Include Non-Food Items in Your Emergency Stockpile

Survival food is an extremely important item to stockpile because you and your family won’t last long in a crisis if you can’t eat. But there are also plenty of non-food items you should have at the ready should a disaster occur.

Let’s take a look at some of them:

Power Supply

You know it’s not a matter of whether your power will go out for a significant amount of time someday, but rather when. You need a fully-charged generator you can count on to keep the lights on and your food fresh when the vulnerable electrical grid crashes. A lightweight, portable generator with a solar panel means you can take it wherever you go and power it with the sun.

Information Is Key

When putting together your non-food list of emergency items, be realistic about what you and other family members have room to store and/or possibly transport. One of your first items should be a crank-operated radio, which could end up being your only link to important announcements.

Knife, Flashlight, Paracord

Among the many non-food items you should consider storing for an emergency are a fixed-blade knife with a six to eight-inch steel blade, a comfortable handle and a sturdy sheath. You’re also going to want a strong, LED flashlight for each member of your family or party, and lightweight but strong paracord, which has a variety of valuable uses.

Guns and Ammo 

Whether you’re hunkering down to ride out an emergency at home or bugging out to get away from the problem, you may need to protect yourself and your belongings. A large bore handgun and a shotgun should do the trick, and make sure you have at least 500 rounds of ammo. Pack some cotton patches and cleaning solvent as well in order to keep your guns clean.

Fire-Starters, First-Aid Kit, Compass

When stockpiling non-food items for a crisis, be sure to include several fire starters including disposable cigarette lighters, magnesium sticks and waterproof matches; a first-aid kit including gauze, bandages, medical tape, ibuprofen, ankle wrap, wrist brace and anti-diarrhea medicine; and a quality compass from a sporting goods outlet, plus local maps.

Multipurpose Items

The key to packing a bug-out bag with a limited amount of space available is to include plenty of items that have multiple uses. Among them are a poncho, water-resistant backpack, duct tape, bandana, Super Glue, sunglasses, lip balm, Vicks Vapo-Rub, thick garbage bags, coffee filters, aluminum foil and baking soda.