Recommended Preps

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This page will undergo frequent revision as we find better products to recommend or other products to add. Please check back frequently for the most up-to-date recommendations. Also remember - while products are nice to have, skills are essential!

Preparedness Supplies

Favorite Suppliers

The suppliers below have everything from emergency food (in #10 can and pouch sizes), to solar generators, water filtration, camping gear, first aid kits, heaters, emergency stoves, and books. These companies carry a lot of similar products and even some of the same product lines. We have been pleased with all the products we have tried and have had great luck with customer service from both companies. When getting ready to purchase, we like to check the sales on both sites before placing an order.😉

My Patriot Supply - My Patriot Supply is the first site we check for products. We like that they have a wide range of emergency food and gear, including all of the items mentioned above plus heirloom garden seeds! Best of all, they offer individual seed packets so you can choose the varieties you want.

Emergency Essentials - Emergency Essentials was the first site from which we purchased #10 cans for emergency food. It was recommended by a friend of ours who was happy to share her knowledge about stocking a pantry.

Food

For long-term storage food, we check the following sites first. They have a broad range of items in both #10 cans and pouches as well as various food kits - including gluten free; 1, 3, and 6 -month food supply kits; one year food kits; protein kits; and more. You can buy both single-item foods and ready-made meals. These are great places to get your powdered milk, powdered eggs, honey crystals, freeze-dried beef patties, freeze dried fruit, and freeze-dried entrees. We recommend having at least a few entrees in your long-term storage. In the case of a disaster, having a some easy-to-prepare meals on hand can offer a bit of stress-relief during a stressful time.

My Patriot Supply

Emergency Essentials

Water

AlexaPure Emergency Water Bank - Designed for emergencies, this water bladder can be placed in your bathtub and filled with water. It holds up to 65 gallons, is BPA free, and comes with a siphon pump to make water retrieval easy.

Long Term Storage Containers - We have several of these Reliance water storage containers. They are convenient for storage and dispensing because they include a spigot and are small enough to be lifted. For easy access to your water, simply take out the spigot (it stores inside the container), attach it, set the container on its side and open the vent. We have used ours multiple times for camping, and they work really well. Best of all, if you take care of them they should last several years.

Alexapure and Alexapure Pro Gravity Fed Water Filters - We filter our drinking water through a gravity filter on a daily basis. It requires no electricity and when empty, is light and easy to carry, making it a good option for camping as well. The Alexapure and the Alexapure Pro are great options. Alexapure has quality filters with a silver-infused ceramic outer shell that does not require priming. They are long-lasting and reduce over 200 common contaminants that can be present in drinking water. Clean water is very important, especially in a disaster scenario. Be sure to purchase a quality filtration system and high quality filters.

Emergency Generator

Grid Doctor 3300 EMP - This solar generator has EMP Intercept Technology - one of the first of its kind. It has a quality battery that can be recharged 3,500 times - more times than many other solar generators out there. We like the longevity this feature offers. It has pass-through charging capabilities, which means you can charge it while you use it. It also allows you to add up to seven expansion batteries (sold separately). It has enough capacity to allow you to run some of the bigger appliances, while being small enough size-wise to pack around. No fumes and a quiet operation add to the many benefits of this model. Whether using it for camping, RVing, or just for emergencies, this is a great tool to have. Follow the link above for more details on this generator. This one is definitely on our wish list!

Grid Doctor 3300 and Grid Doctor 300 - These are some of the other options available in the Grid Doctor Solar Generator Series. These offer different sizes and price points to meet both your power needs and your budget.

Heating

Mr. Heater Indoor Heater - 18,000 BTU

Mr. Heater Indoor Heater - 4,000 to 9,000 BTU

Vesta Heater/Stove - The Vesta Heater/Stove uses canned fuel to heat and cook. It includes a heat-powered fan and is capable of heating a space up to 200 square feet. It includes a built-in stove that can be used to heat food and water. At 7.6 pounds, it is portable and can be used for camping, picnics, or home power outages. Canned heat is odorless, smokeless, non-toxic and generally safe for indoor use, making this a perfect emergency stove to keep a room warm during a power outage.

Cooking

Vesta Heater/Stove - See description above.

Ecozoom Dura Wood Rocket Stove or Ecozoom Versa Dual-fuel Rocket Stove - Rocket stoves are a great option for cooking because they do not require you to store butane or propane canisters. The wood rocket stove works with wood, twigs, branches and other biomass. The dual-fuel works with all of the above, plus it can be used with charcoal. These are heavy-duty enough to hold heavier cookware such as a Dutch oven or cast iron pan but are still portable, with the Dura weighing in at 12 lbs. and the Versa at 14.5 lbs. The vertical combustion chamber is designed to reduce emissions and boost fuel efficiently providing you with a cleaner burn and saving on wood.

