I’m constantly seeing articles with titles like“ things that gonna disappear when SHTF“ or“ things that you need to stock up when SHTF“, better still, “Top 10/50/100(!) Items to stock before SHTF” or something in that way.
And then, in the article, author goes with huge number of items that will be gone when SHTF.
These articles, like many, are not ‘wrong’ or ‘bad’, but it can be used more as an reminder what amount and number of things we are dependable on in everyday life, other then a list what to buy for SHTF. Unless of course you just happen to have a spare $20,000 to immediately to buy everything on the list.
It is so obvious that when SHTF, electricity will be most probably gone, but does that really mean that you need to run today and buy a generator and huge amount of fuel?
Maybe there are smarter, cheaper things to store, more usable and more „desirable“ (for trade) when SHTF….
And again you need to think about difference between what you really need and what would be really nice to have. Necessity vs. Comfort.
I am not saying it is wrong to buy a special bug out vehicle, only for when SHTF, I am saying that I want to give advice about what to store and that items anyone of you can store.
I had always opinion that millionaires do not read my blog (if you do, please feel free to click on my ‘donate’ button, over there on the right hand side of this page ;), so my advice is aimed at the people who need to take care about every dollar, and who need to invest in a smart way for future SHTF.
Here I will write about two items only that you can and if possible need to store, and reasons why.
Antibiotics (In inject-able format)
Of course, antibiotics are like „must have“ items for the time when SHTF.
It is not unknown item for preppers storage, but still there is maybe slight misunderstanding about antibiotics.
I know there are thousands of pages about „fish antibiotics“ out there, and I can only say that if you can not buy antibiotic in better forms then buy that one and have it.
But you need to know that sometimes, actually when SHTF very often only real antibiotic is Penicillin in a form of injections.
There are numbers of reason for that, like severity (prolonged time) of infection, needed levels of antibiotic in blood…etc
You really really need to know that very often „attacking“ infection with „fish-mox“ for example or even real Amoxicillin will be like you are pissing on the forest fire in order to put it out.
It is useless.
I just took this photo, it is „one round“ or one dosage of PNC for a fully grown adult, it covers huge spectrum of infections, (of course you would need several shots), it is small, easy to store and easy to carry.
One „full treatment“ of several vials + water for dilution can fit into your jacket pockets and in your pants pocket you can fit needed syringes and needles.
When SHTF, in those pockets you have the means to save somebody’s life, yours, or your own kid, or simply you can trade it for really cool items.
Now imagine that you have big stash of these.
It is hard to get it there where you live probably, I understand that, but simply I do not believe that it is impossible.
You are preparing for end of the world, for chaos, for violence… I just can not believe you can not try to look for the info. where you can get these without prescription and cheap.
Try!
You can store it only for trade, but you can learn how to administer it too.
Procedure for administering PNC (and other injections) can be taught too, and actually it is pretty simple ( I will be teaching this as a module in our new, soon to be released, course).
There are possible complications, possible mistakes of course, and I am aware it is illegal for non medical personnel to administer injections of PNC, but again, you need to think outside the box – it is better to have something and to learn some technique and then never use it, than to not know it and be in dire need of use of it.
Invest in reading about antibiotics; types, allergies and substitution, and ways of applications. Buy a Nursing drug reference book, and find some nurse or medic who is willing to show you how to do it, you do not need to fly to me in Croatia only to learn that particular technique. That said, this and the other things I will be teaching in that course will be worth it…
Condoms
Yes, other item are condoms.
I watched a video about a week ago, about what condoms can be used for in survival situations, and actually I liked the video.
I did not know lot of those uses mentioned.
But here I am talking about best survival use for condoms, and it is what they are meant for actually.
Maybe you think that sex will stop to exsist when SHTF, but actually it is not true.
Sex was there in my SHTF, actually it will be there always, it is natural, and it is in human nature to be there.
Now one more thing will be there when SHTF, and it will be much bigger problem then in normal times – sexually transmitted diseases or STD’s, especially in prolonged period of collapse, it is simply again thing of human nature, lack of hygiene and medical care etc.
So after some time condoms will be valuable.
