Being Prepared

Before we go any further we need to begin at the beginning and we need to know our area and surrounding district and identify everything we may need in the event of a major incident and we need to remember many other people will be competing for the same resources and you need any edge you can get. These are water, food, fire/heat and shelter in that order and your environment dictates which priority you have; for example you may be in the desert and have plenty of food and limited quantities of water making water your immediate priority and that is what it is about, immediate priorities. Being prepared guarantees very little on some occasions but in the event of a major incident being prepared puts you in a much better position than someone who is not prepared so think about this as every shop will be looted when people need food and every open garden will be looted for anything useful. In the event of a major incident the resources will disappear much quicker than normal. Think about it as we have the world collapsing financially and wars everywhere and people like Putin baying for a nuclear war as well as the world’s population moving around the world and essentially invading other countries. What happens when food ships cannot cone from China as they have no fuel, or the Lorries which move the food around the UK have no drivers as they cannot get to work, or the fuels tankers cannot run due to any drivers, it fails very quickly.

Do you have a car and if so what type? Where is the nearest fuel station because no car works without fuel and thieves will try to steal your fuel for their cars or to sell or trade if they steal diesel and have a petrol powered car. What happens if it’s a national power outage and no fuel stations have power to pump fuel? This is where you need to know where all the petrol stations are as someone may have a generator and can power their pumps, albeit for a limited amount of time; if you have a petrol or diesel fuelled generator you need fuel for it to power your own home.

What is your contingency if you don’t have a car or yours cannot be run? Maybe it is out of fuel or someone has vandalised it, or maybe they have stolen the wheels and this is where you need a contingency plan and I would suggest a bike. With a bike you can travel further in a specified time than walking and you have some carrying capabilities such as panniers for food or a carrier to carry a water container and you can add carriers to it to increase its capabilities and remember that in WW2 most of the German army used bikes, contrary to popular misconceptions and media portrayals.

Next would be the wheelbarrow as this allows you to take and collect items heavier then you can carry and handy for collecting things in bulk such as firewood or water in you don’t mind walking, or you don’t have a choice

Where is a local water source? This is your first priority and I would suggest identifying multiple water sources as everyone will be drawing from the easiest and harder often means better water and you need to know how to filter it and kill the bacteria to make it drinkable. If you purchase a commercial filter you will need to buy or have many spare filter cartridges for it to work; or you can make your own water filter easily and cheaply and once you have made one you can make many which is another useful skill to have. In either event it is better to boil the filtered water to kill off any of the bacteria in the water before putting it into your clean water container.
When you collect any water from your water source it is always better to collect it from the middle as it is faster flowing there and this often removes silts and means you collect less in your water which keeps your filter cleaner for longer and makes it easier to filter and clean.
Food is something else and there is a lot you can do to secure your food supplies and the first is to remove any food you have from the cupboards and put it in one location and go through it methodically and always eat what is likely to go off first to make your food last longer. You can always identify other sources of food locally by foraging or simply knowing your area and remember if you think of mushrooms so will many others and this is where your knowledge pays dividends as you know where the blackberries are as do others but do they know what plants they can eat and where they are. If you walk your area regularly you can identify the quiet areas such as woodland or similar and guerrilla plant which is to plant small quantities of food where only you and limited numbers of people know where it is and if you plant crops which self seed and drop those seeds you can get a perpetual crop of fresh foods every year. Think about this for a minute as every blackberry is made up of many small round segments and each segment contains a seed and the round outer is the food it needs to survive until the seed begins to grow so picking ripe blackberries and throwing a few onto the ground means at least some will set and the blackberries continue to grow. How many other fruits are the same as blackberries? Raspberries are one and again simply throwing some ripe raspberries onto the ground will usually see some set and grow so now you have raspberries and they may be small but they are tasty.
You can do the same with many things and wild garlic is another and if you get some wild garlic bulbs and plant them in a wood I will guarantee that if the growing conditions are correct these few will turn into a large patch and you pick them in season and you can preserve them for out of season use. Simply knowing where fruit trees such as apple or pear or maybe damson are mean you can collect some fruit and possibly bottle it and if you can identify if your apples are cookers or eaters you can simply do a desert of stewed apples and sweeten it with a little honey.

