37 unusual preps to hoard

Military energy survival gum
Weird stuff to hoard: Pennies!
A scooter will a mode of transporation in the apocalpyse
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37 unusual things to hoard
The Don't Tread on Me Flag is also called a Gadsden flag, because
it was named after General Christopher Gadsden. The coiled
snake represents the Timber rattlesnake or the Easter
Diamondback rattlesnake, which are both prevalent in the
geographic regions of the first 13 colonies. Today, the flag flies
proudly in South Carolina as General Gadsden first presented it to
the Congress of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina. It is
a symbol of patriotism, and a symbol for the Tea Party
movement. It has also been widely popular with preppers and for
this reason it may be wise to hold one in your possession.

#6: Fire extinguishers.
Fire will be, to say the least, alarming in a life without society's
current comforts and yet other prepper sites rarely if ever mention
this necessity. How are you going to defend your homestead
without an adequate water supply and without the fire
department rolling up to your property? One tiny fire extinguisher
isn't going to cut it! Consider buying extinguishers by the dozen!
How else will you protect what you've got? On the topic of fires
and while you're at it, be sure to have plenty of shovels around
(one for every member of your group or family) to cover the
flames with dirt the way the forest firefighters do.

  • Preppers always love dual purpose items, and indeed shovels
    will be invaluable for working the crops. On an unpleasant
    topic, they will also be valuable for burying the dead.

#7: Kids wheels (Razor scooters and skateboards,
radio flyer wagon, strollers).
A toy as a prepper tool? Yes! It's not odd when you think of a
Razor or a skateboard as a mode of transportation. It's perfect for
your bug out vehicle because it folds compactly. A Razor scooter
isn't just for kids: there are bigger wheels for adults. Instead of
walking you could be scooting, which would certainly put you at
an advantage in a bugout scenario!

Just pick up your scooter and walk over terrain when need be.
Pack one for each family member if you don't already have a
fold-
up bugout bicycle. Consider skateboards also if you are so
inclined with skills from your youth. Many a Hollywood movie
adventure features a kid in an escape by skateboard. The little
red wagon, which was perfect for your kids earlier days, could
serve you well in an off-grid situation to haul water and supplies
and the same goes for strollers (even the kinds intended for small
pets)!

#8: Carts, hand trucks, and wheelbarrows.
Think of the wheels which cart treasures for the homeless, and
you will better value these items in your preps for the future.
Shopping carts will surely disappear when the world collapses.  
The chore of hauling supplies will be easier for preppers with use
of hand trucks and carts. The use of
hand trucks and carts has the
advantage of smaller wagons in that they are especially useful if
you're going to be moving your entire homestead in a matter of
minutes into a truck or van. Wheelbarrows. If you've been
borrowing a wheel barrow, now is the time to get one for yourself.
Get a hand truck while it is still available. You'll eventually want
a wheelbarrow to haul crops and firewood. You'll find this an
indispensable tool. Guard it when SHTF!

#9: Cable ties.
Cable ties, also known as zip ties, are a good quick fix and the
next best thing to
duct tape! Often overlooked, cable ties have a
multitude of uses from making household repairs to camping,
gardening and bugging out! One clever prepper father used it to
make a pony tail holder! Rubber bands break, but hair bands are
more durable. Whether building a fire or tending to the gardening,
having a hair band tie hair will certainly prove useful. Rubber
bands have several other uses.

Here's a partial list of how to use cable ties:
  1. fasten gear to your bugout bag;
  2. keep your bicycle wheels in place on your car's bike rack;
  3. secure tarps together like grommets for camping;
  4. tie vines on plants, such as tomatoes
  5. keep raccoons out of your food (han
  6. hang utensils to dry camping
  7. lash sticks together;
  8. secure a door or a window; and so much more!


#10: Perfume cards.
Those little card samples from the department stores  are loaded
with alcohol inside, and perfume cards offer the convenience also
of cardboard to work as tinder. For an added touch, dip the
perfume cards in paraffin wax.


#11: Bikes and bicycle trailers.
Save bicycles your children have outgrown as they will have value
in bartering for parents of young children. A useful find at garage
sales are bikes and bicycle trailers. Just because your kids are
grown or you don't have kids doesn't mean you shouldn't grab the
opportunity to have a bike trailer. Sure the people who think
you're nuts for prepping will really think you've gone off the deep
end, but the reality is that bicycle trailers are an excellent place
to store your goods if you
bugout by bicycle.

