1 year of food and 3 months of water

[wcd]

Didn’t need it last year, the year before that, the year before that and so on.
A years worth seems pretty extreme to be honest.
What would be a more realistic/‘normal’ expectation?

For us two weeks of water basically a few cases plus or Minus.

 

[Ingomike]

Didn’t need it last year, the year before that, the year before that and so on.
A years worth seems pretty extreme to be honest.
What would be a more realistic/‘normal’ expectation?

The diagnosis is; normalcy bias. The belief that because something has not occurred in your experience it will never occur. The freedom and abundance we have right this minute is unprecedented in the history of mankind. We are living the anomaly. Seriously, study human history to have a better idea where we may go.

A years worth of food is not that much. (Obviously depends on how many you are feeding.). Several ways to go about it economically. Just need to get out there and learn.

 

[Ingomike]

For us two weeks of water basically a few cases plus or Minus.

I believe three liters per day per person is a good number to shoot for.

 

[Mij]

For over 40 years I’ve owned a home, never used my homeowners insurance. Think I will cancel it. Come to think of it, I’ve not ever fired a shot in defense in America, think I’ll sell my guns and ammo. Use purple where you feel it’s needed.

 

[cg21]

Didn’t need it last year, the year before that, the year before that and so on.
A years worth seems pretty extreme to be honest.
What would be a more realistic/‘normal’ expectation?

Normal is you don’t have the things in your house to make a basic meal without visiting the local grocery store daily.

 

[wcd]

I believe three liters per day per person is a good number to shoot for.

I should preface it we have a Stream on our homestead. So that kind of helps.

 

[jsx1043]

I believe three liters per day per person is a good number to shoot for.

From all of my emergency management, search and rescue and wilderness survival training, the old standby was one gallon a day per person for hydration, sanitation and cooking, and that’s of course with moderate activity. Increased physical activity and the need for increased sanitation (i.e., WROL activities) would definitely require more.

 

[Ingomike]

From all of my emergency management, search and rescue and wilderness survival training, the old standby was one gallon a day per person for hydration, sanitation and cooking, and that’s of course with moderate activity. Increased physical activity and the need for increased sanitation (i.e., WROL activities) would definitely require more.

I agree that more is better but I like to suggest to those asking, like the OP’s question, that three liters per per person for 90 days is a start point. Then one needs to know what the next source of water will be. 600 liters for two people is way better than most folks will ever have. Twenty Costco cases of 40 liters would be excellent to have on hand.

 

[jsx1043]

I agree that more is better but I like to suggest to those asking, like the OP’s question, that three liters per per person for 90 days is a start point. Then one needs to know what the next source of water will be. 600 liters for two people is way better than most folks will ever have. Twenty Costco cases of 40 liters would be excellent to have on hand.

Heck, in this day and age, having 2-3 cases of water on hand would be a bounty for most (NPCs).

I hope when it all crashes and I’m out scavenging in a few years that I come across a garage like mine LOL

 

[Brian's Surplus]

Berkeys are great. We used to sell them at the store but they just did not sell very fast and take up too much display space. We don't carry them at the store any more but I still keep them around for personal use.

I think it is also a good idea for everyone to keep a few gallons of chlorine bleach around. It can be used for many things, including disinfecting surfaces or purifying water. A gallon of bleach will purify A LOT of water. It's also really cheap.

There are manual water pumps available that can be installed over an electric pump to be used in case of emergency. To me, these manual pumps make the most sense. This would obviously depend on where you live and where your well is, if you have one. Keeping a small generator might also be a way to keep water available, but will have it's own complications.

When it comes to food, there is no reason to not have at least a few days supply around. Keeping extra amounts of non-perishable foods that you use anyway is a no brainer.

For long term emergency preparedness, I feel that Mountain House is the best choice (yes, I'm an authorized Mountain House dealer). It's not that expensive for what you get, it actually tastes good (since it's freeze dried it does not need preservatives added like salt in MREs) and it will outlive us if stored properly. The "best by" dates on what I'm selling now are 2050 but it will be fine to eat well beyond that. Realistically, it should be fine to eat after 70+ years if kept in proper storage conditions. It's cheap insurance. For a few hundred dollars you can have a decent supply of good food on hand when you need it. You also don't need to worry about rotating your stockpile every few years. I have several customers that buy a few pouches every time they stop at the store. Over time, it adds up and they eventually have a significant stockpile.

I try to make sure that my prices on Mountain House are lower than what is available on the Mountain House website. If you can find it cheaper than what I'm selling it for, let me know. I'll beat any advertised retail price on currently produced Mountain House products that are available (products that I can currently order). I also have Mountain House products available that I don't have on display at the store (due to space limitations). If they make it, I probably have it in stock. If I don't, I can get it.

 

[spencer rifle]

Don't use your good water to flush. Any old water can do that - scummy ponds, puddles, whatever you find in an old tire, etc.
And save those old t-shirts, socks and such for "wipes" you can dump in a nearby bleach water bucket and wash out. That was our plan during the toilet paper apacolypse (though we never had to deploy).