And again, they are small, easy to carry and store, and cheap as of right now, today. It is not a huge investment to buy 1000 condoms and store them somewhere.
So as a conclusion, it is not about what things will be gone when SHTF, it is about what of those things make sense for you to have, what you can afford to stock today, what will „pay off“ the most when SHTF…
But most importantly – again it is about thinking out of the box.
Out of interest, what items have you been stockpiling for ‘trade’ and such? Let me know in the comments below. More importantly let me know WHY you are stockpiling these things…?
40 Responses
A few odd things:
About 20 metal zippo’s, several hundred flints, about 60 wicks.
Candles, 200+ large pillar type
Batteries, several hundred aa/aaa
headphones-cheap and useful about 20
oatmeal packets 1,000+
books, 200+
various pain meds, antibiotics
plaster casting roll material originally for broken bones, several hundred
3cc syringes 1,000+
So far 2 years worth of Omeprazole for one person, plans of several years worth.
Led flashlights, li-ion batteries for them and chargers
If electronics still work atm 275 gigabytes of various audio books + music, poems
documentaries, political video’s, movies and a few thousand web pages I thought were interesting.
I have many, many things and prefer anything easily stored, small and ultra useful to me and others
that may need them.
I can’t name them all with out looking over what \i currently have
Selco,
I was sort of a “prepper” a few years ago. Upon reading you blog and finding out what SHTF is really like, it seems like it’s worthless to even attempt as an American to prepare for the absolute hell you lived through. Most of the “end of days” guys I know are horribly out of shape and have a fantasy of fighting alongside their wife and kids. Even ex-military (dudes who have been out for 20 years and were in during peacetime) seem to glamorize the concept of living in a disaster zone. Prepping is psychologically scary, it seems like the more I would buy, the more nervous I became. In the US, most of us can own tactical weapons. To be honest, I never had the nightmares of defending myself with one until I got an AK in 2005. I don’t ever want to go through a Balkin-type thing like you did.
Thanks Mike!
I agree that there is a lot of fantasy in prepper movement,but being prepper or survivalist should not be about being scared, it is about being safe.
I began prepping for what was called ‘Y2K’. While it was. ‘none event’, it opened some eyes. My wife and I recently received another 6 most of food from Patriot’s Pantry. Every time I am forced to hold to WallyWorld I buy ammo. Ammo was worth it’s wright in hold prior to the 2012 election. Imagine what it would be worth in a SHTF scenario.
Calories, calories, calories… In other words, food is number one on the list. Second is guns. Guns can actually be an important factor in aquiring more food as well as defending what you already have. Water, of course, and water filters are just as important as food. Clean water is not only essentially important for life but drinking dirty water means you better have good and plenty of antibiotics. On the list is a way to keep warm or cool. A system of thermoregulation and a plan to maintain core body temperature. That’s on the list and good for bartering. Exposure is going to kill millions within days if the power grid goes down during a heat wave or a cold spell. Medical supplies? Yeah. Just as many as I can afford to stockpile. And if the lights go out medical supplies are the first thing I’m going to pick up more of at the local drug store…. I doubt I’ll barter antibiotics because of how important and rare they’ll become in a total grid down shtf.
Fuel? Yes. As much as I can get right along with solar power.
Condoms are nice and so is toilet paper. Soap. Rubbing alcohol. Drinking alcohol. Tobacco. And about a “hundred” other things. But if I had to choose only five categories:. 1) Food 2) Firearms 3) Filters (water and air) 4) First Aid ( including dental) 5) Fuel
With enough of the above safely stockpiled then everything else can be traded for during SHTF. If I had to pick a bonus item it wouldn’t be condoms. It would be seeds and pestcontrol and fertilizer. In other words it would be something having to do with farming or producing more food….
Some substances become toxic after expiration date (tetracycline and derivatives), latex condoms become unusable after a few years past expiration (if not originally stored in cool and dry conditions) – experienced the latter myself in early 90-s (Durex, expired in 1989 or so from NA humanitarian help – I’m still grateful for numerous other useful (and indispensable) things, don’t get me wrong, you kind and sharing Americans…). Not sure about cigarettes, but read somewhere they dry out. There must be many other otherwise very useful things and substances, that expire tragically soon, I would have loved learning about those from experienced people like Selco.