#12 Cardboard rolls and lint.
Don't discard lint or cardboard rolls! Stash toilet paper and paper
towel rolls and stuff them with lint from the dryer to make an
excellent tinder for a firestarter. Wrap in brown craft paper and
you have an nice looking firestarter to place at your hearth. This
is a simple thing you can do to prepare for your survival,
particularly if you live where it snows. Cardboard is also
immensely useful when combined with a tin can to make a buddy
burner.

#13: Cookie tins, #10 cans and old tin cans.
Did you know you can make charcoal with a cookie tin? Danish
butter cookies have a long shelf life, and you can use the cookie
tin containers to make carbon (charcoal). With old tin cans you
can make a hobo stove or a buddy burner.


#14: Chewing gum.
Chew on this: chewing gum should be part of your preps. While
having gum helps provide a sense of normalcy in uncertain times,
having gum available could help save your life in a survival
situation to keep you alert or help you fish.

#15: Sturdy cardboard box.
With aluminium and a cardboard box, you can make yourself a
camp oven to bake just about anything from muffins, to bread to
casseroles.


#16: Fabric from sheets, blankets, and curtains, and
old worn clothes.
Anyone who has ever seen Gone with the Wind will remember the
scene where red velvet curtains were transformed into a fantastic
gown. Necessity is the mother of invention they say! Quilts are
new blankets from old materials for the same reason:
resourcefulness. Even though your garments have holes in them,
they are useful in troubled times for recycling. Women today craft
handbags from old jeans. Buttons are also useful, save them the
way your Great Grandmother did, particularly during the Great
Depression.

Good uses for old worn clothes and fabrics:
  • New clothes and bags:
  • Transform a pair of jeans into a skirt!
  • Sew together a grocery bag.
  • Quilt: Make a quilt from cut up pieces of fabric. You will find
    warmth in the the old pieces will of memories sewn together.
  • Cleaning rags: Use them as rags to clean.
  • Toilet paper: You've heard the expression, "She's on the rag
    again"? Well, where do you think that term came from? Cut
    the materials up into squares and you have toilet paper.

#17: Pantyhose.
An old military trick is to wear pantyhose underneath the socks to
help avoid friction and blisters for long hikes. It's just one of
those
weird survival tricks that works. You'll also stay warmer
when wearing pantyhose and keep chiggers and ticks at bay. With
pantyhose you can filter water or improvise a fishing net, even
use it to carry food you gather in the wild. Wear them, ladies and
gentlemen!


#18: Children's clothes and shoes.
Children's clothing will be fantastically valuable to new mothers
at the end of the world as we know it. Save the best items,
particularly sturdy shoes, and think of your children's old things
as bartering items.

#19: Sandbags.
Sure, sandbags are great for helping you mitigate flood damage,
but for a prepper, sandbags are ideal for security and shelter
fortification. Sandbags can help you fortify your home to block
intruders at gates and entrances. The more mass the better to
shield against radiation or bullets, too.

#20: Tarps.
With a tarp you are limited only by your creativity. Lay out a tarp
and you can collect rainwater, camouflage a bugout vehicle or  
temporarily patch a window.
Preppers have clever uses for tarps.

#21 Nails and screws.
Lots of preppers pack in the bullets for security, but nails are
more practical because they have so many applications for
creating new things and fixing others. The great thing about nails
is they don't take up too much room to hoard them. Nails and
screws of various sizes will be an immensely important trade
item. Buy extras for bartering.

#22: Plywood.
Preppers will find plywood useful for such things as fixing broken
windows and fortifying entrances and windows to discourage
looters. With nails and plywood a prepper can also make a bed of
nails to make a painful inside entrance. The element of surprise
may be all you need to distract enough to save your life.

#23: PVC pipe.
PVC pipe has many uses. Of foremost value to preppers is using
PVC for plumbing. The day will come when you'll need to fix
repairs yourself. Many preppers also use PVC pipe to make
underground cache compartments to store food and ammo.
Learn
to make your a hand pump water well using PVC pipe.

#24: Heavy-duty grocery bags and totes.
Consider stockpiling reinforced grocery bags or buying a few of
polyethylene or canvas totes. The large tote, pictured immediate
right, is an incredibly strong and rugged storage bag, made from
polyethylene tarp material. The tote will not crack under extreme
cold, it is tear resistant, extremely flexible and water resistant.
Consider also the canvas log carrier, also pictured right. You will
be hauling lots of wood and gear and edibles. These bags could
help you transport your fuel for the fire or crops home.

#25: Dental floss.
Believe it or not, Dental floss could save your life! Discover why
you should stock some dental floss in your preps, and particularly
in your bug-out bag.

#26: Buckets and Bins.


  • Have an old plastic storage bin? Learn how to make a worm
    farm from that too! Take time today to declutter and get rid
    of the things you don't need in that bin, and make
    something that could prove very valuable: a worm farm!

