We’re fairly efficient movers as it seems we move every few years. One of these days I would like to NOT move and actually find a place we can truly call home… perhaps someday soon.
The thing with moving is that it’s a great time to not only de-clutter and purge your household possession but also your prepping supplies and gear as well. In fact, I took this opportunity to do a major overhaul and literally go through EVERYTHING I owned! Yes, it turned out to be a multi-day ordeal but I’m glad I did it.
You see, as organized as I like to be (and claim to be) things just get out of hand as the years pass. Stuff gets shoved wherever there’s space, sometimes gear doesn’t get put back where it belongs, ideas that sounded good at the time don’t work as time passes by, and so on.
It’s was time for a major overhaul.
Because the place we’re renting has a rather large workshop, I essentially laid out everything I had on counters and the floor and because to think about what I had…
Organizing the Tote Bins
Because I use a handful of large tote bins to organize smaller preps I decided I wanted to reorganize them first and foremost. So, I thought about how I might utilize my emergency supplies and wound up organizing the most likely to be used supplies in the first two bins.
Specifically, I choose to place things like lighting (lanterns, flashlights, candles, etc), emergency radios, and power-related stuff (inverters, charge controller, propane equipment, etc) in the first bin. I figured this stuff would be the most likely emergency supplies I would be looking for. Previously, it was strewn in all different bins.
The second bin wound up being things I thought I might need to get into if things got a bit worse, including assorted food and cooking supplies but, in all honesty, I probably wouldn’t be getting into most of this stuff as I already have the stuff I would use NOT in bins. Really, this stuff is just extra.
The same can be said for the remainder of my bins. I have one dedicated to sanitation and hygiene supplies that really just includes a bunch of “extra” supplies that I would never use unless I’m getting desperate. This bin includes supplies like extra toothbrushes, bar soap, trash bags, and plenty more.
Other bins include additional supplies that I don’t expect to utilize unless things get rough and could include anything, from rolls of paracord to fishing line, antibiotics, and even dental extraction forceps. Yup, if I’m getting into these bins things are bad. 😉
Stuff Not in Bins
Now, even though I’ve got things organized in bins how they make more sense to me, the majority of the preparedness gear that I WILL use really isn’t in buckets at all. This includes things like my Big Berkey water filter, grain mill, sun oven, firearms, dehydrator, water barrels, and more. Most of these things are just too big to fit in bins or are being used regularly.
I also took this opportunity to go through our bug out bags (that also double as vehicle kit bags). Long story short I went through each of them and did my best to ensure they were mirror images of each other so there’s no missing expectations or unexpected surprises.
I also overhauled my off-site cache. Previously my go-to cache was kept in a large 32-gallon trash barrel and was mostly just a hodgepodge of emergency supplies that I threw in there. Ok, it wasn’t *that* bad but it did need an overhaul. Now, the majority of my off-site supplies are in a sturdy locking tote. The only thing left to do is to ask the only people we know nearby to allow me to cache it at their place.
Vehicles Supplies
Last, I went through the one car we currently have and ensured it was ready to go. I made sure there were jumper cables, an assortment of flat tire repair supplies, assorted hand tools, fuses (a MUST!), flares, tie-down straps, various fluids (water, engine oil, antifreeze), flashlight, phone charger, pre-paid phone, and more. And, of course, I ensured it was mechanically sound, had proper fluid levels, correct tire pressure, and so on.
My Final Thoughts
All-in-all it was a long process that took me multiple days to finish. Maybe I didn’t have to go through everything but it was nice to reorganize my supplies in a way that made more sense to me. And, besides, I did find a few things I thought I was missing and even re-familiarized myself with some of the emergency supplies I keep but don’t regularly use.
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