Thanks x-soviet!
I believe it is matter of levels, or how deep in s..t you are.
I ate stuff that was expired years before I ate it, same with medicines, I drank dirty water and similar stuff… it was because I have to, I did not had other option.
If I ever go to similar situation I would do it again, what else I could do?
I agree that some stuff become toxic and dangerous, mostly much after expiration date.
Of course, we here experienced tons of different kind of stuff that all kind of organizations (and countries) wanted to get rid of, I guess it is easier to donate to some war region expired stuff then to destroy it on proper way in countries where there is law about that.
I agree too that does not have anything with fact that in same time we get a lot of food and medicines from other organizations (and countries) that helped us to survive.
Money, matches, cooking stoves and lanterns, fuel, food, water filter, gear, arms, and ammo, lighters, bandages, booze, radios, batteries, seeds, rat poison, bicycles, flashlights.
I got lots of stuff put away since I started reading SHTF SCHOOL. But more than that, I have new skills and know more people who can help collaborate in various ways to support each other.
Agree with the above. IMHO fish mox would be really useful to “get ahead” of the infections before you need IV penicillin – if SHTF everything will be broken, sharp, and dirty, and previously minor cuts can be deadly.
One medical supply you might consider is for ‘sucking chest wounds’ – you could survive a gunshot/knife wound/fall & impale wound to the abdomen, but if air can get in, your lungs can’t inflate and you’ll suffocate quickly.
You can get an “Asherman Chest Seal” on Amazon for $15. It’s an adhesive patch with a one way air valve so air doesn’t come in the new hole (and not your lungs).
One other thing, is many sterile medical supplies come in paper packaging – well one slip & dunk crossing a creek and there it goes in your soggy backpack.
I use my Foodsaver to pack them (and anything else I want to keep dry, like tinder) tightly and in water proof plastic. Also nice to make treatment packs for use and trade – 2 gloves, couple of bandages, etc for wound treatment.
Thanks DP!
Good advice about “Asherman chest seal”. One more thing-few times I used peace of gauze together with nylon (it can be aluminum foil type of material or similar) for sucking chest wound, you tape it on wound on the way that you tape 3 sides and leave one side “not taped”, so air can go out but can not go in.
It is used quite often, it is something like “poor man s” Asherman chest seal, of course it is dirty (not sterile) but you use what you have.
Firstly, awareness to get out of the way.
Then shelter (includes protection) then clothing then food, in that order.
No matter how much of the other two, without shelter, the elements and circumstances will certainly prevail and quickly.
Been there.
Where can you legally buy the penicillin in this form?
Here we can buy it in pharmacies with prescription, or illegally from people who smuggle drugs( medicines) from the countries where it is much cheaper then here.
To Keep From Freezing In An Apartment/Improvised Shelter:
Obtain, now, used brake rotors and brake drums from local garages (oftentimes FREE for the taking) and cast iron Dutch ovens that the rotors and drums will fit into.
In a recessed fire pit, heat the rotors and drums, then place into the cast iron Dutch oven–cover with the cast iron lid. Now, you have a clean, contained radiating heat source for inside, with no toxic fumes or smoke.
NOTE: While enjoying the unit(s) inside, have (an)other Dutch oven(s) at the ready, with (an)other set(s) of rotors/drums already in the fire pit heating up. (i.e. Have 4 sets, then 4 more sets.)
First off, thanks again Selco for offering insight that other survival forums often overlook. Your advice is born of real life experience so that makes it very valuable IMHO.
Of course I have all the guns and ammo I will probably ever need or use. Shooting sports is my hobby for years. As the movie “ The Road “ showed ammunition is really important, otherwise your nice AK/AR is just a decoration. I have freeze driied and canned food, at least 6-9 months worth. Med supplies, although I have the fishmox that you feel is inadequate. But now I will attempt to get the injectionable type. I have a daughter who is a nurse, and in my prep group an actual MD. Also another woman is an EMT, and a phys therapist guy.
