What's something you prepped that only paid off in a situation you didn't plan for?

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JRHLowdown3@reddit

A day or so after Hurricane Helene, we put our thermal drone up to have a look around. Wanted to be sure certain folks we know in the area weren't trapped in due to downed trees on all the roads.

Surveyed damage to structures in the area, could see EVERY SINGLE SHINGLE that was off a house from 100m height. People that usually NEVER go outside were outside sitting on porches, etc. (likely their first time living without AC).

Knowing which roads and routes were able to be cleared easiest and quickest help quite a bit. Did some quick surveys of the roof of our place, etc. in case we missed anything.

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curious_grizzly_@reddit

I'm saying this an general info for others, not to say what you did what wrong.

Please be careful using drones during/after an emergency or natural disaster. Typically a TFR (temporary flight restriction) is put into place in an area so emergency aircraft can operate. Flying a drone in a TFR is dangerous and highly illegal.

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justgonnasendit291@reddit

Reasonable point! Having a software defined radio hooked up to a computer running some form of ADSB receiver could help mitigate this problem as well. It’d give you a little more situational awareness as the vast majority if aircraft would have ADSB on during a disaster. Definitely not 100% but better than eyes only.

If you wanted to get fancier you could pipe it into TAK and use the UAS tools plugin for let you see your drone and aircraft on one map.

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JRHLowdown3@reddit

Hmmm. Can't remember seeing but maybe one or two aircraft during the first few weeks- less than normal air traffic for our area. Here in S. Georgia we were largely forgotten, as NC got all the press about Hurricane Helene, even though much further away, etc. We also had flooding, tornadoes and hurricane force winds as well as 3 weeks without standard power, 2 months without internet etc. The NG did show up for less than a week in a few of the larger towns-gave out MREs, blue tarps and water bottles, then left.

Appreciate the info, this would in no way, shape or form however keep me from running it again to check on folks, road conditions, etc. after an event. I can't even imagine say seeing a heat signature under a downed tree and then thinking "well hell if I followed regulations I wouldn't have known this guy was stuck under a fallen tree." Keep in mind this is middle of BFE, not suburbia or inside a city like most folks here are used to. 30 miles from smallest town and about similar to a tiny airport. Absolutely nothing "dangerous" when nothing is about.

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curious_grizzly_@reddit

Totally wasn't trying to come after you for doing so, or trying to dissuade people from trying to help. There have just been instances lately of issues caused by drones flying during emergencies. The LA wildfires especially had some major issues, with a drone impacting a firefighting plane, causing the to be grounded for several days for repairs.

Was hoping my comment to be an FYI, not trying to say you did anything wrong

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JRHLowdown3@reddit

No worries.

It's kinda like the "you can't have a weapon during an emergency" crap in certain areas of the country. Sure... that's gonna happen ;)

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casscass97@reddit

What kind of drone do you have? That sounds super useful

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JRHLowdown3@reddit

The thermal drone is an Autel. Not as many restrictions/hoops to jump through as the DJI models.

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1LittleBirdie@reddit

This highlights tarps as a useful item. I’d you can’t patch it, at least cover it!

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dementeddigital2@reddit

I used mine after Milton to survey my property damage, too.

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Big_Primrose@reddit

Yoga mat. Helpful for having something padded to kneel or sit on while changing a car tire.

They roll up tight.

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Eeyor-90@reddit

I keep a beach towel for this (and general towel needs). I do like the idea of extra padding, though. I have a cheap inflatable seat cushion that I might start keeping in the car.

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bobsmith14y@reddit

Weirdly, my wife buys bulk toilet paper and paper towels. Super cheap. A comfort prep for a short term interruption to basic services. COVID happened. No paper products available for 50 miles. Rationing locally. With our two pallets, we were able to hand out limited amounts to build good will within our trusted community.

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MNConcerto@reddit

Oddly about a month before the shut down I started prepping supplies, kleenex, toilet paper, paper towels, cough and cold medicine.

I said to my husband that this looks like it could be bad, I'm going to stock up on some things.

We never worried about toilet paper.

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Eeyor-90@reddit

I didn’t anticipate the egg shortage. That caught me off guard; I had everything else covered. We eat a lot of eggs, so I usually have two or three cartons in my fridge at all times now.