If you fish you can catch fish in a local river or canal and as most fish can be eaten it may supplement your restricted diet and with more knowledge you may find the pesky American invaders called crayfish have infested a local river and they are very easily caught in large numbers to make a family meal. You can trap and locally we have hares and wild pheasants as well as deer so venison is on the menu as I can shoot one and have plenty of meat or trade some of the meat for other foods or services essential to me.

Next we have wood and this is crucial if we have an outside cooker and a log burner and potentially an open fire as this fuels our cooking and house heating and it gives us warmth as well as food and along with water very few really realise how much of it we use until they have to fetch it. If you have an open fire or log burner you will quickly realise you cannot run it all day as you can with a car and a chainsaw as you will be fetching less wood per journey and using more energy if you have to use the bow saw to log it up and then split it to season it. Limit your use to conditions and in cold weather you can light the fire in the morning and let it burn out and relight it in the evening and let it burn out after being made up once as this will heat the structure of your house and you can also use it again especially with flat top log burners which can be used to cook on or simply pre heat water so you use less gas or petrol in your stove to bring it to the boil. You can also do this with an open fire by simply standing a large pot right in front of it and the heat will eventually heat the water up and again this can be used to boil filtered water to kill the bacteria and make it drinkable and you can use your fuel wood to prolong the life of cooking fuels such as gas or petrol.
To give an idea of wood usage a mate has a 6Kw log burner and from November to March it nearly runs continually and running 24/7 consumes around 7 tonnes of wood which is over 1 tonne per month or actually 1.4 tonnes per month and it reduces his gas bill by over half so it is worth it as I give him surplus wood and his log shed holds about 10 tonnes.

Remember that people will be existing/surviving on their reserves and they will be depleting them until they run out, or they get desperate and rob shops and allotments for food and essentials and while they are depleting their resources you are managing yours and topping them up continually so they don’t run out or they last longer.

Shelter would be your home and this would be your source of everything, your hub, your place called your castle but really, is it? Think about this for a minute and if you have outbuildings they become a target to rob and if you have a car and it is outside they will cut fuel lines to pinch fuel and it will become Mad Max without the thunderdome.
If you have a lockable garage then put your car into it and lock it, if you have sheds or outhouses then lock them and remember locks are only there to stop honest people as thieves will try to cut locks off, break windows, or remove hinges or crowbar a whole door frame out if they can so the moral is to remove everything you need or class as essential and store it in your home and make this more secure. If you have seasoned wood for fuel for your fire them bring a weeks worth inside and if gets stolen from outside you still have some for cooking and heating so think ahead and a little planning goes a long way.

Most people can last a week if water is still on and after that you really need to have everything essential inside your home and your home secured as the more people use their reserves the less they have and if they see you have it, they want it, so there is a real risk to you and your family.

Before we begin this section we can assume that people have basic foods and water stored so what would you put in a prepping kit? This is open for discussion and ideas. This would be a general purpose box for incidents lasting a few days or no more than a couple of weeks.

Toilet paper is an essential and I like the cheaper bulk packs so when we have another shortage we have plenty, at the last shortage we never ran out or paid over the odds as many did.

Duct Tape as this is essential for fixing anything from leaks to holding things together and is an essential emergency repair item, this needs to be stored in the correct conditions to keep it in good condition and ready for when it is needed; not in hot conditions.

Cigarette Lighters as these are essential for lighting fires to candles and it is useful to pick up the branded packs such as BIC from the cheap shops and don’t forget gas to refill them; you can add a petrol lighter such as Zippo as these are great outside and again don’t forget the petrol and spare flints. Also included in this are matches and several boxes are nice but you can add weatherproof matches and a holder to keep them dry outside and the extra is worth it. One useful addition are the extended nose type lighter generally used for lighting cookers as they offer a safer way to light something and are worth including.

Batteries are essential and again I try to stick only to sizes I use and the most popular are AA and AAA sizes and while I try to stick to them I also need several button cells and generally these are bought online as they often store for 10 years. While we keep a lot of dry cells I also have a set of mixed size rechargeables as they are nice to use and save dry cells but I never rely upon them totally; and a USB battery charger as I have one in my cars cigarette lighter and one in the house so I can charge from either USB.

Torches as these are crucial for lighting and security and if you get LED types they often can use both rechargeable and dry cells which makes them useful; if we add into this lanterns to light larger spaces and a head torch we can light and keep our hands free. If you have your house lit or partially lit during a power outage it deters thieves. Candles are included in this as they provide light and range from tea lights to large church types and generally a couple of packs of tea lights and standard candles will suffice. Tea lights can be put inside a glass which is useful to contain the wax.

