# Less sexy preps



## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

Ok, unlike the sexy guns and huge food stocks there are many less "sexy" preps we all need but often overlook for long term survival. These aren't items you'd be likely to carry in a BOB but instead items needed for us to "put down roots" and get by after the 1st few months. What is the most needed item for under $50 you'd need to get by after the 1st six months? Like in my previous related thread please keep answers under 10 words.

I'll start.
basic fertilizer like 13-13-13


----------



## ND_ponyexpress_ (Mar 20, 2016)

5 gal buckets.... lots


----------



## Fish (Jun 27, 2016)

screws, nails, nuts, bolts, and corks. Amazing the holes you can plug with various sized corks.


----------



## OldSam (Jun 30, 2016)

Sewing supplies (thread, needles and buttons).


----------



## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Type 1 Diabetics pray for a long shelf life room temperature insulin.


----------



## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

lime, wood chips to cut down stench in the outhouse.


----------



## admin (Apr 28, 2016)

In under 10 words? 

Heck, I can't even tell someone what time it is in less than 10 words. 

Okay, I will hush now. :tango_face_grin:


----------



## Boss Dog (Feb 8, 2013)

lots and lots of rags; i.e. diapers and fem items.


----------



## Targetshooter (Dec 4, 2015)

after a month ? shine and lots of it .:tango_face_grin:


----------



## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

Strings, ropes, chains and garbage bags.


----------



## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

Dryer lint for starting fires easily. 
Wood, of course. 
Rain barrels for watering the garden.

Edit to add: a few straight jackets for loved ones who lose it? Seriously.


----------



## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

Things needed for fishing? Trapping?

I have never fished nor trapped, ever.....so I'll have to learn the basics.


----------



## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

Annie said:


> Dryer lint for starting fires easily.
> Wood, of course.
> Rain barrels for watering the garden.
> 
> Edit to add: a few straight jackets for loved ones who lose it? Seriously.


That's what my chains and ropes are for! :shock:


----------



## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

Copies of Bible? After the shock of the last 6 months, people need hope and faith more than ever.


----------



## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

Backups for your backups.


----------



## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Gen-U-Wine SlippyMade Pikes.:vs_love:


----------



## NotTooProudToHide (Nov 3, 2013)

Sanitary products like wipes, toilet paper, paper towels, diapers if you have young children or old men :tango_face_smile: and certain things our lady friends need


----------



## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

NotTooProudToHide said:


> Sanitary products like wipes, toilet paper, paper towels, diapers if you have young children or old men :tango_face_smile: and certain things our lady friends need


Amen, my brother.
I was wondering if anyone would say toilet paper.
Living where we do it is easier to have cases of the stuff delivered to the front gate instead of running to the store to buy it by the package. Even if its a 24 roll pack.
There are a number of these cases stored out in the hay shed. A good number. We won't be reduced to using leaves for a long time. (Which would be rough - nothing but pine trees around here)


----------



## ND_ponyexpress_ (Mar 20, 2016)

enterprising individuals could make TP.....


----------



## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

fuel additives


----------



## jim-henscheli (May 4, 2015)

Rolls of .3 mil plastic and zip tape. Cover broken windows, create shelter, catch rain, make a green house, make a still, make bugs, make sleds, make canoes. I love .3 mill plastic. 
Also makes rubber sheets for practical reasons or fun ones


----------



## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

Things like chapstick, hand lotion, etc. I used to work around machines that produced 500 degree temps. Try doing something when your fingers are chapped and split to the nail.


----------



## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Cooking and food processing items.

Cast iron skillets and Dutch oven.
Stainless pots from 1-qt to 2-gallons
Large stainless pots 5-7 gallons
Small and large pressure cookers/canners
Canning jars/lids/rings/accessories/wax/canning book

Utensils: Ladel, large forks, tongs etc

Knives: paring steak carving chef, honing stones, meat saw, cleaver

Backpacking/bugout cookset/stove. 

Coleman stove. Charcoal/wood Webber type grill. Spits/skewers for roasting over an open fire. Large metal grill for use on fire pit.

Hand crank food/meat grinder. Cabbage shredder. Grain mill. Meat/fish smoker, fruit/apple press.

Salt, vinegar, brewers/bakers yeast, sugar.

5-gal carboys, air locks , and brewers supplies. Bottles with bail type caps and rubber gaskets. 1/2-gal amber bottles with new/extra caps.

Cleaning supplies: detergent, steel wool, scouring pads, bleach


----------



## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

Thinking of pandemic (airborne)......

Baking soda (it's multi-purpose)
Arm & Hammer Multi-Brand - Solutions Landing

Bleach
Sanitary Wipes (like Lysol, Clorox)

Duct Tape (lots, assorted sizes)

Heavy Duty Garbage Bags (assorted sizes) - to make disposable cover-up suits (using ducktape), if needed.
I saw that in the movie 10 Cloverfield Lane.

Heavy Duty Plastic Sheets (to cover windows and openings)

Masks

Anti-bacterial/Disinfectant lotion (like they use at hospitals)

Nail Gun/nails

Stapler Gun/staples

High quality pairs of scissors


----------



## artboy (Jun 22, 2016)

hmmmm......family, water, food and gear + guns. I have ALL....just not alot...yet...Im working on it tho!!


----------



## artboy (Jun 22, 2016)

that could be interesting???


----------



## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

charito said:


> Thinking of pandemic (airborne)......
> 
> Baking soda (it's multi-purpose)
> Arm & Hammer Multi-Brand - Solutions Landing
> ...


garbage bags - the whole variety of poly bags - are a great prep item ....

but if you're prepping - you prep correctly with the correct item - you don't prep to DIY and start improvising .... a Dupont Tychem (Tyvek is a lesser option) suit is economical - reusable if properly decontaminated - useable for all degrees of pandemic SHTFs - some bio events - and radiation involved SHTFs ....

https://disposable-garments.com/shop/tychem/tychem-qc-hazmat-suit-coveralls-hood-boot/


----------



## Stick (Sep 29, 2014)

Refresher courses in counting to ten.