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premar16@reddit

In my life I want to have enough that even in hard times that I can wash my body, my clothes, and my house. That way at least I have clean environment and body while stressed. Plus it helps keeps sickness away

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bdouble76@reddit

I dont buy bulk, but I do try and stay 1 or 2 of those x=30 rolls packages ahead. I bought a couple of those when covid was still a whisper, and damnit, the very next day people were saying all the TP was gone in the stores. By the time we needed more, it was easier to get some. I like the good stuff also. I don't go cheap on TP.

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nakedonmygoat@reddit

I've long lived by the rule that if it's something important, two is one, and one is none. So when covid happened, I had extra soap, TP, Clorox wipes, etc. I even had enough to share a little with a friend.

I also knew that if worse came to worst, I wasn't above going to our now-unused office building and borrowing what I needed. It didn't come to that, though.

Unfortunately, I can't use the fancy TP at home. Old pipes. It would probably be fine now that I've had some of them replaced, but I've gotten used to the mid-tier stuff, and it saves money.

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bdouble76@reddit

I came from a hurricane prone area, so having some extra stuff wasn't a new philosophy for me, but covid pricked up my prepper ears if you will. I'm not captain prepared, but I have more than a lot of people and less than some.

Although, I do need to go thru stuff again. We moved from a house with sweet little storage room in the always cool temperature basement, to not having anything close to that. I def lost supplies because of it.

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Mission_Accident_519@reddit

Buying in bulk is step 1 in prepping, saves money too. Not just paper, but other long shelf items too. Like soap, spices, sauses, canned food etc etc.

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bobsmith14y@reddit

Very true. We do it when it makes sense. We have hundreds of pounds of beans and rice for that very reason.

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Eeyor-90@reddit

These are rather mundane:

I like to hike and someone at work gifted me one of those paracord bracelets that have a small whistle and compass built into the buckle. I had tossed it into my work bag and forgot about it. A few months later I was on a remote job site and the laces to my boot broke. The paracord was handy.

I’ve also used the internal threads from paracord for quick sewing repairs when I needed something more sturdy than the cheap thread in my travel sewing kit (those travel kits aren’t good for much more than reattaching a button).

I was visiting a friend who had just moved into their first apartment. We were broke, so we grabbed groceries to cook food instead of going out to eat. We got back to my friend’s place and discovered there was no can opener. I grabbed my Leatherman that has a nice can opener and my friend was very surprised.

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OneLastPrep@reddit

Having a well trained dog. I hadn't even considered it in regards to an evacuation situation. His leash was by the front door but we had to evacuate out the garage. A lot of pets run away during emergencies because they're scared, the barn cat ran away for days, but he stayed right with the kids.

*We do keep a slip lead on his kennel now.

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Eeyor-90@reddit

I taught mine “get in the truck”. It’s been very useful on more than one occasion. He did slip out the front door once to go have an adventure and I yelled “get in the truck!”…he jumped into the cab of my neighbor’s truck as my neighbor was trying to exit. I felt bad, but it was very comical to see this 70 pound dog suddenly wedge himself on my neighbor’s lap and try to curl up under the steering wheel. The neighbor was a good sport, fortunately. We were pretty good friends.

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sadturtle12@reddit

This is a majorly overlooked "prep." Lots of people want a dog for the security aspect. Dogs can hear and smell things we cant and can alert you in the middle of the night if something is wrong. Some dogs depending on the breed can even defend you if necessary. All of that is great but if you cant get your dog to listen to commands, they will be just about useless in a real shtf scenario.

People always compliment me on how well behaved my dogs are and always think I must have them professionally trained or that I spent hours upon hours training them. They are always suprised to learn that I really dont do anything special. All Ive ever done with any dog ive had is take maybe 20 minutes a day while they are young to teach them basic commands. As time goes on the training gets progressively more complex but again im talking 20 minutes every day or every other day. Its so simple but so useful when you need them to listen to you. The last thing I want in an emergency is my dog running away or getting in the way while we are trying to evacuate. Mainly for their own safety. Since they are trained I can have them follow me, follow my wife or stay in 1 spot and I know they wont move until I tell them to.

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Nblearchangel@reddit

20 minutes is about all they can handle I would think. My bengal cat learned a lot of commands but the clicker sessions were short usually.

