Necessary Prep Items Often Overlooked.

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Just some random thoughts on items that may get overlooked when prepping:

Work Gloves

The kind with leather palms and heavy fabric backs. You can go through a pair in the course of a season if you do a lot of outdoor work like digging a garden, cutting firewood, or digging a fallout shelter. The kind I buy are the ones you see in the odd-lot store for $1 - $2 a pair. They seem to last as long as the ones I used to pay $7- $8 for at the hardware store. Stock up - 10 pair will set you back $20 at most, and will last a long time.

Dust/particle masks

Will come in handy when taking care of the dead, of which unfortunatley there may be many, some in advanced stages of decomposition.

Rubber/vinyl gloves

Same as under dust/particle masks.

Rope

Multitude of uses. Get a variety - the man-made fibers such as nylon and polyester will last longer than cotton in most applications. Get a lot - 1,000 feet of various typesseems like a lot, until you consider how you'd make it yourself if need be... have you ever actually *tried* weaving grasses together?

Duct tape

The old stand-by... however, all duct tape is not created equal. The adhesive on lesser-quality tape will dry out in a couple of years. The best grade of duct tape top is called *gaffer's tape*... it usually comes in flat black, is totally waterproof, UV resistant and the adhesive will stay good for many, many years. Expect to pay in the neighborhood of $25 for a roll of this stuff. Don't even consider the lesser grades for storage - they'll let you down.

-- sparks (wireless@home.here), March 27, 1999

Answers

Rubber gloves to handle the dead bodies.

Rope to hang looters and trespassers.

Duct tape to quiet the children and crying babies.

Gas mask in case of a release of toxic fumes.

-- thiningahead (thinkingahead@though.zon), March 27, 1999.


Sharpening stone for axes etc A "hacker" for trimming off the brushwood once you've cut down that tree or for splitting kindling wood. Eye safety mask A couple of heavy duty tarps (a multitude of uses fro covering fire wood to collecting rain water to mending the roof.) Battery operated clock

-- Chris (griffen@globalnet.co.uk), March 28, 1999.

Forget the battery operated clocks. Get an old-fashioned, wind-up alarm clock for $5 at any Dollar General store or some place like that. Needs no batteries or electricity.

Also the biggest High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) trash can you can buy for collecting rain water for washing, etc.

Plywood and black polyethylene film for boarding up/covering up your windows so no one will detect your candles/oil lamps/lanterns, etc inside.

-- Lucy (I'mhere@home.com), March 28, 1999.


Needles, threads, fishing line. Besides repairing clothing, good for makeshift suture equipment in emergencies.
Mrs. Kennedy

-- Mrs. Kennedy (theMrs@home.now), March 28, 1999.

TAMPONS!!!!can't say it enough...best barter item there is...I know guys... you think that's silly but if you want to goudge people in barter,man this is the one thing women want when they dont have it

-- ZOOBIE (ZOOB@AOL.COM), April 19, 1999.


Packages of "teeny tiny" screws for eyeglass repair
Q-tips (cotton swabs)
Superglue or clone
Pens, pencils and paper, paper, paper
Cheap, old-fashioned carpet sweeper (manual)

More later.

-- Donna Barthuley (moment@pacbell.net), April 19, 1999.

Extra shoes and boots! A few larger sizes for children to grow into.

Zippers, elastic and buttons.....mending supplies.

Stock up on old sheets, t-shirts etc from a thrift store. Rags will become scarce I imagine.

-- Sheila (sross@bconnex.net), April 19, 1999.


pet food, heavy oven mits, large role of newsprint (wrapping produce for storage and fire start,) canning jar lids, extra tool handles, tetanus booster

-- marsh (armstrng@sisqtel.net), April 19, 1999.

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