Bleach, unscented is one of the most useful items and it can be used for cleaning and sterilising to purifying water in different concentrations.

Plastic bags are very useful and a range of sizes are essential as these can be used for everything from carrying items to storing them and if you have several black bags you can put a hole in the top and one either side and make an excellent waterproof poncho which will keep you dry and not win any vanity awards. Shopping bags are also included as again they carry heavier weights than plastic bags and can be very versatile.

Tarpaulins are very useful and can be used for simple repairs to making shelters and again a range of different sizes are useful and ideally those with the eyelet holes around the edges to put rope or string through or put pegs through to hold a shelter to the ground.

Paracord because it is lightweight and strong rope which can be used with the tarpaulins to hold them down, or together, or just to tie things generally and my preferred option would be the 550Lb 7 strand type as this covers most bases. It can be the ridge pole for a tarpaulin shelter or simply used to tie branches together to form a temporary off grid shelter or for hauling heavier items around your home.

Oil/Gas lamp as they provide heat and light when the power is out and you run out of rechargeable batteries and begin getting down your dry cells and remember the scented oil or paraffin and spare wicks as no amount of oil will be useful without a wick.
If you have a gas lamp you need spare gas containers and mantles.
If you can get hold of the older Hurricane or Tilley lamps they are an excellent appreciating asset but you need the paraffin for the fuel tank and methylated spirits for the ignition of the mantle and while they may be seemingly a faff they are worth it when they will light a large room and heat it.

Heirloom Seeds and certainly not F1 hybrids as you can let many of them go to seed and harvest next year’s seeds from them to ensure continuity of your food supply and F1 hybrid seeds cannot be harvested from items grown from them so stick to heirloom if possible.

Salt you may laugh but the body needs salt to function and anyone working or worked in a hot environment will be familiar with the availability of water and salt tablets as normal and as many foods contain lots of salts your body will be deprived of them and it needs them.

Socks, while you may still be laughing it is very serious as many foot problems arise from not having socks and you chafe and scrape your feet in your footwear, or you get wet socks and continue wearing them and get fungal or similar infections and all because you didn’t have dry socks. In reality it is worth getting several pairs of differing types ranging from hiking socks for going under boots to the basic thin socks for wearing with shoes and I would suggest different lengths to accommodate boots and shoes and different conditions.

Finally it is the First Aid Kit as this is of vital importance as anything happening off grid can quickly escalate and while you may have a mobile phone which is charged up and you can call an ambulance can you guarantee the control room has power, telephones, and operators to answer your call an ambulance driver to get to you, and a functioning hospital?
I would suggest a fairly basic type of first aid kit with dressings and antiseptics in a range of sizes which covers most of the basics such as cuts and small wounds and may include basic scissors and several pairs of gloves and add to this kit. You may be doing lots of fires so adding a burn spray would be beneficial as would a box of mixed plasters to cover most eventualities.
Follow this with a more extensive second kit with the capability to deal with more severe issues such as puncture wounds and I would ensure it has bottled alcohol and additional tools to deal with more severe wounds right up to puncture wounds. I would suggest going on a First Aid course so you can use either or both kits and know what to add to them, surgical tape would be one of mine.
Many items will have an expiry date on them and I would list the shortest dates on the outside so as they near their expiry date you can purchase replacements and throw out those going out of date.

My next box would be called my wood box as everyone needs wood during a prolonged blackout as it is the main source of fuel for cooking and fires and if you have the old fireplace and a cleaned chimney you can go and forage for wood to keep your house warm and your back boiler fired if you have one. Your first thing to do is forage and to identify everything in your surroundings as a prolonged power outage will see many people searching for wood and identifying the same places as you and you cannot be choosy in such circumstances but you can identify the best woods for you and snaffle them before anyone else does. Ideally avoid pine as it soot’s up fires and causes problems further down the line

For many fires you need smaller wood and in such circumstances you cannot afford to be choosy as often you are competing with others who may be less educated and less prepared than you and getting the correct tool for the specific job is essential to conserve energy as you will need more wood than you imagined.

Saws, these can be broken down onto different types to suit different purposes.