#27: Board games.
For the times you're boarded up in the bunker and bored, you'll
need some entertainment and family board games. Board games
will help provide normalcy in difficult times. Board game are an
unusual prep, but they will provide necessary stress release.

#28: Expired bleach (that's right, the expired kind).
It's not unusual for preppers to have bleach, but many preppers
don't know that bleach expires. Yes, check the bottle and you will
see that bleach indeed has an expiration date! Bleach is good for
about six months because it breaks down and becomes less
potent. Even though you'll have expired bleach on your hands,
don't dump your rotation of it. Just add a big X on the bottle, so
you'll know that it has expired. You'll still find the liquid useful for
flushing your sanitation.

#29: Fire hydrant wrench.  
Having a Five Hole hydrant wrench could mean the difference
between life and death. A fire hydrant wrench could supply you
with lifesaving water after a catastrophe.

#30: Declaration of Independence and Constitution.
The day may come when, as an American, you need to assert your
second amendment rights. Pictured immediate left, you can have
your book to aid you in your defense for your right to bear arms.
The Fourth Amendment is another area of concern for preppers
who hoard food. This amendment prohibits unreasonable search
and seizure. Defend yourself with knowledge of your rights!

#31: Large clay pots.
Clay pots has uses beyond planting. Buy clay pots of varying
sizes and with the sand you've stored, make a
Zeer Pot
Refrigerator. A clay pot oven is another versatile option when you
have clay pots. You can also use organic pots of clay that have
tiny holes in the bottom, and sides to make a worm farm.

#32: Glass bottles and mason jars.
Preppers stash mason jars in large supplies for canning; however,
something often overlooked is glass bottles, which can be
recycled for any number of purposes from brewing beer, and
making wine and moonshine, to canning your own sauces and
juicing. Ideal for making iced tea as well.

#33: Cheese cloth.
Yet another random item with multiple uses is cheese cloth
because it doesn't disintegrate when wet. Preppers love items
with dual purposes and this one goes beyond. Cheese cloth uses
include straining, steaming, basting poultry, leaning and
polishing, making spice bags, and, of course, cheesemaking!

As a strainer, cheesecloth can help keep bones, fats, and solids
out of the clear broths. What's more, cheesecloth is excellent for
protecting young trees from cicadas (a winged insect that feeds
on sap). Other bizarre uses include making a dust mask to help
mitigate a biohazard. Something you may have thought of is
using cheese cloth as a gauze for first aid. Cheese cloth might
also be useful as a makeshift fishing net.

#34: Bailing wire, safety wire or hay wire.
Dandy for makeshift repairs, bailing wire will "bail" you out in a
fix. From fixing fences, chicken coups and cars, you'll find baling
wire immensely useful, and yet this is another item preppers
overlook. In addition to automotive uses, fixing farm equipment,
bailing wire can be used for bailing hay. Be sure to have a heavy
duty, side wire cutter in your preps as well. Then of course,
there's always your duct tape, paracord and super glue to get you
out of a fix.

#35: Bungee cords.
Okay, don't jump off the deep end on this strange idea: bungee
cord! A rarely mentioned necessity with preppers, a bungee cord
will have an immense value and it is a great match for a
paracord. With fierce and unimaginable strength, a bungee cord
will help you secure your valuables to your bugout vehicle or
motorcycle. Use a bungee cord with your hand truck or tarp.
Secure a propane tank or a bicycle with a bungee cord. You'll find
numerous uses with your camping equipment too. Bungee Cords
are one of the 99 Prepper things to buy at the Dollar Stores.

#36: Tampons and maxi pads.
Aside from the obvious uses, tampons and maxi pads can help
preppers in array of ways:
  1. Stop bleeding in wounds too: Tampons and maxi pads can
    help you with severe wound care as a sterile dressing. You
    can compress the bandage with duct tape or by wrapping a
    bandanna and securing with safety pins.
  2. Cold compress: Unusual, but you can also make a cold
    compress. To make one, dampen the maxi pad, then place it
    into a plastic bag and freeze. Of course, a bag of frozen peas
    will do!
  3. Bartering: Tampons and maxi pads will be a barter luxury
    item.
  4. Firestarting: Both Tampons and maxipads can act as tinder
    for firestarting.

#37: Steel Wool is a firestarter.
Sure, Steel wools will scrub your pots, but you can create fire with
steel wool! Just touch steel wool to a 9-volt battery and you'll be
amazed how it ignites so easily.


So now you know the 37 things you might not have otherwise
thought to store.