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sadturtle12@reddit

For sure. Some days the training session may only be 5 minutes but it all helps. Half the training i do isn't really even training per say. For example, I walk my dogs every day 2 times a day. During those walks I am constantly giving them audio cues to get them to heal at my left side or to get them to stop sniffing and start walking. Another good one is making them stop before crossing an intersection. So now when we approach an intersection they know they need to stop and wait until I give the signal to go. My hope is thay god forbid they ever got out, they wouldnt cross the street because I am not there to give them the ok to go. My dogs are my family so the training is not only to have well behaved dogs but also for their own safety.

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long5shot@reddit

I carry an edc pouch in my pocket that has a mini bic with gorilla tape and micro line wrapped around it. Recently on vacation my mom and I went to the Biltmore in NC and my mom's cane kept falling when not in use. I fashioned a wrist loop (yeah knot practice!) from the micro line and a split ring from my keys. The cane stayed upright all day.

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BallsOutKrunked@reddit

Had some rice and canned chicken saved up because hashtag prepper. My dog got sick, pooping blood, diarrhea, didn't look good. Vet book says rice + a little bit of chicken is basically more effective than any medication if it's normal colon inflammation (trash gut).

Low and behold it worked great. I keep some pumpkin puree (canned) around as well now because that would have been helpful too.

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greenarrow118@reddit

Isn't canned chicken high in sodium tho?

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BallsOutKrunked@reddit

It was a really small amount, I want to say 10% by volume, 90% rice. I think initially it was only white rice.

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Captain_Taggart@reddit

Just FYI it's "lo and behold" I dunno if you care at all, but I'm the type of person who would want to know so I'm telling you in case you'd also want to know

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BallsOutKrunked@reddit

As a super pedantic guy myself, I'm down for this information!

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Captain_Taggart@reddit

o7 happy to be of service fellow pedant

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adhd_mechanic@reddit

Man I forgot all about pumpkin puree. Saved my cat's life on more than one occasion (he was really, really stupid though).

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Pretzel387@reddit

I recently watched a YouTube video that listed foods that are going to be more expensive/harder to find soon, and canned pumpkin puree was on the list. Stock up now!!

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kw661@reddit

Name of the channel pls?

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dembowthennow@reddit

Would share the link to the video or the title and creator? I'd like to stock up on some items that might become hard to find.

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Glad-Barracuda2243@reddit

This is all very sound counsel as a pet person myself. I always have pumpkin puree, rice and cans of chicken so I am putting a note about this in my pantry. Thanks random Redditors!!

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DisturbedAlchemyArt@reddit

Just wanted to add that if you ever have to bottle feed something the pumpkin is great if they get diarrhea. I’ve used for kittens, goats (they loved it so they always got it), and even a fly squirrel!

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Mystical_chaos_dmt@reddit

Honestly my geekey and Swiss Army knife. I have the mini champ and just a week ago a coworker had a splinter and they got to use my tweezers. Just this year I needed a tool to reach a hard to reach bolt on my car and my geekey saved the day. It’s helped me with car issues and machine issues.

I prepped for nuclear war so I do have stuff for water purification and filtration so anytime power went out or there wasn’t water accessible I could get it.

My best prep is my training tbh. I studied and train for some of the worst of the worst. Like how to get water anywhere, hunting, fire making and tool crafting. Why is it important because I’ve been stranded for days with no resources. I can’t say I know first aid but I do know life hacks like hydrogen peroxide rinses for mouth infections or ear infections. I’m not formally trained by the military in SERE training but I studied it intensely and it’s the only reason I’m alive to this day. I didn’t plan to get chased and hunted just walking to the bar but it did happen. I was on foot and they were in their truck hunting me while they were under the influence. Or studying how to survive in emergencies in water like how to get out of certain currents that suck you under and can very much kill you. Went to the beach a week later only to get sucked under barely treading water. Felt like I was getting water boarded.

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Either-Sign-9345@reddit

Water storage honestly. I started storing it thinking about storm outages or some kind of grid down situation, never really thought much beyond that.

Ended up using it when our main water line cracked unexpectedly and we were without running water for almost three days waiting on a repair. Nothing dramatic, just a normal plumbing disaster, but having those containers already filled meant we didn't have to scramble or make any emergency runs to the store.

The habit of keeping it rotated and ready is what actually made the difference. If I had stored it and forgotten about it I probably would have had stale water that needed replacing right when I needed it most.