Bow Saw as these are one of the most versatile saws in your kit and ae useful for cutting up thicker sections of wood and come with blades for dry and wet wood so get both types of blades and keep them in their sleeves and tape them to the top of your saw, 24” saws are the most common so check you have the right blades. If you need to switch from a dry blade to a wet blade it is on your saw and if you damage or snap a blade you have one on your saw.
Selecting wood is critical and if you select fallen wood which is nearly dry or dried it can be used straight away so select them and cut it into manageable lengths to carry back to a vehicle or home and not into logs. Once you are home you can select dry wood and log this and split the logs you cut from the drying logs to help them fully dry.

Garden Saw these are similar to traditional wood working saws but have very coarse teeth for cutting through wet or green wood and are useful for cutting thinner sections than that you can cut with a bow saw and generally they come with a coating to help them slide through green wood.

First Cut Wood Saw used by woodworkers as these are ideal for cutting thinner sections of dried or partially dried wood generally used for tinder or cutting up offcuts of wood you have left to make sticks for lighting fires. Both these saws should be new and around 22” long.

Next are secateurs as they are better and quicker for cutting through smaller green timber and this dries within days so may be your choice for creating a fire bed of embers in existing fires and fir lighting fires.

Long Handled/Extending Handled Secateurs are better for lopping thicker branches of up to 1.5 – 2 inches thick and are great for tree trimming at the thinner end of branches where new growth has formed and if getting thicker as these are generally quick to season and make useful fuel for a fire.

Secateurs are the normal handled type which are useful for trimming bushes and plants with thin branches and willow whips are an ideal wood ad they season within a week and can be burned after this.
Axes/Hatchets are used for chopping and come in two types.

Felling Axes are the larger types often used for felling trees or cutting up large tree trunks normally cut by a chainsaw where one is available and when it isn’t the felling axe is used to cut it into pieces.

Hatchets are generally hand hatchets or hand axes and are much smaller than felling axes and much lighter and predominantly used for cutting smaller wood up into small pieces or sticking to cut thin sticks to make fire lighting sticks.

Machetes as these are great for removing undergrowth quickly and easily to access wood and can be useful for cutting thinner timber to hack your way through.

Maintaining your kit needs a few basic accessories and while these may depend upon your equipment they are still needed and handily kept in your wood box.

We will begin with basic tools and my first would be a small 6” or 8” adjustable spanners many of the above tools have nuts or locking nuts and a spanner which adjusts to most sizes is handy; followed by a small screwdriver with a bits set as many are now Torx or similar heads and you need the tool holder and the bits to fit them.

Small 3” or similar hand wound grinder with a fine stone which clamps to a bench as basically you wind them up and the stone keeps going and you can sharpen things such as your machete and axes to a rough finish before fine finishing them with your next tool.

Files, these should be a curved or a round file for your curved edges on your secateurs and a flat file for your axes and machete as this gives a fine finish to all sharp edges.

Oil stone as this gives a razor sharp edge to axes and machetes as well as tools such as chisels.

Maintenance spray oil as this is needed for all moving tool edges such as those on secateurs and to prevent rust on many other metal edges and my preferred choice if to spray them and wrap them up in a plastic bag. Machetes are particularly prone due to their carbon steel edges. This also works with your oil stone.

Candle or candle wax as this is rubbed onto the tools metal to coat it and give an anti friction surface do prevent binding curing a chop or cut and this can me spent candle wax which was collected and melted and formed into a block or simply a candle, the choice is yours. Apply the wax first and then spray with your maintenance spray.

Chalk as this is lightly rubbed onto the cutting edge of your file before filing and it prevents the file from clogging.


Before collecting any wood you need somewhere dry to store seasoned wood and somewhere airy and well ventilated to store drying wood as wet or partially wet wood doesn’t burn as well as dry wood. When you go to collect wood begin by scouring the area for fallen or snapped branches as these are at least part seasoned and anything down for a while will be fully seasoned so pick up the dried wood from the floor first and remember the thinner wood the quicker it will season or already be seasoned. Seasoned wood is a lot lighter than wet wood so you can carry more.

