Things Not Necessarily An Essential But Is Nice To Have When Disaster Strikes

Discussion in 'Newbie Corner' started by airfightermax, Jul 8, 2017.

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  1. airfightermax

    airfightermax Member
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    Say I already have all my essentials packed and kept in one bag that is readily available to me when the need arises. But what are other things that are not really a necessity, but would be a tremendous help to someone stuck in a calamity?
     
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  2. Keith H.

    Keith H. Moderator Staff Member
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    Apart from medical supplies all the equipment we carry is purely for comfort & ease of living. Unless of course you do not have the skills to survive without any equipment.
    Keith.
     
  3. Zeyad

    Zeyad New Member
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    The most important thing from my point of view would be medical supplies. Even a small injury out there can quickly get severely infected and might get very serious very quickly causing long term damage
     
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  4. airfightermax

    airfightermax Member
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    I totally agree with this one! It is very key to survival to stay healthy and well abled to do work! Calamities really give us a hard time and it will be definitely harder if we are injured. Although I think I would have medical supplies in necessity because treating wounds when there is one present is important to remain strong during any catastrophe!

    I think I have already thought of something that is not really important but is very nice to have during calamities. A board game. especially if you are with other people. Think about it, there would be a lot of slow times while waiting for the calamity to be over, so something to pass the time would be a tremendous help, it would keep morale high too!

    So yeah, while a board game is not really necessary, and would really be a nice thing to have while on survival mode.
     
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2017
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  5. jeager

    jeager Master Survivalist
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    If you feel you have everything needed to survive whatever then I'd suggest
    cards for games, treats that you like and enjoy, Monopoly , and board game
    you like.
    BOOKS to read.
    Magazines with helpful articles.
    Any distraction from shtf blues.
    Moral builders they are.
     
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  6. PedroP

    PedroP Active Member
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    Yeah, maybe some old school toys like spinning tops. Simple and fun. I know I'd carry some pictures and other mementos of my loved ones. It might cheer me when I'm sad. Whether they're still alive or not it might bring some comfort.
     
  7. coffee

    coffee Expert Member
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    I say an AM / FM, Weather radio with a scanner that is battery, crank, plug in electrically, and solar powered with USB port for charging cell phones & tablets, etc.
     
  8. coffee

    coffee Expert Member
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    maps...of where you are now, where you want to go, where you may end up. Seeds, small garden hand tools. A few family members and/or friends.
     
  9. Morgan101

    Morgan101 Legendary Survivalist
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    Many stores sell small games designed for travel. I think Barnes and Noble has a whole section designated for games. Dice can be a diversion. Get five of them and you can play Yahtzee. Coffee makes an excellent point for having a radio. Not only is it a diversion, but it can keep you informed of events and news.

    If you are musically inclined a small instrument might be an option; maybe a harmonica.

    Pen and paper are always useful, and you should have them anyway, but keep a journal. A good way to remember what went right, and what went wrong. What would you do differently next time?

    Most important thing? Have a good imagination. You can turn anything into a diversion.
     
  10. arctic bill

    arctic bill Master Survivalist
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    A full tank of gas in the car,
     
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  11. lonewolf

    lonewolf Societal Collapse Survivalist. Staff Member
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    a real prepper does not let his tank go below half and keeps it topped up as often as possible.
     
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  12. Ystranc

    Ystranc Master Survivalist
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    When you have everything that you need it's time to start buying duplicates of everything and anything that could be lost, stolen or destroyed in an event like a flood or house fire then storing this stuff safely in a bunker, tornado shelter or concrete basement. These duplicates could also be stored in cashes or survival barrels to be used in cases of extreme need on routes to or from your home.
    In truth it's surprising how little you really need, especially when you have to carry it on your back for 20 miles a day over rough ground.
     
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  13. lonewolf

    lonewolf Societal Collapse Survivalist. Staff Member
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    sometimes I think that prepping is nothing more than an excuse to prolong the "consumer society", probably half the gear we have bought we are never going to use, knowledge and skills are far more important in the long run than the next shiny "toy".
     