Lighting

MPOWERED Luci Inflatable Solar Lights - Luci lights are rechargeable inflatable solar lanterns. They store flat but can be easily inflated when needed. We bought our first Luci lights over eight years ago and they are still going strong. Since then, they have broadened the options available and now offer different models with features such as a USB charger and colored lighting.

Beeswax Taper Candles - 8" or Beeswax Taper Candles - 12" - Candles are always a good lighting option. They provide a soft, warm light and help create a comforting atmosphere. Tapers are one of my favorite candles for prepping because they offer a lot of light for their size. I prefer beeswax because they are all natural and emit a soft, sweet fragrance without the use of harmful artificial ingredients.

Chamberstick Candle Holder - If you use taper candles, it is nice to have a candle holder. These chambersticks are the old style short holder with a finger loop for easy carrying. They have a nice wide base for stability and are a great combination of elegance and functionality.

Oil Lamps - Oil lamps offer another lighting option. You can use different fuels for your lamp (just don't mix them). Kerosene is one option widely known due to references in books and movies about the Old West. Liquid paraffin is a superior modern option, though (see below).

Liquid Paraffin Lamp Oil - This is the oil we buy for our lamps. Liquid paraffin claims to be smoke and odor free, without the soot and pollutants found in kerosene. Best of all, it is said that it can be stored indefinitely if stored properly, making it an ideal preparedness option for your lamps. We have stored paraffin oil for years in sealed containers and have never had a problem with it degrading.

Gardening Supplies

Seeds

When choosing seeds for your garden, especially if you are choosing seeds with survival in mind, it is important to choose non-GMO, non-hybrid, open-pollenated, heirloom seeds so that they can produce seed for you to use the following year. Having them packaged in mylar or a sealed can for long-term storage is essential. Here are some great seed options.

Patriot Seeds - We have purchased from this company several times over the years. They offer a survival seed vault, which gives you 20 varieties of heirloom seeds. The seed vaults are great - we have purchased these and love them - but we also love that they offer individual packages of heirloom seeds. This allows you to choose all of your favorite plants and varieties! All of their seeds are packaged in heavy-duty mylar bags for a shelf life of 5 or more years.

Mountain Valley Seed Company Vegetable Garden Can - This was the first "survival seed can" we purchased. We stuck it in the freezer for several years before opening it to use. Our can has been open for four years and the seeds are still sprouting and growing well. While it only contains 16 varieties, they were selected for their hardiness and ability to grow in many regions, including those with a short growing season. We couldn't be more pleased with these seeds. For hardy varieties that fare well, this option can't be beat.

Garden Beds and Accessories

Metal Raised Beds - 3x6x1 We bought this size in a two pack to use for our first venture into using raised beds. While the two-pack is no longer available, this size is still available in a single pack. We are moving into our fourth garden season with our galvanized beds and they still look brand new.

Metal Raised Bed - 8x4x1 (2 pack) This is the larger version of the 2 pack above. Our daughter has these and if you have the space, these are a great option for maximizing your garden space and still being able to reach the center of your beds.

Metal Raised Bed - 8x4x2 The two-foot raised bed is great for being easy on your back. It does take a lot more to fill the taller beds like this, however. To save on the amount of soil needed to fill such a tall bed, we employed the permaculture approach by putting down a layer of logs (interspersed with rocks from the yard to help with drainage), followed by branches, and then topping it off with leaves and grass clippings. We then added the square foot garden soil mix that we mixed ourselves.

Plant Stakes We use plant stakes for our easy up garden fencing as well as for staking plants like tomatoes. Keeping certain plants off the ground increases air flow which helps to keep the plant healthy, gives the plant support, and helps the plant grow vertically.

Seed Starting Mats We bought our first seed starting mat in 2023. The room where we start our garden seeds is poorly insulated and gets rather cold, especially at night. The seed warming mat helps to bring the soil to the right temperature for the seeds to sprout thereby accelerating the sprouting time. In an area with a shorter growing season, this has been particularly helpful for getting a start on our garden.