But one thing in my area that is critical is the need for warmth. Midwest USA, our winters run from beginning November to at least late March. If we were to lose power that would be catastrophic for most of the population. My house has a fireplace so I am stockpiling wood to burn for that. Not ideal but it will keep you from freezing to death. I believe Croatia has a similar climate, so you know what I am talking about. We could have weeks of temps in the teens, if not lower at night. Somehow the global warming is never quite warm enough up here. Stay safe and God bless.
Hi, I’m an ICU nurse currently studying to be an ICU Nurse Practitioner. Antibiotics are great but, as Selco pointed out, you REALLY have to know what you’re doing when you’re using them. Its not as simple as some websites suggest, and you can harm someone by using the wrong medication or the wrong dose.
One of the most useful medical books out there for SHTF situations is “Where there is no Doctor”. It was written to help non-medically trained health workers in the Third World treat sick people in their communities. It has a TON of really useful information that guides you through basic medical diagnosis and treatment. In addition, it covers how to handle sanitation issues (extremely important), injuries, how to teach medical concepts to others in your group, ect. There is also a similar book “Where there is no Animal Doctor” for treating animals/livestock.
These books DON’T replace a genuine healthcare provider…if you have access to a medically trained person then USE THEM. Don’t try DIY medicine if you have a better option available. But, in a true SHTF situation, knowing this information would go a long way towards keeping you and your family healthy. You would be able to treat a lot of ailments that could otherwise kill a person. The books are also really helpful for medically trained people to read as well, since they cover how to handle health situations that are uncommon in the First World.
It used to be possible to buy injectable antibiotics (penicillin, bi-cillin, etc.) along with syringes and needles at local feed stores, for use on livestock. I haven’t owned livestock in thirty years now, so I just don’t know. Knowing the damn FDA however, they may have changed it so that you need a prescription from a veterinarian now, but it’s worth a look.
Also, if you keep your oral medications cool, dry, and in the dark, they will last years longer than their expiration dates. Those dates are printed because the drug companies have no control over how the drugs will be stored (glove box of a vehicle in the hot sun?), AND because the drug companies want to sell more.
Many doctors’ offices – and some hospitals – box up expired meds and ship them to Mexico, Central America, etc., because it is no longer legal for them to use them here, but they are still good and can be used in third-world countries to help people there.
Thanks Reg!
Dates for most of the drugs are good for at least one year after expiration date (if stored correctly,i agree) I personally used drugs that has been expired years ago, in most of the cases only problem was that they did not work because they have been too old.
And yes, pharmaceutical industry is huge thing, lot of rules are there only because earning more money.
I keep a whole bunch of old telephone books The paper is thin and works great for toilet paper when the other “Charmin” runs out. I get them delivered free, regardless if I want them or not. So I just keep them in a box.
If you have the basics covered, food, water, guns, ammo, meds, clothing including plenty of sturdy boots in your size, then look to the vices. Tobacco, booze, Viagra. I won’t barter my essentials but the vices are always a way to get other luxury items that many become available. If you have a solar panel system you can barter time on that system charging other peoples stuff.
If you are dependent on anything right now, better fix that right away. Dependency is slavery. Better that those other people are the slaves, not you.
My friend who is a pharmacist says that liquid antibiotics/medicine, pysche drugs and things if that nature don’t just become less effective when they age. Some actually become harmful and can not be used In originally intended format. Be careful. Try checking into DoTerra essential oils On Guard combined with Oregano oil-FDA doesn’t approve it as a cure of virus and bacteria-but testing does show great success with it. They never expire or change potency.
Thanks for the insights. What do you think about small jars of instant coffee? Not much fuel used to make and is better than nothing to a coffee drinker.
Hello Gregory!
I am in region where drinking coffee is big thing, kinda ritual thing. Smell of the coffee only was cool thing, to have real coffee in that time when everything was scarce was very valuable.
Actually even substitute for coffee was valuable.
So, yes, of course it is good idea.
