Those that take the motto “be prepared” to heart are familiar with purchasing supplies in case of an emergency. Whether it is a few extra bottles of water in case a water main breaks or many weeks worth of food to last through a natural disaster, it is important to choose the best survival supplies. The following are a few tips to help in choosing the best supplies for the worst situations:
Check the expiration date. Almost all consumable products from medicines to drinking water have some sort of expiration date listed on them. To make sure the supplies are still usable when needed in an emergency, choose survival supplies that won’t expire for a significant amount of time.
The best supplies are ones you already use. While it may seem like a great idea to purchase a dozen military MREs, freeze-dried ice cream, and dehydrated apricots to stock the supply closet, chances are good that those items will go bad before they are used. Having a well-stocked pantry that could keep the owner fed for a month if he or she didn’t have access to a store works just as well as having a month’s worth of MREs, but will probably cost less. As well, commonly used items can be easily eaten and restocked well before the average expiration date, cutting down on waste.
Supplies should be usable in the worst situations. Having a radio to listen to during an emergency is an excellent idea – unless the radio needs to be plugged in to work, and the emergency is a rolling blackout. Survival supplies should be purchased with worst case scenarios in mind, and should rely on as few aspects of modern technology as possible.
Buy quality supplies. Survival supplies should be sturdy and durable so that they will work when needed. A manual can opener that rusts closed after a year in storage won’t do anyone any good in an emergency. Supplies made of or protected by strong materials that are resistant to rust and other forms of deterioration are preferred.
Choose longer-lasting supplies over more convenient counterparts. The longer survival supplies last, the better. A battery-powered radio may be easier to use in the short term, but a hand-cranked emergency radio will still be functioning long after the batteries in the other radio fail. In a long-term survival scenario such as what might occur after a flood or during a multi-day blackout, survival supplies that still function after a day or two will be in greater demand than those that fail quickly.