Boring situation, not what I prepped for at all, but that's kind of the point I guess.

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1LittleBirdie@reddit

I save my pickle jars and pressure can drinking water in them whenever I don’t have a full canner load. If the seal lets go it’ll still be good to flush a toilet. (Currently testing how long the resealed jars last)

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Cake5678@reddit

What, can you make the water last longer when it’s pressure canned?

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rmwg@reddit

I keep trauma shears in the door pocket of my truck. Never used them for emergency situations, but I have opened countless kid toys in the parking lot at Target or difficult to open food packages on road trips.

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deofictitio@reddit

Same! I keep them in my armrest, I have a dedicated pair in my work bag, so I kept a pair in the car just in case I forget my work pair. So far I’ve used them for everything but work.

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the_lovely_otter@reddit

I have trauma shears in my trunk kit but never thought about them outside the context of first aid. Thanks!

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rmwg@reddit

They’re the best, I have a couple of pairs throughout the house. Never dull and cut through tough plastic packaging with ease.

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BaylisAscaris@reddit

I practiced crocheting without looking so I could do it while watching shows and going on walks. When I temporarily lost my vision I was able to entertain myself and distract from panic, and made an entire really cool hat. The only problem is I grabbed the wrong color because I couldn't see. I thought it was black but it was purple.

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OdysseusRex69@reddit

Is it possible to share pics of this hat???

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BaylisAscaris@reddit

I don't post identifying pics on Reddit, but if you send me a DM I'll send you one. It's an octopus.

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theyreall_throwaways@reddit

I'm even more impressed it's not just a standard in the round beanie! I can knit without looking, but I don't do much crochet and always need to look to make sure I'm not missing a stitch.

How'd it turn out in comparison to your other work?

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BaylisAscaris@reddit

It's extremely nice. I waited to do the eyes for when I could see again, so they look really cool.

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OdysseusRex69@reddit

That's incredibly cool! DN sent!

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ResolutionMaterial81@reddit

I have pocket EDC'd various micro-thermal imager modules for my smartphone for maybe 15 years. Guessing I have 5 of them in total.

Found blocks in lines offshore, overheated breakers/wiring/connections, animal tracks in the yard, etc Definitely have used it in more "everyday" applications than originally intended.

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OdysseusRex69@reddit

What's an EDC?

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Leopold_Porkstacker@reddit

Every day carry.

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OdysseusRex69@reddit

It says thermalmimager you carry every day? Didn't even know that was a thing - cool!

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eFurritusUnum@reddit

Every Day Carry

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1LittleBirdie@reddit

Link to these? Genuinely curious after trying a FLIR camera to find issues with our house.

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ResolutionMaterial81@reddit

My latest one...acquired in 2023...but may be better units out now.

https://a.co/d/0eHq6k0n

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Dadd_io@reddit

I had N95 masks from my earthquake rescue training when the pandemic hit

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dj_boy-Wonder@reddit

Most preps should be as versatile as possible abd probably the best prep is to just get your shit together personally and financially… if you have reliances on shaky relationships, landlords, a shitty job, youre much more exposed day to day than a guy who doesnt own a generator or a fire steel.

A lot of my mates don't know how to DIY, a lot of that is because they don't own a home (by the way a huge prep item if you can is owning a home) but knowing how to use pwertools and cobble together some solutions, having a good pile of scraps that i can use to build a makeshift solution like boarding a couple of windows, patching a roof well enough until a pro can fix it, fix plumbing, make electrical safe, reaffix a gutter, install a modification, all that kinda thing.

Also savings, a lot of people keep talking about this day where money becomes worthless and we need to barter in livestock cigarettes and gold or whatever but we saw covid we have seen wars we have seen recessions and depressions and the people who came out the other side smiling are the ones who had savings. If my wife and i lost our jobs we have 18 months of reasonable middle class living and mortgage covered before we have to worry

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Fly_Fight_Win@reddit

This should be muuuuuch higher. Having solid relationships, savings, good physical fitness, and even just basic DIY knowledge around the house and car will put you head and shoulders above the guy with an arsenal of guns, food, and water but can’t change a flat tire in an evacuation or fix a blown fuse in an AC unit during a heatwave or provide first aid to someone before paramedics arrive.

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hoardac@reddit

Savings is a very handy prep.

