Best Bulk Emergency Supplies and Equipment, Checklist and Products

The purpose of bulk supplies and survival equipment is to provide long term food, water, toiletry, shelter, and survival equipment for your family or household in case of an emergency. The supplies and gear may be used for shelter-in-place or evacuation situations.

These survival supplies are Stage 4 of the recommended survival kit system. Be sure to include the Emergency Essentials Kit from Stage 1, a go-bag for each individual from Stage 2, and a house kit from Stage 3. The previous kits are stored in mobile containers and contain required essentials for long term evacuation.

Most of the gear in this Stage is intended for home use. Some gear in Stage 4 might be duplicate to the previous stages. If you feel the duplicate gear exceeds your budget, weight requirements, or storage capacity you can decide to keep the items in your go-bag or house kit instead of duplicating.

Bulk Supplies and Survival Equipment for Home/Family

Emergency supplies and equipment for home and family should take into consideration all of the members of the household. It should include food, water, toiletries, etc for community survival and comfort.

C.E.R.T Training - Las Vegas Warning

We were in a C.E.R.T training in Las Vegas a few years back when the teacher asked how vulnerable we thought Las Vegas was as a city. We all paused.

She responded, "for a city of 2 million, there is one water source, one fuel line, one airline fuel line, limited power generation, a couple of freeways with many miles between cities, and in the summer 112 degree weather. If any one of those resources was compromised on a hot summer day, how long do you think it would take before social unrest would begin? If the resource was compromised long term and people were dying of heat stroke, how long would it take before social unrest was intense? Would you be prepared to hunker down in your home or relocate with the right gear and supplies?"

We all looked around at each other very perplexed. I thought, "I better have a plan!"

Including everyone in the household in the emergency plan and training can bring a lot of peace of mind.

Survival Priorities

The human body has certain requirements to survive. For example, we need clean air, water, food, etc. We also want our blood on the inside of the body. These human needs can be prioritized based on urgency (i.e. drinking water doesn't matter if we can't breathe, etc.)

We recommend gear based on our list of survival priorities. The gear we recommend at each stage will have these priorities in mind. We should purchase critical gear and supplies first and organize it so it's portable and accessible.

We also take into account the likelyhood of needing a particular item in most survival situations. While it's possible, the odds aren't high that we might need a facemask over a flashlight or multitool, etc. We do recommend some tools early in the checklist because they facilitate other higher priority items. For example, a good multi-tool can help out in so many ways. We push it toward the top of the list.

Our essentials checklist takes into consideration years of experience in the outdoors as well as the checklists provided by the Boy Scouts, military personnele we know and recommendations from first responders. 

We do urge you to customize your supplies to tailor to your needs and the individuals in your household. Consider your common activities, health requirements, people in your household, etc.

Keep in mind, these emergency supplies and equipment are Stage 4 gear. Other stages compliment and add to it.

Complete Bulk Supplies and Equipment Checklist

This checklist has everything you need for complete home and family pantry and gear. We recommend you download and print out the checklist. Then below, shop for recommended products you need. 

Supplies and Equipment

Include highly effective gear for the critical functions of life. Supplies and gear should be organized and kept handy. A sample of recommended survival items includes:

Recommended Equipment Products

Explore recommended survival equipment products. Below we go through each checklist item and suggest highly-rated, quality products.

Generator

Power essential appliances in your home including: refrigerators, freezers, water heaters, wall outlets for recharging small devices, etc.

Preferred Attributes:

• mobile or in-line based on preference
• 7,500 watts or more
• multi fuel (gas or propane)
• electric start
• 120/240V
• GFCI

Reasons for Our Recommendation(s):

Keep perishable food cold or frozen. Charge devices. Heat water. 

We love the champion 7500 watt as a mobile option. It's large enough to power a number of appliances and devices.

55 Gallon Water Drum (Full)

Keep potable water on hand for each individual. They say under normal climate conditions you should have 1 gallon per person. Store the drum full.

Preferred Attributes:

• 55 Gallons
• Meant for water

Reasons for Our Recommendation(s):

We prefer the large barrel or stackable water containers (if the budget allows). Change the water multiple times per year and add some chlorine bleach to keep it pure. If you need to drink it, shake it up to oxygenate it for taste.

Water Drum Pump

Pump water out of the 55 gallon drum.

Preferred Attributes:

• dedicated

Reasons for Our Recommendation(s):

Obviously, 55 gallons is too heavy to lift to pour. The pump makes it easy.

Firewood Supply

If you have a wood stove, keep at least 1 winter's worth of split wood on hand. 

Preferred Attributes:

• split
• seasoned

Reasons for Our Recommendation(s):

Keep your wood dry and split. We've heard it can take anywhere from 2-4 cords of wood to heat through the winter depending on your stove's efficiency.

Shovel, Pick Axe, Hoe

Used for gardening

Preferred Attributes:

• full size
• fiberglass

Reasons for Our Recommendation(s):

If you need to garden for food you'll want tools on hand.

