Like we talk about in our Food Storage 101 section, there are three main things you want to make sure you have when putting together your food storage: Food, clean water, and a heat source.
72-Hour Kits
Part of emergency preparedness is having a good 72-hour kit on hand that’s equipped with all your necessary supplies. Learn more about 72-hour kits.
Emergency Food
With food, make sure you not only pick a package that fits your food storage profile, but also make sure you have the accessories such as utensils, plates, cups, and garbage bags for clean up. Honestly, just go down to your local big-box store and buy the cheapest items available.
Clean Water
With water, we recommend you find a water source and a way to filtrate it. The best filters in our opinion are ones made by Katadyn. Katadyn employs standard pricing across all of its resellers. If you have the space, we also recommend buying a 55-gallon water drum. Just remember, daily average water use in the US is about 70 gallons. In an emergency you would be much more judicious. However, the point remains that there is no way you can store enough water to survive a long-term emergency. You need a water filter.
Heat Source
You are going to need a heat source if you want to cook your food and stay warm in the winter. In the past, most of these products contained a petroleum jelly that was extremely hazardous and could not be shipped via air. Today there are better products. The very best of these is the InstaFire brand Emergency Fuel. This Emergency Fuel is a patented blend of volcanic rock, wood pellets, and paraffin wax.
Another good choice is the Stove in a Can product, which you can get at FoodInsurance.com.
Other
There are companies that will sell you anything from bomb shelters to backpacks. We don’t review any of those products now but do plan on having a more robust emergency supplies review in the future.
