay]

It’s not a question of whether you need it or could use it, but rather of how easy it is to make one on your own. If something can easily be built post SHTF, why waste valuable resources on getting it now? And if you are not getting it, why list it?

Back in a day, every kid knew how to build a slingshot. I assure you, in the post SHTF world there’ll be no shortage of slingshots.

Did you notice the "if you know how to use it" portion of my post? Your argument is almost like saying "why buy a gun now...I can scrounge one later".

Note also; this wasn't a list of "thing you need", it was a "Top 100 Items to Disappear First".

 

[OPM]

Did you notice the "if you know how to use it" portion of my post? Your argument is almost like saying "why buy a gun now...I can scrounge one later".

Note also; this wasn't a list of "thing you need", it was a "Top 100 Items to Disappear First".

Yes, I noticed both, but my point was that none of the things I listed will disappear. Sure, they might be a bit tougher to get (and so will everything else post SHTF), but not disappear. I and many many many other people will happily supply slingshots, outhouses, seasoned firewood, charcoal, etc., etc. Actually, nearly all items on that list will not disappear and some might be easier to obtain. For instance, lets say SHTF is and EMP caused by CME. So the entire globe goes dark. Within a year getting # 35 canned Tuna will be very difficult and in comparison to today, nearly impossible. On the other hand getting a fully auto AK or M16 will be way easier than today. In such SHTF, some items like # 1 generators, will be very scares at first, but reasonably quickly they will become available. At first they probably won’t be as fancy as those sold today, but they will yield some energy to power equipment. Building a small ‘inefficient’ generator propelled by wind, water or steam is no brain surgery.

Therefore, I agree with the author that we can say generators will “disappear” post SHTF and getting one now is a good idea (every winter storm “mini SHTF” generators disappear), but I disagree that slingshots will ever disappear. And that my friend was my point all along. Well actually, since manufacturing a slingshot in MA seems illegal, getting one post SHTF will be much easier.

 

[WanMan99]

Nice list, I have been thinking about assembling some necessities for a long time and this has given me the jumpstart I needed. I printed out the list and mad a trip to Walmart yesterday. I realize it is going to take awhile to stock up so I will take it slow and get what I think are "must haves" first.
Here's my first run;
8 boxes diamond strike anywhere matches (I might get a zippo or two and a couple of cans of lighter fluid, flints as well)
1 Coleman folding compass
1 Coleman kerosene lantern
8 kerosene lantern wicks
12 propane lantern mantles
2 quarts Coleman kerosene
4 small cans of propane (2pks for $5.12 a pak)
4 pkgs of water purification tablets
4 packs of 10x20 plastic sheeting (2per pack)
1 gas/oil/fluid siphon manual pump
1 Magnesium fire striker
1 1liter canteen
1 8 pack socks
1 8 pack underwear
2 pairs Denim cargo type pants (seemed rugged enough)
All for $102.25
I do like camping out, so this stuff just gets added to my already large quantity of outdoor stuff. Tents, sleeping bags, propane stoves etc..

Does anyone know the difference between Coleman fuel and kerosene? Are they interchangeable? I read the label but it wasn't specific. I specifically bought the kerosene for the kerosene lantern but the Coleman fuel is available in larger container for less money than the 1 quart kerosene jobs.

 

[atmay]

Does anyone know the difference between Coleman fuel and kerosene? Are they interchangeable? I read the label but it wasn't specific. I specifically bought the kerosene for the kerosene lantern but the Coleman fuel is available in larger container for less money than the 1 quart kerosene jobs.

Kerosene is a much heavier distillate than White Gas/Coleman Fuel. Any type of appliance meant to be used with Kerosene will not handle the use of White Gas. To the point of potentially exploding in your face and burning your house down.

 

[ChevyGuy91]

This is an awesome thread.

 

[P-14]

4 pkgs of water purification tablets

You should consider a water filter too. I use the Katadyn Vario and it will process 500 gallons of water for bio and chem contaminants on one set of cartridges. I also have 2 extra sets of cartridges. All I need then is a fresh water source. http://www.google.com/products?hl=e...=tlif12858532123702&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wf