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hobbitsailwench@reddit

Not sure if it counts: Growing up, I kept 2 of my grandparents oil lamps after they passed. My mom had wanted to toss them but I thought they looked cool. Early 00s we had a bad storm that cut out our power for a whole week (unlike anything Ive ever experienced). Guess who's OIl lamp went strong all week?! To this day, I can never bring myself to get rid of it.

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Glum-Building4593@reddit

My Amateur Radio License? I know after SHTF or TEOTWAWKI that no one is going to care if I am licensed but I have called in rescue after a bad 4x4 incident (A rock gave way and a vehicle rolled down the hill, pinning the driver and passenger. We all had the training and they were stable but we just didn't have a way to get them out. I was the only ham in the group and quickly guided the sheriff to the location over the air since cell phones just didn't function). If I hadn't practiced on how to use the radio or what to do in that situation (local ham group likes to have practice with LEO) I would have been a potato in that situation. I started doing HAM because it was a way to connect with some of the aging brains in my area. Turned in to saving people's lives.

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curious_grizzly_@reddit

I keep an axe and a pair of bolt cutters in my vehicle as part of my tiered "get home" setup. When buying our house, the previous owner had padlocked the backyard gate but didn't provide a key to the realtors or inspector. They had permission to cut the lock, but were trying to figure out where to get bolt cutters when I volunteered the ones I had. They were understandably confused as to why I just had bolt cutters on hand.

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

Yeah, I'd be a bit bewildered, myself. I'm not sure I'd be lugging around bolt cutters as part of my "get home" kit, as that is more of a "forced entry" type setup. But hey, that's just me. Glad it worked out for you, but out of sheer curiosity, what is in your "get home" setup?

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Worldly-Swing6921@reddit

Bolt cutters are great if you need to open a gate or make a space through chain link to get where you're going in an emergency.

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

No doubt they are useful, but when I imagine a "get home" setup, my mind goes to something I'd be carrying while traveling on foot or the like if vehicles can't be used for whatever reason. Otherwise, it just seems like it is just a commute.

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BarrelCacti@reddit

Knipex sells a pair of cutters that can cut through chain link fences and are slightly bigger than an average pair of piers.

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trenthany@reddit

Even cheap brands sell 8” ones that almost anyone can cut chain link, barbed wire and other similar fencing material with. Just smaller versions of the normal large ones people know from movies.

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curious_grizzly_@reddit

That's why I have my tiered approach. If I have to walk, then I only grab a couple of things from my car and I leave the rest behind. But if I can use my car, it has additional tools to aid me

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rg123itsme@reddit

My daily driver is also my offroad rig. I’ve used boot cutters a few times to access roads. If a gated road could bypass a shutdown and get you home, then boot cutters have a purpose.

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

I get that, but you might want to delete that. Might easily be considered "illegal activities" as it's implying trespassing. This sub tends to be pretty strict on obeying laws and not implying that laws should be broken even during times of civil unrest or whatnot.

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curious_grizzly_@reddit

I go with a tiered approach. What is on my person gets me to my bag, my bag to my car, and car to home. Where I work has fenced in parking with one of the up/down toll gate like things, but has a back gate that is just a padlock. In an emergency I'm not waiting in line with hundreds of other vehicles to get home.

One thing with my tiers is also that I'm not reliant on any one of them, so it's not like if I can't get to my bag I can't get to my car, or can't get to my car I can't get home. It's just that each tier makes the next step easier

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JayArrrDubya@reddit

I know that kind of company parking setup and would hate to be trapped in something like that too.

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curious_grizzly_@reddit

When I was younger my thought was just to ram the fence/back gate (it's just chain link, can't be that tough) till a friend in construction told me just how stupid that would be. Bought the bolt cutters next day

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Financial-Parsley482@reddit

Do you recommend any particular brand of bolt cutters?

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powermaster34@reddit

I got the longest handle biggest cutter I could find. The longer the handles the bigger it can cut.

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sho666@reddit

i got the shortest, the shorter the handles the better it fits in a backpack

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curious_grizzly_@reddit

I don't know enough about different ones other than the longer the handles the more leverage you have. I jsut went and bought the Lowes brand

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qszdrgv@reddit

Curious. Why wouldn’t that work?