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  14. coffee

    coffee Expert Member
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    I don't see me running very far off into the woods, but, honey, I sure do like my "shiny toys" and they pair nicely with all my stuff...lol.
     
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  15. Blitz

    Blitz Master Survivalist
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    I personally think it's really important to have hobbies to divert your attention, if need be. Not stuff you have to do to survive, but something that takes you away from it all, that you enjoy and have a true passion for - whatever that may be.

    I know of a couple of retired men who have succumbed to alcoholism and depression because they were total workaholics, who basically lived to work and had no interests whatsoever. They are both extremely wealthy men too, I might add. Once they retired, they had no purpose for living and felt their lives were no "useless" and "over".

    So yeah, hobbies and interests are sooooo important.
     
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  16. Richard Earley

    Richard Earley Well-Known Member
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    The KJV Bible...
     
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  17. Wags

    Wags Active Member
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  18. Blitz

    Blitz Master Survivalist
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  19. Blitz

    Blitz Master Survivalist
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    Yes but you'd have to have an affinity for it.
     
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  20. TexDanm

    TexDanm Shadow Dancer
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    The various plumbing keys allow you to turn the water on at the meter and to open and close valves that lack knobs. When I was a kid none of our outside water valves had knobs to keep kids from turning them on and leaving them on. There is also a specific wrench that you need to turn on and off the gas at the gas meter. An urban survivalist will need a lot of tools for allowing you to access things easily. I also would recommend lock picking tools a heavy pry/crowbar and a large bolt cutter.
     
    1. Blitz
      Thanks for the explanation. Makes sense now. Yes, I remember as a kid living in suburbia, gas and water meters. I'm on a rural property so I don't need to worry about accessing meters. However, I can see how it would be a useful piece of kit to have.
       
      Blitz, Mar 25, 2020
  21. TexDanm

    TexDanm Shadow Dancer
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    I think that if you are the sort to be comforted by the KJV Bible you probably already have one. If not I can't see where it would hurt to give one a try. Hard times are often times of a lot of changes in how people see things.
     
  22. TexDanm

    TexDanm Shadow Dancer
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    In my case, I have a lot of books, games, and things to make the long winter days more easily managed. In a way, this current lockdown is a bit of a practice run for that. I have the tools and food and weapons well covered but what good will they be if I go stir crazy. Without modern medicine, you will either stay in out of the weather when it is bad or die of pneumonia or something. Another thought is things that comfort you like family photos or things that mean a lot to you even if they have little monetary or survival value.
     
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  23. Patience

    Patience Member
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    Someone to walk up to the fence, wave, and ask how you are doing. Bet that would be a pick me up.
     
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  24. Dalewick

    Dalewick Legendary Survivalist
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    Few things are "essential" but things can make life more enjoyable. My top 3,

    1. Books - Complete knowledge that can't be forgotten, only lost.
    2. Night Vision Device - Because it's only human to fear what hunts in the dark.
    3. My shop/studio still intact.

    A pipe dream wish...Access to real time images from intelligence satellites. If I'm wishing.

    Dale
     
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  25. Blitz

    Blitz Master Survivalist
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    I've been in involuntary isolation due to my car breaking down constantly. For the past 3 months or so I haven't been able to go anywhere. So I now find it quite amusing all the sheeples bitching and moaning about being in "lock down" for a measly 2 weeks, carrying on as if it's the end of the world. Perhaps I'm being a bit hard but I can't understand how anyone couldn't cope for a few weeks being confined in their own homes. If it were me and I was still working, I'd welcome the time out to spend at home to catch up on a few projects I hadn't been able to get the time to do, sleep in, do whatever I wanted at home, etc.

    Different horses for different courses I guess!
     
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  26. Outdoor Life

    Outdoor Life New Member
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    Yes, I was thinking a stand alone police scanner. I have a mobile app but the chances that data is available during a real crisis is slim.
     
