It’s hard to argue with his list. And while I don’t have the exact same items he highlights, I’m close enough. Although I’ll offer some thoughts further below, he talks about the Berkey water filters, All-American pressure canner, Country Living Hand Grain mill, a high-quality large safe, portable refrigerator/freezer combo, gas-powered generator, solar power station, home transfer switch, Harvest Right freeze dryer, and Russian Bear Tent…
For starters, the Berkey filter (or a similar quality gravity water filter) is a must, but I can’t say it is “the most important” item like he suggests. Yes, water is crucial, but if you already have thousands of clean water stored, then it might be be “the most important” item. That said, I would still encourage you to get a quality gravity filter. As for what to get besides a Berkey, I don’t know as I am still on the hunt for an alternative … at least an alternative filter medium. (FYI, I’ve tried the cheapo knock-off brand filters, and I cannot recommend them.)
He also mentions the Country Living Grain Mill because it’s the standard in hand mills. But it’s also quite expensive at over $800 on Amazon (yikes!) but I’ve had this Wonder Junior Deluxe Grain Mill for years and it’s just fine. And at less than half the cost, I’d say it’s a viable alternative.
Next, while the All-American pressure canners are wonderful (we own one) unless you’re planning on using them regularly, at about $500 it’s hard to say it’s a “must own” item. But they are much better than anything else on the market and if you want to ensure your home-canned foods are safe, it’s best to invest in quality equipment.
I can’t speak to owning a large, heavy-duty safe as I don’t own one; same goes for the portable refrigerator/freezer combo. I’d say if we camped more, then I could justify buying a portable fridge/freezer. But since I already drive my wife nuts with all the other survival supplies I try to hoard … I mean stockpile, she might divorce me if I brought home something like this. Oh, and I’ve never even heard of a Russian Bear Tent; looks like a lot of fun if you live somewhere it snows constantly.
I’m on the fence about gas-powered generators. Yes, we have one, and they’re useful so long as you can keep them running (and properly maintained) but they’re not magical. They take work, are noisy, are often fuel hogs, and can’t run the entire house in most cases. You’re still going to have to be selective with what you run AND find other ways to do things, like heat the house or cook. All of these reasons and more make a solar powered setup more useful in most short-term scenarios. Honestly, on the cheaper end of survival gear, there’s no “great way” to keep the lights on so-to-speak for a long time. You either have to spend the money on equipment to make that happen or learn to do without.
The Harvest Right Freeze Dryer is nice, I’ll admit. But they’re expensive and it takes a serious amount of work to prepare food. I got into it for about a year, but like most things, the newness wore off and I haven’t freeze-dried anything in months. (Yes, I still occasionally freeze dry food but haven’t posted about it because there’s nothing new to talk about.)
Personally, I might have added a raised SUV or something similar for bug outs, but I know he said he wanted to keep the expenses to a reasonable level. So, I might have also recommended a survival library of paperback books. Your choices, of course, but I’ve got about a dozen of my own. Last, maybe a supply of gasoline or other fuel, like firewood. I know that’s quite equipment, but gas, diesel, firewood, propane, kerosene, and so on could be worth their weight in gold in hard times.
What do you think? Are these items worth the expense? Did he miss something? Did I miss something?
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