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curious_grizzly_@reddit

From what my friend told me, chain link fence don't just come apart like in the movies. The fence posts are often set in concrete, and the fence itself has move give to it that it seems. You're more likely going to either wreck your vehicle, or get it trapped in fence pieces, than you are to get out. Could it work? Maybe, but it's much easier to just snip the lock and leave.

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sho666@reddit

^ used to live in a shit-hole of a public housing unit with a clepto neighbour who stole bikes ALL THE FUCKING TIME

one day he decided to steal a motorbike and locked it up downstairs, chained to a concrete column with a combination bicycle lock (albeit a fairly sturdy one)

called the police + reported the unregistered motorbike chained to the building in a area where he wouldve had to drive it down a footpath

police attended, found it to be a stolen bike, called the owners, she attended, they couldnt get the thing unlocked + were waiting for another police vehicle to deliver an angle grinder or something o cut the lock

walked upstairs, grabbed my mini bolt cutters, popped it open for them

bolt cutters (even a small set like mine) area great tool to have on hand

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Ingawolfie@reddit

If you do any kind of dog rescue, especially pit bulls, you need to ALWAYS have bolt cutters in your vehicle.

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dementeddigital2@reddit

I started carrying shims, bolt cutters, and a 4 foot crowbar in my truck after getting locked in a park after closing one day. I was able to squeeze out between two trees and over a ditch, but it taught me a couple of new rules. 1. Don't be an idiot, pay better attention and 2. Be better prepared in case I violate the first rule.

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RedSquirrelFtw@reddit

I have a small solar setup on my shed, it originated as just a way to power the lights but figured may as well run that power to the house. I have a few outlets around the house, plan to expand that a bit.

Had power go out literally as I was about to make coffee. Was able to bring the coffee machine to one of those outlets and still make my coffee.

I still need to run a few more outlets though, would be nice to run one in the kitchen and one behind the fridge with some sort of transfer switch as it's hard to access otherwise, and also one to the furnace.

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not_lost_maybe@reddit

Bought a decent hand-crank radio for hurricane season and it ended up being the most useful thing I owned during a regional power outage that had nothing to do with weather. Three day blackout, substation failure, no cell service because the towers went with it. The radio was how we got local news about which gas stations had generators and which roads were blocked. Every other prep I had lined up for a storm was irrelevant that week. Taught me prepping isn't really about the scenario you planned for, it's about having tools that still work when the infrastructure you assume is always on isn't.

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somuchmt@reddit

I got a multitool as a prep. I have lots of tools and a Swiss army knife, but figured I'd add this to the collection. I now carry it around with me all the tine and use it daily in my plant nursery. I always have my clippers, my hori-hori knife, my multitool, and string.

Speaking of string, knowing how to tie various knots is a great skill. I've made new handles for laundry baskets and instrument cases, plant carriers, and jewelry connectors with macrame and plait knots.

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Murphuffle@reddit

Does shitting my pants at work and having spare boxers in my trunk count?

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jellyfishbrain@reddit

prep for Tuesday not doomsday

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NomadicSTEM@reddit

Was the shitting job-related or food-related or??

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Murphuffle@reddit

I love hot sauce. It was very much hot sauce related.

Never trust a fart.

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AlternativeAthlete99@reddit

hi, are you my husband? haha kidding, but seriously, he could have written this himself

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HummousTahini@reddit

Join us, join us at r/spicy, u/Murphuffle. You are one of us, haha.

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Murphuffle@reddit

Oh, I've been there for a while

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NomadicSTEM@reddit

At least the juice was worth the squeeze 🔥

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powermaster34@reddit

I have a decent polo shirt, Tide spot remover, pair of clean underwear, deodorant, a bar of soap, clean wash cloth, towel, hair brush and an old corded shaver. Prepto tablets, ibuprofen, protein bars, eye drops all in my desk.

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twentytwothumbs@reddit

Tire patch kit. Extra tire valves. So simple and cheap. Saves the day all the time. When you can fix a tire in 10 minutes it makes someone's shitty day turn into a good day.

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krustyy@reddit

I kept a small window air conditioner in my garage. The purpose was to hook it up to my teardrop trailer on hot camping trips. Got rid of the trailer but kept the air conditioner.

Our air conditioner blower went out in the summer of 2020 during a 100 degree week. My AC guy had to order a blower that would take at least a week to arrive. It took about 15 minutes with some plywood scraps, a few screws, and a piece of rigid foam board I had laying around and the whole family shacked up in one downstairs bedroom. My kids were 2 at the time and we already had an old king mattress on the floor of the room as it was their play room. Kids had a blast camping out in a nice cool room that week.