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  27. Caribou

    Caribou Master Survivalist
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    Early this year the ship I was on broke down and I was marooned for 3 weeks. There was no internet and poor cell reception. I had 159 books on kindle that kept me entertained and my spirits up. That and string the pot with the State. A deck of cards and dice take up little room. You will never have everything when you bug out that you have by bugging in.

    Here is an article that talks about survival. The importance of play is discusses later in the article. While the situation in the article is winter survival, the answers can be applied equally in the snow, desert, or at sea.
    https://survivalblog.com/seven-steps-survival-allen/
     
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  28. Dalewick

    Dalewick Legendary Survivalist
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    Well, I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere else on this thread so I'll put it out there. Not an essential but, especially for younger folks, a item that you may really want is some form of birth control. In about 9 months from now there will be a surge in the birth rate, because young couples do what young couples do when bored or just in need of comfort. In a major SHTF are you ready to have children? Deal with a pregnancy? If not, you better be prepared.

    Dale
     
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  29. TexDanm

    TexDanm Shadow Dancer
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    For a fact, condoms have MANY uses in a survival kit. I love the look I get when I buy a big bulk-sized box of unlubricated condoms at a store. (It has been said that I have a warped sense of humor.) Nonetheless, I put two or three in every kit. A condom in a sock is a great and amazingly tough water bottle. Cut the end off and use the tube to hold a bandage in place on your arm or leg. You can just use them for dry storage; Berries stored in them you don't lose any juice if they are treated rough. Put your stuff in it, tie a knot in it and it is waterproof. I often do this with my phone when I am in the boat and fishing. One condom equals MANY rubber bands when pieces are cut off. Condoms can be made into pretty good slingshots for bird hunting. The uses are sort of endless for them. And if you are a young gun and not shooting blanks they can be handy. If you buy the unlubricated ones (I use these because they don't add any taste to things stored in them.) they are less than 20 dollars for 100.
     
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  30. Morgan101

    Morgan101 Legendary Survivalist
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    Can we add a little levity here as long as we are discussing condoms?

    Two octogenarian ladies, Edna and Jane, live in a Nursing Home. Every day they go out on the patio to smoke. One day when they were outside smoking it started to rain. Edna pulled out a condom, and put it over her cigarette so it wouldn't get wet. Jane looked amazed. She said "Where did you get that?" Edna replied "Anybody can get them. You just go to the Pharmacy." The next day Jane goes to the Pharmacy. A young 20 something Pharmacist asks "How can I help you?" Jane says "I would like a box of condoms." The young Pharmacist is mortified; turns ten shades of red, and sheepishly asks " Well Ma'am, do you want them lubricated or unlubricated; ribbed?" Jane is rummaging through her purse looking for her wallet. She doesn't even look up, and with a wave of her hand she replies " Oh Honey, I don't care. Just as long as they fit a Camel." The Pharmacist passed out.
     
  31. Pragmatist

    Pragmatist Master Survivalist
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    I really am rolling on the floor laughing !

    Morgan, my sides are hurtin' from my laughing.

    You made my day !
     
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  32. Blitz

    Blitz Master Survivalist
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    Great joke, thanks Morgan!
     
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  33. Morgan101

    Morgan101 Legendary Survivalist
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    Glad you all enjoyed it. There are about a million more where that came from. I guess that is a non essential you would have during a disaster. Skills beat stuff, right? I remember jokes.
     
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  34. TexDanm

    TexDanm Shadow Dancer
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    To me, one of the most generally useful things to have is a pair of vice-grip pliers. They can do a lot of different things and with just a few modifications they can do even more. I take them an with a Dremel tool I put a groove in the jaws that runs front to back. This lets you grip things like screwdriver bits, a jigsaw, and bigger Sawsall blades and even knife blades than use the vice-grips like handles.
     
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  35. Blitz

    Blitz Master Survivalist
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    Duct tape, length of chain and coathanger wire.
     
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