If you have an attached garage on your house, you probably use it for one of three things — parking your car, working on your hobby, or storing the junk that won’t fit in the rest of your house but that you just can’t bear to part with yet. While these are all viable options for this space, there is one that the average homeowner might overlook — creating a storage space for all your survival gear.
Whether you’re a hardcore survivalist or just starting your prepping journey, here are some of the things that you should always have in your garage, in no particular order.
1. Bug-Out Bags
While sheltering in place is usually going to be your best option, it isn’t always possible in a survival situation. In these situations, the last thing you want is to have to run without your supplies, and that’s where a good bugout bag comes in handy.
Pack a backpack with three days worth of supplies, including food, water, first aid and everything else that you might need. Pack important papers or other items that you can easily carry if you can’t live without them. That way, if you need to run, all you need to do is grab your bugout bag and go.
[Editor’s note: I wrote a book on what to put in your bug out bag if interested.]
2. Water Purification Tools
Water is one of the most important supplies for survival, but keeping enough water to keep you alive can take up a lot of your storage space. If you have access to natural water sources or rain barrels, all you need is to keep some water purification tools to make this water safe to drink or cook with.
Water purification tablets, made from chlorine or iodine, take up very little space, have a long shelf life and will make all but the dirtiest water safe to drink. Water filters, such as LifeStraw and its related products, can all filter water and make it safe to drink. Gravity fed filters, such as Berkey filters are great, too.
3. Food Supplies
While you can survive longer without food than you can without water, you will still need some food supplies to keep you fed until you can hunt or grow your own food. Stock up on food supplies, including non-perishables, canned goods, and other food items that have a long shelf life.
Don’t focus on fresh produce or meats, because they will expire and rot long before you get to eat them all. A nicely organized shelf or two in your garage stocked with canned goods and other nonperishable items can help keep you fed for a while. Be aware that if you garage is subject to extreme temperatures, such as freezing cold or high heat, then it would be best to store food inside your home.
4. Camp Stove
According to the Consumer Energy Center, upwards of 60% of homes in the United States have electric stoves for cooking. While this can be less expensive in the long run than gas stoves, if the grid fails, you no longer have the option to cook your food indoors.
Keeping a camp stove around, as long as you have fuel for the stove, gives you the ability to cook even if the power is out. There are even some options that convert some of the heat energy to electricity so you can charge your phone and other devices while you cook. Be sure to use any such stoves outdoors or provide plenty of ventilation because they may not fully combust, which can produce carbon monoxide, a deadly gas.
5. Portable Solar
Speaking of grid failure, there are a lot of things that we use in our daily life that will become nothing more than glorified paperweights if the power goes out. Phones, computers, laptops, electric toothbrushes — everything that runs on electricity will be dead in the water if the power grid goes down.
If you don’t have the room or money for a full solar setup, consider investing in a portal solar power system that you can set up anywhere. It won’t be as efficient as a permanent system, but it can help keep your devices charged when there are no other options. All you need is a flat stretch of ground and some sunlight.
[Editor’s note: An 800-watt or larger inverter and a long extension cable connected to your vehicle usually does the trick to keep “crucial” electronics, including your refrigerator, running during short-term power outages.]
6. First Aid Supplies
In a survival situation, a trip to the doctor’s office or the ER won’t be possible. You need to have all the supplies on hand that you could possibly ever need to treat injuries and illnesses — as well as the knowledge to treat them.
You don’t necessarily need to spend years in medical school but you will want to have a comprehensive first aid kit on hand. You can purchase a pre-made kit or build your own, but whichever option you choose, a first aid kit is probably one of the more important things that should be in a survivalist’s garage.
7. Hand Tools
Power tools can help you get the job done quickly, but if the power grid fails, they’re basically just paperweights, though you will still want to have something to help you build new furniture or repair something you already have on hand.
Invest in some high-quality hand tools and learn how to use them. The process will be slower, but that isn’t always a bad thing, especially if you’re in a survival situation and have plenty of time on your hands to work on the projects that you didn’t have time for otherwise.
[Editor’s note: I wrote a book on survival toolbox for just such a scenario!]
8. Matches or Firestarters
Gas stoves and portable burners are fantastic tools, but they are only useful as long as their fuel supply holds out. Beyond that, you’ll need something else to cook with. Fire is an option, as long as you have the tools to start one.
Stock up on matches, lighters, firestarters, or other tools that you can use to start up a campfire or light a grill. Have a backup or two handy in case you need them. You never know what might happen or when a match might not be the best option to start a fire.
9. Hygiene Supplies
The early months of the pandemic showed us what life might be like without toilet paper. Technically, hygiene supplies might not be as important as water or food, but they’re definitely up there.
Don’t underestimate the importance of being able to brush your teeth or bathe, even in a survival situation. Stock up on your favorite hygiene supplies, and be careful to keep track of expiration dates. Toilet paper might not expire, but things like mouthwash and soaps can.