I don’t see anyone mentioning spare clothes. I remember Selco saying in his course that several times during his “SHTF” scenario he wished he had a good pair of boots. If you don’t have footwear, you’re crippled… can’t travel well, can’t go out in the cold, etc. Maybe I have too many pairs of boots stashed at this point, but I’m ok with that. 😉 I try to buy water-resistant ones whenever possible.
Also, other clothes…. spare pants, shirts, undergarments, SOCKS (wool socks work great in hot and cold climes… ask me, I live in Florida and I wear wool socks every day), and think in terms of layering. I’ve found that layers allow you to adjust your temperature better, and often it’s more breathable. And of course cheaper. Also, have a water-resistant outer layer (quality poncho, at least). There are indeed times when “wet and cold” happen together. Remember gloves also, for work and against weather. Good leather work gloves can prevent cuts/blisters that can lead to the dreaded infection.
One more thing about wool socks… if you buy good ones, they last a long time and you can wear them for days on end without them getting “funky”. Just air them out at night and you’re good to go. In Florida summers, in 8″ boots, it takes 5 days of wearing for my good wool socks to even being to “funk”. I can go 7 days if I want to push it. Cotton can’t touch that…. one day of wearing turns cotton socks into a stinky sweaty mess. Since you might not be able to wash your clothes as much as normal during SHTF, I highly recommend a good stash of moderate-thickness wool socks. Although I have no affiliation with the company, I like the “Farm to Feet” brand personally.
Thanks Selco for these tips.
I found two great lists before – one at “silver bear / argentina” and another based on another Yugoslavian’s experience. The list contained the usual arms/fuel/food as well as GARBAGE BAGS.
There must be a good list of lists somewhere which condenses, is sortable…etc. Maybe a spreadsheet for starters.
Selco, thanks for your blog.
Hesperian.org has a series of downloads, free PDF’s ?, on a series of health books, ie. “Where There Is No Doctor/Dentist, etc.,.”. Also, Cresson H. Kearney’s book “Nuclear War Survival” is a free PDF download. Hamiltonbook.com has some good discounted books on survival (including James Wesley Rawles’s book “How To Survive the End of the World As We Know It”, who by the way gave a thumbs up to Selco’s blog.)
Eprinephrine/Nor-Eprinehrine is good for people allergic to Penicillin. Amoxcillian is board based.
Garlic the poor man’s penicillin is easy to grow and has multiple bulbs that keep on propagating. Garlic deters some insects that carry diseases. Mint deters some larger pests. The herb plantain, even pine needles, is antiseptic as are other herbs as a first line of prevention. Hamiltonbook.com has a book, two versions, “Native American Ethnobotany” by Daniel Moerman that covers thousands of medical plants. I assume the Germans are ahead of the learning curve on herbal medicine as well on medicine in general. (Short story, a relative in the old WWII Yugoslavia witnessed a powder the German military used to treat third degree burns in a matter of days.) Make soap from potash and lard for a trading item. Collect copies of old books on farming and recipe manuals. So, … collect as many heritage, non-GMO, seeds for edible and medical uses as possible and learn how to garden before SHTF.
Making your own composted soil is critical with microorganisms for nitrogen breakdown and worms for aeration as either soil will be eroded or contaminated in post times. Large plastic bags are also useful for growing plants, fill with soil, slit open the top and poke some drainage holes on the bottom and use drip irrigation. Collect water with plastic bags. Water filled glass jars left in the sunlight can be antiseptic.Children’s pools are good as a raised bed garden container. Fungus is a food as are beans, lentils, for sprouting for indoor gardening and light issues.
Condoms besides having common usages as a water container or keeping a rifle barrel dry can be used for entertainment in the end-times. Attach a condom to the rim of a clear glass/plastic container filled with carbonated soda (if any left). Sit the glass on an upright flashlight with the room lights off and in a few seconds you’re have a nice mood (sex) glow light. Put a smiley face on the inflated balloon head and it doubles as a sniper detector. Just saying.