Hard woods are better and soft woods worse and the rule of thumb is to avoid pine and other resinous woods as the resins burn and either give off toxins or are very sooty and clog your flue and chimney up which leads to chimney fires. Let others take the pine unless you have no other choice.
What size wood should I take? This depends upon you and for most people I would suggest going for the 2-4” diameter wood for several reasons! 2” diameter wood will be quick and easy to season and if you need to season it then it seasons quickly and even quicker somewhere warm such as a greenhouse. Larger diameter wood up to 4” diameter needs logging and splitting in half and the split edge gives a lot of surface area to allow it to dry out and season quicker and up to 4” diameter wood is readily and easily carried by one person and if necessary, easily cut into lengths to fit your car boot at the side of the road with a bow saw.

Why not cut a whole tree down? Because it is a lot of timber and you have to cut it all up and transport it and with a mature hard wood tree weighing over 20 tonnes you will be making multiple trips with a car and this wastes a lot of fuel. Instead of cutting a whole tree down you take it bit by bit and this literally means taking the branches around 4” diameter or smaller and generally two of you can get it to your car and cut it to length and take it away. Let those silly enough to cut a tree down cut it down and let them use their brawn while you use your brains and if it has a 36” diameter trunk it expends a lot of energy to cut it and wastes a lot of wood and while they are getting lumps to their vehicle you nip a branch off with your bow saw and use their energy to your benefit.

Does it have to be 4” diameter or can I get thicker wood? 4” is the ideal size for most things and most people to carry and cut but if you are fitter or have fitter people with you then take what you can manage and you can always cut it into quarters or even more pieces to give it the surface area to dry out and season.

Seasoning and storing wood temporarily is easily done without any structures and all you need is room and two builders bags and lay one on its side and if it has the two slots for lifting ensure one is at the bottom and one at the top to tie your bag up when it is filled. Begin filling the bottom bag with partially seasoned timber which has been logged and begin at the back and fill side to side to ensure the bag is correctly stretched out and form another row in front and continue to nearly the front of the bag and work on your next layer and repeat until the bag is full. Put your second bag in top on its side and repeat the filling with seasoned timber and fill this and when both bags are full then get the bottom flap and pull it up, then pull the top flap down over it and tie then to prevent opening.
If you have a greenhouse or somewhere warm and airy you can take some of your partially seasoned wood and put it in there to finish it off and put it into your top bag.

My next box would be my cooking box and this would contain everything necessary to cook basic meals for a short period of time and we should look to the leisure sector such as camping and caravanning for inspiration and equipment which can be run at a competitive price.

Our first item is a cooker and the obvious choice is gas as they come as gas cookers in single burners, twin burners or multiple burners and you can even get camp kitchens complete with grills and even ovens, but they are expensive to buy and awkward to store for a “possible” event and unless you use it, not worth the aggravation.
What types are there? Basically they come in many configurations and older style single burners sit upon a canister of gas which forms the base and unless you have the optional rubber base for your gas canister base they are unstable and prone to toppling over unless placed upon a totally flat surface.
The next style are the more modern large square types which have a gas container which is about the size of an aerosol spray can and it screws into the side of the cooker and these are inherently stable and low profile and can take much larger pots and pans.

One of the major issues are the cost of the gas containers as this is the most expensive way to cook and while they are disposable and often come in multi pack types it is better to wait until the end of the camping season and buy a few packs when they are discounted and being sold off; you have your spares then.

Twin burner gas cookers are better and at least you can have two pans cooking and not just one and this gives us more scope to create meals and move away from the predictable soups, beans, spaghetti etc and get cooking decent meals and not survival meals.

Gas types, traditionally everything was camping gaz as this was the go to bottle for camping and they used butane gas which became the standard gas of the time and everyone supplied butane gas and those making camping equipment made them to run on butane; so butane it was then. Other applications included things such as gas lights and again they were designed for butane.
Next we had a hotter gas called propane and while it was hotter it was also more expensive and someone had the bright idea to mix the two to give the new gas cheapness by being slightly more expensive and by making it burn hotter and this gas was a butane/propane mix and came in everything from the disposable containers to large bottles solely for camping and caravanning.
Things moved on again and as propane demand increased its price decreased and it became the current default fuel for gas powered equipment such as gas cookers for camping and its reduced price narrowed the gap between butane and propane and made it economically viable and propane cooks around 1/3rd quicker than butane which makes it cheaper to use as you use less.

Gas has one great advantage in that you can use it inside as it burns cleanly but to be cautious I would always ensure the room was well ventilated.