----------



## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

Illini Warrior said:


> garbage bags - the whole variety of poly bags - are a great prep item ....
> 
> but if you're prepping - you prep correctly with the correct item - you don't prep to DIY and start improvising .... a Dupont Tychem (Tyvek is a lesser option) suit is economical - reusable if properly decontaminated - useable for all degrees of pandemic SHTFs - some bio events - and radiation involved SHTFs ....
> 
> https://disposable-garments.com/shop/tychem/tychem-qc-hazmat-suit-coveralls-hood-boot/


What I've listed above are multi-purpose items. It's not only for pandemic. If we have to keep ourselves healthy, we've got to be wary of catching any virus. Even a simple flu or respiratory disease, can be deadly.

The routine for the day will include regular sanitizing. The less things from the outside comes inside, the better chances of not getting any virus, or getting ill.

It is an ideal prepping to have something specifically prepared for a specific disaster....unfortunately, I am still not as prepared as the others. If the SHTF suddenly happens next week, we'll just have to do with whatever we've got in our stockpiles.

Someday maybe I'll catch up with preparation that includes more sophisticated gear stuffs. But a lot of us are not in the position to do that, yet. Some are struggling to even come up with a decent stock of everyday needs.

Should I have the tyvek suit and the chemicals used for decontamination, imho it is too risky for me to decontaminate it *properly*. It's possible that I may not know how to do it properly. All it takes is one mistake in decontamination. 
People who work with disease and who use special suits had gone on extensive training and most likely, had done drills.

It's a big gamble to let a tyvek suit (or anything that's gone outside if there's a pandemic) come in, since that will affect everyone inside the house.

If it's nuclear - I don't know. Will I even want to be around after a nuclear blast? 
At some point, I'll just have to hand it over to God, and not worry too much about it.
But, that's me.


----------



## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

charito said:


> What I've listed above are multi-purpose items. It's not only for pandemic. If we have to keep ourselves healthy, we've got to be wary of catching any virus. Even a simple flu or respiratory disease, can be deadly.
> 
> The routine for the day will include regular sanitizing. The less things from the outside comes inside, the better chances of not getting any virus, or getting ill.
> 
> ...


the practice of prepping correctly transcends across the board - not specifically to the garbage bag vs TYCHEM suit .... it's a bad prepper attribute to get into a "good enough" and "I'll wing it" mentality - it'll get you killed or hurt everytime .... but inventiveness and adaptability are two of the greatest prepper attributes - to contend with the unforeseen ....

if you plan on prepping specific for pandemic a $10 TYCHEM suit is the least of your investment $$$ and requirements .... without correct procedure, no kind of suit is any good for either a pandemic or radiation fallout situation - you need to decontaminate before unsuiting .... a necessary pandemic item is a pump up sprayer ($10) for large decontamination - that'll suffice in place of a temp shower .... you mention bleach - you'll need gallons upon gallons of sanitizing washdown - liquid bleach stores decently for 8 months - calcium hypochlorite (pool shock) ($4/lb) a pound makes 1,000s of gallons of sanitizing spray and stores up to 10 years without any degrade .... there's improvising and then there's improvising

in regard to rad decontamination - you think Japan should have said "screw it" committed suicide or the US Navy ships that caught fallout? .... if there's a terrorist nuk attack or dirty bomb - a nuk plant disaster - or a series of nuk bomb uses elsewhere in the world .... we'll all be washing down for months afterward and taking even more serious precautions .... rad protection isn't any different than any other SHTF - you prep for it


----------



## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

Illini Warrior said:


> the practice of prepping correctly transcends across the board - not specifically to the garbage bag vs TYCHEM suit .... it's a bad prepper attribute to get into a "good enough" and "I'll wing it" mentality - it'll get you killed or hurt everytime .... but inventiveness and adaptability are two of the greatest prepper attributes - to contend with the unforeseen ....
> 
> if you plan on prepping specific for pandemic a $10 TYCHEM suit is the least of your investment $$$ and requirements .... without correct procedure, no kind of suit is any good for either a pandemic or radiation fallout situation - you need to decontaminate before unsuiting .... a necessary pandemic item is a pump up sprayer ($10) for large decontamination - that'll suffice in place of a temp shower .... you mention bleach - you'll need gallons upon gallons of sanitizing washdown - liquid bleach stores decently for 8 months - calcium hypochlorite (pool shock) ($4/lb) a pound makes 1,000s of gallons of sanitizing spray and stores up to 10 years without any degrade .... there's improvising and then there's improvising
> 
> in regard to rad decontamination - you think Japan should have said "screw it" committed suicide or the US Navy ships that caught fallout? .... if there's a terrorist nuk attack or dirty bomb - a nuk plant disaster - or a series of nuk bomb uses elsewhere in the world .... we'll all be washing down for months afterward and taking even more serious precautions .... rad protection isn't any different than any other SHTF - you prep for it


Thanks for the info about the tychem suit. Is that all it cost? $10.00?
To be honest, it's the first time I've come across that name, tychem suit, and I'm visualizing what we see on disaster movies when men in what look like space suits come to infected region. Is that the same?

Maybe we need a thread dedicated for such information that you just gave. A lot of beginner preppers like me will have no idea about those, and it'll be just by pure luck to stumble upon this info you just gave.
I never heard of hypochlorite, either.  Thanks for the tip.


----------



## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

deleted. wrong thread.


----------