I’m an ICU nurse and I’m not so sure about PCN due to so many infections being resistant to it and so many allergic to it also. I think being healthy and avoiding getting shot and stabbed etc is paramount, live another day and avoid confrontation as Selco says. Personally, for viral infections I make a elderberry tincture in 100 proof vodka and it keeps for years. For bacterial infections, grapefruit seed extract works good for me although I rarely need it. Topically, oil of oregano and bee propolis are supposed to be very effective, equivalent or better than topical purchased items for skin infections and rashes. I need to learn to make salves with bee propolis and use it to see it’s results. I think it’s most important to learn and use whatever items we will need before they become scarce.
I wonder how people will cope when they run out of certain med’s, like all the psych med’s and immunosuppressants for auto immune stuff. I have a friend who calls himself a prepper and does nothing to see if anything will replace his immunosuppressants meds.
I couldn’t agree more to what you said in this article. I think preparedness is an essential skill everyone must have because it will actually help you predict things and even prevent worse things to happen. I love this post keep this up!
Good points.
Thanks for commenting here Lisa!
Hello all,
Echoing, from my non-medical personal opinioned experience, what ‘borderpatrol’ wrote above, elderberry, grapefruit, oregano and bee propolis are helpful for the immune system.
As an opinion, I’m also learning fermented foods, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, pickles to name a few, are beneficial feeding the ‘good’ bacteria fighting infections in the intestines*. In addition, some of these foods have a long shelve life without refrigeration, honey being a prime example which is said to be also helpful on external wounds. Vinegar with “mother’ (acetic acid bacteria) besides taken internally is good for cleaning surfaces. Baking soda would be a good item to stock for hygiene uses.
Tegaderm bandages are good in that they allow the edge of the skin to breathe and heal, debridement.
The point being select simple products that have multiple uses easy to obtain now and can be remade later, i.e. heritage seeds for sprouting and planting. Select plants that are native to your area such as edible weeds that are easy to grow. Even in my area some varieties of the invasive weed Kadzu are edible. They may be smaller but usually contain more nutrients than common breed vegetables. The red/blue Inca potato is an example. Amaranth another. The trick is knowing which ones before your immune system is compromised during the SHTF. Some or a lot of prepper advice may not be applicable to your area. I like to read about the local history to learn what worked.
In the above comments, I haven’t read as an item to stock, the knife.
My pick for economical knifes.
A Ka-Bar for around fifty dollars. 1/4″ thick and proven. Avoid serrated edges and a clip point. A drop point is for bush craft.
A few Morakniv knifes for smaller tasks. Very affordable for the 1/8″ thick partial tang blades. (See Ragweed Forge for examples from neck knives to hatchets.) For the price and quality buy more than one. May be barter items … if you trust the person not to fillet you later.
The Ontario Gen II SP50 knife with a longer 1/4” thick blade for larger tasks. ESEE knives are good but somewhat double in price.
For nostalgia, the Gerber Mark II fighting stiletto knife. Well balanced and serrated and diamond cross sectioned for wounding, speaking of infections.
An ax. And a crowbar for urban uses. And while not a knife, a dog if they all haven’t been eaten.
* For amusement’s sake, the intestines are sometimes referred to as our second brain since perhaps it’s nervous system is at the end of the spinal cord or base chakra (think Vagus nerve). Or it may indicate the type of person you will be meeting in the SHTF, yourself possibly, me included, you can never know until the time happens.
To avoid being that person/animal I still take to heart Selco’s article (paraphrased) on it doesn’t necessarily matter what you believe but believe in something to get you through the hard times.
There is a general consensus that toilet paper is a necessity but I think there is a serviceable alternative besides the Yellow Pages. Personally, I don’t think putting commercial ink up my nether regions is a good idea in SHTF or it may become SHTPB.
I suggest sponges instead. I had this idea and have been testing it for monthsand I think it is superior to toilet paper. If you have access to a little clean water to start it is less irritating and certainly lasts longer than anything short of a mountain of TP. I have been using natural sponges and they work great. I’m looking now for the best man-made sponge that is not the kitchen variety. A good man made sponge that was inexpensive now to stockpile would be in huge demand when TP and phone books ran out. Of course, if you have a way to sterilize one, they also can be used for wounds, feminine hygiene, etc.
In The Graduate, Dustin Hoffman was told the future was, “Plastics.” That was 1968. Today, it’s “Sponges.”
Thanks Sponge Bob!