Solar Charger (USB)

Portable solar chargers can be very helpful in the right climate. We live in a place with a lot of cloud cover so they're not super effective. However, in many locations they are a great option for off-the-grid power. If you get one, be sure to use it before an emergency so you know if it's effective.

Required Attributes:

• light weight
• high rating

Reasons for Our Recommendation(s):

Most solar chargers are similar. The size of the cells usually directly correspond to the effectiveness of the device. Direct access to the sun is the bigger factor. 

These options are very highly rated meaning a lot of users have tested them for you.

Extra Rechargeable Batteries AA/AAA

Pack extra batteries for longer device usage and to charge while you're using the current set.

Required Attributes:

• 2,000mAh AA or 800mAh
• Many recharges
• Long term storage capacity
• Ni-MH

Reasons for Our Recommendation(s):

Swap out batteries with long lasting rechargeables. Keep your devices going. The eneloops have held up very well in tests. They can be recharged over 2000 times, hold a charge for 10 years, and recharge using solar power.

Space Heater and Fan

Keep an electric space heater and a fan on hand in case your primary heat source or AC goes out.

Preferred Attributes:

• compact
• portable
• efficient

Reasons for Our Recommendation(s):

This highly rated space heater is perfect for small areas.

The fan is highly rated as well.

Recommended Kitchen and Bulk Food Products

Explore our recommended survival products for your food storage, food production, and survival kitchen. Below we go through each checklist item and suggest highly-rated, quality products.

1 Year Supply of Food

3 months normal pantry food, 3 months canned food or dehydrated meals, 6 months canned wheat, oats, potatos, rice, etc.

Preferred Attributes:

• sealed cans or packages
• organized for access

Reasons for Our Recommendation(s):

See Food Storage and Production

Grain Mill

Have a grain mill on hand for wheat and grain grinding to make food.

Preferred Attributes:

• compact
• portable
• efficient

Reasons for Our Recommendation(s):

This grain mill is easy to use, quick to set up, and can process a lot of grain.

Heirloom Seeds

Store heirloom seeds you can plant in a garden in the spring/summer to produce extra food.

Preferred Attributes:

• multi species
• truly heirloom

Reasons for Our Recommendation(s):

These seeds are designed specifically for emergency food production. There are many species and the seeds are relatively easy to grow.

Fishing Poles, Tackle, and Bait

If you live near water sources keep poles, tackle and bait to catch fish for food.

Preferred Attributes:

• compact
• portable
• efficient

Reasons for Our Recommendation(s):

We've owned, tested, researched this fishing gear and they've performed very well for the budget.

Snares

Trap food. Definitely learn how to use a snare before packing it in your kit. 

Required Attributes:

• light weight
• real snare - so much better than a piece of wire

Reasons for Our Pick:

A real snare is so effective if used correctly. We recommend investing in small or medium size traps at this Stage. Many kits have wire anyway, we easily justify having real snares. The SurvivorCord we also recommended above has wire as well but it's not super thick and would require a braid, etc. to build a snare.

Hunting Rifle and Ammo

Keep a rifle and ammo on hand for hunting big game, fowl, small game.

Preferred Attributes:

• accurate
• big enough caliber to bring down a big animal effectively

Reasons for Our Recommendation(s):

Choosing a rifle is a personal preference so we don't have specific recommendations.

Cooler

You may need to transport your food and keep it cold. 

Preferred Attributes:

• latchable lid
• medium sized

Reasons for Our Recommendation(s):

Coleman, Yeti and Igloo all make great coolers.

Recommended Bulk Toiletries Products

Explore our recommended survival products for your bulk Toiletries. Below we go through each checklist item and suggest highly-rated, quality products.

Toiletries

We won't list recommended products here because each household has its preferences. Here's the list and reasons:

• Toilet Paper (3 Cases of 30) - While toilet paper is bulky, we recommend storing as much as makes sense - just ask people who ran out during the COVID shortages how miserable it is to go without. Leaves really aren't that effective. You could go with a cloth you wash out if water is in large supply.
• Toothbrushes (1 Year per person) - It's only a few brushes per person.
• Toothpaste (1 Year per person) - It's only a few tubes per person.
• Soap (1 Year)  - It's only a few bars per person.
• Shampoo (1 Year) - It's only a few bottles per person.
• Sunscreen (1 Year) - It's only a few tubes total.
• Mosquito Repellent (1 Year) - It's only a few bottles per person.
• Body Wipes (Cases) - we have baby wipes and body wipes in case water is in short supply.
• Trash Bags
• Ziploc Bags
• Hand Sanitizer
• Feminine Hygiene - We see recommendations to consider a menstral cup to reduce storage requirements.
• Combs/Brushes
• Hand Clothes
• Razors

Most of these items are pretty inexpensive if you buy a little extra each time you go to the store. There is a little bulk here (especially extra toilet paper) so you may have to get creative on where you store these items.