If the weather is nice you can cook outside and people forget items such as their barbecue, fire pit, or rocket stove which all produce useful heat and can be cooked on; your barbecue and rocket stove may not need modifying but your fire pit may need a grill or bars fitting over the top to put pots and pans on. Barbecue is the oldest form of cooking and cannot be ignored or dismissed as if you have gathered wood you have the fuel so set fire to it and let it burn to a smoulder and you have your barbecue, it really is that simple and it saves other fuels.
Being outside means it is well ventilated but you can always put it in a garage or workshop and with care, even a shed so you can cook in the wet weather.

Spirit stoves are another viable option and companies such as Optimus and others made stoves which run from petrol which is put into a petrol tank and them pumped up and the burner is set to prime for a few seconds and then turned the other way to light it. Petrol is the preferred fuel and this means you have to have petrol and it pays to keep a few litres in stock and put a fuel additive into it to prolong its life so you always have it when you need it and you aren’t reliant upon a petrol station having power when it is off around you.
Petrol is an ideal cooking fuel as it is hotter than gas and cooks quicker and you use a lot less of it for general cooking as kettles boil quicker and if you are simmering something you turn it right down and use the minimal amount of fuel for the same amount of cooking heat.

Alcohol stoves are another popular item and for good reason as they provide excellent heat for cooking from alcohol but they tend to be small and unstable for pots and pans to go onto and for me that precludes them; you can buy alcohol for them as a liquid or you can use things such as vodka to fuel them.

Multi fuel stoves tend to be the preserve of the more affluent and are generally available only in lightweight form and while this makes them useful for canoe or cycle camping where weight is an issue, the small size can make them unstable; they can generally be used with any liquid fuel and you can get multiple fuel bottles for them. They are limited to single burner units which makes them inflexible and the fact they can run on almost any liquid fuel mases them flexible and the only issue for me is that the cost is prohibitive and for one of these units you can buy a mid range gas camp kitchen and for emergency use they are too expensive.

For me it would be my Optimus petrol cooker as this is a 2 burner unit which folds into a compact unit and even comes with a nozzle cleaning brush and I have used one for years and the only issue was that I decided to rebuild the pump when it was 50 years old and that was a couple of decades ago. I would supplement this with another fuel such as gas and I have a couple of burners which go directly onto a propane bottle and have a 6Kg and 15Kg bottle giving me four burners and two different fuels and stable burners to stand larger pans on.

If you intend cooking outside I would add a packet of fire lighters to your box to light your fire pit or barbecue and keep some dry kindling in sealed packets for use when needed and I tend to use wooden cooking tools as metal tools conduct heat and get hot and burn you; plastic tools can overheat and melt and wooden ones work well and at worst ignite and burn.

Foods are something which is subjective and I will give some recommendations for cheap foods which will store well in a situation where you need longevity and which are cheap and readily available and don’t need cooling, chilling, or freezing to preserve them and these will be staple foods and not seasonal vegetables.

Rolled Oats as they last around 2 years in their original packaging and if they are repacked correctly can last around 25-30 years or more and they can be rehydrated with water and nothing more; they are bland and can have milk and seasonal fruit added as well as honey to sweeten them for breakfast. They can be used to supplement or thicken up other foods and are a cheap staple.

Honey is another long lived food which lasts indefinitely and can be used as a natural sweetener if added to cereal or other foods, it balances the gut and has medical qualities such as being an essential antiseptic which can be put directly onto wounds to clean and sterilise them and help them heal of spread onto bandages.

Alcohol and I would suggest cheap vodka as it can be used as fuel in alcohol stoves, thus a good emergency fuel; hand or other sanitiser for wounds and even sterilising tools for surgical procedures and for dealing with infected body parts as an antiseptic.

Dried Milk Powder as this lasts for years and gives milk which you can add to cereals or your drinks and it comes as standard milk and a variety of other milks such as dried goats milk so it is worth buying as many people don’t know you can make butter and cheese from it if you know how.

Apple Cider Vinegar is a natural cleaner and good for you as an anti fungal and it lowers your blood pressure and if you dilute some in water and drink it your belly fat will go down.

Tinned Fish and Meats as they generally have a long shelf life and fish such as salmon, mackerel or tuna are high in all the essential nutrients and tinned meats are cooked and can be simply warmed through and added to other ingredients to make a meal. Spam and pulled pork or beef are currently popular but you can get burgers with onions in gravy which when added to cooked rice make an excellent survival meal.