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blitzm056@reddit

Got a drone for just in case. There was a high speed chase on the interstate no too far from us. Anyways, the suspect attacked the cops and then ran. He was believed to be very near our house. Cops, squad cars, and helicopters flew around for hours. I sent my drone out to check the barn and camper. Sooo much better than checking myself.

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Plenty_Fondant_951@reddit

I mean...I really didn't think the first thing to be useful during a viral respiratory pandemic was gonna be the toilet paper.

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PUNd_it@reddit

Candles, and food (and pet food) in the car

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xamott@reddit

Well I bought antibiotics in foreign countries. 10 years later my gf had an infection and took my cipro. She’s an RN so “trust me bro”.

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kuru_snacc@reddit

I'm all about using things as past the stamped date by a bit, but I wouldn't go 10 years, you're going to lose a lot of effectiveness. Also, not all antibiotics cover all infections (and some can be made worse) so good to have a chart printed of [common infection + common bug + first line / alternative.] Or a PDR book or the like. If you PM me I have more tips.

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OdysseusRex69@reddit

I have a bunch of antibiotics in a very cold fridge. Hoping that extends their shelf life until needed.

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the_lovely_otter@reddit

Obscure but I keep a kick scooter in my car for the long walk from parking to the office, if I'm running late. Man, when I was in crawling traffic trying to get home in the 2025 tsunami warning in Hawaii, I was hella grateful for a set of wheels I could use if the roads fully jammed (mine didn't but many) and the water came (thankfully it didn't)

Now I will always keep one in the car. Same rationale as keeping the tank half full.

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1LittleBirdie@reddit

I can shave mine 30 min, up to 1.5 hrs leaving my city by parking and biking partway in/out. Useful for avoiding summer traffic, but hadn’t thought of it as a prep!

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Justme15222@reddit

I keep a camping comforter in the car. It's very warm with a fleece side. My mom was on a nursing home for rehab during a severe subzero cold snap that isn't usual for the area.

Her in room hvac wasn't keeping up and their blankets were typical hospital blankets. They didn't allow the space heaters or heated blankets that we would use at home in this scenario. She's a typical old lady and is always cold normally so having the extra chill in the room was cause for some concern (and a lot of complaints).

They suggested bringing extra blankets from home but instead of the hour long round to drive, I was able to grab the comforter in the car and it was just what she needed. Now when we travel, she asks if it's in the car in case the hotel is cold despite telling her it's always in the car.

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lustforrust@reddit

Quilted furniture pads, aka moving blankets, are what I carry in my vehicles. They are cheap yet durable, quite hefty and are very good insulation. I've even used them for keeping frozen stuff cold when grocery shopping in the summer.

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1LittleBirdie@reddit

If in Canada princess auto sells those thick quilted moving blankets for fairly cheap - $20 out less if I recall. My husband likes them when we’re camping and it gets extra chilly, so I agree with you!

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MNConcerto@reddit

Living in Minnesota, keeping a blanket or 2 in your car is necessary trunk equipment. I order swag at work so get samples of blankets a couple times a year. These are perfect for a trunk because if they get used or given away its not a big financial issue

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Environmental_Art852@reddit

The scissors and tweezers on my Swiss army knife

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AlternativeAthlete99@reddit

we keep a car emergency kit. recently some emergency stuff happened, and my husband had to sleep in the car overnight. he was thankful i made him keep an emergency kit in the car, and even more thankful that the emergency kit included a pillow and blanket. i tried to remove it the other day to wash, and he said “absolutely not, what if you forget to put it back?” lol

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gg562ggud485@reddit

Deferred compensation plan

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KTeacherWhat@reddit

Masks. We got them for doing a remodel and put the extras in the emergency bin. Came in handy in 2020

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212Alexander212@reddit

I bought a lot of N95s years before covid and then I used them during the pandemic when they were impossible to find.

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imasickboy@reddit

I'm a homebrewer, so I own stupid amounts of different equipment for boiling a wide variety of differing volumes of liquid.

Power was out on a random weekend morning, wife and I needed coffee, propane burner took care of business. Inconsequential, not intended, but greatly appreciated.