Bonus items:

1. Soaps and detergent will be in short supply during a severe
collapse and this means homesteaders and preppers will be
looking for rendered fat for making their own soaps. In a famine
situation; however, having adequate supplies of laundry
detergent stockpiled would mean homesteaders wouldn't have to
sacrifice fats that contain valuable calories of food!

2. Aluminum Foil. Don't use aluminum foil for cooking because it's
dangerous. Instead, use foil for:
  • cleaning cast iron skillets
  • sharpening scissors and knives.
  • making a sun oven!
  • cleaning your grill!

3. Crayons. Melt crayons into candles! It's wax and can help you
illuminate or accelerate fire starting.

4. Kitty Litter. Not to end on a crappy note, but kitty litter is the
final weird prep to stockpile. A basic use is sanitation to help
keep smells at bay. In Winter, kitty litter can help you get your
car out of the snow. Rodents abhor kitty litter, so ideally you
could store your supply near your food storage, particularly grains
and canned goods. Kitty litter will also keep plants moist.

Happy endings...
Creativity is half of what makes prepping fun! Finding unusual
uses for ordinary items helps ensure that everything in your home
has multiple uses.

Related articles...

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37 Unusual Things for Preppers to Hoard
Stuff for your survival cabinet, garage or locker

37 unusual things to hoard if you're a prepper:
What's in your survival cabinets, garage or locker? Sure, you've
got water, shelf stable meals, weaponry and security devices,
excess toilet paper, plus seeds for the future, but what haven't
you thought about? Consider the Happy Prepper list of the 37
most unusual survival tools to hoard while they are still available!

Mind you, this is not the typical list and it is not the same as our
other totally free prepper lists, including these popular articles

37 Unusual Things for Preppers to Hoard
This list of 37 unusual things for preppers is a bit weird because
it includes some stuff you wouldn't ordinarily think to keep: lint,
for example. This prepper list may surprise you, starting with #1.

#1:  Copper pennies.
Many preppers collect silver and overlook a resource right before
their eyes: copper! Pennies made of copper (those dated 1982
and earlier) hold more value in copper than the face value of one
cent. Why do you think the U.S. Government has changed the
penny and in Canada they no longer have the penny? It's because
it costs them too much to produce. The value of the copper is
about double the face value.  
Check Coinflation.com for the
current value of copper. The melt value of copper pennies was
$0.0195929 for 1909-1982 copper cents on Dec. 2, 2014.

#2: Books and magazines you don't read.
Why keep old books and magazines? Three reasons. 1.) You can
cut thick books to stash valuables, such as gold and silver, to
hide them in plain sight on your bookshelf 2.) You can tear pages
of either as tinder or burn the whole book for fuel. 3.) You can
use pages as toilet paper. Yes, that last one isn't so pleasant,
but it's what they did back in the day. How do you think the
"reading in the bathroom" idea got started?

#3: Chopsticks.
Every time you go to a Chinese restaurant or eat sushi, why not
grab a few extra chopsticks? They will soon amass into a nice
collection. After using them as a utensil, you don't have to clean
because they have a new purpose! Use chopsticks for firestarting
- use them as kindling! It's the little things you think of now,
which will give you an edge.

#4: Safety pins.
You'll find safety pins have many survival kits. Why? Safety pins
have a number of survival uses! With safety pins you can:
  1. create an instant fish hook (you'll need cordage of course);
  2. craft an arm sling from T-shirt for first aid;
  3. improvise tweezers for splinter or tick removal;
  4. secure a bandanna to make a bandage and compress
    bleeding;
  5. make a finger splint;
  6. hang stuff to dry while out on your journey;
  7. affix gear to your bugout bag;
  8. mend a broken shoe lace;
  9. close your pant legs to keep out snow;
  10. use it like a toothpick;
  11. connect blankets, bags or clothes to create shelter;
  12. close wounds (in extreme cases where no doctor is available
    you can use it like a skin stapler);
  13. open cans;
  14. home-made feminine pad with a safety pin and more)
  15. defend yourself; and
  16. repair your clothes;

  • BONUS: Did you know you can start a fire with a battery
    and safety pin? Attach a safety pins to the terminals of the
    battery. You can do the same with aluminum foil.

You can easily store two safety pins on your key chain, so you
have them when you need them. While you're at it, be sure to get
some thread and needles, which should already be on your
prepper supply list. Thread on wooden spools are available
inexpensively at thrift shops and will serve you well into the
future.
Buy safety pins inexpensively at the dollar stores.

#5: Gadsden flag (and the constitution).
Another unusual item for your preps is a Gadsden flag. Why?
Because it sends a message to other preppers. In a world without
rule of law, the flag will likely provide an opportunity for preppers
to align and unite for the greater good of their own communities.
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