Canning Supplies

Essential Items

Presto Pressure Canner - You can purchase a water bath canner and/or a pressure canner, but I prefer the pressure canner because it gives you more options. You can water bath can and pressure can using only one canner rather than having a separate canner for each purpose. This saves on shelf space. Furthermore, the pressure canner has a nice flat bottom rack, unlike the old water bath canners with the baskets that allowed the jars to tilt at odd angles. Pressure canners can also double as pressure cookers, giving you yet more ways to use your pot. We personally like the 23 qt. size because you can double stack pint jars, allowing you to can more at one time.

These can be found many places online and in-person. You can find them at hardware stores and superstores. Keep an eye out at thrift stores and yard sales - sometimes you can get them for a great price! Just be sure to have the pressure gauge and seal checked before using it. This is something you should do every year anyway as part of your pre-canning maintenance.

Jar Lifter - A jar lifter is helpful for lifting your jars into the canner without touching the hot water and for moving your hot jars out of the canner on onto the counter. They are easy to use, grip well, and are an improvement over the old style my mom had when I was a kid.

Stainless Steel Canning Funnel - A canning funnel is such a help for getting your contents into your jar with no mess. It makes filling your jars simple and easy. There are a number of canning kits out there that have several extra tools beyond a funnel and a jar lifter. We personally don't use most of these extra items. However, other people love the extras, and these kits can be a great way to try out all the tools.

Canning Jars with Lids and Rings - We use a variety of canning jars. Regular mouth quart jars are great for items like juice, applesauce, pie filling, and soup. Wide mouth quart jars are nice for larger items like pickles, pears, potatoes, and peaches. We tend to use regular mouth pint size jars for jams and jellies, pickled items like dilly beans, vegetables like corn and green beans, relishes, and sauces. You can use wide mouth pint jars for the same items and for smaller amounts of potatoes, pears, and peaches. We also have jelly jars (half-pint) for smaller amounts of jams and jellies. This size is a favorite for canned tuna as well.

Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving - I highly recommend that you have a reliable canning guide. It will give you instructions for safe canning methods, which is crucial. It also provides numerous recipes and ideas for preserving your food. There are two options listed above in the books section as well.

Stainless Steel Soup Ladle - This is essential for getting the hot water, brine, syrup, jam, etc. to your jar. Having a nice ladle that pours well, in combination with the canning funnel, makes filling jars fast and easy.

Long-handled Stainless Steel Spoon - We have used all kinds of spoons to stir our contents while bringing them up to temperature. I cannot tell you how many times I have had hot jam splatter on my hand. I finally got a spoon with a very long handle and have been so glad I did. It really made a big difference when stirring boiling items for long periods of time. I use it for making our laundry soap, too.

Stainless Steel Stock Pot - Be sure to get a heavy gauge steel for your stockpot. We had a lighter steel pot when we first got married and the jam would burn too easily. It hasn't been a problem with the heavier steel pot we now use. The pot we have is a 12 quart. It may be too big for some people, but I personally like the taller sides to cut down on splatters.

Optional items

Food Mill - We use the food mill a lot when making jam out of small fruits with large seeds. We have used it with serviceberry, hawthorn berry, blackberry, and plums. It can also be used to make applesauce for canning. While it is not an essential item, it is really nice to have it. It does have uses outside of canning as well. Some people use it to make smooth mashed potatoes and tomato sauce.

Norpro "The Original" Saucemaster - This is a great item to have if you plan to make a lot of tomato sauce. It is said that it works well with other fruits and vegetables as well such as apples and peaches. You can purchase a berry screen, salsa screen, and/or pumpkin screen to complete your set-up. Because it separates the pulp and juice from the seeds, spitting out the seeds and peels as you go, it is much faster to use than the Food mill listed above.

Steamer Juicer - This is a great option for making canned juices. It steams the fruit to extract the juice. It is helpful to have since the juice comes out hot and temperature ready for canning. What do you do with canned juices? The first and most obvious is to use them for drinking. Because you can it, you control the amount of sugar that is or isn't in it. We have also used canned juice for popsicles, jello desserts, and jelly.

Lid Lifter - This is useful for getting the warm lids out of the water. You can use a fork to slide under them, but this makes it easy to lift and keep them steady when putting them on your hot jars.

Canning Kit - Canning kits like this include a jar lifter, funnel, magnetic lid lifter, tongs, bubble popper/measurer, and jar grip. These are a good way to get everything you might want to try out in the way of helpful canning accessories.

Chopper/Dicer - This is a recommendation from our cousin, who has many happy years of canning experience. It saves a lot of time chopping vegetables, not only for canning but for general use in the kitchen.

Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer - This device cuts down on time when processing apples. We use it when making applesauce and apple pie filling.

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