10. Extra Clothes
Staying clean in a survival situation might be challenging but it isn’t impossible and changing some things — like your socks — can help to protect your body and keep you healthy if you’re not able to have a regular shower. Even if you can’t change your entire outfit, change your socks. Warm and dry feet will help keep you more comfortable and prevent other issues from cropping up in the future.
Of course, there are plenty of additional clothes you can keep on hand, such as clothes to keep you warm, outdoor clothes to keep your indoor clothes clean, hats, gloves, and so on.
11. Shoes, Boots
In a survival situation, you may be doing a lot of traveling on foot, too. The easiest way to hurt yourself is to try and walk long distances in crappy shoes. Invest in a few pairs of good shoes as part of your survival cache. Consider shoes/boots for hiking, shoes/boots for around the house, and beaters (e.g., old shoes you were going to throw out) that might prove useful as time goes on. And if you’re so inclined to fix your shoes, have the supplies (e.g., laces, patches) to keep them in good working order.
12. Good Knives
A good knife has a lot of different uses, from hunting to fileting your kill, and even defending yourself from an attacker if you must. Collect a variety of different knives for different applications and maintain them well. You never know when one might come in handy, especially in a survival situation.
We suggest always carrying a knife on you, regardless of the situation, simply because you never know when you might need it…while following applicable laws.
Speaking of knives, they’re no good to you if they’re dull unless you’re planning to use them as screwdriver blades. All you need to keep a knife sharp is a good whetstone.
You can use any rock — or even the bottom of a coffee mug — in a pinch, but a whetstone will make the job easier and provide you with a more even result.
13. Survival Books
Right now, you can find information about anything that you might want to study simply by opening a browser or pulling your phone out of your pocket. If the telecommunications infrastructure collapse — or you’re just in an area that has no cell phone signal — then you won’t have access to that information.
Keeping a stock of survival books in your garage means that you’ll always have the information you need to stay alive, even if you can’t rely on the internet anymore.
[Editor’s note: I’ve got a few books you might be interested in, including books on food storage, collapse survival, and more!]
14. Flashlights
We’re so used to the convenience of the electric light that we’ve forgotten that humans used to work from sunup to sundown and then rest once the sunset for the evening. Humans are naturally afraid of the dark, and if the power goes out or you find yourself in the wilderness, away from humanity, the nights will be darker than you’re accustomed to.
Keeping flashlights and other light sources handy will welcome, especially for the kids. If you’re opting for flashlights and other battery-powered light sources, make sure you stock up on batteries or look into alternative power sources like cranks or solar.
[Editor’s note: I very much prefer battery-powered LED flashlights and lanterns as opposed to anything crank or solar or even fuel-powered these days. They’re usually very efficient, safe, and bright enough for most uses.]
15. Communication Tools
We rely on our cell phones to stay in touch with each other, but in a survival situation that won’t be possible if the cell network collapses. Make sure you have a backup form of communication available. This could be in the form of HAM or CB radios, 2-way radios, or walkie-talkies.
Don’t count on anything that relies on the cell network to function. If the power grid goes down and stays down, the cell towers will follow within days, if not hours.
The main news networks might fall in a survival or apocalypse situation, but that doesn’t mean that all the airwaves will be silent. Emergency broadcast messages may contain important information that can help you stay alive, but unless you have a radio capable of tuning in, you’ll end up missing it.
A crank-powered radio requires no batteries, and since most are designed for emergency use, may come pre-set to the emergency broadcast stations so you won’t have to search for them.
16. Weapons
The human race is incredible, innovative and creative, but when the chips are down and things get desperate, they can also be violent and bloodthirsty, willing to do whatever it takes to survive. In a survival or apocalypse situation, don’t expect everyone to work together, even if it feels like they should be. Arm yourself — and practice with your weapons of choice so you’re comfortable using them, should the need arise.
17. Trash Bags
Trash bags might seem like an odd thing to stock up on but these thin sheets of plastic have a million and one uses. Wrap up things to keep them dry or keep pests out. Punch a hole in the bottom and wear it as a poncho to keep yourself dry. Cut it open and lay it out on the ground as a moisture barrier or hang it overhead to keep the rain off you.
The possibilities are endless, and they’re a lot cheaper — if thinner — and often easier to find than plastic sheeting. It won’t last as long but when you can buy a roll of 100 bags for cheap, the length of time that they last isn’t really a negative.
Be Ready for Anything.
Being a prepper or a survivalist doesn’t mean that you’re paranoid or afraid of your own shadow. It means being prepared for anything that might happen. Modern civilization might look bulletproof at times, but in reality, it’s standing on the edge of a knife and it wouldn’t take much to push it off one side or the other. Being ready for anything could mean the difference between life and death in a survival situation. Be careful out there!
[Note: This was a guest post.]
Leave a Reply