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briko3@reddit

Bought a solar battery because I didn't want to run wiring to my shed. It kept my fridge running for a week and a half after hurricane helene. It paid for itself in food savings just from that.

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Life-Event6168@reddit

Sillcock key.

Comes in very handy when looking for H20 in industrial parks.

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the_lovely_otter@reddit

Oh snap I have one for no prep reasons but realize should def be storing it in my go bag. Thanks!

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Financial-Parsley482@reddit

Is there a story here? The OP asked for stories, examples.

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Hobby_Homebrew@reddit

After Katrina my friends down there wanted ice, bread, milk, water, and propane. I'd add to that list cash in smaller bills to pay for stuff where the credit card machines are down. In a more widespread SHTF write checks, of course!

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SPR95634@reddit

We live in a small mountain community 20 minutes from a small town. We have one cell tower that provides our communication. I go hunting by myself so my wife insisted I purchase a Spot Finder (satellite gps/text ) in case I need help. Well the tower only has 3 days fuel for its generator and then we lose all comms except short wave radio. A couple years ago we got buried under 4 feet of snow, we normally just stay put and ride it out. Once the tower ran out of gas we had no way to communicate. I remembered my Spot and was able to let work know it would be a couple days before we could get out. It wasn’t in my preps but now it is!

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WrathOfGood@reddit

Don’t you have to pay a monthly subscription fee for those?

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SPR95634@reddit

I pay yearly and use it spring and fall. It’s less expensive yearly than starting and stopping.

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Anaxamenes@reddit

Putting things back or in predicate locations. It’s a habit I do most of the time and it has helped a lot. I forgot where I put a cable I got with my Apple Watch. So I asked myself where would be the best place to have it? I put it in my suitcase with the other cables so I’m always packed even if I’m in a rush. I’d forgotten I’d done that, but because I thought ahead, there it was. Helps when packing storage containers in a logical manner with labels too.

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TheDev1ce@reddit

Having some fuel in your garage comes in handy sometimes. Maybe it is an emergency and the powers out. Or maybe you're running late, your car is on empty, and you save yourself 10 minutes by throwing five gallons in on your way out the door. Perhaps your neighbor, sibling, etc runs their car out of fuel... Or maybe you do.

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TheCarcissist@reddit

Prepping for Tuesday saved my ass during covid. It wasnt until like a year later when I realized we had used up alot of our pantry and freezer stuff. Made me realize that a real SHTF scenario will grind you down well before you even realize there is a problem

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Financial_Resort6631@reddit

COVID

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Emotional_Seat_7424@reddit

Not so out there, but iur neighbour's furnace died dead of winter, they had propane oven but only gas for a night - we shared our kerosene heater and a box of 100 candles which kept them going until repair, they were beyond gratefull.

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Outside_Spray_2529@reddit

Saving all my bread ties to make a bread tie chain for strapping stuff down

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Covert__Squid@reddit

When my door handle broke internally, locking me in my room, I was sure glad I had a Swiss Army knife to take the hinges off the door and get out.

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nakedonmygoat@reddit

That happened to my husband, only it was the middle of the night and the door hinges were on his side, so I had to call a locksmith.

He hadn't even needed to close the door all the way, the big silly. I was asleep and wasn't going to walk in on him. But none of us are at our mental best when we wake out of a perfectly good dream because we need to empty our bladder.

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exhilaration@reddit

A habit? Carrying a knife and flashlight on me at all times, they come in handy all the time. Maybe that's more more r/EDC vs r/preppers

Here's a pic, you can see I'm putting that coin pocket to use! https://imgur.com/a/USfSU8u

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IllustriousReason944@reddit

What do you carry for a light. I’m a maintenance man looking for a double duty flashlight

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exhilaration@reddit

I try to only buy Made in USA gear, or at least not made in China, so my choices are both limited and expensive :*( My flashlight is this from Malkoff Devices, made in in Alabama: https://malkoffdevices.com/products/mdc-bodyguard-v1-flashlight

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IllustriousReason944@reddit

Thank you I don’t mind paying for quality.

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iwannaddr2afi@reddit

Not a unique experience I know, but having tools in my vehicle pays off more than most stuff. I used to carry a multitool all the time but can't now due to needing to come into places where they're restricted, but usually I have to drive wherever I'm going anyway so tools are never far away :)