Good points, actually I believe Romans used sponges for that purpose. Not quite on hygienic way, but point is there.
Hi Selco and all,
Thanks, Selco, for another great set of posts (just catching up!).
One of the oddball factoids from the book DItch Medicine is that white, granulated sugar is an effective antiseptic wound packing. It hampers bacterial growth by drawing moisture from their cells. It has the same effect as a food preservative. This makes white sugar a candidate for barter stockpile valuable on several fronts.
RE Stockpile: Here’s a post I wrote listing some of the more interesting suggestions I’ve come across to stockpile as trade items:
https://teotwurbulence.blogspot.com/2013/05/
Dave Z
Thanks Dave, and welcome back!
I’m an Orthopaedic Surgeon/ prepper and I think there are many good ideas here. Because I plan on being a community resource, I stock many more Med supplies than u would. Let me just say this about antibiotics. I don’t stock Penicillin because1) doesn’t treat much these days 2) many people allergic. And FYI the Army studied expiration dates and potency of meds— after 30 years only two a problem: Tetracycline and Epi- pens for beesting. I keep Cipro and Doxycycline. Oral. Very few things that won’t cover. And it covers bioweapon agents— the ones we can treat. Farm supply has antibiotics you can buy but better—I’d ask your friendly doctor for a prescription and stock up. Or take a trip to Mexico pharmacy. I wrote a book “ Surviving the Medical Meltdown” with Venezuelan Medicine collapse in mind, and the middle of the book is “How to be so healthy you don’t need a Doctor” which goes over latest science of diet etc—not stuff you’re being told by gov approved medical professionals. The last third is my medical prepping ideas— including silver solution and honey for wounds etc. it answers a lot of questions raised in this blog.
Regarding the antibiotics and substitutes I would recommend my fellow preppers to read about intravenous vitamin C in high dosages, a good start would be http://www.orthomolecular.org/. According to the practicioners of orthomolecular medicine there are not many diseases or conditions that could not be sucessfully treated by high doses of intravenous vitamin C, including radiation disease, all sorts of poisoning, antibiotic-resistant diseases, systemic diseases etc. I suppose it is much easier to buy and store several kilos of powdered vitamin C that can be used to prepare a intrvenous solution compared to antibiotics. In the end, it is all about knowledge.
Castor oil is the oil that heals & prevents infections. Even using it on the skin by rubbing it in, then by applying moist heat from a hot wet washcloth, kept warm with a hot water bottle (then all covered with a towel), it draws out poisons, kills pathogens, improves lymph circulation etc. “from 4″ below the skin.” There are books about castor oil & I read testimonials online. Personally, I found there was NOTHING it could not help, including the worst & most dreaded problems. Even MD asked what I did. Remember to wash off area after wet heat treatment as the toxins will be drawn outward on the skin, & you do not want them to be reabsorbed. The organic oil is preferred. It is inexpensive considering its great value. Put it in your first aid kit & begin to use it now, so you find what it can do. It is such important knowledge that is going to bless you & your family now & in the future.
Some Items I have stored are several portable cassette players that use batteries. No one hardly uses cassette players anymore and cassettes with recorded music are really cheap to buy and easy to stockpile. Most small portable battery powered cassette players use ‘C’ size batteries and I have a good stock of these for the players and flashlights. It is comforting to know that during SHTF, I can at least have some comfort music I enjoy as there probably will be no television and no radio stations operating. With headphones, you can enjoy your music and the sound won’t give your location away.
All the tips and suggestions giving here are fine and dandy, but appear to focus only/mainly on the US.
Any Europeans who can chime in on these matters?
We do not simply drive across the border and get meds elsewhere. Guns and ammo are non-everyday issues, laws and regulations, but especially cultures varie hugely and product availability is equally different.
I remember the blog you posted about the Spanish guys that had the walkman, and you enjoyed the music like it was a piece of normal. You had sais: ” no matter how bad situation is, you just need to have some connection with “normal” otherwise you’ll simply turn yourself into animal.” .
That is why I stock up on cassettes and a cassette player with batteries … that no matter how bad it gets, music will be comfort — my piece of normal.