Water is essential and you cannot survive more than about 3 days without it so as a minimum you need a water filter and possible purification tablets and something to boil it in if it is just filtered, then something to store your prepared water in and of a suitably large size to supply sufficient quantities as you never realise how much you use until you have to find it.

Dried Beans and Pulses are an energy rich staple and they can be kept for years and are added to food to bulk them up for meals or just eaten in their own right and while many say they wont eat them look at any survival programme and they all get rice and beans, so yes they do and so will you if you are hungry.

Rice as it is cheap and filling and goes with most things to make a meal and it lasts forever and it doesn’t matter if it is brown or white rice as all white rice is; is brown rice which has been polished by putting a lot of it in a large rotating drum with a vacuum or forced air blower to blow the husk out. You can make puddings such as rice pudding or just use it for main meals.

Pasta is around 1.5 times the cost of rice and many say it is tastier but it contains around 3 times the calories and lasts a long time so is another alternative staple food.

Herbs and Spices are an essential of most cooking and add taste to a bland dish and make it exciting and even the most basic of bland meals can be made tastier with the correct herbs and spices and as many are good for you they appeal more.

Dried Packet Soups such as Knorr are a simply and long lived soup and are an essential as they are dried and only require water and one saucepan to bring to the boil and simmer for the prescribed time and you have a meal.

One thing many people forget are that they have the basic foods but do they know how to cook them and what goes with what and I would suggest typing up recipes for the foods you have and laminating them and putting them in your box

Excellent advice as always Assassin, and the time you take to write such well articulated and comprehensive articles is greatly appreciated.

I agree with all of the above ,perhapes with the exception to the reference
to Putin. I have spent many years prepping ,and believe i am preped for any
event.
I have a bug-out spot selected in which i can keep my head down in for a while.
Any spot needs to be not too far from a water source and should be located in
tall ,thick bushes or woodland. Its very important you are well away from dog
walking routes or where there are chances of being spotted .
By selecting the right spot you can be near people without them being aware
Railways are a good option Watch a 'cab ride 'video on YT and you will see
embankments thick with bushes/trees going through farmland well away from
where folks go. Even motorway embankments ,given the right spot.
Cooking using what fuel is around you can cause a little smoke initially ,being
in trees or high bushes masks the sight of smoke as it quickly disipates through
the branches.
Snares for rabbits,squirells (i have 50 ready to go. ) snares for birds can be made
from fishing line. Catapults are cheap and effective,
I do have other 'tools' for hunting / defence.
Now is the time to really study edible plants ,with enough knowledge you can
survive indefinatly.
Remember though in survival situations people will be desperate ,stay away from
them.

Thanks Dave, more good tips!

Based on the post assassin put on about the DIY oil lamp and collecting your own seeds which is something I have always done ,
I took more steps ..
I bought 2 smaller 2 man tents off ebay 99p ea brand new ,
A £15 BBQ from Home Bargains and tested my Butternut squash seeds ,
These would be my seed of choice as they never fail to grow ,
There are plenty in each and dry well ,
And they store and lasts months literally,
The lamp was made using an old oven lighter metal long bit cut down , obviously a large jar , wick was off Amazon as I couldn't sacrifice a charity shop hoody , it worked , I have yet to add the corner bracket and tin once I use the potatoes in it ,
The smaller is a ready made wick bought in a pack off amazon , same principle ,
I have a real good stash of food now but keep collecting ,
Always on the look out for long store bargains ,
120 packs of "nasty noodles" for £36 ,
Amazon at present have 45 rolls of andrex £21 , I can't even get cheap finger through toilet roll for that in the bargain shops for that  ,  
Another thing I have is 30kg of TVP (textured protein mince ) It's dry stores years and is a good filler it is what pretends to be chicken in a chicken & mushroom pot noodle ,hence they are vegetarian ,
I had thought salt myself and Marmite is in my stash as it contains vit B12 which your body needs for your central nervous system ,
If you can not get animal products you do need a form of B12 if just a B12 complex tablet , Nutritional yeast also has B12 and adds a cheese flavour to food this is dried flakes ,

I first saw these on Dragons Den and thought what a cracking idea ,
And what a cracking preping idea .
All you need is water and a pan .
I reakon these would cost around 50p to put together .
The candy cone bags could be used if you can't find tube bags .
There is a full website of different flavours for ideas and ingredients lists .